Skogafoss' Kitty needs help.

[Cynthetiq]

Skogafoss is a bit distressed and is asking for help. I said that if she wrote it up I'd pose it to the collective group to see just what thoughts can come from other people. Thank you in advance.

Originally Posted by Skogafoss

The facts:

My kitty is 18 and has recently been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Her free T4 test was over 100. (10-50 is normal) One vet said that he thought he heard a heart murmur, another couldn’t hear it. They agree that apart from her hyperthyroidism and a possible heart murmur, she is a healthy cat for 18. She’s gone deaf and has a slight limp in her back leg – probably arthritis.

There are 4 options for the hyperthyroidism:

1. Pills for the duration of her life. She’s not a fan of taking pills and I’m not really interested in fighting with her every morning. Plus, we travel a lot and that’s an unfair burden to place on our cat sitter – even though he has offered to undertake the task. But pills aren’t a cure; they are just a Band-Aid. And, there are numerous side effects.

2. Surgery. She’s too old and it’s only 70% effective. Lots of risk and very painful for the kitty.

3. Radioiodine treatment. They irradiate my kitty with iodine that is supposed to only target the thyroid. Kitty stays for about a week and then comes home cured. 98% effective. If she has any kind of heart condition then she is not a candidate so we have to get her heart checked first. And, when she comes home her urine and feces are radioactive for two weeks. But from what I found online, there are no side effects or any other issues associated with this treatment.

4. Do nothing. She’s lived a long and happy life. Let her live out the rest of her life in peace and make her as happy and comfortable as possible.

The question:

Why is it that I can’t find any down side to the radioiodine treatment? Everything I read sounds like propaganda. It sounds too good to be true – which leads me to believe that there is something I don’t know. Is the treatment really painless for the kitty? Are there really no side effects? Is the only down side really just the cost?

I’d love any feedback and/or opinions.

[genuinegirly]

This is from: http://www.thyroid.ca/Articles/EngE12A.html Information is from the Thyroid Foundation of Canada.

Is the Treatment Safe?
This form of treatment of hyperthyroidism by radioiodine has been used routinely for more than 35 years on well over one million patients in the United States alone. Many studies of people treated and examined at a later time show no harmful side effects or complications to the patients or their offspring. Radioiodine is now recognized as the safest, least expensive, and most convenient and effective treatment for hyperthyroidism. In the United States approximately 90 percent of hyperthyroid patients are treated with radioiodine.

My side note: From other readings, it appears that the radioactivity of the feces will be at such a low level that it is basically a non-issue.

Honestly, if you have the money, I'd go for it. If it's going to be at all a financial hardship, though, that's where I'd stick with your last option and give her the best quality of life.

Best of luck to you and Kitty.

[maleficent]

http://www.catsvet.com/I-131.htm

Are there any side effects or risks of therapy?

Since the iodine is specific in its site of action, there is no hair loss or increase in skin pigmentation, as may be seen with other forms of radiation therapy (cobalt radiation). Some cats seem to experience mild discomfort of the thyroid region (thyroiditis) at the beginning of therapy, but this resolves itself spontaneously and does not cause a problem.

Occasionally a cat will develop hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid gland) after treatment with radioiodine. This is easily controlled with supplementation and may not be permanent. Overall, side effects are extremely rare.

http://www.medvet-cves.com/Radiology...ineTherapy.htm

Screening Candidates for Radioiodine Treatment

Hyperthyroidism causes increased blood flow to the kidneys and can mask kidney disease. In older cats (greater than 11 years of age), cats with extremely high T4 levels, cats with slightly elevated kidney parameters on blood work or cats that have kidneys that palpate abnormally, a tapazole trial is generally recommended. Tapazole is given to the candidate for approximately 3 weeks. Bloodwork (chemistry profile and T4 level) are repeated. If kidney values do not increase significantly (compared with pre-Tapazole bloodwork) when the T4 is normal (or near normal), then the cat is considered a good candidate for radioiodine treatment.

http://maxshouse.com/Hyperthyroidism_in_Cats.htm
that site lists some of the side effects of the drug that the cat has to be on for 8 days before the treatment - the drug is Methimazole.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not to make a joke..does the kitty have a DNR? I have a DNR because I would not want extraordinary measures taken to preserve my life... If I lived a good life, I would want to go quietly comfortably and peacefully. Cats are just like family members, I think she has to ask herself what the kitty woudl really want.

Good luck to you both, and hugs to the kitty


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Age of the cat doesn't seem to be a factor...

[la petite moi]

According to Dr David Brunner's "Cat Owner's Manual":

18 years = 88 years in human years (if your cat is indoor, only).
18 years = 152 years in human years (if your cat is outdoor).

The kitty has lived a very long life. I would let live out her life happily, without surgeries or pills, etc. nwlinkvxd says that the one thing he regrets is the last thing he did with his 12 year old cat was shove a pill down his throat.

[snowy]

My cat lived to 18. She recently passed on on the 18th anniversary of my receiving of her.

Personally, I don't think spending that much money on an 18 year old cat is worth it, but if you have the money and you're willing to spend it, go for it. My choice would be to make the cat as comfortable as possible and let her finish out her days.

Good luck. I do understand how hard this is, probably better than anyone else here.

