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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / April 2005hyperthyroidism
My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. She had been doing well, but this past week she has begun vomitting everytime she eats no matter what kind of food I try, even in small amounts. Although vomiting is lisited on the web as a side effect of methimazole in the first 3 months, when I called the vet he said if it was the med it would have shown up sooner. I am not sure about this and the cat has kept little or nothing down in the last 2 days. This is Saturday evening and I am thinking of stopping the methimazole until she is able to keep food down again. Hyperthyroidism causes the cat to lose weight, but she certainly will not gain weight by continually vomitting. Anybody have experience with this evidently feline malady? TIA, Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a national laughingstock. > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. > She had been doing well, but this past week she has begun vomitting > everytime she eats no matter what kind of food I try, even in small > amounts. What is her history with regard to vomiting? How often and under what circumstances? Is she long-haired or short-haired? This time of year cats shed, and tend to ingest more fur. Is she on Laxatone or Laxaire or another laxative? This stuff is easy to give, it is in a tube and resembles black strap molasses. Although vomiting is lisited on the web as a side effect of > methimazole in the first 3 months, when I called the vet he said if it > was the med it would have shown up sooner. I am not sure about this and > the cat has kept little or nothing down in the last 2 days. This is > Saturday evening and I am thinking of stopping the methimazole until she > is able to keep food down again. Hyperthyroidism causes the cat to lose > weight, but she certainly will not gain weight by continually vomitting. This is a serious concern. What did the vet say you should do? How is her appetite? Does she want food again right after throwing up? > Anybody have experience with this evidently feline malady? > > TIA, > Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a > national laughingstock. I feel for you. I'm from NC, home of Jesse Helms. :) For about 900 years, or so it seems! > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a > national laughingstock. My cat is a longhair and the vet did not suggest to do anything other than give her a hairball treatment, which I did. Although she is a longhair, since I started giving her Purina Pro Hairball for Seniors last summer it has cut her shedding by 90%. When she would cough up a hairball it would be a hairball. She now vomits shortly after eating and it is her food or just liquid. She actually seems ok otherwise and although she was crying a while ago like she had a bellyache, she is not relaxed and sitting near me. She is interested in eating, but cannot keep the food down. I would be more worried about a blockage than the medication causing this. I'd get her to a vet ASAP Celeste > My cat is a longhair and the vet did not suggest to do anything other > than give her a hairball treatment, which I did. Although she is a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > she had a bellyache, she is not relaxed and sitting near me. She is > interested in eating, but cannot keep the food down. > I would be more worried about a blockage than the medication causing this. > I'd get her to a vet ASAP I agree. Tapazole stopped my hyperthyroid cat from vomiting. > My cat is a longhair and the vet did not suggest to do anything other > than give her a hairball treatment, which I did. Although she is a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > she had a bellyache, she is not relaxed and sitting near me. She is > interested in eating, but cannot keep the food down. I would seriously consult a feline only vet. > > My cat is a longhair and the vet did not suggest to do anything other > > than give her a hairball treatment, which I did. Although she is a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > > I would seriously consult a feline only vet. Or an vet internist, who would most understand the workings of the whole deal better. Are there endocrinologist vets? I haven't heard of any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Cathy > My cat is a longhair and the vet did not suggest to do anything other > than give her a hairball treatment, which I did. Although she is a > longhair, since I started giving her Purina Pro Hairball for Seniors > last summer it has cut her shedding by 90%. Are you sure the food actually stops shedding? I am pretty sure it just lubricates the fur so it passes after the cat ingests it. > When she would cough up a hairball it would be a hairball. She now > vomits shortly after eating and it is her food or just liquid. She > actually seems ok otherwise and although she was crying a while ago like > she had a bellyache, she is not relaxed and sitting near me. She is > interested in eating, but cannot keep the food down. This really does sound like something unusual for her, so you may be right about laying off the tapazole for a day or so. But my worry is that she has already not eaten for two days. By the time she feels the effects of the meds wear off she may be in trouble from not having eaten. My cat took Tapazole for many