I-131 Treatment

I'm going to talk to my vet today about having Shadow undergo this treatment for his hyperthyroidism (off the top of my head I don't know what his numbers are, he's due for another blood test). Has anyone here on the site had this treatment done with their cats? How did it go? How is the cat doing now? Were there any side effects to the treatment?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Spot had it done--unfortunately he was one of the very small percentage of cats that it doesn't work for, possibly because he had been hyperthyroid for a long time and the tumor may have been very large. I still highly recommend the treatment and know of lots of success stories. The one thing to watch for is that some cats will be a bit anorexic after they return home. I don't know if it's due to stress or the process of the thyroid cells being destroyed, but it's just something to be aware of so you can step in if you notice a lack of appetite. I personally keep some cyproheptadine on hand just in case (my vet gave it to me to use whenever I noticed a problem with Spot not eating).

Thanks for the replies. I talked to my vet today about it, while she doesn't do the procedure she referred me to a clinic that does. The cost altogether would be $1150.00 and that includes any testing, the treatment, hospitalization, etc. It's going to take me around two months or so to get the cash together (the full amount is due at the time of treatment) but I can afford it no problem.

Shadow tolerates the Tapazol, he just tolerate it being given to him. Everytime I go to pick him up and administer the pills he runs and hides in a place I can't get to.

What kind of cat litter do I need to use for afterwards? i have two other cats, would they be able to use the same litter because I don't think I'd have much of a choice in the matter?

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

I don't know if it's due to stress or the process of the thyroid cells being destroyed, but it's just something to be aware of so you can step in if you notice a lack of appetite. I personally keep some cyproheptadine on hand just in case (my vet gave it to me to use whenever I noticed a problem with Spot not eating).

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My guess would be that it's a combination of both.

I know I'll end up with a list of instructions for afterwards but what are the things that I need to watch out for besides a possible lack of appetite?

Originally Posted by DebsKats


The regulations vary from state to state. From what I've heard from other people, Iowa is more liberal than a lot of other states. I have 2 other cats too and they were able to use the same litter boxes. I just used regular litter but was given a special container to put the used litter into. This had to be kept outside the house for a few weeks (sorry, I can't remember how long) and then disposed of in the regular trash.

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I take that it's because of the radioactive iodine that special precautions need to be taken when handling the litter?

Exactly. The litter will typically need to be flushable or clumping. If you go with clumping litter, you have to store the wastes for a few weeks before the radiation levels diminish and the wastes can be thrown away in the garbage.

There really aren't many side effects. Some cats may have a sore throat or a change in their voice. Also, have you looked into Care Credit? It often lets you pay off the amount over a period of a few months with no interest, so you could go ahead and do the treatment now and pay it off over the next few months.