Topic: Overactive thyroid (Read 21374 times)

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #66 on:** October 02, 2012, 16:43:36 PM »

I crumbled today and sent an email asking how he was doing - got a reply from the head nurse within half an hour to say he had been very quiet for the first two days but now was alert and eating and drinking well, and they have no concerns about him

and encouraging me to ask whenever I want to - which I won't, but glad to know this is a place which doesn't treat concerned owners as a nuisance - I'm really glad I stumbled upon it

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #65 on:** September 28, 2012, 09:24:57 AM »

all being well there should be no more updates until I fetch him home, but I'll come back with a report of the post I131 treatment as it may be useful for someone else in the future

Hyperthyroid seems to be on the increase, and with younger cats getting it now, more owners are likely to opt for the I131 route - though it would be interesting to know how willing insurance companies are to fund it - Trigger isn't insured

so that hasn't been an issue for me

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #64 on:** September 28, 2012, 00:47:25 AM »

Glad everything is going to plan, hope the days whizz by and he'll be home before you know it

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #63 on:** September 27, 2012, 20:31:44 PM »

That's such good news Trigger. He's only a baby of 11 years so it's a no brainer that you are doing the right thing.

Am so interested in all this and hope he does as well as they say

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #62 on:** September 27, 2012, 17:09:02 PM »

Sounds good and hope Trigger is very happy

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #61 on:** September 27, 2012, 16:02:34 PM »

vet called to say Trigger's tests have revealed nothing worrying other than his overactive thyroid, so he is having the injection tomorrow as planned

I asked if he had eaten, and he said yes, though I'm not sure the head vet would know - but I daresay if there were any worries on that score they would be delaying the treatment

for all I know he is having the time of his life, with lots of young nurses and cat TV on all day - plus his favourite Gourmet food and the packets of Webbox and Dreamies I left with him

LouiseJ · « **Reply #60 on:** September 27, 2012, 07:47:49 AM »

That's a very good way to deal with it.
Hope all goes well and Mickey is back safe and sound in a couple of weeks...just leaving you with all the special instructions to follow!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #59 on:** September 26, 2012, 16:32:57 PM »

My goodness you are brave and probably very sensible but I would be demanding a phonecall every day if not twice a day

He sounds like he is being very laid back and hope the other two have got their food back and are not missing him.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #58 on:** September 26, 2012, 15:54:28 PM »

they will let me know the results of the tests done today and tomorrow, and confirm (or not) that the iodine injection is going ahead

I have told them that after that they can contact me if they feel there is something I need to know, but otherwise I am happy to assume no news is good news - it's not as if I could do anything to help him were he in trouble, and I know he's in good hands, so I think it best to leave them to do their job, and be patient

but had he got himself into an awful state on the journey or after getting there I might well not be so stoical about it

Claire123 · « **Reply #57 on:** September 26, 2012, 15:43:32 PM »

Your so good, i think I will be a mess if Mickey ends up having to go. Fingers crossed he's been ok without vidalta so far but I'm not sure how quickly he would Start showing symptoms again! He's vomited a few times but I guess that could be antibiotics but he's getting a lovely glossy winter coat so shall see how he goes. Do you have to call for updates or will they call you?

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #56 on:** September 26, 2012, 15:26:35 PM »

just got home from delivering him - he was as good as gold on the journey, and his blood pressure and heart rate were normal, so I don't think being in a strange clinic or having a new vet examine him phased him much at all

all being well he will have the iodine injection on Friday, and come home a fortnight after that - his behaviour so far suggests he will cope just fine with being poked, prodded and then isolated so I refuse to worry about him until and unless I am forced to

which will leave me plenty of time to worry about my next credit card bill!!

Dawn F · « **Reply #55 on:** September 26, 2012, 09:59:36 AM »

good luck!!!!

Claire123 · « **Reply #54 on:** September 26, 2012, 07:11:55 AM »

Best of luck for trigger today! Does he have the iodine today?

