Thyroid help! The vet just scared me to death!

[cinderflower]

Blue is 15 and he is a wonderful cat at home.  If I take him to the vet, he gets so stressed that he drools, growls, cries, and gets completely lethargic in my arms.  I can carry him in like a baby because he won't move once we are in the office!  I think trying to do the iodine treatment would probably send him over the edge tbh.  Maybe that is why the vet never mentioned it?  Is the iodine for hyper or hypo, btw?

The vet wants to recheck him in 3 weeks.

Beause the are no great vets close to me, I use two vets that are an hour drive away.  One is an hour drive in one direction, the other is an hour drive in the other direction.  One vet ordered the upped dose, the other one drew the bloodwork last week.  Today, I called both vets and had them exchange records.  I wish there was a better way, but unfortunately, because of where I live, there isn't.  Sometimes I am able to go one way easier than the other depending on my plans for the week. 

the iodine treatment is not major surgery.  they just implant it (i'm not totally sure how because $1500 is a little of a stumbling block) and your cat is radioactive for about two weeks after.  you have to keep the litter inside for 30 days or so until it isn't radioactive any longer, or you can buy special litter that flushes, or some such.  i'm not really up on the details of that part, i just know i'd have to send her to monument, colorado (i'm in denver) and they said i'd have to keep her away from my other cats for a couple of weeks and limit contact.  she sleeps with me so i'm not sure how i would accomplish that unless i boarded her, which would be another $140 or so.  they only do the iodine in certain facilities, but if you can manage the cost, like emily was saying, it's 95% effective and you never have to mess with medicine or procedures after that.  some labwork i guess, and that's about it.

 

[bluerexbear]

Blue is checked every 6 months.  My mistake has been using two different vets, I am afraid. 

 

[cinderflower]

don't panic, just cut his dosage down like she said and stick to one vet.  if you can afford it, you might want to go a little more often.  i take diotima in every 3-4 months simply because she's old, plus she was vomiting if she ate over a certain amount. (long story but short: i think it's a grain intolerance and has nothing to do with thyroid.  she eats all she wants now and is fine.)

familiarize yourself with what the levels should be.  i don't know which ones are 15+, because if diotima's were 2.0, she'd be perfect.  you just want to keep it under 4.

i know the radiation thing is fantastic, and that between all the lab checks and medication, i'll spend that much in 4 years, but if the gel continues to be effective, it's easy and affordable so i'm sticking with it.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

I totally understand the money and location are barriers for the iodine treatment. That is pretty obvious. What I always wondered was why people who are in a good location would not be told I-131 is a good treatment option.

Knowing sometimes it is not possible to pay $1000 for I-131 and hundreds more for hospitalization and follow-up T4 tests, I want to know how much money you would save by medicating a cat the rest of its life.

 

[katachtig]

Because the are no great vets close to me, I use two vets that are an hour drive away.  One is an hour drive in one direction, the other is an hour drive in the other direction.  One vet ordered the upped dose, the other one drew the bloodwork last week.  Today, I called both vets and had them exchange records.  I wish there was a better way, but unfortunately, because of where I live, there isn't.  Sometimes I am able to go one way easier than the other depending on my plans for the week. 

Ask the provider for a copy of the bloodwork result and keep your own records.  One of my cats sees an eye specialist and I do this so I have a copy and I can give my vet a copy.  You can build a file which could be useful in an emergency situation.

 

[cinderflower]

I totally understand the money and location are barriers for the iodine treatment. That is pretty obvious. What I always wondered was why people who are in a good location would not be told I-131 is a good treatment option.

Knowing sometimes it is not possible to pay $1000 for I-131 and hundreds more for hospitalization and follow-up T4 tests, I want to know how much money you would save by medicating a cat the rest of its life.

i don't know.  i was told right away.  even though i'm a retired teacher (so you know i'm just rolling in $$ lol) and i have chronic health problems that sometimes are and sometimes aren't covered by insurance, my vet understands that but he also gives me all the options so i can decide how much debt i'm willing to take on.  if the transdermal gel hadn't worked out or she had a lot of side effects, i would do it, even though it would be somewhat of a burden.  when a cat is 15, you can't really be sure how much longer they'll be around.  it's not a question of me not doing everything i can, i'm talking about a scenario where she's healthy in every other respect, i have the procedure done, and a year later, boom, something else gets her.  putting the medicine in her ears is really no big deal at all.  if it were, i would have considered the iodine a long time ago.  so if the cat lives four years the medication alone equals the iodine procedure but i try to live with some reserves and not too far into the future.  i also have two other cats to take care of and i don't want to max myself out financially because that's usually when other emergencies happen.  right now i'm spending more money on their food than my own (i'm a vegetarian and don't eat processed food so i can get away with it) but hopefully that will even out.

Ask the provider for a copy of the bloodwork result and keep your own records.  One of my cats sees an eye specialist and I do this so I have a copy and I can give my vet a copy.  You can build a file which could be useful in an emergency situation.

this is always a good idea.  i keep track of my own medical records because i see several specialists and it's just good to know what's going on.  vets are only human, and if you leave things all up to them, sometimes things get missed.  once you know what all the levels should be, you can be proactive about a lot of things.  after all, you live with the cat, the vet only see him/her 3-4 times a year, if

that often.  you'll probably never be able to draw blood at home (hopefully haha) but at least you'll know what kind of results you're hoping for.

 

[oscar4056]

Here is an excellent website link written by a vet explaining everything about feline hyperthyroidism (what it is, what causes it, treatment methods, diet, etc.).  It gives you a thorough understanding of everything you need to know about this feline disease.

http://catinfo.org/?link=felinehyperthyroidism

You'll be happy you read it!

 

[oscar4056]

If finances are really tight and you really want to do the radiation iodine treatment for your cat, many vets now offer Care Credit.  It's basically a no-interest credit card, if you're appoved, that allows you to pay down the balance on a monthly basis.  If you exceed the no-interest period (6 months or 12 months, depending on how much time Care Credit gives you to pay it off without interest) the interest is compounded after that date.

My finances are really tight right now, but my kitty needs this treatment, so I'm going to find someone who offers Care Credit.

 

[mackiemac]

^^^ Four year old thread, friend.