Looking for some advise/help with my little buddy....

[grooverite]

Hi everyone!

I've had my buddy Toby for 17 years now. This past Saturday, I noticed he was lying down in front of my entry door which he never really does. This continued Sunday and on Monday, I decided to take him to the emergency vet. Last time I had taken him to the vet was last year in September and they had diagnosed him with Hyperthyroidism. They gave me Methimazole to give him twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I started giving it to him in the beginning of October and by December I stopped because he would run and hide and make it difficult to give it to him. I didn't want to stress him out so I stopped. At the emergency vet, they told me he had fluid around his lungs. They noticed because he was breathing a little heavy. They wanted to do bloodwork and x-ray and extraction of the fluid so they could send to the lab but I couldn't afford the whole procedure so they only did the extraction of fluid and took a little chunk of the mass that they suspect is cancer. She said that it could be Lympoma or Carcinoma and that there is only treatment for Lymphoma. I'm home and hes just not himself and in a cave like box with blanket I set up for him so he can feel safe and rest. I'm sad and scared for him. Hes such a sweet and loving cat! I want to be able to help him as much as I can so please try to help me some advice on what I should be doing to help him the best I can. I'll be calling the ASPCA tomorrow and try to set up an appointment with them so I can have him treated there because I'll be able to afford their rates hopefully! Thank you for reading!

 

[ellen m]

I would ask your vet if it's possible that the fluid and resultant heavy breathing is from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), often a result of untreated/uncontrolled hyperthyroidism and which can cause HCM leading to heart failure (and fluid buildup). Was the methimazole in pill form, or was it ear gel? If you didn't try the ear gel before, you can ask your vet for it now. It might be easier than pilling. I would make every effort to control his hyperthyroidism. He needs bloodwork now and he needs extraction of that fluid, even if not sent to a lab. I hope the ASPCA can help you and him with this. I'm sorry you and he are going through this.

 

[grooverite]

I would ask your vet if it's possible that the fluid and resultant heavy breathing is from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), often a result of untreated/uncontrolled hyperthyroidism and which can cause HCM leading to heart failure (and fluid buildup). Was the methimazole in pill form, or was it ear gel? If you didn't try the ear gel before, you can ask your vet for it now. It might be easier than pilling. I would make every effort to control his hyperthyroidism. He needs bloodwork now and he needs extraction of that fluid, even if not sent to a lab. I hope the ASPCA can help you and him with this. I'm sorry you and he are going through this.

The ER doctor did say something about it possibly being heart related but she thinks that it's most likely some form of cancer because of the masses (tumors) that they saw. If it is HCM like you said, could he get better with medication? The Methimazole is liquid and Im suppose to administer 0.5 ml by mouth. They extracted fluid when I took him to the ER on Monday. I'm going to try to get his blood work done this week as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[ellen m]

Yes, if it's HCM it's most likely from the untreated hyperthyroidism, and would resolve when you treat the hyperT and as soon as it comes under control (which can takes weeks or months). That is really important! And I can understand that the liquid must have been hard to give him. Many people are using the ear gel form, which is just a cream you rub on his ear each day! I used that for my hyperT cats and it worked great and was so much easier than oral meds. I eventually got them the radioactive iodine treatment, which is permanent cure. But that is expensive and is not something you would want to consider right now anyway.

The mass would be unrelated so I don't know what that's about. I don't really understand what and how they found a mass..that was not clear to me in your original message. What was the location of the mass they told you they saw?

Out of curiosity, regarding the 0.5 ml, what is the concentration in mg/ml (it should be on the bottle - something like "5 mg/ml")), so we can know how many mgs per day the prescription was for?

 

[grooverite]

Yes, if it's HCM it's most likely from the untreated hyperthyroidism, and would resolve when you treat the hyperT and as soon as it comes under control (which can takes weeks or months). That is really important! And I can understand that the liquid must have been hard to give him. Many people are using the ear gel form, which is just a cream you rub on his ear each day! I used that for my hyperT cats and it worked great and was so much easier than oral meds. I eventually got them the radioactive iodine treatment, which is permanent cure. But that is expensive and is not something you would want to consider right now anyway.

The mass would be unrelated so I don't know what that's about. I don't really understand what and how they found a mass..that was not clear to me in your original message. What was the location of the mass they told you they saw?

Out of curiosity, regarding the 0.5 ml, what is the concentration in mg/ml (it should be on the bottle - something like "5 mg/ml")), so we can know how many mgs per day the prescription was for?

She said that the masses were around his lungs which explain the fluid build up. I'm hoping now that it's the HyperT and not cancer. For the Methimazole, it states 5 mg/ml. Sorry for the quick response, I need to get ready for work now. Thank you Ellen for your help and concern!

 

[grooverite]

BTW, I started giving him the Methimazole again. Today is day 3. He seems a little better but only comes out of hiding when he's hungry. I hope it's a little help to his discomfort!

 

[di and bob]

I'll pray for you and your boy, at that age it is difficult for everyone. i hope you find out exactly what it is and that it can be cured......

 

[grooverite]

I'll pray for you and your boy, at that age it is difficult for everyone. i hope you find out exactly what it is and that it can be cured......