years for hyperthyroidism with no ill side effects. I know that vomiting can be caused by the meds, but don't know how quickly it would show up. If you are not happy with your vet, please seek a second opinion. This is a serious but controllable disease. Gail > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a > national laughingstock. > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Anybody have experience with this evidently feline malady? My late cat was on tapazole for the last 2 years or so of his life and it helped him greatly. He never got sick from it but I know other cats who did and it was primarily vomiting that they had. I can't remember now if it started right away or if it took awhile but I think I might tend to disagree with your vet. I would get a second opinion. Was vomiting one of your cat's symptoms before she was diagnosed? That was one of my cat's symptoms and then when he started the tapazole it quit. You know, I'm certainly no expert but I might do what you are thinking of and stop the tapazole for a couple of days, too, just to see. You're right that she can't keep vomiting constantly and I'm sure she is miserable. If that doesn't make her vomiting stop, I would go back to the vet, of course. She might have complicating factors like chronic renal failure which sometimes "unmasks" once hyper-t is under control and that, too, can cause vomiting (hyper-t can mask the symptoms of kidney disease). My late cat had both these conditions but there is a fine balance whereby you can "use" the hyperthyroidism to control the CRF by finding just the correct dose of tapazole. It worked for my cat for a long time. There is a way to make tapazole into a cream that you can rub on their ears that I have heard of. Of course, you would need a compounding pharmacy to do that and I don't know how you regulate the dose very well that way. There is also another drug that can be used instead of tapazole that apparently doesn't have as many side effects. I can't remember it now but it might be something like carbimazole. I am just now remembering a friend who gave his cat tapazole. He told me that the cat was doing much better and beginning to gain weight and then a little while later, he told me he took the cat off tapazole because it was getting very ill from it. So I think his cat had been on it for awhile before the vomiting occurred, too. Untreated hyper-t can kill, of course, so it is important for her to be treated but, like you, I would be suspicious that the tapazole is making her sick. Let us know how it goes. Candace My cat was diagnosed at her routine checkup when the vet noticed a heart murmur and rapid heartrate. She noticed that the thyroid was enlarged when felt. Also, my cat's coat was bad and she had been vomitting, although infrequently. When I called the other day the vet I talked with was not the vet who diagnosed the cat because she was on vacation. I am due for a return checkup after 4 weeks on the med. On the web it lists that vomitting is a side effect in 15% and that the med is discontinued until the symptoms improve and then started at a smaller dose, working up to the original dose. I have no intention to keep the cat on meds for the long term, but will opt for the surgery or radioactive treatment. I would appreciate hearing from anybody who has experience with these treatments. > My cat was diagnosed at her routine checkup when the vet noticed a heart > murmur and rapid heartrate. She noticed that the thyroid was enlarged > when felt. This is EXACTLY what happened to my Buddha last August. > Also, my cat's coat was bad and she had been vomitting, although > infrequently. Same witn Buddha. But the tapazole stopped her vomiting at once and she has not vomited more than twice in eight months. When I called the other day the vet I talked with was not > the vet who diagnosed the cat because she was on vacation. > I am due for a return checkup after 4 weeks on the med. On the web it > lists that vomitting is a side effect in 15% and that the med is > discontinued until the symptoms improve and then started at a smaller > dose, working up to the original dose. If you can't get her to eat tomorrow I would take her back in to the vet Monday. I am sure you know that cats can get into big trouble quickly from just a few days of not eating. At the vet they could check her to see if she is in trouble and help her. > I have no intention to keep the cat on meds for the long term, but will > opt for the surgery or radioactive treatment. I would appreciate > hearing from anybody who has experience with these treatments. I am going to take Buddha for the radioactive treatment. It has a better cure rate and less side effects--and no surgery. It is just a shot, though they do have to keep the kitty for a while. > My cat was diagnosed at her routine checkup when the vet noticed a heart > murmur and rapid heartrate. She noticed that the thyroid was enlarged [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > opt for the surgery or radioactive treatment. I would appreciate > hearing from anybody who has experience with these treatments. I would opt for long-term medication Vs. a thyroidectomy. My cat had a thyroidectomy only because she couldn't remain on the medication long-term - as I mentioned in other post, it was contraindicated in her case, due to liver disease, & there was no radioactive treatment available anywhere near here at the