For example, some families cant medicate cats every day, so a more permanent solution such as radioactive iodine treatment or surgery may be best. Finally, thyroid hormone has a role in kidney function and blood flow that may result in either directly damaging the kidney or obscuring underlying kidney disease that your cat may already have. . Def scared about this possibility with Fluff, Our cat was treated for hyperthyroidism and has been back home for about two weeks. An important take-away message about your newly-diagnosed hyperthyroid cat is that there is a wide range of treatment options, so you can likely find something that works for your family. Many owners of cats with hyperthyroidism are hesitant to have radiation therapy or surgery because of their cat's advanced age. 2000-2023 TheCatSite.com. After initial stabilisation with oral medications, a number of curative treatments are also available. Older cats are at greater risk for developing hyperthyroidism. Usually, the TT4 level is so high that there is no question about the diagnosis (see the handout "Thyroid Hormone Testing in Cats"). Set up your myVCA account today. Since fewer than 2% of cats with hyperthyroidism have cancerous growths of the thyroid gland, treatment is usually very successful. But there are clear reasons for the precautions that the veterinarian has given you and I also recommend that you follow them. For this prescription diet to work, it must be the only food fed, which means no cheating with treats. As in the case of heart disease, after the hyperthyroidism has been successfully treated, high blood pressure will often resolve, and permanent treatment for it may not be required. The radioactive isotope, Iodine-131 ( 131 I), is administered as a one-off injection. All bodily fluids in the cat will have trace amounts of radioactive material within them, but it will be most prevalent within the urine. The cell repairs itself with mistakes (rare). Thank you! For this long-term treatment, the cat is injected with the radioactive iodine, which destroys the tissue of the overactive thyroid gland. The thyroid takes up the radioactive iodine, which destroys cells in the thyroid. Medication You'll have to give him this drug twice daily for the rest of his life, which treats but doesn't cure the condition. The slow onset of signs means that cat owners will often miss these changes until the late stages of disease. The routine stay in our radioactive iodine unit is currently 12 days. This I131 injection accumulates in the abnormal thyroid tissue, and the radioactivity kills the abnormal tissue without harming other vital structures nearby. It is actually the best approach to take to minimize exposures to you and your family while allowing the cat to have post-treatment recovery time at home and not in a veterinary hospital. This may take 8 to 12 weeks or longer. Many times the only symptoms these other conditions cause are weight loss. Mean baseline age was 12.7 3.0 years and mean baseline BMI SDS was 0.003 1.18 kg/m 2. The average age of cats with hyperthyroidism is approximately 12 years and about 5% of hyperthyroid cats are younger than 10 years of age. The anti-thyroid pill is methimazole, also known as Tapazole. If both thyroid glands require removal, there is a risk of developing hypocalcemia (low blood calcium levels) after surgery. There are no studies that directly link cancer to the low dose radiation used in current medical imaging. Hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, is a common disease of older cats. It is also common for hyperthyroid cats to exhibit increased vocalizing, particularly at night. RAI is a form of radioactive nuclear medication that permanently destroys thyroid tissue. What is not taken up by the thyroid will be present in the cat's bodily fluids and will primarily be voided in the cat's urine (in those first four days at the vet hospital). You must log in or register to reply here. . The iodine is taken into the thyroid gland and incorporated into thyroxine. She gained and ate a lot and we were more than happy. Why is the average risk of developing cancer so high? Treatment Employees of facilities that utilize radioactive materials may be categorized as "radiation workers" depending on their role. 1. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Symptoms include weight loss, muscle wasting, increased appetite, increased thirst and urination, vomiting, unkempt appearance, and sometimes hyperactivity. During that time, the ravenous appetite should subside, your cat will probably gain weight, and her blood pressure and heart rate should normalize. Since hyperthyroid cats are usually over eight years of age, there is a degree of risk involved. Prior to the onset of symptoms he was eating a high quality dry cat food but when he started losing weight and begging for food we were told we could give him some baby food and wet cat food. Radioactive iodine targets the thyroid tissue - as this is the only tissue in the body that uses significant quantities of iodine. Hyperthyroidism may also cause vomiting, diarrhea, and hyperactivity. What happens after my cat is released from the hospital? Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of continuous methimazole (MMI) therapy. Currently, there's only one FDA approved medication to treat feline hyperthyroidism called methimazole. The brand name of methimazole is called Felimazole. The dosage may vary but typically a cat is given this oral medication twice a day, every 12 hours. . Depending on the dose of radioactive iodine chosen, and the disease under treatment (Grave's vs toxic goitre, vs hot nodule etc), success rate in achieving definitive resolution of the hyperthyroidism . They will then need to take a thyroid supplement. There are several treatment options, and your veterinarian will determine the best choice for your cat. The advantages of radioactive iodine therapy are that the procedure most often cures hyperthyroidism, has no serious side effects, and does not require anesthesia. It is given one to three times daily and must be continued for the remainder of the pet's life. In cats > 95% of the radioiodine is excreted in the urine. The effectiveness of this transdermal gel is acceptable in most cases. A veterinarian who suspects a cat has a thyroid problem will conduct a physical examination and palpate the cats neck area to check for an enlarged thyroid gland (see Figure 2). In the US, the average person is exposed to an additional 3.0 mSv/yr from medical sources (predominantly CT scans). Should we just cut him off "cold turkey" (pun intended) and hope he finds fulfillment and eventual weight gain with his old diet of dry food? If surgery is