my cat may have hyperthyroid

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

He is 14 years old, he has lost 4 pounds in the last 5 years.
The vet needs to do a blood test to be sure, but the cat has to fast, and he had already eaten. One hitch is we are leaving for the winter in a couple of weeks, so the vet thinks we might want to do everything there. He says it is a really involved process, blood tests, medications, more blood tests frequently to monitor if the medication is working. Finally, it would get down to blood tests only every 6 months, and medication for the rest of his life. this of course is if we could even get the pills down his throat, he is pretty expert at coughing them up later.
Vet says a lot of people would just let it go, but it is our decision. It cuases high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and kidney problems. He also says some cats have surgery to have the thyroid removed. Remember Reznor is 14 years old.
Vet suggested we ask others who have had cats what they have done. Anyone with any experience along these lines?

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I will ask my friend "K" if anyone knows the answer she would be the one.

It can be a difficult decision but in your shoes I would persue treatment not surgery. The minimum my vet always put on a cat's life expectancy was 16 and all of mine have gone close to 20. Then again they were healthy indoor cats with no major health issues.

I'll be sure to let you know what I hear ASAP.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

He is 14 years old, he has lost 4 pounds in the last 5 years.
The vet needs to do a blood test to be sure, but the cat has to fast, and he had already eaten. One hitch is we are leaving for the winter in a couple of weeks, so the vet thinks we might want to do everything there. He says it is a really involved process, blood tests, medications, more blood tests frequently to monitor if the medication is working. Finally, it would get down to blood tests only every 6 months, and medication for the rest of his life. this of course is if we could even get the pills down his throat, he is pretty expert at coughing them up later.
Vet says a lot of people would just let it go, but it is our decision. It cuases high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and kidney problems. He also says some cats have surgery to have the thyroid removed. Remember Reznor is 14 years old.
Vet suggested we ask others who have had cats what they have done. Anyone with any experience along these lines?

Our cat had the same problem at age 18 plus and was on medication. It wasn't hard at all to give him these tiny pills twice a day as I had feared. I gave him his favorite treat right after the pill so taking him to the bathroom meant "time for a treat" rather than getting medication.

His blood tests were taken again six months later and he was doing OK with the pills and had stopped losing weight too. Our poor cat died of a freak accident in our house that paralyzed him so we had to put him to sleep.

According to the Vet, he could have lived quite a bit longer with the medication but, most likely, they had to increase the dosis later. It probably can wait till you are at your winter location but don't wait too long. JMHO.

Good luck with your kitty.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Our cat lived until 20. I would treat him...if it is a thyroid problem and it's anything like humans, then all you have to do is give a pill once a day.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

There is an alternative to daily drugging and surgery. This is what "K" did for her cat Emily:

Radiocat - Centers For The Treatment Of Feline Hyperthyroidism

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

Lawren, they have Estero Florida listed as one of the locations for Radiotherapy. That is where we live in Florida. there is a new animal hospital right across from our subdivision, I wonder if that is it. Thanks so much

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Lawren, they have Estero Florida listed as one of the locations for Radiotherapy. That is where we live in Florida. there is a new animal hospital right across from our subdivision, I wonder if that is it. Thanks so much

It is well worth looking into. I hope that this helps you and your cat. Wouldn't it be terrific if that's the place? Can't get more convenient.

Love the new avatar.

[pcgirl54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pcgirl54]

Our cat had it from about 12 or 13 yrs and she too lost weight. She lived to just 4 months shy of 20 yrs. She took pills and once in a great while had IV fluid shots. Blood test was once a year and is expensive but it kept her alive so her dose was adjusted and like anything else one can tell if they get
superskinny again that it needed a med change. Heart racing and weight loss were indicators of the disease before the T4 blood test.

I' m not sorry I went that route.

[NJmom Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close NJmom]

I had a cat(Ethyl) that was treated with the radiation for hyperthyriod. She was 11 when she had the treatment and lived for another 5 years. I was living in Dallas when she had the treatment. I was told by the vet that the prognosis is excellent in most cases. My cat had to stay at the animal hospital until she was no longer giving off radiation. We were told she could come home in about 10 days, but it ended up being closer to 3 weeks as I had small kids and they wanted to be sure before they sent her home. Ethyl went down hill very quickly during the time between initial diagnosis and her appointment for treatment. We had all we could do to keep her alive feeding baby food ect until she could go in.

