title: 2016 AAFP Guidelines for the Management of Feline Hyperthyroidism.
abstract: Since 1979 and 1980 when the first reports of clinical feline hyperthyroidism (FHT) appeared in the literature, our understanding of the disease has evolved tremendously. Initially, FHT was a disease that only referral clinicians treated. Now it is a disease that primary clinicians routinely manage. Inclusion of the measurement of total thyroxine concentration in senior wellness panels, as well as in diagnostic work-ups for sick cats, now enables diagnosis of the condition long before the cat becomes the classic scrawny, unkempt, agitated patient with a bulge in its neck. However, earlier recognition of the problem has given rise to several related questions: how to recognize the health significance of the early presentations of the disease; how early to treat the disease; whether to treat FHT when comorbid conditions are present; and how to manage comorbid conditions such as chronic kidney disease and cardiac disease with treatment of FHT. The 2016 AAFP Guidelines for the Management of Feline Hyperthyroidism (hereafter referred to as the Guidelines) will shed light on these questions for the general practitioner and suggest when referral may benefit the cat.
  
  
  
  The Guidelines explain FHT as a primary disease process with compounding factors, and provide a concise explanation of what we know to be true about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease.The Guidelines also:Distill the current research literature into simple recommendations for testing sequences that will avoid misdiagnosis and separate an FHT diagnosis into six clinical categories with associated management strategies.Emphasize the importance of treating all hyperthyroid cats, regardless of comorbidities, and outline the currently available treatments for the disease.Explain how to monitor the treated cat to help avoid exacerbating comorbid diseases.Dispel some of the myths surrounding certain aspects of FHT and replace them with an evidence-based narrative that veterinarians and their practice teams can apply to feline patients and communicate to their owners.
  
  
  
  To help ensure better case outcomes, the Guidelines reflect currently available, evidenced-based knowledge. If research is lacking, or if a consensus does not exist, the expert panel of authors has made recommendations based on their extensive, cumulative clinical experience.
authors.affiliation: WestVet Emergency and Specialty Center, 5019 North Sawyer Avenue, Garden City, ID 83617, USA Email: hcarney@westvet.net.
authors.forename: Hazel C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Carney
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, 2200 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605,USA Email: crward@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Cynthia R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital, 6650 Highland Road, Ste 116, Waterford, MI 48327, USA.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, 1900 South Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bruyette
authors.affiliation: Stratham-Newfields Veterinary Hospital, 8 Main Street, Newfields, NH 03856, USA.
authors.forename: Sonnya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine - University of Illinois, Department of Comparative Biosciences, 3840 Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Bldg, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61802, USA.
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Cosmic Cat Veterinary Clinic, 220 East Main Street, Branford, CT 06405, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinc
authors.affiliation: Mid Atlantic Cat Hospital, 201 Grange Hall Road, Queenstown, MD 21658, USA.
authors.forename: A Renee
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rucinsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002415:Cats; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000662:veterinary; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000592:standards