"James Egan" wrote in message
news
My 16 year old cat Chip was loosing weight, so I took him to the vet about
a year ago, and he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Pills and liquids
don't work with Chip, so I've been giving him topical tapazole in his ear
once per day. Unfortunately he's still very thin although he eats a great
deal, and is constantly hungry. He really put some Thanksgiving turkey
away! Anyway, someone told me that they had radiation treatments for
their cat, which seem to cure him. Does the radiation treatment have a
high success rate? Is it worth the $1,000? I called my Vet and one other
in the area, and they don't even offer it, so I'd have to find a Vet that
did.

-Thanks

Have your cat's kidney values (BUB & creatinine) remained in the normal
range while he's been on thyroid meds? If so, I-131 radioiodine tx is
definitely an option and well worth the expense. The success rate of the tx
in cats is about 96% with no further medications of any kind needed. Some
cats become hypothyroid after tx, but this is usually transient until the
suppressed normal thyroid tissue becomes functional again. Most cats don't
need hypothyroid tx. After I-131 tx, your cat will have to remain in the
facility for 4-7 days. Each State has their own requirement. My cat had to
stay 96 hours but I was able to spring her after 72.

Hyperthyroidism can mask underlying kidney failure by increasing renal blood
flow. So, before making any decisions, be sure to look at your cat's kidney
values on the original bloodwork from when he was diagnosed with
hyperthyroidism and compare those with his present values. If his kidney
values have gone up while he's been on thyroid meds, then radioiodine tx
would not be a good choice.

Best of luck,

Phil