Her sister (Lucy) developed the same condition at 14 to a lesser degree and we treated her with pills for quite a while.

Good Luck

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

I notice several people saying their cat was tested once a year. the vet implied very frequent testing for several months and then every 6 months. also, what happens if you have to go away for a few days, did you have someone give the cat the pills?

[TravelBug Member Find all posts View Profile Close TravelBug]

Our now close to 18 yr old indoor cat developed hyperthyroidism 2 1/2 years ago. Initial symptoms were weight loss, however, normal blood tests as well as the specialized T4 were at the high end of normal range. Came home from vacation a few months later and in those 2 weeks she had developed sympotoms of extreme paranoia as well as stopped grooming herself. T4 test confirmed hyperthyroid. Started her on a "normal" initial dose which turned out to be the perfect dose. She had to have a second T4 test 3 weeks later as well another one about 3 weeks after that to confirm the correct dose. Her symptoms started subsiding and she's fine now. One year ago she again developed the "paranoid" symptoms and test showed she needed her dose increased. T4s again 3 weeks apart to confirm the new dose was correct.

When she first developed her disease we discussed the various options with the vet, radiation, surgery and meds. Due to her age, the vet discouraged surgery. We did not feel she could handle the 2 weeks away from us in a hospital for the radiation treatment, so decided against that. (A friend did the radiation treatment successfully on their 19 year old cat.)

We also decided against the pill route and elected to go with the transdermal gel, methamazole, which is rubbed into her ear flap. For the first 1 1/2 years she was given her meds 1x day, now it's 2x day. The transdermal gel costs us about $57 for a 60 day supply (plus cost for surgical gloves which I reuse for about a week) but I feel it is well worth the additional cost.

She, as well as her sister, go to the vet every six months for their exams and get tested at that time.

Another friend's cat also developed hyperthyroid and is doing great...she tolerates pills very well and gets those once a day.

If I recall, you need to get her stabilized on meds before you can go the radiation route or surgery. If it were me, I'd start now...the medical records can always be transferred to your new vet.

I hope everything works out for you. Our little girl is doing well and we hope she'll be with us a lot longer.

Ingrid

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

We took Reznor in for the blood test this morning; he had to fast so we needed the return trip. When he saw no food, he got suspicious, and he hid in the hardest place to get him in the house. The doctor sedated him for the blood test. He was out cold with his eyes open for an hour and a half. Now he is like a little drunk, wobbles, falls over, can't navigate at all. I don't see how we can put him through this testing over and over.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

We took Reznor in for the blood test this morning; he had to fast so we needed the return trip. When he saw no food, he got suspicious, and he hid in the hardest place to get him in the house. The doctor sedated him for the blood test. He was out cold with his eyes open for an hour and a half. Now he is like a little drunk, wobbles, falls over, can't navigate at all. I don't see how we can put him through this testing over and over.

I don't think that our cat was usually sedated to do a blood test and he got quite a few because he had several operations during his lifetime. I know what you mean that cats go in hiding when they get an inkling that you are going to take them to the Vet. They read your mind. All of them did including our dog.

It isn't easy but without medical intervention he may go downhill fast. I do not believe in medication but I listened to the Vet and our cat did so much better once he was taking the pills. I also looked into the Radioiodine treatments but our Vet recommended against it at his age.

I notice several people saying their cat was tested once a year. the vet implied very frequent testing for several months and then every 6 months. also, what happens if you have to go away for a few days, did you have someone give the cat the pills?

Our pet sitter was an animal technician so she knew how to give them the pills and also when it was time to get medical help. It gave us peace of mind because all our animals were old. There may be someone in your Vet's office too who would be willing to take care of your pet when you are on vacation. Some do it as an extra job for themselves.

[TravelBug Member Find all posts View Profile Close TravelBug]

Our cats are never sedated for blood tests, x-rays, ultrasound and various other tests over the years. Only sedation ever was for teeth cleaning. Unless your kitty is the kitty from hell, I'd question why your vet feels the need to do so. We had a vet once who insisted on sedating for an x-ray...we learned she was either after our $ or the cat hated HER so much because she didn't know how to treat animals. She has always let our current vet do whatever they want with her. We got rid of that vet and heard that she sold her practice shortly thereafter and got out of the vet business.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

He is still hiding, hasn't had anything to do with us now for two days.