time ('98, give or take a year). When a thyroidectomy is done, first of all the cat is undergoing major surgery. No surgery involved w/ medication. Secondly, even though the vet may be skilled & extremely careful not to involve the parathyroids, the cat may go hypothyroid at a later date as a result of the surgery, & then need a thyroid hormone med anyway. This happened to my cat: my vet thought she'd completley succeeded in this regard, but a few months later the cat needed to go on thyroxin, after all. It was not a big deal, IMO, but is something to take into account. Thirdly, I believe I've read that there's at least one alternative med to methimazole/Tapazole, though I can't remember its name. As to whether a cat uses medication long-term, or receives the radioactive treatment, it depends on the various circumstances of each individual cat - weighing everything & deciding which is safer & makes more sense. Cathy > My cat was diagnosed at her routine checkup when the vet noticed a heart > murmur and rapid heartrate. She noticed that the thyroid was enlarged [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > discontinued until the symptoms improve and then started at a smaller > dose, working up to the original dose. That's the way to go. I usually start our hyperthyroid cats on subtherapeutic doses - usually 1.25 mg s.i.d. for 7-10 days, then 1.25 mg b.i.d. 7-10 days, 1.25 mg s.i.d. am/ 2.5 mg s.i.d./pm 7-10 days, then 2.5 mg b.i.d. If the cat's therapeutic dose is higher than 5 mg/day, I go with 2.5 mg s.i.d./am 5 mg s.i.d./pm 7-10 days then 5 mg b.i.d. -- but most cats can be managed on less than 10 mg/day. This protocal *gradually* decreases serum T4 and allows the cat's systems to gradually adjust to the medication. This greatly reduces the likelihood of adverse effects. Make sure you follow the pills with water or canned food the pills don't disolve in her mouth or get stuck or delayed in her esophagus- which can cause medication-induced esophagitis or stricture formation. You can also get methimazole reformulated into a transdermal gel that you apply to the inside of the cat's ear flap. This reduces many of the adverse effects because the drug doesn't go though the digestive tract. Many cats vomit just from the terrible bitter taste of methimazole- and not really from any internal adverse effects. Just be sure to wear latex exam gloves so you don't absorb methimazole through your skin! You can also cut the pill into small pieces and put it inside a gelcap and drop it into her laryngopharynx so it doesn't disolve in her mouth or esophagus. Follow with water or canned food, too. See: http://www.maxshouse.com/Medicating_Your_Cat.htm Methimazole can also be reformulated into a flavored suspension that you can give her between the teeth and the buccal wall with a medicine dropper or baby syringe (without the needle). If she just can't tolerate methimazole, speak to your vet about carbimazole - its a pro-drug that's converted to methimazole in vivo - so it produces much fewer and much milder adverse effects than straight methimazole. Carbimazole isn't commercially available in the US- but you can't get it by prescription from a compounding pharmacy. If you can't find a compounding pharmacy in your area, let me know, I'll hook you up with a great compounding pharamcy that will send it to you- even overnight if you need it fast. The pharmacist will also explain the dosing adjustment to you and your vet. > I have no intention to keep the cat on meds for the long term, but will > opt for the surgery or radioactive treatment. I would appreciate > hearing from anybody who has experience with these treatments. I'd forget about surgery if I were you- ia 10% fatality rate has been attached to this surgery. The vet must have keen surgical skill to try and save at least one of the four parathyroid glands which are very closely associated with the thyroid glands-- I've watch this surgery a few times, and I can tell you, maintaining the microscopic blood supply to these tiny organs.can be tricky. If both thyroid glands are removed- and even if a parathyroid gland is preserved, there is always a question and a worry as to how well the parathyroid glands will function-- if they fail the cat could have a fatal seizure due to a severe drop in blood calcium. Many vets push surgery and downplay the risks because they make more money on the surgery or I-131. Frankly, I wouldn't opt for surgery if it was free. I'm serious. Radioiodine is the safest and most effective cure for hyperthyroidism in cats. But it has one *very* serious limitation. Like surgery, I-131 tx is *irreversible* and *permanent*. This may sound good, but it isn't always the ideal tx that its cracked up to be. Hyperthyroidism increases the heart's output and renal blood flow- which makes the kidneys look like they're functioning better than they really are. However, after I-131 tx *or* surgery, renal blood flow and GRF *decrease* to their true rate and can unmask chronic renal failure in cats with underlying kidney disease. Your cat is at the age where she might be in subclinical CRF. Remember, 3/4 of kidney function must be lost before CRF can be detected by routine kidney function tests. Maintaining her on meds for a few months will allow you to see how her kidneys are *truly* functioning. If she becomes azotemic (increased BUN/creatinine) you'll know she has underlying renal disease and I-131 is not a