Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all,
I'm new here and have a cat who was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She's been on oral methamizole for about 4 days and is doing fine on it so far, but I wondered if anyone here has any experience with this. It's supposed to be given twice a day, but does it matter that much if it's exactly every 12 hours or just roughly once in the morning, once in the evening? Do you notice obvious behavior changes? Any experience with side effects?
I'm also considering doing the radioactive iodine treatment but I'm worried about the stress the quarantine period would cause her since she practically has a heart attack even just visiting the vet for her routine exams. Has anyone had this done?
Hi, Red75. So very sorry to read this. I had a hyperthyroid cat which was part of her kidney disease. She was getting pretty old and those of us lucky enough to have old kitties will most likely have to deal with what is called CRF-chronic renal failure.
One of the best, and I mean BEST, life saving information web sites on this issue is Tanya's Feline CRF Information Centre. When you get there scroll down left menu to "related diseases". Please share this site with every cat owner you know. It's a wonderful loving site. I guarantee it has prolonged the life of many cats and put owners' minds at ease.
I would not do the radioactive thing. It is best to keep a tight schedule with the medicine and it is imperative that you have your cat's blood tested when the vet requires it in order to check how the medication is doing. Pay attention to your cat's appetite and weight gain/loss. You really have to pay attention - but it's worth it. You have my best wishes.
I have had a great deal of experience with this issue (unfortunately) in not one but three unrelated cats. One of my cats is now deceased but two of the three others are still with me. One of them had the surgery last fall after having been on the methamizole for several months - she is just fine. However, my other female, Cuddles, had surgery after having been on the medication for almost six months. She just couldn't seem to put on any weight and the cost of the radioactive iodine treatment was just too expensive. She had the surgery in March and did not do well at all recovering as this was the second time and now she has no remaining thyroid glands. Right after her surgery her calcium level dropped like a rock and she had frequent tremors. I took her back to the vet immediately and that's when I learned of the low calcuium. Not only that but she wouldn't eat or even drink water. For almost two weeks I had to take her to the vet for daily force-feeding (tube in down the throat into the stomach) and at home I had to administer calcium (crushed Tums) and a supplement called Calcitriol through oral syringes. Oddly though, her kidneys are working just fine which surprised my vet. It is now June and I am still giving her calcium/calcitriol once daily and ever-so-slowly weaning her down off the calcitriol. It has been a long and difficult process for both me and my cat but there was no other real option. Once each week I have to take her in to have her calcium level checked and three days before that visit I lower her calcitriol by one unit (began at 15 and go to 5 tomorrow). Twice she regressed and I had to back up and come down slowly again. Fingers crossed, she seems to be doing promisingly well now and hopefully we will be done with this in 6 more weeks. All of this has been necessary supplementation until her parathyroids kick in enough to provide the missing calcium. When only one side has the tumor and then surgery, there is usually not a problem but this was Cuddles' second time so she has no remaining thryoid glands and it is critical that her parathyroids function properly. As long as my vet has been in practice he has never had this happen so my cat and I are his new standard for care. Add to this the fact that Cuddles is 18 years old and she is nothing short of a miracle kitty. Had I had any inkling that this might have been the result of having the last remaining thyroid gland removed, I likely would have opted to keep her on the methamizole indefinitely. However, she is now much more healthy looking and has a normal appetite and has returned to her pre-tumor behavior so it seems we dodged a really serious bullet this time. (I'm guessing this is much more than you wanted to know...)
My cat Patrick will have been on methamazole for two years starting next month (July 08). He will also be 18 years old then. He is a very healthy and vigorous kitty. He is a lifetime indoor cat.
He gets a transdermal cream, a small drop inside an ear, twice a day. Goes on bare skin. I feed him canned food twice a day, so I wipe a drop in the right ear before "breakfast" and another in the left ear before "supper." He loves his canned food, and hardly notices when I do this, while he looks forward to his meal.
I don't think it's that important that the med be given exactly 12 hours apart. I think it averages out over the long term. That has been my experience.
He is very sensitive, however to _big_ changes in his dosage. Usually resulting in very runny stools for a few days. If I were to miss a couple of applications, for example, and then give him one, this would be the result. When the vet was initially adjusting his dosage he first got one unit drop, based on his blood chemistry test, which is part of this therapy. His blood work was right on the edge of the range it was supposed to be, so the vet increased his dosage to 1 1/2 drops per application. And Patrick had runny stools for a couple of days after the change.
Since then, Pat has had no problems at all. Even as I retired from work during that period and he no longer gets his meals and med on as regular schedule as he used to. As long as he gets it twice a day, it averages out.
He has a clear liquid that I use to clean his ears from the minimal residue every two or three days. Put it on a cotton ball and he sits on my knee and purrs when I clean his ears
I hope this is helpful to you. Please ask any questions.
My cat had the I-131 treatment and did fine with it. It was the type of treatment that is specifically titrated to what she needed-not just standard I-131.
