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My 15 year old cat Scooter has elevated t4 levels and was started on Methimazole last December. I didn't get to keep him on the medication to get to the full daily dose. He became lethargic and anorexic just on the 1/4 tab two times a day dose. I had to stop the medication and syringe feed him for several days and it was alarming. It felt like it was a very close call. I asked my vet about the compounded version that you put in the ear and she said that if he didn't tolerate it in pill form he wouldn't tolerate the transdermal form. So he is not on the medication now. He continues to eat well and maintain his weight. He has good energy. He enjoys playing. He loves meal time. He doesn't look or act like a 15 year old.
I looked at a few short articles on the medication earlier and learned about felimazole which is coated to disguise the bitter flavor which might be part of the reason some cats become anorexic on it. Are there more positive experiences with the felimazole? Has anyone tried the transdermal gel on cats that didn't react well to the methimazole? Was it tolerated?
I also read that some life threatening reactions to methimazole is a drop in red blood cells and anemia. My girl Etta had so many things going on and hyperthyroid was one of them. She did ok on the methimazole but got an increase dosage and almost right away became anemic. The vet assumed it was her other conditions (fluid in the abdomen, nodules on the omentum--could have been cancer).
I know that the best answer is to do the radioactive iodine treatment but my cat level expense with Charlie and Etta this summer exceeded $1800 for tests and treatments that ultimately didn't save their lives. Because Scooter could not get to the full dosage of the methimazole we have no idea the state of his kidneys without the hyperthyroid. The blood tests showed that his kidneys were in the lower end of the normal range--suggesting that without the hyperthyroid, he'd have some degree of kidney problems. So...we could do the radioactive iodine thing and he'll end up with 5 months in misery because of kidney decline because we just don't know how good they are.
Since Etta's passing, Scooter is super needy and having episodes of caterwauling which tells me that the thyroid issue has probably become more pronounced since December. Etta was his friend and he still looks for her 4 weeks after she's been gone so it could also be anxiety because his little world is very different than it was in May (both Charlie and Etta were alive then).
I wonder if it is dangerous to try the felimazole given his swift and terrible reaction to the methimazole. Maybe with the coating it wouldn't upset his tummy and he wouldn't become anorexic. On the other hand I worry now about the anemia potential.
Thanks for any information you are willing to share.
I looked at a few short articles on the medication earlier and learned about felimazole which is coated to disguise the bitter flavor which might be part of the reason some cats become anorexic on it. Are there more positive experiences with the felimazole? Has anyone tried the transdermal gel on cats that didn't react well to the methimazole? Was it tolerated?
I also read that some life threatening reactions to methimazole is a drop in red blood cells and anemia. My girl Etta had so many things going on and hyperthyroid was one of them. She did ok on the methimazole but got an increase dosage and almost right away became anemic. The vet assumed it was her other conditions (fluid in the abdomen, nodules on the omentum--could have been cancer).
I know that the best answer is to do the radioactive iodine treatment but my cat level expense with Charlie and Etta this summer exceeded $1800 for tests and treatments that ultimately didn't save their lives. Because Scooter could not get to the full dosage of the methimazole we have no idea the state of his kidneys without the hyperthyroid. The blood tests showed that his kidneys were in the lower end of the normal range--suggesting that without the hyperthyroid, he'd have some degree of kidney problems. So...we could do the radioactive iodine thing and he'll end up with 5 months in misery because of kidney decline because we just don't know how good they are.
Since Etta's passing, Scooter is super needy and having episodes of caterwauling which tells me that the thyroid issue has probably become more pronounced since December. Etta was his friend and he still looks for her 4 weeks after she's been gone so it could also be anxiety because his little world is very different than it was in May (both Charlie and Etta were alive then).
I wonder if it is dangerous to try the felimazole given his swift and terrible reaction to the methimazole. Maybe with the coating it wouldn't upset his tummy and he wouldn't become anorexic. On the other hand I worry now about the anemia potential.
Thanks for any information you are willing to share.