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i-131 treatments for cats
Hi,
I've got some questions about this treatment; we have a cat that we would really like to have this done on (he can't take tapazole, he had a serious bone marrow reaction to it; he is not VERY hyperthyroid at this point, it was difficult to even detect, they had to run a free t4 by equilibrium dialysis test [beats me], but he had lost weight and isn't gaining any back). The complicated factor is that my wife is about to have a baby; one vet told us that he needs to stay 6 feet away from anyone under the age of 16 for 3 weeks after. But I can't find this stated anywhere else. The closest I've found is that for two week you should be careful and limit the amount of time you spend touching him. Can anyone tell me if she is just being overcautious? One thing: we are in California, so perhaps it is a state-regulated law. thanks |
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i-131 treatments for cats
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i-131 treatments for cats
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i-131 treatments for cats
"Kitkat" wrote in message
. com... wrote: yes, exactly....I wish I could find somewhere to board him rather than the hospital where it's being done, because that is going to run $3k, plust the $1k for the treatment....no way can I afford that. Understandable. Do you have a basement where kitty could spend his isolation? Maybe another family member that could help in the meanwhile? Ironically, I am having a test next week to see if I need another round of I-131. It's no fun! Best of luck to you all! Pam I've never had to deal with this problem, but I thought it was the law that the vet had to keep the cat in isolation after treatment and dispose of its wastes as "hazardous materials". -- Hugs, CatNipped See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/ |
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i-131 treatments for cats
CatNipped wrote:
"Kitkat" wrote in message . com... wrote: yes, exactly....I wish I could find somewhere to board him rather than the hospital where it's being done, because that is going to run $3k, plust the $1k for the treatment....no way can I afford that. Understandable. Do you have a basement where kitty could spend his isolation? Maybe another family member that could help in the meanwhile? Ironically, I am having a test next week to see if I need another round of I-131. It's no fun! Best of luck to you all! Pam I've never had to deal with this problem, but I thought it was the law that the vet had to keep the cat in isolation after treatment and dispose of its wastes as "hazardous materials". I am sure the law varies. At least it does from state to state with humans and I-131. |
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i-131 treatments for cats
wrote in message ps.com... Hi, I've got some questions about this treatment; we have a cat that we would really like to have this done on (he can't take tapazole, he had a serious bone marrow reaction to it; he is not VERY hyperthyroid at this point, it was difficult to even detect, they had to run a free t4 by equilibrium dialysis test [beats me], but he had lost weight and isn't gaining any back). The complicated factor is that my wife is about to have a baby; one vet told us that he needs to stay 6 feet away from anyone under the age of 16 for 3 weeks after. But I can't find this stated anywhere else. The closest I've found is that for two week you should be careful and limit the amount of time you spend touching him. Can anyone tell me if she is just being overcautious? Definitely-- but she has to cover herself because of NRC regulations. People over 45 are told to stay 3 feet or farther away from the cat except for short periods for feeding and routine care. People under 45 are told stay 6 feet or farther away from the cat, and children under 18 and pregnant women are told to have no contact with the cat for 2-3 weeks. I received the same spiel when my cat had the I-131 tx last month. I was forced into the treatment, too, because the Tapazole completely killed my cat's appetite and drove her WBC count down to borderline leukopenia. Personally, I think the regulation is a tad extreme. Its based on the assumption that all cats will receive a large dose. The cat can't be released until his surface radioactivity level below is 45 mR/hr- that's about the same or less than a routine x-ray. I do agree with not allowing your wife to handle the cat or clean the litterboxes for a couple of weeks. A lot of radioiodine facilities use a standard high dose that will destroy cancerous thyroid if the cat has any. But only about 2% of feline thyroid tumors are cancerous. So, I strongly suggest you speak to the vet who will be administering the tx about the dose. My cat's dose was about 1/2 or even a little less than the routine dose and her 3-week post treatment T4 was .5! That's *below* the normal range. She was released 2 days after treatment because her radioactivity level was far below the 45 mR/hr requirement. The lower the dose the faster the cat clears the I-131. I-131 is one of few drugs that's not dosed according to body weight, but rather severity of hyperthyroidism. If your cat's pretreatment T4 levels aren't very high after he's been off Tapazole for about 10 days, a low dose would probably be appropriate. Also, the lower the dose the less chance of the cat becoming hypothyroid or developing CRF. Most cats that receive I-131 tx will become hypothyroid for 1-3 months after tx because it takes awhile for the normal thyroid tissue to become active again. The hyperfunctioning thyroid tissue suppresses the normal thyroid tissue so it doesn't receive much TSH. Once the hyperfunctioning tissue is destroyed, the normal tissue can start receiving TSH again and become functional again. You might want to call a few veterinary universities and speak to an endocrinologist and a radiologist. I recommend calling the Animal Medical Center in NYC. Best of luck, Phil |
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