the chosen treatment method, the anti-thyroid medication methimazole (Tapazole, Felimazole) may be prescribed for several weeks before the operation. Once the correct dose of radioiodine has been determined and administered, most of the time the tumors responsible for causing the elevated thyroid levels resolve and the cats are cured. In order to produce thyroid hormone (thyroxine), the body needs a supply of iodine. When available, radioactive iodine therapy is the treatment of choice for cats with hyperthyroidism. Iodine is an element normally taken up in large amounts by the thyroid gland, even more so in cats that are hyperthyroid. Hyperthyroid cats are also at risk for complications related to the hypertension that frequently accompanies hyperthyroidism. Researchers estimated a 12% increased risk for death from breast cancer and a 5% increased risk for death from . The advantage of surgery is that it is likely to produce a long-term or permanent cure in most cats, and therefore eliminates the need for long-term medication. Hypocalcemia can be life-threatening and may require either short-term or long-term medication postoperatively should it occur. Dr. Linder has received speaker fees or research fudning from Hills Pet Nutrition, Nestl Purina PetCare, Royal Canin, and Virbac, and has provided professional services for Mark Morris Institute. radioactive iodine All three treatments will reduce thyroid hormone levels and the signs of hyperthyroidism. If you can't bear to be away from him, or if he becomes very stressed or frightened when you're not around, that isolation could be difficult. Before treatment he was ravenous and losing weight -- typical of cats with that disorder I'm told. The medication can be given life-long or to stabilize the cat before other treatment. Often, treating hyperthyroidism will unmask hidden kidney failure that will require additional care and is best detected early in the course of the disease. Most cats with uncomplicated hyperthyroidism will live several years following treatment of hyperthyroidism, unless they develop another disease. Dietary restriction of iodine is, however, somewhat controversial because of concerns about the effects of long-term iodine restriction on overall health and the possibility that such a diet may actually backfire and worsen hyperthyroidism. Despite the extensive blood and urine tests, chest x-rays and physical exams that we require before radioiodine therapy, some of these conditions remain undiagnosed at the time of radioiodine therapy. Of course, some people receive no radiation and others much, much more. The advantages of radioactive iodine therapy are that the procedure most often cures hyperthyroidism, has no serious side effects, and does not require anesthesia. Regardless of radiation exposure, the average overall lifetime risk of developing an invasive cancer is 37.5% for women and 44.9% for men. Now that he's back home, he still exhibits the behavior of wanting food all the time but I wonder if it's a habit he picked up before treatment or perhaps the symptoms won't completely gone away until the treatment has time to take hold. . A single injection is given subcutaneously (i.e. Cats may also continue to show signs of hyperthyroidism, including vomiting and diarrhea, for 3-4 weeks after the radioiodine therapy as the disease continues to resolve. These include weight loss, increased activity, and kitten like behaviour. The total effective dose equivalent to individual members of the public from the licensed operation does not exceed 1 mSv in a year, exclusive of the dose contributions from background radiation, from any administration the individual has received, from exposure to individuals administered radioactive material. of the radioactive iodine into your body because, just like the cat, any 131I intake you have will result in an uptake by your thyroid and in larger quantities could result in significant thyroid dose. Wet food is much better for him anyhow, so this is a good time to get him settled on it. Affected cats are often restless and may become cranky or aggressive. No ill effects have been noted in the children born to parents who received radioactive iodine in the past. The current Nuclear Regulatory Commission radiation dose limits for individual members of the public are listed below. The dose of radioactive iodine is taken orally. These complications include cerebrovascular events (i.e., strokes) and the premature exacerbation of pre-existing kidney disease. Treatment usually requires one or two weeks of hospitalization at a veterinary hospital licensed to administer radiation therapy. Subpart D-Radiation Dose Limits for Individual Members of the Public Elevated thyroid hormones stimulate an increased heart rate and a stronger contraction of the heart muscle, and can cause thickening of the left ventricle of the heart over time. The treatment lowers or eliminates hormone production and may decrease the size of the goiter. How to choose the right food for your cat. For comparison, the dose for a standard Chest CT is 7 mSv. However, caution should be taken in disposal of products that may contain trace amounts of this radioactive substance. 4. Diagnosis Regardless of the medication, blood tests should be conducted periodically during treatment to evaluate whether the therapy is effective and to monitor kidney function and for potential side effects. This can best be done by monitoring your cat's body condition, muscle condition, and weight. Why isn't there a study directly linking medical imaging and cancer? Treatment for Hypothyroidism in Cats. Medication and radioactive iodine therapy are just as effective at treating hyperthyroidism in cats as surgery and are less invasive, so surgical treatment is rarely chosen for treating this condition. Radioactive iodine may also affect a woman's ovaries, and some women may have irregular periods for up to a year after treatment. American Academy of Pediatrics. The radioiodine is eliminated in urine and feces. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. GFR results are used to determine the functional status of the kidneys, and identify cats with subclinical renal disease. Gradual weight gain and return to healthy body condition are expected. Methimazole blocks excess thyroid hormone production rather than destroying the abnormal thyroid tissue, so the medication must be given for the rest of the cat's life. The risk to these cats is the simple fact that many cats in the age range when cats develop hyperthyroidism (8+ years) also develop other diseases. Jeff Brunette, CHP, Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice.

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