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My 10 year old cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Her T4 levels were very high. The vet has her on 2 1/2 mg of Tapazole a day. Unfortunately the vet was out of the office today when I picked up the meds, but on Monday I'll be calling to ask about thyroid scans and discussing the I-131 treatment option. Also if my cat doesn't take her pills well, I'll be asking her about the gel treatment until I can get more information from the I-131 treatment center here in MN (2 hour drive north of us).
If anyone has suggestions or things I should ask my vet please let me know.
I only know that this is the most common hormone disorder in cats and it occurs almost exclusively with the seniors.
Will he need to have his gland removed?
Not sure what type of food he is on, but maybe discuss with the vet a "senior" diet. Good luck and keep us posted.
(PS I don't envy you giving him those pills! Pill pockets are a great way to disguise them for those selective felines!)
No I decided against the surgery option, because there is a risk of damage to the parathyroid gland that is very small and next to the thyroid. If both glands are involved then she'll need more than 1 surgery, if they only remove 1 lobe then the hyperthyroidism can reoccur and the possible development of hypothyroidism.
I thought about the pill pockets, but she doesn't eat treats. She is a very strange kitty.
She started losing weight this year, but still had a good appetite. She also started acting anxious and meowing all the time. Those changes are what made up my mind not to put off her senior panel. I've been on disability for the past 6 months and was going to put off her blood tests until I returned to work and was pulling in a full paycheck.
I'm not sure if I'm going to do the medication or the iodine yet. I'll wait to see how she handles the pills and of course we have to wait until I return to work before any expensive treatment.
Aww....I know the weight loss, being irritable,vomiting, and I believe, even excessive eating and drinking are all par for the course. Best of luck and gentle virtual hugs to you both. Keep us posted.
Where are you getting it done? I live in W. Wisconsin and my 14 year old cat had I-131 done in the Cities. I was very happy with the results and would do it again. I hated pilling him!
The University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities is the only place in MN that I can find that does it.
I gave her her first dos tonight and she actually ate it on her own. I'm sure that won't last though. I'm thinking if those side effects kick in, she'll decide I'm the devil after her soul and become a hissing, spitting, clawing little ball of orange and white fur.
I was not pleased when one of my cats had the iodine therapy. He was constantly hungry and begging
for food. He lost tremendous amounts of weight. He did live to be 19, but that might have just been the care we gave him. Our other cat lived to be 25 and she was also hyper. We put the gel in her ears and she was fine. Ate normally, even though she always had a large appetite and never weighed more than 5 pounds. We got the gel at a special pharmacy and our vet wrote out a prescription that was good for several months. The cost was almost the same for 3 months as it was for one month.
My kitty is 18yo and began his third year on methimazole this past July. He gets the transdermal gel on the inside of the ear (one morning and the other at night). The vet says he is too old for other options. He first showed signs of loosing weight and racing heart rate. Now he's back to fat and healthy. His T4 and blood chemistry are very good.
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The vet has her on 2 1/2 mg of Tapazole a day. Unfortunately the vet was out of the office today when I picked up the meds, but on Monday I'll be calling to ask about thyroid scans and discussing the I-131 treatment option. Also if my cat doesn't take her pills well, I'll be asking her about the gel treatment until I can get more information from the I-131 treatment center here in MN (2 hour drive north of us).
)
I'm sure that won't last though. I'm thinking if those side effects kick in, she'll decide I'm the devil after her soul and become a hissing, spitting, clawing little ball of orange and white fur.