Thank you so much!!

 

[neely]

Many people are using the ear gel form, which is just a cream you rub on his ear each day! I used that for my hyperT cats and it worked great and was so much easier than oral meds. I eventually got them the radioactive iodine treatment, which is permanent cure. But that is expensive and is not something you would want to consider right now anyway.

This is spot on to my experience with our H-T cat! He has always been difficult to pill so I was more than pleased to use Methimazole in the transdermal ear gel form. After approximately nine months we opted for the I-131 radioactive treatment too but as the above member said it is costly. And since Toby is17 years old it's also something you may not want to consider now.

Sending special thoughts and healing vibes for Toby.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The 5mg/ml of Methimazole, in liquid form, means that if you are giving him 1ml, then you are giving him 5mg in strength. Is that what you are giving him, and are you doing that twice a day? If so, it really is a hefty dose to start off with. If you are giving him 0.5ml, that would be 2.5mg, which is better but sometimes even that is too much to start off with. Some start with 1.25mg twice a day, just to let the cat's body adapt to the meds, and doing so decreases the odds of side effects, such as lethargy.

Starting out lower and then rechecking his thyroid level after 3-4 weeks lets you know whether or not the dosage needs to be increased. Regardless of the starting dose, rechecking a cat's thyroid level after this time period is necessary to see how the dosage is working.

Sadly, many vets seem to think starting out a higher dose will reduce the thyroid level faster, but faster is not always better. If a cat does have side effects, sometimes the med has to be stopped for a while before being resumed, other times the dose can be lowered with the hopes that lowering it will stop the side effects.

 

[grooverite]

I tried to bring him to his regular vet for blood work and xray but they couldn't take him because they didn't have the vets there today. I ended up going back to the ER vet and when I got there, they told me that the lab results came back from Monday and that it was indeed cancer. They asked me if I wanted to say goodbye to him. I needed to see him one last time. When I saw him in the area they had him in, he was alert, moving around and meowing. I couldn't end his life today. I took him back home me. They gave me steroid pills to give him for his comfort. When I see him getting worse, I will do what I have to do. There is a part of me that wants to take him to another vet to see if they can further help him. I don't know what to do besides wait for the inevitable.

 

[ellen m]

I tried to bring him to his regular vet for blood work and xray but they couldn't take him because they didn't have the vets there today. I ended up going back to the ER vet and when I got there, they told me that the lab results came back from Monday and that it was indeed cancer. They asked me if I wanted to say goodbye to him. I needed to see him one last time. When I saw him in the area they had him in, he was alert, moving around and meowing. I couldn't end his life today. I took him back home me. They gave me steroid pills to give him for his comfort. When I see him getting worse, I will do what I have to do. There is a part of me that wants to take him to another vet to see if they can further help him. I don't know what to do besides wait for the inevitable.

I'm so sorry. You are indeed doing the absolute best you can for him. He knows you love him.

 

[grooverite]

My little buddy Toby crossed the rainbow bridge today. I wanted to thank you all for your shared kindness and compassion. Toby helped me so much when my mother passed during the covid pandemic. He was a beautiful little soul who always choose to surrender to my mushies and kisses. I'm going to miss him deeply.

 

[grooverite]

 

[silent meowlook]

I am so sorry you had to make such a gut wrenching decision. I am glad that you chose him over you in making that call. You did the right thing. He wasn’t happy and wouldn’t have been happy ever again in his life. You were wise to see that. He looked like a very well loved kitty that knew he was loved. Beautiful kitty. Hold the good happy memories of him close to your heart and please allow yourself time to grieve as this is so hard.

 

[iPappy]

I am so sorry to hear this. He was sure a beautiful little guy. We all understand how hard this is.

 

[grooverite]

I am so sorry you had to make such a gut wrenching decision. I am glad that you chose him over you in making that call. You did the right thing. He wasn’t happy and wouldn’t have been happy ever again in his life. You were wise to see that. He looked like a very well loved kitty that knew he was loved. Beautiful kitty. Hold the good happy memories of him close to your heart and please allow yourself time to grieve as this is so hard.

I woke up 5:30am this morning and went straight to his box and blanket were he was resting and he greeted me with a low meow. My heart is in absolute pieces! I wanted to prolong it but seeing his health degrade so quickly and struggling to breathe......I knew I had to do it. I didn't want him to suffer any longer because I was having such a difficult time letting him go. I am emotionally drained from all the crying all week. I will try my best to remember the happy memories because right now I can't stop feeling sad. Thank you so much for your kind words!

I am so sorry to hear this. He was sure a beautiful little guy. We all understand how hard this is.

Thank you so much

 

[Mighty Orange]

You did the right thing, It's so hard sometimes to make that choice. But you must always consider quality of life of your loved one. My sympathies to you. Try to remember the good times you had together.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss of Toby. He is a beautiful little boy and clearly you took incredible care of him. You did the hardest and bravest thing that you could do for him when there was no road to recovery.

When a cat passes, we lock the thread out of respect. You are welcome to post a tribute to Toby in our Crossing the Bridge forum if you would like.

Crossing the Bridge