Hyperthyroid Kitty...help Please

[FordChick]

Hello

My 14 year old has been on medication for 2 years for hyperthyroidism. Her dosage has just been increased for the second time..she is at 1 5mg pill of mezathamisol twice a day.

Should i expect her dosage to keep increasing?

Also, I pondered radioactive iodine therapy but my vet assured me the medication would be fine....I also hate to leave my 14 year old cat somewhere by herself for a week.

I just want what is best for my cat.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated

Melissa

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I can't help, but know what it is like to make a post and wait, wait for somebody to acknowledge that I've asked for help. Rest assured, the members here will see your post and offer advice/help - they always do!

 

[kittyluv387]

Have you considered radioactive iodine treatment? Its pretty effective for hyperthroidism and permanent. As far as procedures go it's not as expensive as a lot of other procedures.

Edit: Sorry, guilty of skimming! I highly encourage you to consider radioactive treatment. It's supposed to be great. And it's a great long term solution if you can come up with the money. Boarding her for one week is a small price to pay and it's just a tiny risk. If my cat got this illness I would go for radioactive treatment immediately.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hello

My 14 year old has been on medication for 2 years for hyperthyroidism. Her dosage has just been increased for the second time..she is at 1 5mg pill of mezathamisol twice a day.

Should i expect her dosage to keep increasing?

Also, I pondered radioactive iodine therapy but my vet assured me the medication would be fine....I also hate to leave my 14 year old cat somewhere by herself for a week.

I just want what is best for my cat.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated

Melissa

Hi Melissa,
I can't help a lot, but I understand not wanting to leave your 14 year old cat somewhere for an entire week.
My experiences with hyperthyroidism are lacking, I just offer a lot of support for you and your little friend.

 

[muffy]

Two of my cats had hyperthyroid. They were 13 years old. I had them have the radioactive iodine treatment in stead of trying to pill them everyday. That was much easier and they did fine. My cats were impossible to pill.

 

[babiesmom5]

The reason the dosage of Methimazole has to keep increasing is because the tumor keeps growing. The medication suppresses the growth, but does not stop it.
The medication can have harmful side effects on the liver as well.

The most effective method for treating hyperthyroidism is Radioioactive Iodine. I had this done for my cat at age 13 and am so glad I did.

Yes, you can keep giving medication to the cat all its life, but why do that if you can actually cure it? I only wish all cat diseases were this curable.

Please consider Radioactive Iodine for the cure.

 

[LTS3]

Methimazole is also available as a transdermal gel and other forms of pilling is difficult Methimazole Medication & Information for Animals, Wedgewood Pet RX, Wedgewood Pet RX

Have you tried the Hills YD food? You can ask the vet about that. The ingredients aren't great but it's low in iodine for hyper-t cats.

Here's info on radioiodine treatment:

Feline Hyperthyroidism

Some vet hospitals will let a cat return home as early as 3 days after treatment with very specific home care instructions to minimize radiation exposure to the owner and others. Boarding the cat with the vet until the radiation risk is over is an option albeit pricey.

 

[FordChick]

Thanks for the replies. I have no problem pilling her.

I'm going into the vet tomorrow and will ask his advice on the radioactive iodine therapy

Thank you

 

[FordChick]

I am so mad at my vet right now! My cat is going in for a full body sonogram to make sure her hyperthyroidism hasn't affected her heart or her kidneys

Also..after her bloodwork last week i had to keep calling to finally get her results..and lo snd behold her thyroid numbers are high

And 2 years ago when she was first diagnosed i wanted to do the radioactive iodine therapy..but my vet..and another one at the animal hospital basically told me that medicine would be just as good.

I love my cat more than anything and am mad at myself for not going with my own instinct...and i am hoping her heart and kidneys are fine..if not i have to live with the guilt that it was my fault

 

[FordChick]

Also...if her kidneys and/ or heart are affected this is permanent..correct?...would radioactive iodine therapy "fix" that, as well?

 

[fionasmom]

I did not do radioactive iodine for my two cats who were hyperthyridic. Both were in their teens and I elected to do the pills. I did not do the food because of the possibility of other indoor cats eating it. Fiona could not be pilled, but she took the meds crushed in BFF pouches cat food faithfully for three years. Having said that, I would never tell anyone not to do the iodine treatment if it worked for them. Get the whole story about the use of the radiation and possible side effects just so you know all the details.

 

[FordChick]

I did not do radioactive iodine for my two cats who were hyperthyridic. Both were in their teens and I elected to do the pills. I did not do the food because of the possibility of other indoor cats eating it. Fiona could not be pilled, but she took the meds crushed in BFF pouches cat food faithfully for three years. Having said that, I would never tell anyone not to do the iodine treatment if it worked for them. Get the whole story about the use of the radiation and possible side effects just so you know all the details.

Thank you

Also..in the last 2 years we adopted 2 kittens..and i know they cannot be around a radioactive cat...and we live in a studio. .so not able to separate them


All cats are adults, now...7 btw. ..lol...yikes!!!

 

[Antonio65]

Also...if her kidneys and/ or heart are affected this is permanent..correct?...would radioactive iodine therapy "fix" that, as well?

Yes, the heart and kidney conditions will stay permanent, more precisely, the kidney condition could go worse.
I had my cat treated with radio-iodine last year, a year later than I would have liked to, because my vets preferred the pills...
I had to do all by myself and bypass the vets. It was one of the best decisions of my life!

 

[Etarre]

My first cat, Gwen, was hyperthyroid, and we decided to pill her because she was a very timid cat and we thought it would be difficult for her to be boarded during the iodine treatment. In retrospect, I really wish that we had chosen differently.

She faithfully took her pills, but even so, at 15 after about a year on medication, her thyroid got way out of control, and her health started to fail very rapidly, including heart and kidney issues. At that point, it became very difficult to tempt her to eat, and impossible to pill her. We used the transdermal gel for a bit, which was a godsend, but weren't able to get her to take the meds that she needed for her heart, and she died within about 6 months.

Our vet did offer the iodine treatment, but did not tell us that medication was meant to control the thyroid problem, whereas the iodine could cure it. This seems to me very important information that vets should share with pet owners when they diagnose hyperthyroidism.

Good luck making the decision for your cat, and I know that you'll make the right choice for your family and circumstances.

 

[FordChick]

Thank you, everyone