Hyperthyroidism in cats?

[VRBeauty]

Has anyone had a cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? It looks as if Maya does not have kidney problems as I had feared, but hyperthyroidism. She's about 14 years old... apparently it starts showing up most often in 13-year olds, so she's right on schedule! She's not one to put up with treatments of any sort without protesting, and pilling her is a real chore. I'm not sure that a daily pill regimen is a realistic option at all. I'm seriously considering the nuclear option - as in having her treated with radioactive materials - which is pretty costly, but may be the best option of us.

Any input would be much appreciated!

 

[zhuzhu]

Hi VRB,

I have recently posted about my 15 yo cat having been diagnosed as having hyperthyroidism here. If you do a quick search you should find it with multiple replies from other kind PSers with their experiences.

My cat has been accepting the pill OK so far (2 months), and his thyroid and blood pressure are holding up fine. We are going to continue the pill for 6 more months to see if it is feasible for long term treatment.

Zhu

 

[lulu]

My 13 year old Ivan was diagnosed last year and we opted for pills. I was very surprised to find out that he's very easy to pill--I just come up behind him-tilt his head back and pop it in. And everyday he looks shocked about what just happened.

 

[JewelFreak]

I had a severly hyperthyroid cat who only got a little help from pills. Tried the irradiation -- my advice is STAY AWAY! Did it through some vet who had multiple facilities around the country, one near my town.

My regular vet said, "Oh, I wish you'd asked me before you did that." He said it seldom works. Moreover, if they do kill the thyroid gland, you have a cat who STILL has to be pilled -- he produces NO thyroid, and it must be replaced.

It is horribly expensive. They put the cat in a metal-clad room for days. You can't see the room -- you have no idea what conditions you cat will live in. You can't visit. You can't look through a window. No contact at all. No idea even if your cat is living in the dark to save electric bills.

When mine came home they said not to give the thyroid-lowering meds for 3 months, until they could tell if the treatment worked. It didn't. So for all that time the poor boy felt miserable, thyroid levels off the chart -- and that is VERY bad for heart & organs. He was skin & bones -- no matter how much he ate, it burned off immediately with his system racing. The whole idea is a crock.

2 ways to pill a cat -- 1) At a drugstore you can buy a pill crusher, ask them to point one out. With this you can powder pills & mix them in with food or cheez wiz, whatever he likes. 2) Put the pill whole in a gob of canned cat food, cheez wiz, something yummy & your kitty will eat it without knowing it's there.

Don't waste your money & put your cat through trauma, physcial and mental, with that irradiation quackery! I learned the hard way.

--- Laurie

 

[movie zombie]

two cats accepting pills just fine. product: Pill Pockets. more like kitty treats. insert med into pocket, roll into ball, insert into cat's mouth....sometimes they just eat it like a treat.

MoZo

 

[Lorelei]

Hi VR,

Some friends had a cat with hyperthyroidism, the condition was easily managed with a pill in a piece of cheese daily and the meds were also inexpensive. The cat lived a full and healthy life and she was eventually PTS at the grand old age of 22!

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[chemgirl]

two cats accepting pills just fine. product: Pill Pockets. more like kitty treats. insert med into pocket, roll into ball, insert into cat's mouth....sometimes they just eat it like a treat.

MoZo

We managed to use pill pockets for our girl with her kidney infection. It worked for about 4 weeks, but then we had a cat sitter that didn't close the pocket up properly. She realized there was a pill in there and has refused the pockets since. They do make it a lot easier though. The same cat sitter has a crusher and she put powdered pill in a bit of wet food and that seems to have worked while we were away and unable to pill manually.

 

[chemgirl]

Is there a liquid form of the medication? One of our cats is very resistant to pilling (she refuses to swallow and then hides the pills) and the vet suggested a liquid medication (not for thyroid, but something else). We had to inject it down her throat instead. It was a two person job, and now I know all about anal glanding, but at least it went in...

 

[risingsun]

My elderly cat was having hyperthyroid, kidney and pancreatic problems. We tried meds and dietary changes and nothing worked. After his last bout with pancreatitis, we spoke with the vet about our options. One of these options was I-131 Iodine treatment, which was strongly recommended by our local vet.

The treatment center had him for five days. We had to keep him isolated from the other pets for a month. He suffered no ill effects from this procedure. He still had his thyroid gland and never needed any further meds for this conditon. He was cured. He had the procedure done at age 17. We lost him to kidney failure, a year ago, at age 21. We would not have had him for those additional years, without the treatment he received. While I realize that others have had a different outcome from I-131, in serious cases, it can be a live saving option.

http://www.neveterinaryimaging.com/

ETA: The link I provided was not the center we used. If anyone has a cat with this condition, who lives in the Virginia area, I would be happy to post the name of our clinic.

