My cat Spot diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism

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We took our cat to a specialist because he continued to be ravenous, eating a lot and losing weight and in general very hyper acting. The vet ran tests and found Spot has hyperthyroidism. I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with this. We are thinking of going the radioiodine route, the other option (surgery I think is not an option when the cat is older like Spot is--he's 12) of treating him with pills seems to have side effects and doesn't really treat the cat, you have to dose him the rest of his life. Radioiodine is costly and seems pretty heavy duty, but it apparently works. If anyone has experience with this I'd appreciate hearing from you. I am not even sure if Spotty can have this done since he is diabetic. The vet said I'd have to discuss with the vet specialist who works with the radioiodine.

Jennifer
 
Hopefully someone with a diabetic that has had I131 treatment will chime in, but I know I have read posts from them and the procedure went fine. You will need to bring his food and insulin in with him and give specific instructions about dosing.

I131 is considered a cure for hyperT. My aunt has a cat that had that several years ago (not a diabetic) and has done OK. You do need to follow up a couple of times afterwards to make sure his T4 is in the normal range.

My Beau is hyperT, but is off of insulin now. I did not have I131 done because I could not afford it. So he gets medication twice a day. He has done fine on it to date (about 2-1/2 years I think). But I had another cat with hyperT would did not tolerate the medication at all even in a transdermal gel form.
 
I had two civi kitties treated by RadioCat, Indigo and Spot. They both did good. I treated by diabetic Bailey first with the transdermal ear med. I then switched to pills when the does really got to high. He was not in good health and not a candidate for RadioCat. He lived about a year after diagnosis. I currently have my diabetic Lightning. He is on 2.5 mg one daily. He is also not really a candidate for Radiocat. I have to frequently syringe feed him.

Some places will not blood test a diabetic cat being treated therefore ask.
 
I did the Radiocat with my Siamese Sushi and have not had any problems since. The only drawback is the price, but I thought she was young enough that it would get expensive to give her medication for the rest of her life. The Radiocat apparently cures the problem.

Ilene
 
Yes, transdermal gel goes inside their ears. It is supposed to be better tolerated. I didn't find much difference and Charlotte hated the stuff. I could fool her will the med (pill) in a bit of pil pockets, but applying the gel was horrible for her. She was not what you could ever call a laid-back cat :roll:
 
HI Jennifer, my cat Sitka was treated with radioactive iodine and it was the best money I ever spent. She was not diabetic at the time she had the treatment though. If you can do I131 its best, in my imho, to do it sooner rather then later. Most people don't realize that the oral or ear jell medication only regulates the symptoms - it does not cure the disease so as the hypert progresses it can become harder and harder to keep it regulated. Since Spot isn't that old I think its definitely the most economical route since it is a cure. Some questions to ask of a facility though is: How do they dose the I131 - some do it generically (ie 4 micrograms no matter what stage cat is in) or some do it based on cats condition individually. 2nd question - how long is the quarantine time: times vary - some have a fixed length of stay (4 days no matter what) and some do it based on how fast the I131 leaves the system. Cost also varies from treatment center to treatment center. Where I live (in Oregon) the facilities did a fixed dose, quarantined 4 days no matter what, and cost was $985.00. I found a place in Washington state that dosing was based on cats health and blood test results, quarantine time was only 1-2 days, and it was $825.00. So it really does pay to do your homework. Also you will have to check about them giving insulin - that might have extra charges associated with it. Jan
 
I did the I131 with my Gizmo, she was 14 when it was done and it worked. Only problem is you have to keep in mind this process does compromise their immune system, just like it does in a human. So if your cat has any other medical issues, other than diabeties then you need to be sure and discuss this with your specialist. I lost Gizmo about 6 months after she had the I131 to cancer. What the vet thought was a degenerative problem with her bones was actually a form of cancer and the I131 weakened her system enough for it to take over. With that said, I am not trying to scare you, just want you to be aware it does compromise the immune system as I did not know this until after she had her treatement and I had lost her. That was 9 years ago.

I now have a cat, Beemer, that has been taking the oral meds for hpyerT for the past 3 years. The only issue we have encountered was while trying to regulate her dose she became anemic. With a little tweaking that resolved and she has been doing great. She has a prescription card through Walgreens and we get 90 days of meds for $12. Beemer is a very timid cat and does not come out for strangers, so leaving her in a facility for 4 days was not an option. One day at the vet to have bladder stones removed really wore her out, she sat on her bed in the kennel and would not move not even to potty. Plus after losing my Gizmo, I was to afraid to risk it again. And I have to add after Frodo was diagnosed with diabeties and we changed his diet to low carb, it made a world of difference in her. For a 14 year old cat she has lots of energy and tends to remind me of a kitten the way she rolls around and plays. I really wish I knew way back then that the dry food I was feeding was kitty crack as the low carb food has been the best thing for all my fur babies.

Also you are right the meds to do not cure the hyperT they regulate it just like it does in humans. I know people who have had the I131 done with their cats and just like others have stated here everything was fine. You have to go with what you feel is the best treatment for your Spot, just be sure and have all the information when making the decision. And part of that is how/if the diabetic condition is an issue.
 
Thanks all for your responses. A lot to think about. Today we got some meds (generic Tapazole) the vet prescribed as she said we need to start right away to help him feel better. I did make an appt. for radioiodine for June 8 (the specialist who does it only does it certain dates in Miami) and will find out more before. It does seem really heavy-duty.

Jennifer
 
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