option. However, even if her kidney's are functioning normally- now-, she's still in age group with the highest risk of developing CRF. With antithyroid drugs, you can adjust the dose commensurate with her kidney function. If she's in or develops CRF and becomes azotemic, you can easily adjust the methimazole dosage until you strike a balance between an "acceptable" level of hyperthyroidism and an "acceptable" level of azotemia. This can give her several to many *more* years of a good quality of life. You will not have this flexibility with I-131. CRF is much more difficult and expensive to manage than hyperthyroidism. If you don't like pilling her twice day, you certainly won't like giving her SQ fluids everyday or every few days and trying to get her to eat a prescription diet for the rest of her life- or the medications and check ups that go with managing CRF. I used to be a strong proponent of radioiodine, but we've had too many cats- with normal BUN/Cr on meds develop CRF within a year after I-131 tx. I've also heard of many other cats developing the same problem. I would only recommend I-131 as a last resort (surgery isn't even an option for us). Best of luck. Phil > You can also cut the pill into small pieces and put it inside a gelcap and > drop it into her laryngopharynx so it doesn't disolve in her mouth or > esophagus. Gelcaps certainly help with the bitter taste involved w/some tabs, plus they tend to slide down the throat more easily. Methimazole - or Tapazole - (5 mg) tabs are so small to begin with, that it'd probably need to be only cut in half to fit it into a smallish gelcap. Cathy Well, my cat has eaten today without vomiting, as far as I know. She has not eaten much, but she has eaten and is just relaxing in the sunshine in the window. My vet had my methimazone compounded by a local pharmacy into a tuna flavored liquid. I don't know if it tastes like tuna, but it certainly smells like tuna. I will put her on a half a dose tonight and tomorrow and she how she does. I was given 2 small bottles, each lasting 2 weeks and needs to be refrigerated and I was told to keep the second bottle frozen until use. The vomiting had started at about the time I started the second bottle, but that may have been coincidental since side effects may start in the first 3 months. > Well, my cat has eaten today without vomiting, as far as I know. She > has not eaten much, but she has eaten and is just relaxing in the > sunshine in the window. Good, I'm glad she got it down and kept it down! > My vet had my methimazone compounded by a local pharmacy into a tuna > flavored liquid. I don't know if it tastes like tuna, but it certainly > smells like tuna. Heh, that's a hard one to miss, isn't it? I will put her on a half a dose tonight and tomorrow > and she how she does. I was given 2 small bottles, each lasting 2 weeks > and needs to be refrigerated and I was told to keep the second bottle > frozen until use. It's great that you can get this. Our corner pharmacy does not have any alternatives to the pills but I keep meaning to ask around to see if someone else does. My cat sometimes gets obstinate and fights pilling, so that the Tapazole partially dissolves in her mouth. She does not vomit but is clearly distressed by the taste. > The vomiting had started at about the time I started the second bottle, > but that may have been coincidental since side effects may start in the > first 3 months. Good luck. I hope she turns out to be a good candidate for the radioactive iodine therapy. > It's great that you can get this. Our corner pharmacy does not > have any alternatives to the pills but I keep meaning to ask around > to see if someone else does. My cat sometimes gets obstinate > and fights pilling, so that the Tapazole partially dissolves in her > mouth. She does not vomit but is clearly distressed by the taste. In that case, you might want to try the 'put-the-offending-tab-in-a-gelcap' deal. Even if no compounding pharmacy around, empty gelcaps can be bought from either a human pharmacy or from the vet. There are different sizes, so you want ones that are not ridiculously small (re: cutting the tabs into too many pieces), nor too large for a cat. Besides masking the taste of a pill, they slide down more easily. Cathy My cat had eaten some all day without vomiting and this evening at about 8 pm I have her half a dose of the methimazone she had been prescribed. An hour later she vomited. I am going to give her a rest from it and then take her back to the vet. It must be the methimazone, or maybe the second bottle that had been frozen was bad. > My cat had eaten some all day without vomiting and this evening at about > 8 pm I have her half a dose of the methimazone she had been prescribed. > An hour later she vomited. I am going to give her a rest from it and > then take her back to the vet. It must be the methimazone, or maybe the > second bottle that had been frozen was bad. I would do that, too. > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Anybody have experience with this evidently feline malady? Hyperthyroidism is also a common condition in humans, esp. females, when it's often diagnosed in one's 40's or 50's. I'm slightly hyperthyroid & take methimazole. When hyperthyroid, one's whole body is running as if it were an over-revving engine. Puts excess strain on everything - all of one's systems/organs. One of my cats was hyperthyroid (beginning at age 