Managing isolation after radioiodine treatment.

[Chaco Poppy]

I have a 10 1/2 year old cat who has been on methamazole for 2 years. It's still a relatively small dose, but we are planning to do the radioiodine treatment this summer. Our biggest concern is the 2-3 week isolation time after. She is a very social cat, and is also very bonded with her sister - they are never apart. As we navigate the final decision, if anyone has any experience with this situation it would be super helpful.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! Our cat who was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism was also on Methimazole prior to receiving the I-131 radioactive treatment. I completely understand your concern about the isolation period since I felt the exact same way. However, I can tell you it went smoothly in spite of my worries. We did not have another cat so I would recommend talking to the radiologist who is performing the treatment. I thought my post in this thread might help answer your concerns, read the second paragraph:
Promoting quality of life in an elderly cat

One thing I feel is important and would like to mention is making sure the facility where the I-131 is given uses Scintigraphy. This is a diagnostic procedure done prior to the radioactive iodine injection. Since it is done before giving the injection it does not require the cat to stay longer. It helps the radiologist determine the size of the tumor on the thyroid so that they know the exact amount of radiation required to treat the Hyperthyroidism. Without the use of Scintigraphy they're merely guessing or giving all cats the same amount of radiation. The radiologist also explained to me that if there are multiple tumors or extremely large tumors they would opt for removing the thyroid as opposed to doing the I-131.
Here is an article with a thorough explanation of Scintigraphy: Thyroid scintigraphy in hyperthyroidism - PubMed

If you have anymore questions or concerns please feel free to ask. Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[pipperoo]

This is truly transformative treatment! My good friend's cat had this - the hospital stay was on the short side because the cat + the thyroid tumor was small and thus, the dose was small.

The nuke med place that did the procedure has great info about "isolating" afterwards. Here's a short version of what they have to say:
The amount of radiation you might receive from your cat is not a large amount - however, it does count towards your lifetime radiation exposure and so the goal of the "isolation" is to reduce the amount of radiation you receive in your lifetime. You will receive abt the same amount of radiation as you might from a chest xray. Your cat doesn't have to be isolated from you and your family - just avoid the cat being on your lap or right beside you for 7 days. Litter must be flushed or stored for 14 days. Your cat doesn't need to be isolated from other pets as pets do not live long enough lives or have enough radiation exposure for it to be a problem during their lifetime.

My friend was so nervous about the treatment and the perceived isolation requirements - it turns out the nuke med place was OUTSTANDING and the whole process was no where near the ordeal she thought it would be. It was pretty good and now her cat is healthy and living an amazing life lolling about in the sun.

 

[Ladyrosee]

My kitty stayed one night and we just didnt let him cuddle right next to us for a week but it was easy

 

[FeebysOwner]

I've tried, unsuccessfully, to come up with a proper search on this site specifically to address your questions. but I do know some of the precautions depend on not only the facility with which you are dealing and their own recommended regimens, but the degree of radioiodine that is required. Nonetheless, most want to avoid litter box sharing, food sharing due to saliva exchange, and grooming, the former two longer than the latter. I am not terribly sure how long the cats actually need to be separated in general.

If I can ever find some of the previous posts, I will share them with you. However, as suggested above, talk about these issues and press for answers to specific scenarios.

 

[Antonio65]

I had my cat treated with I-131 in 2017, and the recommendations were not to stay close to her, or to touch her or interact with her for longer than 10 minutes a day. They told me I would have kept her in another room for about four weeks.
What I did isn't what anybody should do, so just take it as a personal opinion of mine, and not a guideline.
I stayed with cat since day one, she slept on my chest or legs, or next to me as soon as she got back home. I couldn't even think of keeping her isolated in another room. But she was the only cat at that time, so I wouldn't know what I would have done had I had another cat at home.
The only thing I strictly observed was to store her used litter in a separate bin, in the backyard, away from the house, rather than disposing of it in the house waste, because I know that there are strict checks at the waste facility.

 

[silent meowlook]

It’s been a decade, but when I worked specialty, they kept the cats 3 days and then they went home. No special handling once home. This was a long time ago.