 

[CdnBlingGal]

Has anyone had a cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? It looks as if Maya does not have kidney problems as I had feared, but hyperthyroidism. She's about 14 years old... apparently it starts showing up most often in 13-year olds, so she's right on schedule! She's not one to put up with treatments of any sort without protesting, and pilling her is a real chore. I'm not sure that a daily pill regimen is a realistic option at all. I'm seriously considering the nuclear option - as in having her treated with radioactive materials - which is pretty costly, but may be the best option of us.

Any input would be much appreciated!

Forest was diagnosed for hyperthyroidism when she was 14 old as well. Her medication methimazole came in form of a chew not a pill. She had only issues with a dislike of certain flavors but she ate it like a treat. Here in Canada, it was costly. The chews were costing me about $60.00 a month and every 3 months we had to do bloodwork. It got expensive. I was given the option of the radioiodine (RAI) I-I31 treatment at the time but we opted for the chews. Now, looking back I wish we had just done the radioiodine treatment.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. We brought her in to get the radioiodine treatment. Her thyroid gland was 4 cm and it was full of fluid rather than being hard tissue. When she was released, her gland had gone down 2 cm and it wasn't as buldgy as it was in the beginning. She also gained a tiny bit of weight which was a great surprise to the vet. Our little girl did very well with the tiny bit of weight gain and the decrease in size of her gland. We are all optimistic that the treatment was a success.

There are risks and sometimes not so great results, it's all based on individual cases.
Where we took our fur baby was North West Nuclear ( treatment center), they share space within a 24 hr emergency hospital which was a great relief to know that there was expert care 24 hours. The doctors (veternarians) and assistants called us every day to give an update on our little girl.

The cost included the treatment, her 7 night stay (this was hard for us), her supply of wet and dry food which was Wellness and care.

I can say that she had the best care while she was away from home. This is the kind of service we get here. I respect Jewelfreak's
opinion but I think you have to do what's best for your cat. I will update in a month, this is when we get her bloodwork done to see if her T4 levels have returned to normal levels.

 

[Matata]

VR Beauty...I did the radioactive treatment on my 16 yr old cat last year and it was a success. Jewel Freak's post has some inaccuracies in it. The vet who performed the procedure on my cat has a 98% cure rate as does a lot of facilities who do the procedure. My vet did extensive tests to determine whether my cat was a good candidate for success.

The goal of the treatment is not to kill the thyroid gland but the cancerous thyroid cells. The radioactive iodine kills only the cancerous cells throughout the body. Obviously, if the thyroid is completely cancerous with no healthy tissue, the gland will die, regardless of treatment.

Cost of the procedure in Eugene, Oregon was $890. If the first injection was not successful, the vet would have done the 2nd for free. I'm not sure if this is the case with all vets. Here's a link to his site FYI. The FAQ page is very helpful.

http://www.felinethyroidclinic.com/index.html

 

[LGK]

There is an earwipe form of methimazole, which I have not yet had to resort to for my hyperthryroid cat, O.P.... yet. I can still pill him ok, just pop his head open and stuff pill inside.

Good luck with the process!

 

[movie zombie]

the ear method does absorb through the tissue but it is not as effective......so says our vet and been our experience as well. the dose in the pill form is accurate and full absorbed.

MoZo

 

[asscherisme]

two cats accepting pills just fine. product: Pill Pockets. more like kitty treats. insert med into pocket, roll into ball, insert into cat's mouth....sometimes they just eat it like a treat.

MoZo

Oh, these are wonderful! Both my kittens needed an antibiotic for a bit over a month because they kept passing back and forth the same infection. After one day of trying to give them pills I was panicked. I went to the petstore and bought these and the cats loved them. They would get all excited when it was time for their medicine. They come in more than one flavor too.

 

[VRBeauty]

Thank you, everyone, for your responses. Zhu Zhu, thank you for pointing me to your earlier thread. It seems like PS'ers have experience with pretty much every option out there, and I really appreciate each of you taking the time to share your experiences and insights with me (and with Zhu Zhu - that's a sharing twofer!).

I haven't yet been able to talk with the vet directly, but the vet tech has left a few messages asking me to let them know which form of the methimazole I want them to order for me. I'm still concerned about the prospect of pilling Maya on a daily basis, and she's never cared much for kittie treats so I doubt that the pill pockets would work with her. Another friend suggested cheese whiz as a pill "carrier." I think I'll get a small can and give it a try. Talk about your nuclear option! The downside with that approach is that if she doesn't take to it, I'll be stuck with a can of cheese whiz!