Has anyone else had experience with hyperthyroidism and the Iodine treatment?
My kitty was diagnosed at the lower range of high thyroid levels during a "wellness check." We put her on the methimazole (sp?) but she did NOT tolerate it well--vomiting, diarrhea, facial itching (scratched thin patches near her ears & cuts in her chin), loss of appetite...scared me for sure! We took her off and she recovered--only had her on it for a couple of weeks, but her thyroid levels came down during that time and kidney tests remained normal. Since she won't tolerate the meds, the next choice seems to be the iodine-radiation therapy.
I am also worried about how she'll handle the quarantine period. She doesn't like to be separated from me and I'm concerned how the stress will impact her. Now that she's stable (recovered from that and also a recent move) I'd like to make a decision about her treatment.
I'm cautious, because I have a friend who did the I-radiation therapy treatment on her cat about 10 years ago, and the cat died shortly thereafter--kidney failure I believe. I've heard they do better screening now, but her story gives me pause. I would want to do the least invasive/traumatic for her. She's doing pretty well these days, so I'd hate to do something to put her at risk. On the other hand, I don't want to wait so long that she starts to have heart troubles, etc., which would make the procedure contraindicated.
She's 13, and not showing any signs of weightloss (she's actually overweight), but did have the higher T4 blood levels. Only other symptoms are some frequent licking (worse during times of stress, i.e., the move, but she's also generally done this most of her life) and occasional vomiting (which she has always done--seems to be related to "gulping down" her food and hairballs--I've switched her to prescription ID diet (and also wet food which slows her down and has helped but it hadsn't disappeared completely).
Anyone had recent experience they can share? (I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I think its in alignment with the original poster and others with this issue....)
My cat was diagnosed hyperthyroid at age 14, about 4 years ago. He was put on methimazole (Tapazole) pills and he didn't tolerate them well. He vomited and lost hair on his face, plus the piling was no fun for either of us. I opted for Radioiodine (I-131). I'd do it again if I had another hyperthyroid cat. It was expensive, but the pill cost can add up, too.
He was quarantined for 11 days, as the vet who did it likes to release with no restrictions as far as not being able to handle the cat and such. Other places release sooner, but set rules such as: you can only handle your cat for 20 minutes every six hours, and you can't let any other animals around them, and have to use special care with litter. After 11 days my cat was pretty much safe to be around. I did have to hold his litter (not put it in the garbage can for pick-up) for three weeks after the procedure, then I could throw it out. He handled quarantine well, and the vet called me every night with an update.
This cat did pass away last summer due to bladder cancer, but he was 17 years old.
My cat, Sammy, is suspected to have hyperthyroidism. We are waiting for the blood test results. He also has lymphocytic plasmacytic gingivitis and diabetes.
How expensive is the radioactive iodine treatment?
And what is the thing about quarantine? Is it to protect others from the radioactivity? I have 3 other cats, so I guess Sammy may need to be quarantined. What do they do, just keep the cat in an isolated cage?
I'm cautious, because I have a friend who did the I-radiation therapy treatment on her cat about 10 years ago, and the cat died shortly thereafter--kidney failure I believe. I've heard they do better screening now, but her story gives me pause. I would want to do the least invasive/traumatic for her.
You're right to look into what would be best for your kitty. Veterinary medicine has improved by leaps and bounds in the last ten years. I would talk with your vet about the I-131 treatment vs. pills. S/he should be happy to address your concerns (if not, it's probably time to find another vet!).
Hyperthyroidism in cats sometimes masks underlying kidney disease, so that once cats' thyroid levels are corrected, kidney problems can appear. It's not that treating hyperthyroidism causes kidney disease -- the disease was there the whole time, but hyperthyroidism causes the kidneys to behave normally even though they're sick -- it's a situation where two wrongs make a right. Or, at least, sort of right -- symptoms of hyperthyroidism are no fun for the cat. Luckily, most vets can balance the treatment for both kidneys and hyperthyroid so that most cats feel better.
I have a 17 year old cat who gets pills for hyperthyroid twice a day. She hates being pilled with a passion, so the iodine would probably be kinder in the long run. I don't have the money though. She gets a treat after every pill, and I have a feeling her resistance to pilling lately has been more from habit than anything else.
How expensive is the radioactive iodine treatment?
And what is the thing about quarantine? Is it to protect others from the radioactivity? I have 3 other cats, so I guess Sammy may need to be quarantined. What do they do, just keep the cat in an isolated cage?
Quarantine is required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to protect people from radiation. Sounds hardcore, doesn't it? It's usually for a week or so, maybe as little as 3 days, depending on how quickly your cat's radioactivity subsides.
I would talk with your vet about what they specifically do. Cost, too, is something your vet can address. My impression is that treatment is around $1500 at the high end, but probably varies regionally.
Last edited by pukeko; 08-09-2008 at 08:56 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