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #53 on:** September 26, 2012, 01:26:20 AM »

Hope everything goes smoothly with both the journey and his treatment

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #52 on:** September 25, 2012, 22:11:04 PM »

Sending loads of good wishes for Trigger and hope he comes back right as rain and happy as Larry

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #51 on:** September 25, 2012, 22:09:59 PM »

Just saw this after posting on Alisons Thread. Spooky or what! Sending every

for you both

Hoping Tiffany and Tosker don't miss their pal too much

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #50 on:** September 25, 2012, 21:53:28 PM »

Trigger is off tomorrow morning to Wotton-Under-Edge Veterinary Hospital for his radioactive iodine treatment, and all being well I shall be back for him on October 12

it seems such an age, but a outright cure has to be better than years of drugs and blood tests for an otherwise fit 11 year old

we're going by animal courier, which he's already travelled well in to my local vet on three previous occasions, and I hope this will make the journey as stress free as possible for both of us, as I plan to let him out of his carrier so he has the interior cage to stretch out in, and can have a reasonable sized litter tray in there too

I shall miss him, though

and Tiffany and Tosker are going on a strict diet while he's away, so they'll be glad to have him back, I suspect

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #49 on:** September 19, 2012, 19:36:19 PM »

that's why they have to be on medication to get the thyroid levels down enough to reveal any kidney problems, as an overactive thyroid is actually good for failing kidneys

I didn't consider an op for Trigger, because his thyroid is not prominent, which suggests he has ectopic tissue which would continue to cause problems after his gland(s) were removed - also the possibility of damaging the parathyroid glands makes many vets reluctant to operate - my vet says no thyroid removals have been carried out at her surgery for some years

but in skilled and experienced hands it is still an option, though maybe not much cheaper than I131, which is the only permanent cure

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #48 on:** September 19, 2012, 18:12:09 PM »

Just to add the other side of this op...............why is nothing ever straight forward?

Kocka had a tumour on her thyroid it was benign and the thyroid removed, she was about 15/16 years old and before the op she did not have kidney probs.

After the op she had kidney probs and she lost her weight and was never really healthy ever again sadly.

Admittedly this was over 10 years ago and maybe things have changed

SamMewl · « **Reply #47 on:** September 19, 2012, 16:10:43 PM »

Thought I would add about our treatment of a lovely hyperthyroid cat we had in. Her name is bella, she was picked up as a stray and is a least 15 years old. She tested for hyperthyroid and also had elevated kidney results and a heart murmer (both of which can be caused by the hyperT).

Initially she was on felimazole (2.5mg twice daily) but that wasn't working much and she hated taking the pills and would find them disguised in food. our vet recommended and then performed an thyroidectomy, removing her thyroid from one side. She improved from it quite quickly and was tested 2 weeks later and her thyroid values were much better. her heart murmer was gone and her kidney values still elevated. It also means we can now treat her kidney problem and have put her on renal food. Anathestics are so much better these days that our vet wasn't worried about perfoming the op at all. Bella came back that day and was dancing at the pen door as she normally does. It has also meant we have been able to rehome her quicker as we wanted her condition to be stabilised before she went to a new home.

Would a thyroidectomy suit Mickey as he's so young? The vet said that when they open the cat up an enlarged thyroid is easy to spot and they either remove one or both sides. There is thyroid tissue elsewhere in the body so that the cat doesn't have a problem with them being removed.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #46 on:** September 18, 2012, 22:16:47 PM »

Quote from: Claire123 on September 18, 2012, 20:07:04 PM

It was Andrew who wanted Mickey off the treatment for a month and then re tested in case the increased levels were caused by a virus and they won't consider him for it until we have done this.

I thought ALL potential patients had to be taken off medication for a time prior to Iodine treatment? It is such a complicated condition. I would try and speak with Andrew direct and keep a pen and paper handy to jot down notes while you speak to him. Also write up questions for him prior to any discussion

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #45 on:** September 18, 2012, 21:53:41 PM »

as I understand it, Vidalta converts in the body into the same constituents as are in Felimazole, so both would cause the allergy - the advantage of Felimazole is that it can be administered in smaller doses than Vidalta, thereby reducing any side effects

Mickey's levels came down so fast though that I'm sure, given his young age too, that he can safely be off any medication for a month without any drastic deterioration in his health - Trigger has now been off the Felimazole for a week and the only sign is his appetite is increasing again (not helped by my giving him loads of treats and all his favourite foods because I already feel guilty about the upcoming two weeks in quarantine)

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #44 on:** September 18, 2012, 21:31:49 PM »

Maybe she is going to report back to the company?

The ingredients cant be the same..............suggest you do a search online for the leaflet info.

