Does anyone have experience with feline hyperthyroidism?
by admin on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | 5 Comments
My cat was diagnosed today, and I have three treatment options: one-time radiation, surgery, or pills for life. The radiation is my gut-reaction choice because it is one-time, but it also scares me. Has anyone had a cat who had this and what were you results? Would you recommend it? They say it is 98% effective. Any side effects?
It is very affective and no side affects. It is also cheaper and better for your cat although the outlay of money is more. Cats cannot get hypothyroid like humans so once it’s done the problem is over. I think it’s the best choice
I haven’t had experience with it but no many whp have and even know people whose cats have gone through chemo. it’s not the same for them as for humans they are very resilient
best of luck
Oh and stop feeding dry foods!!!! Time for quality and canne with no grains is what is best for your cats of all ages
No, but I have suspected my male cat has this. Please post when you make a decision and let me know how it goes.
I wish you the best of luck.
One of my parents’ cats has this. The cat is 13 and was diagnosed about a year ago. They can’t afford the radiation, so they’ve done the pills instead. The pills have worked quite well and he’s been in stable condition for some time now (though he’s never gained back the weight he lost). Cats can live out a normal life expectancy if the pills are kept at therapuetic levels. The main thing is that you have to take the cat in and get bloodwork periodically to make sure the thyroid levels are being controlled correctly. Their vet initially encouraged them to do the radiation and my understanding is that it usually works quite well. If you can afford it, it’s probably your best option.
In an older cat, my main concern would be the stress that a procedure like that would put on their body. My parents were also told that the cat would have to be hospitalized for quite a while (2 weeks I beleive), because he would be too radioactive for them to handle safely for a while. They also would have had to drive him about 100 miles to a vet school to have it done. Depending on your cat’s age and disposition, these kinds of stressors could be significantly damaging to its health.
My cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism…..after death. We never tried any treatment. He was diagnosed with a food allergy (which he had) and he was on prescription food, so I took his weight loss as an effect of the change to the high quality diet. He just flopped over dead with a heart-attack. He never became super skinny, just lost some weight and seemed to never stop eating (about 3-4 weeks). I was afraid he had something catchy so I called the vet and she knew from his symptoms that it had been hyperthyroidism. He was adopted and approx. 6-9 years old.
Whatever treatment you choose, please don’t leave him untreated or he may die in an instant.
There are lots of factors involved here. One of course is the age of your cat. Most hyperthyroid cats are older, and you need to factor in the cost of the treatment with the number of years your cat has left (not trying to be mean, just pointing something out). The treatment consists of taking your cat to the facility, and then he has to stay there for a few days until it’s safe for him to come home. It can be hard on an old cat to be separated from his family like that. Another factor is how hard is your cat to give medication to? My 14 year old cat is hyper-T, and I wouldn’t even consider anything but the inexpensive pills for him, as he is very easy to give pills to. the medication can also be compounded into a transdermal one, and rubbed into their ears. Very simple, but a bit more expensive than the pills. The surgery has the same risks of any surgery, and if the cat is up in years, may or may not be a good option.
Each of the treatment options has it’s pros and cons, there isn’t a right or wrong answer and it’s really something you need to think about, and what’s best for your cat (and also affordable for you).