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I have a 16 yr. old cat who had the iodine radiation treatment 5 yrs. ago and my vet said he was cured. Two weeks ago I took Gizmo to a new vet and this vet diagnosed hyperthyroidism. He also gave Gizmo an antibiotic injection for a gum infection. I can tell by the way he is eating that his gums are still bothering him and the vomiting has started up again. The injection was for two weeks and he didn't vomit for 12 days. I'm taking Gizmo to another vet tomorrow morning. I can't go back to the last vet, for one he is too expensive($525 for blood work), number two they had to call in a specialist to draw his blood because no one there could do it successfully. I had to listen to my cat screaming in pain while they attempted to draw blood. When I got him home he could barely walk! And they wanted me to bring him back in 2 days to draw more blood. I declined.
So has anyone had an experience of hyperthyroidism coming back after the radiation treatment? Our original vet did follow up blood work and said the treatment was successful. The second vet said he is sick again. I don't know who to believe. We can't go back to our original vet(he was our vet for 18 yrs) for many reasons. Too long to get into on here. Those of you who know me, know the reasons why.
It can come back. My vet told me that it works in something like 95% of all cases, but there is a risk that it can come back. My vet (not my normal vet, but one who specializes in cat cancers) said he would re-treat with another dose at the cost of the pill (he does a pill, not an injection) if a cat needs to be retreated.
I know your history with the vet; was he the one who did the actual radioiodine? Even if it was it might be a good idea to let him know. I'm sorry!
Hi Hanna! The original vet diagnosed Gizmo with it but we had to go out of state(DE) for the treatment. Do you think I should contact the place that did the iodine radiation? Gizmo hasn't shown the same symptoms he did when first diagnosed 5 yrs. ago. This all started the day after Titi died. I thought he was grieving since he would go around the house searching for Titi. It started as hairballs, lots of hairballs. I noticed it might be his mouth when I watched him eating their treats. The other cats inhaled the treats and he took a long time to eat them, turning his head from side to side and making weird sounds with his mouth.
Now I have one more reason to be ticked off with the original vet. He said Gizmo was cured and didn't mention that it could come back. I guess I'll wait and see what the next vet says tomorrow. I can't believe how hard it is to find a good vet! I even posted a thread on the NJ forum asking for vet recommendations and only one person sent me a DM. This is beyond frustrating. Thank you for getting back to me.
I have a 16 yr. old cat who had the iodine radiation treatment 5 yrs. ago and my vet said he was cured. Two weeks ago I took Gizmo to a new vet and this vet diagnosed hyperthyroidism. He also gave Gizmo an antibiotic injection for a gum infection. I can tell by the way he is eating that his gums are still bothering him and the vomiting has started up again. The injection was for two weeks and he didn't vomit for 12 days. I'm taking Gizmo to another vet tomorrow morning. I can't go back to the last vet, for one he is too expensive($525 for blood work), number two they had to call in a specialist to draw his blood because no one there could do it successfully. I had to listen to my cat screaming in pain while they attempted to draw blood. When I got him home he could barely walk! And they wanted me to bring him back in 2 days to draw more blood. I declined.
So has anyone had an experience of hyperthyroidism coming back after the radiation treatment? Our original vet did follow up blood work and said the treatment was successful. The second vet said he is sick again. I don't know who to believe. We can't go back to our original vet(he was our vet for 18 yrs) for many reasons. Too long to get into on here. Those of you who know me, know the reasons why.
When our furbaby had the treatment three years ago at age 15,our vet said it was a permanent cure. If the tests they do right after the treatment are normal,they do not need any further rechecks.
When our furbaby had the treatment three years ago at age 15,our vet said it was a permanent cure. If the tests they do right after the treatment are normal,they do not need any further rechecks.
That's what our vet said too. I did a little research but I'm getting conflicted information. Some say it is permanent cure and others say it is 95% effective, like Hanna said. Gizmo missed his vet appt. today Some time between 3:30am and 7:30am he hid behind our bed. It's like the little stinker is psychic...I didn't even have the carrier out yet! I tried for over an hour to coax him out. So I'll have to wait till Monday now...argggh. He is the most difficult of all our cats! I just hope he doesn't get too sick before Monday.
That's what our vet said too. I did a little research but I'm getting conflicted information. Some say it is permanent cure and others say it is 95% effective, like Hanna said. Gizmo missed his vet appt. today Some time between 3:30am and 7:30am he hid behind our bed. It's like the little stinker is psychic...I didn't even have the carrier out yet! I tried for over an hour to coax him out. So I'll have to wait till Monday now...argggh. He is the most difficult of all our cats! I just hope he doesn't get too sick before Monday.
I guess they mean it's 95% effective IF it works. It doesn't always work(5%)That's why they have to have the tests after the treatment.....to see if it in fact worked. If the tests show that it worked,then it's permanent. It does not reverse itself. Did your baby have the necessary tests after the treatment to make sure that it in fact worked? So sorry you're having to go through this. Best of luck to you.
I don't know if it's true for treated cats, but I know that cats can show falsely elevated T4 levels without having hyperthyroidism. It might be worth discussing the possibility with your vet and re-testing.
Ours is hyper thyroidal. However we did not do radiation treatment on her. She's young, around 7 or 8 and she is on Tapazole (40 mg but gets a half a tablet every day). She has to take this for the rest of her life. And it works, it keeps it under control and she's as happy as can be.
On second thought I'm not sure about the # of milligrams as I'm just trying to remember off the top of my head.
It does help that she is very good about getting the pill and actually meows at us if we don't give it to her.
I forgot to add that nothing else is wrong with her plus she is an indoor cat and never ventures outside.
If they didn't kill enough of the damaged thyroid, they may need to do it again. They don't want to overdose, so they may go a little short on the levels. The place that did it originally may run it again for a nominal fee. I know ours will re-do for a small cost.
We had to test T4 at 3 mo., 6 mo., and 12 mo. following treatment. Then once a year after that.
I guess they mean it's 95% effective IF it works. It doesn't always work(5%)That's why they have to have the tests after the treatment.....to see if it in fact worked. If the tests show that it worked,then it's permanent. It does not reverse itself. Did your baby have the necessary tests after the treatment to make sure that it in fact worked? So sorry you're having to go through this. Best of luck to you.
Yes Gizmo had all the tests after his treatment and the vet said he was cured...that the treatment had worked. The second vet said it only lasts for 3-5 yrs. I can't wait to hear what the third vet tells me!
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We can't go back to our original vet(he was our vet for 18 yrs) for many reasons. Too long to get into on here. Those of you who know me, know the reasons why.
Thank you for getting back to me.
Some time between 3:30am and 7:30am he hid behind our bed. It's like the little stinker is psychic...I didn't even have the carrier out yet! I tried for over an hour to coax him out. So I'll have to wait till Monday now...argggh. He is the most difficult of all our cats! I just hope he doesn't get too sick before Monday.
I can't wait to hear what the third vet tells me!