Claire123 · « **Reply #43 on:** September 18, 2012, 20:07:04 PM »

I seem to get the impression that vets are still learning quite a lot about the thyroid. My vet admitted she was been guided by Andrew at Ripon vets where he would have the iodine treatment done which im not sure if thats because of Mickeys age. It was Andrew who wanted Mickey off the treatment for a month and then re tested incase the increased levels were caused by a virus and they won't consider him for it until we have done this. My vet had already stopped the treatment because of his allergy to it and said he can't have the other medication for it if needed as they all contain the same ingredients, if this is correct does anyone know why Felimazole would have been better for Mickey?
His sores are looking better already and my vet took pictures of them, not sure why though.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #42 on:** September 18, 2012, 18:25:50 PM »

Just spoke with our vet. Naturally she cannot offer advice about Susan as she hasn't seen her but ............ She says

-reducing to 1 tab a day in Susan's circs sounds OK
-reason splitting pills not recommended is also due to very bitter taste of the drug which cats do not normally tolerate. Need to bear in mind that my mom is 90 years old Trigger and it's been a bit of a climb getting to the stage of routine pilling with Susan so can't expect her to split and hide pills
-possible effect of a virus is usually to lower T4 hormones level not increase
-"normal range" of T4 also varies depending on lab chosen to do tests

She also recommended that I try and persuade mom to get Susan's blood tested again in a reasonable time (say a month) and not just leave her on this dosage. Mom not keen so will need to work on that one.

I don't mean to hijack Mickey's thread Claire but thought above info might be of interest.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #41 on:** September 18, 2012, 10:08:11 AM »

my vet thought 2.5mg twice a day was the way to start, but after all the warnings given by the Yahoo group on starting with too high a dosage, I persuaded my vet to let me cut 2.5mg in half to give two doses of 1.25mg each day, as the effects of Felimazole apparently only lasts 12 hours - I used a simple pill cutter bought from a chemist

the warnings about not cutting the pills are only for human safety, and I used tweezers to handle the half tablet, and always washed my hands after dosing Trigger with it squished into Webbox

from what you say it sounds as if this might be the best way forward - and I think you are right about guesswork - vets in the UK seem to be rather uninformed about HT - your mum's vet should certainly be aware Felimazole should be given in two doses each day

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #40 on:** September 18, 2012, 08:22:39 AM »

Just had results of mom's cat's T4. Apparently they managed to take blood last week. Susan (cat) upset my elderly mom with her cries

T4 gone from 80 to only 9 in 11 weeks. She was on 2.5mg felimazole tablets twice a day which is lowest dose and vet (a man of very few words) has now reduced to 1 tablet a day.

I know this is a difficult condition to get right dosage initially esp if cat won't play ball on blood tests but sometimes you get the feeling that there's a lot of guesswork going on. Am going to see if my vet will chat with me today about a hypothetical case as I would feel happier suspending meds for a week or so. Interesting that T4 levels can be raised with a virus but Susan's weight loss, despite much eating, did point towards HyperT symptoms.

Best of luck with Mickey

Claire123 · « **Reply #39 on:** September 17, 2012, 20:05:41 PM »

We are looking at the Ripon centre, it's about 90 minutes from us so not to far.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #38 on:** September 17, 2012, 19:00:23 PM »

This sounds good Claire

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #37 on:** September 17, 2012, 16:18:56 PM »

well done, Claire, in getting your vet to slow down a bit and consider other alternatives

what centre are you considering for the I131?

Claire123 · « **Reply #36 on:** September 17, 2012, 13:36:51 PM »

Just to update mickey has been given antibiotics for the sores, she said it was more than likely caused by the vidalta so she said to stop that immediately. I said I was concerned about it been an accurate diagnosis and she said she was thinking the same and they she wants to be as sure as we can be before he has the radiotherapy so is going to speak to the centre and see if they think keeping him off any medication is an option for a month and see if it elevates again. Apparently a cat can have a virus which can elevate the levels slightly for a while. Thanks for all the advice and I will keep you posted!!

Claire123 · « **Reply #35 on:** September 15, 2012, 12:02:50 PM »

Ive just posted a message on there, thank you!

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #34 on:** September 15, 2012, 11:23:10 AM »

Sounds like a plan Claire. I too would be very reluctant to go and revisit a vet that suggested long term HyperT medication was better than Iodine treatment for such a young, otherwise healthy cat.

At Mickey's age I think it is probably a no brainer to go the iodine route if you can afford it or have appropriate insurance. Long term medication can often be seen as the cheaper alternative but the tablets are not that cheap and it soon mounts up with follow up blood tests and consultation fees.