11, IIRC) & took Tapazole/methimazole for a few months (before having a thyroidectomy - long-term Tapazole was contraindicated for her because she also had liver disease). However, neither she - AFAICT - nor I experienced any adverse stomach side effects from it. I have read here that it sometimes happens to cats. Although I haven't read the posts yet, I see that others have replied to you, so hopefully they have some useful info for you in this particular regard. Since hyperthyroidism is so common in older cats, someone else is bound to have had some experience relating to yours, it'd seem. Also, if you Google hyperthyroidism, you should come up with a slew of hits. And, from what I've read, there's not a lot of difference in how it affects felines & humans. Cathy > TIA, > Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a > national laughingstock. > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is in > her 3rd week of taking methimazole twice a day. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Steve from Wisconsin, where it takes only 1 cat hater to make my state a > national laughingstock. The vomiting is most likely from the tapazole. Do you give it with food? There is a pharmacy in S. CA that compounds tapazole into a chewable treat. If I can look up the reference for you, I will, and send it via email. I certainly *would* stop the meds until the vomiting subsides. It may be that the dosage is just too high for her to tolerate, and that you may need to ramp it up. You might want to get a second opinion - the vomiting being a new symptom certainly points to the meds. Tapazole is a stop-gap measure for controlling hyperthyroidism. The best treatment - a cure, actually - is radio-iodine therapy, if you can afford it and if you think your cat can tolerate it. It is by far the best course of action. Good luck, and let us know how she does. -L. > Tapazole is a stop-gap measure for controlling hyperthyroidism. Not necessarily. In fact, my bet is that it is the long-term way that most cases of hyperthyroidism are managed. Cathy > > Tapazole is a stop-gap measure for controlling hyperthyroidism. > > Not necessarily. In fact, my bet is that it is the long-term way that most > cases of hyperthyroidism are managed. > > Cathy That's probably correct, but mainly because of cost, IME. Tapazole has something like a 30% side effect rate (I can look up the exact stat later if it's important to you) and is a symptomatic treatment, wherein radioiodine therapy is a cure. That's what I meant by stop-gap treatment - it doesn't cure the disease where other treatments can. Most vets I know advocate cure vs. treatment when the guardians can afford it. -L. > > Tapazole is a stop-gap measure for controlling hyperthyroidism. > > Not necessarily. In fact, my bet is that it is the long-term way that most > cases of hyperthyroidism are managed. My vet was clear that there are two cures, and two cures only: surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. However, tapazole controls the disease. Most people probably opt for tapazole because of the cost of radiotherapy or because their cats have kidney disease or some other problem that precludes radiotherapy. As long as the thyroxin levels are controlled the cat will not suffer the deadly consequences of hyperthyroid-- so tapazole makes a great difference in the cat's life and longevity as well as their quality of life. I prefer to opt for a cure as a long term solution to the problem rather than controlling it with methimazone. This cat could live another 10 years and the med cost for that time with price increases would surely exceed $4000. I also noticed that I wrote "not" instead of "now" resting comfortably in a previous post, what a difference one letter makes. She is resting comfortably now and I will take her in on Monday if she does not improve. She has not had the methimazone in 24 hours now, so if that is the cause, then the vomiting should stop. I am going to give her stomach a rest until morning instead of enduring vomiting. I have read that vomiting is a side effect of methimazone is 15% of cases and the recommendation is to go off the med until the vomiting ceases and then to gradually step it up. My vet seems to prefer the radio-iodine treatment to surgery, but wants to get the hypothyroidism under control with the methimazone first. There is a lot of Google info about hyperthyroidism, but not as much first hand experience from individuals. > I prefer to opt for a cure as a long term solution to the problem rather > than controlling it with methimazone. This is my choice, too. I will take my cat for the radioactive iodine treatment this summer. It is important that your cat have normal kidney and liver function and that you establish that this is the case before you have the treatment. One reason Phil and Maurice (two posters here) urged me to put Buddha on Tapazole first before having the radioactive iodine is because being hyperthyroid can rev up the cat's system to the point that it appears that kidney and liver function are better than they really are. Does that make sense? So you want to get the cat on Tapazole for a few months and then test for kidney and liver function. (Blood tests and urine test, not expensive.) Then you can be sure that she has normal liver and kidney function and can withstand the radioactive iodine treatment. >This cat could live another 10 > years and the med cost for that