When I connect with the vet - hopefully tomorrow - I'll ask her about about the iodide treatment as well. I'm figuring that if I add up the cost of the medication, periodic blood work, extra charges when I need to board her... and cheeze whiz... the iodide treatment might just be less costly over a few years, in addition to being just plain easier.

Thanks again, everyone. I now have a much better sense of questions I should ask when I talk with the vet.

 

[Gypsy]

Has anyone had a cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? It looks as if Maya does not have kidney problems as I had feared, but hyperthyroidism. She's about 14 years old... apparently it starts showing up most often in 13-year olds, so she's right on schedule! She's not one to put up with treatments of any sort without protesting, and pilling her is a real chore. I'm not sure that a daily pill regimen is a realistic option at all. I'm seriously considering the nuclear option - as in having her treated with radioactive materials - which is pretty costly, but may be the best option of us.

Any input would be much appreciated!

No but there is an option that would make the daily pilling better.

There is a company (Golden Gate Pharmacy?) that makes custom cat treats with medications in them. Chicken, salmon, tuna flavors. They are pricier than the meds alone, but the cats just gobble them up. There was one in NJ and Duncan preferred their treats to the Golden Gate and I know there are others in CA.

Duncan is IMPOSSIBLE to give pills to at home. So I've had to use this often. Works like a charm. I'm so sorry Maya is sick honey. ((HUGS))

 

[zhuzhu]

Thank you, everyone, for your responses. Zhu Zhu, thank you for pointing me to your earlier thread. It seems like PS'ers have experience with pretty much every option out there, and I really appreciate each of you taking the time to share your experiences and insights with me (and with Zhu Zhu - that's a sharing twofer!).

I haven't yet been able to talk with the vet directly, but the vet tech has left a few messages asking me to let them know which form of the methimazole I want them to order for me. I'm still concerned about the prospect of pilling Maya on a daily basis, and she's never cared much for kittie treats so I doubt that the pill pockets would work with her. Another friend suggested cheese whiz as a pill "carrier." I think I'll get a small can and give it a try. Talk about your nuclear option! The downside with that approach is that if she doesn't take to it, I'll be stuck with a can of cheese whiz!

When I connect with the vet - hopefully tomorrow - I'll ask her about about the iodide treatment as well. I'm figuring that if I add up the cost of the medication, periodic blood work, extra charges when I need to board her... and cheeze whiz... the iodide treatment might just be less costly over a few years, in addition to being just plain easier.

Thanks again, everyone. I now have a much better sense of questions I should ask when I talk with the vet.

One thing to ask your vet about is your cat's kidney function (use a test called creatinine). It is not uncommon for older cats to have chronic kidney disease, and often hyperthyroidism "masks" the sign of decreased kidney function. My vet suggests the pill to begin with because the dose can start low, hence monitoring how the gradual improvement in thyroid level correlates with kidney marker. It is a safer way to go as the iodide treatment changes the condition so drastically, it may worsen the existing kidney function (by decreasing the blood pressure too much, hence removes the kidney protecting factor) as a result.

 

[LGK]

I haven't had to do it with the methimazole because O.P. is patient with pills, but one of my other kitties is Sheer Ghastly Bleeding Horror (human's blood, of course) to give pills to. He got a snotty nose recently and I had to get an antibiotic into him *somehow*. Luckily a local indy pharmacy nearby makes this awesome stuff for cats- it's a three-fish juice blend they make themselves (sardine, tuna, and salmon I think) and the pill is ground and suspended in the fish ooze. You have to shake the heck out of it and refrigerate it, but ohmigod, it is soooo much easier than pilling. Basically you fill a needle-less syringe, wait til kitty is snoozing and sneak up and shove it in to squirt the fish ooze into their mouth. Rat likes the taste somewhat- not enough to actually take it voluntarily, I did try that first!- but enough that once it's actually inside his mouth he stops freaking out and licks the syringe clean. I am pretty sure the vet said methimazole could be liquid-ized too... that might be an option to ask about if a local pharmacy makes something similar.

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks again for the help, everyone!

I just spoke with the vet (mostly listened to her, actually - I guess she's had this discussion many, many times over the years!) It seems we caught Maya's hyperthyroidism early, which could give us more options in the long run. The first step is to have her on the methimizole for a few months and then test again - this will help determine if her kidneys are in good shape, of if the hyperthyroidism was masking a problem there.... after that, if there are no other problems, we can discuss other options such as iodide treatment. I'm going to try the pill pockets first. There are several compounding pharmacies in the area if I need to go the custom goo route.

I realize I'm repeating many things that you've posted in response to my question, and in Zhu Zhu's thread. All your input made the call with the vet go much more smoothly that it would have if I'd been relying on just general internet resources. My vet has no idea how much she owes you guys!