Sending the young fella a

and you a

It's always such a worry when our furries are unwell. We are just coming through a cat flu outbreak amongst our fully vaccinated "hoard" during which our Bobby became very unwell. He is fine now but it will take me a while to catch up on lost sleep so I do sympathise.

Please keep in touch to let us know how you get on. Personal experience is so helpful to people in similar situations.

Good advice from Trigger. I joined the group for a time when I was going through a similar quandary with our Tom RIP some years back but he was coming up to 19 and therefore very much older that Mickey. I did however learn to question medication levels following a "borderline" HyperT diagnosis which I am sure has helped my mom's cat.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #33 on:** September 15, 2012, 11:09:33 AM »

have you joined the Yahoo group, Claire? http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-hyperT/

6 is unusually young for HyperT, and it's quite possible your vet has never had to deal with a cat so young before - you will find lots of good advice from this group, and in a way you will be tapping into all the collective experience of the members' vets, for free!!

Claire123 · « **Reply #32 on:** September 15, 2012, 10:45:07 AM »

She phoned them but she said Andrew the man she had to speak to was in surgery so they are going to speak on Monday!
I am definitely going to ask about changing his meds though as everything I have read supports that he should have been started on a lower dose to start with.
We are waiting until Monday to take him in as he's got no worse and would rather speak to the vet I've been dealing with. The vet on duty today is the one that put him on the Vidalta and said that she thought medication was best for Mickey not the iodine which confused me as everything I then read said iodine would be best for a 6 year old otherwise healthy cat so was glad when we then saw this other vet and she then suggested the iodine so going to stick with her when we can.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #31 on:** September 15, 2012, 08:33:45 AM »

Quote from: Claire123 on September 14, 2012, 23:54:36 PM

Do you think thats necessary?

I have no idea to be honest as I'm not a vet

My experience of Vidalta was not a happy one and I am biased against it but, as Jane can testify, many cats do well on it. My main concern is always the potential effect on the liver so personally I would err on the side of caution when starting treatment for HyperT and go for low dose (which is possible with felimazole), increasing as necessary based on blood results. The fact his T4 results went from 70 to 11 would concern me

I can however see there would be a case for starting on higher doses if the initial T4 results were very high but Mickey's were not or at least I am assuming 70 is not that high for a 6 year old cat. I repeat again.... I am not a vet; just a cautious cat slave. I would hate to be responsible for worrying you unnecessarily and putting poor Mickey through a stressful vet visit for no reason. It is good that he is still eating OK and hopefully the problem on his head is no worse this morning but obviously you are better placed to decide whether to leave the vet visit till Monday.

Did your vet speak to the centre yesterday as intended? If so, did she discuss with you what was said when you spoke to her?

Janeyk · « **Reply #30 on:** September 15, 2012, 07:08:10 AM »

Quote from: Claire123 on September 14, 2012, 10:24:12 AM

This morning I have noticed on Mickeys head what looks like scratches on his head! They look moist but no blood when put a tissue on them! He seems to be sleeping more but still eating. Does anyone know if it could be a side effect of the Vidalta?

Just to say I have 2 cats on Vidalta who are doing fine, one has been taking it 3 years now and the other a year. It is normal to feel less hyper when you take anti-thryoid meds, I've taken them myself and I just felt much more relaxed once the thyroid was under control so sleeping more isn't necessarily a bad thing your cat might just feel better. I can tell if ever my cat hassn't take his med he starts pacing. Not sure about the scratches though

Claire123 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 14, 2012, 23:54:36 PM »

Do you think thats necessary? I just chose Monday because he gets stressed waiting around in the waiting room so thought would be best with an appointment and so that he can see the vet who knows his history etc. He seems fine in himself, still eating well and they haven't got worse, look slightly better if anything

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #28 on:** September 14, 2012, 23:10:37 PM »

If I might encourage you to go to open surgery rather than wait till Monday?

Claire123 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 14, 2012, 13:36:17 PM »

Thanks I just spoke to our vet and she's not going to be there now till Monday so got him an appointment for Monday and if it gets worse i will take him tomorrow to open surgery but would rather he see his usual vet. Hoping now we have started giving him the 10mg every other day he will improve but will speak to her about trying the felimazole if he's not going in for the I131 soon

Author Topic: Overactive thyroid (Read 21374 times)