Hi,
I am seeking advice from pet owners whose cats have hyperthyroid disease.
My 17 yr old, beautiful furbaby was diagnosed about 2 months ago with advanced hyperT disease. I was told he also has a heart murmur and a little hypertension.
He was placed on methimazole 5mg tabs (cut in half) 2X day and has now been switched to the flavored liquid (which is not easy to administer and mildly unpleasant for both of us. I hate doing this to him. The medication forces me to bother him while he is resting or sleeping and I try to make it as pleasant as can be and follow it up with lots of kisses, treats and picking him up and speaking softly to him, but I can feel his heart beating so fast and I know he is afraid of me now and I fear this act I perform twice per day, is destroying a wonderful bond I spent building for 16 years) I can see he is already a little hesitant to be around me and he actually ran from me this morning.
I want my baby to live the rest of his life as he was, plump, happy and healthy, so I want to go ahead and proceed with radiothine therapy. I have not discussed this in depth with his vet yet.
My first concern is more of confusion as to the link between methimazole and kidney function.
I am really confused as to how the methimazole affects the kidneys (if it even does) and if the long term use of methimazole treatment is unmasking the kidney disease or is it linked to causing it???? Am I trading off one problem for another?
The doctor said his kidneys were fine right before he was placed on the meds, but a month later she is still saying he needs to have his kidneys checked. I don't understand, if his kidneys were fine and he's put on the meds and she wants to check his kidneys again that leads me to believe that the meds may harm his kidneys. Can anyone provide an answer to this confusion?
Another fear is that my baby will not be a candidate for radiothine because of these other factors:
His age (17)
Heart murmur
Mild hypertension
Does anyone know if cats with these factors can be allowed to have the treatment?
My final concern is the price for the treatment. A lot of sites just don't post the cost and I fear it will be very $$$$, but I am not sure how much and what will the price cover. What if the treatment don't shrink the tumor, will I have to pay again?
I would like to know from anyone who's ever done this or priced it, how much the treatment is going to cost me (I am in the NY area)
Thanks.