time with price increases would surely > exceed $4000. Absolutely. My Buddha was ten when diagnosed. I also noticed that I wrote "not" instead of "now" > resting comfortably in a previous post, what a difference one letter > makes. She is resting comfortably now and I will take her in on Monday > if she does not improve. Wonderful. You'll feel better, too. > She has not had the methimazone in 24 hours now, so if that is the > cause, then the vomiting should stop. I am going to give her stomach a > rest until morning instead of enduring vomiting. I hope she eats tomorrow morning. > I have read that vomiting is a side effect of methimazone is 15% of > cases and the recommendation is to go off the med until the vomiting > ceases and then to gradually step it up. My vet seems to prefer the > radio-iodine treatment to surgery, but wants to get the hypothyroidism > under control with the methimazone first. Exactly! My vet wanted Buddha to go right in for the treatment, and I was ready to do it until Phil and Maurice told me why I should not. In addition, there are very good reasons for electing the radiotherapy rather than surgery, including the fact that leaving the parathryoid glands while ablating the thyroid can be difficult. It can result in a hyPOthyroid cat. Plus, with the radiotherapy, no surgery, no anesthesia. The cats are kept 10 days to three weeks (depending on state laws regarding the disposal of radioactive waste--because the cat's waste will be radioactive.) and are given a single injection. There is a lot of Google info > about hyperthyroidism, but not as much first hand experience from > individuals. See if you can find "Radiocats" in Chapel Hill. I think they might have some good information for you from people who have had it done to their cats. They will do my Buddha's treatment. <snip> > My vet seems to prefer the > radio-iodine treatment to surgery, That's because the efficacy rate is better, and surgery poses it's own problems not exclusive to anesthesia and partial removal. Removing the thyroid can be tricky. >but wants to get the hypothyroidism > under control with the methimazone first. That's standard procedure. Sometimes hyper-t problems can mask renal problems. You mant to make sure she can handle the radio-iodine therapy before you subject her to it. > There is a lot of Google info > about hyperthyroidism, but not as much first hand experience from > individuals. Some better than others, obviously. IIRC, Phil has a section on hyperthyroidism: http://www.maxshouse.com Good luck and keep us posted on how she does. -L. > Some better than others, obviously. IIRC, Phil has a section on > hyperthyroidism: http://www.maxshouse.com I gotta redesign my site - sometimes its difficult to find sertain sections. Here's a direct link to the hyperthyroidism section- http://www.maxshouse.com/Hyperthyroidism_in_Cats.htm > > My 11 year old cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is > in [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > -L. I-131 is not the best treatment for many cats, as is known only too well on the CRF Support List. Treating hyperT unmasks CRF in a number of cats. If you are controlling the hyperT with meds, you can adjust them to balance the CRF and hyperT. However, this is not possible with the I-131 treatment, you're stuck with fullblown CRF in quite a few cases. For this reason, vet schools usually recommend opting for the meds first. OP, more info: http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseases.htm#hyperT_treatments HTH Helen > I-131 is not the best treatment for many cats, as is known only too well on > the CRF Support List. Treating hyperT unmasks CRF in a number of cats. If [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseases.htm#hyperT_treatments And is I-131 always effective or can the same thing happen as what can happen with surgery? I have a human friend who was hyper-T (I believe she has Graves' Disease) and she had what I assume was comparable to I-131 (or was I-131). At any rate, they apparently gave her too much and totally destroyed her thyroid so she is now hypothyroid and on daily meds anyway. This was about 15 years ago so I don't know if it has changed since then but her dr. was a top endocrinologist. My cat was 16 when he was diagnosed with hyper-T so I didn't consider either surgery or I-131 plus he was in early stage kidney disease at the time. It actually helped his kidney disease that he was hyper-T and he did very well for the next 2 years. I would have been really bummed sending him off for the radioactive treatment, though, as he was a big baby and was never away from home for even one night of his life. I was actually relieved it wasn't an option for him. Some cats do better at the vet than he did, though, and it wouldn't be so traumatic for them...or their moms. Candace > And is I-131 always effective or can the same thing happen as what can > happen with surgery? I have a human friend who was hyper-T (I believe [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > daily meds anyway. This was about 15 years ago so I don't know if it > has changed since then but her dr. was a top endocrinologist. Yes. I'd rather the dose be too low than too high. In fact, lower doses in two or three treatments will produce a more gradual change in renal hemodynamics which in turn results in better autoregulation. Phil |
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