This is related to hyperthyroidism in cats
elizabeth longfield
2 years ago
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kculbers
2 years agoglaserberl
2 years agoRelated Discussions
RAdiation for Hyperthyroid Cat
Comments (11)My cat's also a lover girl. Very love-dovey. I boarded her for the first time over Thanksgiving for 4 days. When I got her home, she clung to me like Saran Wrap for days. I felt awful. I know she thought she was abandonned. Both when she was boarded and when she had been isolated for the Radioiodine treatment, she was very quiet and scared. They told me that she was a tough cookie because she was so quiet and stoic, but, I know that she was scared and confused. Usually, she's a real blabbermouth. With that said, you have to do what's best for your cat in the long-run. He'll be confused and sad for the time he's isolated, but, after being home for a few hours, he'll forget about it. He'll be okay. Call the treatment center each day to ask about him. Also, give them a blanket or tee-shirt that smells like you (used, not washed) to put in his cage (you won't get it back, so, don't use a good one). Bring your own food (if they don't have your brand). If you give him wheatgrass at home, bring a pot of it for his cage-- a toy, too....See MoreHyperthyroid cat - Problems with Methimazole
Comments (13)Some cats do not tolerate any form of methimazole- the itching and lack of appetite are both pretty common. If your cat's kidney values are good after a month of the methimazole, I would strongly recommend I-131 radioactive iodine to cure the hyperthyroidism. It is important to know the kidneys are in good shape before doing I-131 because being hyperthyroid is beneficial to the kidneys, and if you do I-131 then you cannot tweak methimazole to decrease symptoms of hyperthyroidism AND keep the kidneys healthy. If the kidneys are already healthy even after a month of methimazole, then doing I-131 isn't likely to harm the kidneys. Some cats do not itch on the transdermal methimazole as much as the pill. I have seen cats with SERIOUS secondary infections and permanent scars because of the methimazole itching problem- that is why your vet switched to transdermal. But it is harder to regulate thetransdermal dose, and some cats get nauseous on methimazole in either form. The only permanent cure for hyperthyroidism is I-131; methimazole simply suppresses the symptoms. Removing the thyroid glands helps some cats, but there are serious risks associated with the surgery and some cats continue to be hyperthyroid despite surgical removal of BOTH glands. The forum Laurie mentioned is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it to all my hyperthyroid patients. Good luck with your kitty....See MoreHyperthyroid Cat: Needs Second I-131!
Comments (8)Wow, that really stinks. I totally guessed he had a different problem, but being hyperthyroid is better than my guess (which was cancer). It's really rare for a cat to need a second I131 treatment, but then again it's really rare for such a young cat to become hyperT4. I suspect most older cats die of something else before having a chance to become hyperT4 again. I did a quick google scholar search and couldn't find anything about stats for younger cats and recurrence of hyperthyroidism. I did find a reference for an 8 month old hyperthyroid cat, and during my time as a tech for RadCats we treated an 18 month old cat. But nothing was written in the literature about long-term follow up for the young cat, except her became hypothyroid after treatment. And I don't know about the young guy we treated except he made it through fine and had a normal T4 the following year. As far as why he's hyperT4 again, he just grew another thyroid tumor, either a benign adenoma or a malignant carcinoma. The I131 destroys all active thyroid tissue, which in theory, is all the diseased thyroid tissue (benign or malignant, doesn't matter). However it cannot destroy *future* tumors. As far as why cats become hyperthyroid to begin with, most if the research now is focusing on environmental and food toxins. There was some research into an autoimmune problem, and some about a genetic reason, but most likely the cause is multfactorial. I went to a talk about hyperthyroidism in cats while in school, and from what I remember, she was talking about metals in fish and canning materials that suppressed thyroid tissue long-term and basically wreaked havoc on the autoregulation of thyroid hormone, eventually resulting in hyperthyroidism. The research is still on-going, and unfortunately it's hard to get grant money for it because 1) cats in general don't earn as much research money as dogs and 2) hyperthyroidism can be managed relatively easily. Here's an abstract from the AVMA journal that says cats who eat fish or giblets foods tend to be hyperT4 more than control cats: http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2000.217.853 Here's a review article about hyperthyroidism http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/11446/1/2006%20Lynn.pdf As mentioned before, methimazole can be used to suppress thyroid hormone, as long as your cat doesn't have a reaction to the medication. It's available for oral and transdermal administration. So not being able to do a 3rd I131 treatment doesn't mean your cat can't be treated. I couldn't find any specific studies done on the effect of radioactive I131 in cats. I know that having treated cats for many years, and being exposed to several doses every week, I never was even close to legal radiation limits. Of course I also never injected myself with it either! I linked a general article on I131 below; it has some references. You can also google beta particles and gamma rays for information on the type of radiation I131 produces. Only the beta particles stay in the cat, and they only penetrate up to 5mm tissue. I found another abstract regarding survival times. On the good side, cats treated with I131 live longer than cats treated with methimazole. On the bad side, the younger the cat is, the more quickly it died regardless of treatment. http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.228.4.559 Of course cats with pre-existing renal disease didn't fare too well no matter what treatment was used. I hope Basil beats the odds and has a long happy euthyroid life after this treatment....See MoreTreating hyperthyroid + concurrent CKD cat, still losing weight?
Comments (26)Today is Nov. 16, 2021 - so obviously this post is meant for Dudette (and anyone else who has a hyperthyroid cat). We have a 15 year old cat who was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. He also is on 2.5 mg of Methimazole twice a day. He did gain 1.5 lbs. as per his recent blood test (he has had 2 tests over a three week period) with a third test being set for the end of Jan. unless we notice something else is wrong. I wish he could be pilled, but there is no way. We are in Canada so the Methimazole must be custom compounded - we give it by ear in transdermal form. I know all about custom compounding due to a thyroid issue with our previous pet so know about the lead time when ordering and the importance of checking the expiry dates. He is not on the Hill's y/d because we have another cat who is not hyperthyroid. I also doubt either of them would eat the Hill's y/d because so far, despite spending a fortune on every type of wet cat food out there - plus trying to cook for them, they only like the one type of food - and it is available only at the vet's as well. But at least it comes in 3 oz. cans. I think that the thyroid food comes in 5.5 oz. cans? The kitties like fresh food so it is hard. I have resorted to putting the cans with lids into hot water and waiting 15 minutes but they seem to know. I dread the day that the food is not available or is reformulated. It is doubly hard with the wet food and a lot goes out to the street. Then we have the shortages and in Canada it is even worse than in the U.S. since so many of our products come from the states. Re a second opinion, depending on where you are I would line up the new vet first. We have an awful problem in Canada and I know it is also bad in some states. Our vets are operating via a closed door policy meaning you drop your pet off at the door wearing a mask and wait. I absolutely do not want to go to an ER should the need arise because people have waited as long as 15 hours - and again, a closed door policy. It is suggested that you call first to even see if they can see your pet. So just be careful! And of course it is very cold here in Ontario....See Moreelizabeth longfield
2 years agoglaserberl
2 years agoelizabeth longfield
2 years agoDebbie Downer
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoelizabeth longfield
2 years agoelizabeth longfield
2 years agoDebbie Downer
2 years agoelizabeth longfield
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoelizabeth longfield
2 years agoglaserberl
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