Hyperthyroidism

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Rick60

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Thanks. She is doing very well. She plays and acts just like she has in the past.
 

verna davies

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Glad that you are happy with this vet. It is so important to trust them. Keep us updated on her treatment and reactions to it. I hope this oil works well. I wish I had been offered alternatives when my cat had this .condition.
 

Antonio65

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We have to follow our insticts. When a vet doesn't suit us, the best thing to do is to find another vet. Better than the first one!
Best of luck!
 
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Rick60

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I plan to make a review on Google and yelp so others use caution with this vet.
 

molly92

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Glad you found a new vet!

Just so you know, cats need to be off methimazole for several days before they recieve the radioiodine treatment, so you will have to plan for that.

I had my cat radioiodine treatment done 6 months ago at Michigan State, and I highly recommend the treatment, but not MSU. They don't use scintigraphy at all, and I had to negotiate them down to a lower dose than they wanted to give. But it did work beautifully. I used to feel her heart racing when she was sitting on my lap and that is gone. Her blood pressure is perfect, her body shape has filled out, and her appetite is no longer ravenous. Her fur looks great too-it used to stick out everywhere because her saliva was so sticky. Her kidney numbers are also borderline, but I would have done the radioiodine either way. It's clear how uncomfortable she was when she was hyperthyroid, looking at her now.

A great resource for hyperthyroidism and radioiodine treatment is Mark Peterson's blog. He's really THE expert in the US on feline hyperthyroidism.
 

Antonio65

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Just so you know, cats need to be off methimazole for several days before they recieve the radioiodine treatment, so you will have to plan for that.
Very good tip!
Hopefully the facility will inform R Rick60 about this, because each facility has its own protocol of treatment. Some ask 4 days off, others a week off.

Rick60, make absolutely sure they CAN do the in-house scintigraphy on the very same day of the treatment.
Both require a sedation, better off one sedation only than two in a row!
 
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Rick60

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That is a great tip. I will make sure to take off the meds before the treatment but I think this vet would let me know. Do you have the link to Mark's blog?

I did mention scintigraphy so I will assume she will do that.

Thanks for the great advice
 
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Rick60

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Thanks for the link. I am going to check it out.

I will also follow up and see if they do offer scintigraphy so I can get it done.

Thanks
 
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Rick60

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I finally have an update. Her level is at .5 (.6-3) so it is no longer high. The vet actually wants me to reduce the pills now as it is a bit low. She found no issues with her kidney and she has gained some weight back. She did say she was a little dehydrated but my cat vomits when in car so she may be dehydrated due to vomiting. She gave me some pills to relax her for future visits.She has a follow up in a month to check her levels again. The cat is doing fine. If I woul d have listened to the first vet, she would no longer be here and she is doing fine today.
 
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Rick60

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I am getting the funds up for that and now that the kidney is fine, that is a great option for her.
 

gloriajh

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Just skimming here
1) I get a liquid form of methimazole from our COMPOUND PHARMACY - very simple to administer
2) personally I won’t be putting my 15 year old under the stress of the Iodine treatment-they are in isolation for a number of days until the meds are out of the system-stressful being away from you!

Kidneys is an issue for sure, prescription diets aren’t all that great, imho.

That’s just my 2cents-I research research research and never in a rush to rely solely on one vet’s advice - I’m only human, and so is my vet-
I’ve found the information from the website catinfo.org to be very useful to consider
 
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Antonio65

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1) I get a liquid form of methimazole from our COMPOUND PHARMACY - very simple to administer
2) personally I won’t be putting my 15 year old under the stress of the Iodine treatment-they are in isolation for a number of days
Consider that the methimazole gives lots of potentially harmful and irreversible side effects on the medium to long term, namely on heart, liver and kidneys.
The isolation of the I-131 treatment is just a few days, in my case 4 days.
I'd prefer 4 or 5 days of isolation one-off, knowing that my cat has been treated for good, rather than the dangerous side effects of the drug, that isn't curing the disease, it is just a palliative care while the disease goes on and gets worse day by day, and the need to have the cat tested (and stressed) every 6 weeks to adjust the therapy.

The radio-iodine treatment is priceless in my opinion.
 

Teri122

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Just for reference insulin does not cure diabetes, lisinopril does not cure hypertension, etc. Those meds could have serious side effects too, but are used to treat their respective conditions, not cure them. RI is an option to consider when it can be afforded, but I would shy against encouraging/scaring someone into it when there are no disposable funds available. If it is the only option, sure, but the meds do work well to treat the disease and prolong a good quality of life even if money is not an issue. Blood testing every 6 weeks is not realistic. At that age a cat generally gets bloodwork every 6 months which has thyroid levels already included in the senior profile, so extra vet trips and extra expense is not then an issue. If I needed to save to have $3K to spend, I would put it in a fund for other things that will likely arise over the next 5 years for any 15 years old cat.
 

gloriajh

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Consider that the methimazole gives lots of potentially harmful and irreversible side effects on the medium to long term, namely on heart, liver and kidneys.
The isolation of the I-131 treatment is just a few days, in my case 4 days.
I'd prefer 4 or 5 days of isolation one-off, knowing that my cat has been treated for good, rather than the dangerous side effects of the drug, that isn't curing the disease, it is just a palliative care while the disease goes on and gets worse day by day, and the need to have the cat tested (and stressed) every 6 weeks to adjust the therapy.

The radio-iodine treatment is priceless in my opinion.
 

VinceL

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We have had 2 cats with hyperthyroidism.

The first cat (Sadie) was about 12 when diagnosed. Our vet explained the pills (I'm pretty sure it was methimazole...it was about 12 years ago) as a temporary measure or radioactive iodine treatment as a cure. We started with the pills, and Sadie did improve. But, after a few months the insatiable eating and weight loss returned. We then had the radioactive iodine treatment. It was a complete success. Sadie had to stay at the vet clinic for several days until his radioactive level came down (we were able to visit him every day). And, even after coming home, we had to limit our contact with him and set aside the used litter for a few weeks. Sadly, Sadie succumbed to cancer several years later.

Our second cat to have hyperthyroidism is Lexi. She was only about 8 when diagnosed. Given our experience with Sadie, we immediately opted for the radioactive iodine treatment. Again, complete success. She is now 12 and going strong.
 
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