My sweet girl is nearing 17 and has been suffering with hyperthyroidism for several years. Just last year she was also diagnosed with terminal small cell lymphoma in her bowel. She has previously been on the Hills y/d diet, and it did successfully bring her T4 levels down and eliminate her need for medication, but I've always been pretty upset over the high corn/carbohydrate content of that food. I was trusting my vet, though, that it was the best course of treatment for her. However, now with the cancer diagnosis, I was advised to feed her a diet with very low carbohydrate, as carbohydrates apparently "feed" the cancer, so she went to a carbohydrate-free diet and back on the thyroid medication. However, now her thyroid levels are off the charts even with the medication and I was advised to put her BACK on y/d. OR, only now, when my cat is very old and sick after being hyperthyroid for YEARS, has my vet told me about the curative radioactive iodine treatment being an option. I would do it without hesitation except that it is VERY expensive, and my poor old girl would have to endure the stress of an hour-long car ride to another city to receive the treatment. I can't bear to put her through all that when I'm worried the stress alone might do her in at this point. I don't know how much longer she has, I was told probably less than a year, but I want to do the best I can for her while she's still with me.
In short, my question is this: since curative treatments aren't really an option for my cat, is there a way to feed my cat a low-iodine, low-carb, high protein, high fat diet? I've been researching homemade cat food options, but I don't know how to ensure I'm feeding my girl as little iodine as possible. I've found several websites advising making your own low-iodine cat food instead of using y/d, but I can't seem to find any recipes or specific information on how to do that. Is it even possible? I'd appreciate any advice.