[Seeker]

Hmmm... I found this site http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...hyroidism.html

...it has been recognized that many hyperthyroid cats have concurrent chronic kidney failure that is being masked by the effects of hyperthyroidism. It has also been found that treatments directed at curing hyperthyroidism in these patients could lead to a worsening of their kidney function.

You have not mentioned anything about Kitty's kidney status... If you are leaning toward the radioiodine treatment you may want to investigate the kidney issue further.

My family has had pets (dogs and cats) well into their late teens... we have done both, operations and making life as comfortable as possible. I can understand your position... to do or not to do. I would personally try to get some clarification on the heart and kidney status and go from there.

Best wishes for you all...

[Cynthetiq]

Originally Posted by Seeker

Hmmm... I found this site http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...hyroidism.html

You have not mentioned anything about Kitty's kidney status... If you are leaning toward the radioiodine treatment you may want to investigate the kidney issue further.

My family has had pets (dogs and cats) well into their late teens... we have done both, operations and making life as comfortable as possible. I can understand your position... to do or not to do. I would personally try to get some clarification on the heart and kidney status and go from there.

Best wishes for you all...

Thank you everyone that has responded so far.

The kitty looks fine, she runs about, insists on playing with some stringed beads 2-3 times a day. The reason we brought her to the vet was because of the patches of hair she would chew out (seems to be a symptom of HT.)

The next step for us would be to get her heart checked out, and yes, we're aware that HT may be masking other issues like kidney issues. Thank you for the reminder, it's important that during this ordeal we don't lose sight of small details.

[JustJess]

I'm checking with my neighbor. She has hyperthyroidism, and was vehement about not getting the radio-iodine treatment for herself. Since they have the same condition and get treated similarly, maybe her reasons will carry over too. I'll post back.

[*Nikki*]

My husbands childhood cat had the Radioiodine treatment and ended up doing just fine and living many many years more.

At 18 though, I really don't know. I would almost say just let her be.

[hossified]

the stress of not being home for a week and stuck in a vet office (remember animals can smell other animals fear / death)......could be enough to 'age' your cat very quickly. I would let it be and live out the rest of its life the way it is......

[maleficent]

Originally Posted by hossified

the stress of not being home for a week and stuck in a vet office (remember animals can smell other animals fear / death)......could be enough to 'age' your cat very quickly. I would let it be and live out the rest of its life the way it is......

\That's kind of what I would worry about as well - -the cat owuld have to stay in isolation for a week or so, how would it react to that?

[JustJess]

This is what E said about her own hyperthyroidism, and her decisions about treatment - yes, I know she's a human, but the disease and the treatment are similar in both kitties and humans:

I didn't do the radio-iodine far a variety of reasons. The foremost being that in humans the treatment typically leads to a complete destruction of the thyroid gland, which leads to hypothyroidism & taking thyroid replacement for the rest of your life. While anti-thyroid drugs taken for 1 year to 18 months can lead to complete remission in 40% of the cases. I wanted to take the chance that my body would heal rather than trade in one disorder for another.

Also, in humans, RIA can lead to thyroid storm - the thyroid producing way too much hormone causing increased heart rate, stroke & sometimes death. There is also anecdotal evidence that it leads to increased tooth decay, aging, and depression.

Finally, I didn't want to go through it because I didn't want to spend a week isolated from S because I was radio-active.

I seem to remember hearing the 98% effective horseshit from the quack I first went to, but it was 98% chance that my thyroid would be destroyed & that I would be on replacement meds for the the rest of my life.

But saying all of that - I don't know what the fuck it does to animals so it might be the best choice for a kitty.

That's the best I've got. I trust her a lot more than people who say something is risk-free.

[Menoman]

The one thing I can say about this, is my opinion on what *I* would do.


That is..

If my pet needed treatment, he would get it, I got the money, or I don't, doesn't matter they get what they need.

They are family to me.

[Jinn]

A cat's a cat in my family, and we have one with hyperthyroidism. Pills are doing the trick, and aren't costing a fortune. Kitty is still around and happy.

[Sweetpea]

One of the things your wife needs to weigh Cyn is quality of life.

If your kitty is running around and enjoying her life for the most part, then i think trying the pills would work.

The other two methods of treatment seem too invasive, and indeed she is too old to even risk putting her under anaesthetic for the surgery.

If she takes pills without too much of a fight, i would personally suggest that method. and if she were my kitty, that is what i could choose.

IF at some point, taking the pill becomes a huge daily battle, then i would let your kitty live out her days in peace and forgo the treatments.

I think what it comes down to (and this has applied to my pets too), i do everything nessasary medically to keep them going when they get older, but when the treatments start to outweigh quality of life, that is when you'll know it's time.

Animals are special creatures, they will let you know when it's time for them to go. You'll know right away. But if your kitty is in good spirits and enjoying her life as you described, i think that pills would be the way to go for now!



Sweetpea

[*Nikki*]

Oh Cyn I almost forgot to mention there are two very cool ways to "pill" a cat who doesn't like to take meds.

There is a small treat that vets/ some pet stores sell that is a "pill pocket" that you can slide the pill in and then the cat eats the treat.

There is also a "Cat Piller" which is a syringe like device that holds the pill on the end, you open the cats mouth, depress the syringe and in pops the pill right down the throat!!! I know they have this at Pet's Mart.

Good Luck to you both!