Thursday, August 21, 2014

Oscar's test results

Oscar's test results came in and the assistant went over it with me.  There is nothing too out of whack.  However, his thyroid count which has been at about 20 over the years is now at 40.  J. also said that if he were at 60 he would have a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.  However, each cat is individual and it might mean he is getting this condition.  She suggested I could put him on the medication for this and see how he does.
I have heard of hyperthyroidism but don't have any experience with it.   Any thoughts?  Anybody else out there in feline land who has any suggestions or dealt with it?
Hope everybody is having a great week.  Thank goodness the weekend is almost here!

7 comments:

  1. Annie had hyper-t, though was asymptomatic at the time she was diagnosed. She went on methimazole via transdermal gel for about two years, till she passed.

    Frankly, until he's actually hyper-t, I would not give that medication. And if he does reach that point, I would consider the I-131 treatment if you have the means and if he's otherwise healthy (kidneys, especially).

    There's lots of good info on the web on it.

    I would research supplements to help support his heart and other organs, as if he does become hyper-t, it puts a lot of stress on the organs. However, I do caution you (again) to starting on the meds when he doesn't really need it.

    BTW, I've read on vet sites and heard from others with hyper-t cats (via a Yahoo group I joined at the time) that usually the cat will live, on average, 2 - 3 years after diagnoses and starting on the meds.

    Only you can decide what's best for Oscar, because you're his caretaker and you know him best. I just encourage you to do all the research you can, look for alternatives first, because he's not yet hyper-t, and then make the best decision you can for him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Oscar....poor baby.
    Loads of purrs heading your way.
    The REAL Maple Syrup Mob xxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to hear it wasn't a myriad of issues, and that Oscar is still pretty okay. Although I agree with Fuzzy Tales 'bout research, I always have my druthers about the internet...there is a lot of incomplete and misleading info there. What did the veterinarian say? Not that a vet tech doesn't know anything, but you need the experts opinion, and maybe get another opinion too. Seems like this could be the perfect time to get in front of this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm always leery of side-effects to different meds. Although I do not have experience with hypert I really like what Fuzzy Tales has written here. It sounds very sensible.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Socks has hyperthyroidism. I feed him the Y/D Prescription Cat Food (Hills Science Diet) and he does fine. He can't take the medicine as it caused him to have anemia. Socks blogged about it here. He eats both the canned and dry now http://atcad.blogspot.com/2013/10/words-on-wednesday-how-yd-works-and.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awww glad that Oscar's tests were pretty good, I am glad that others have experience with this so they can offer you help. Another blogger (Pam and her cat Sammy from One Spoiled Cat), also has it. He is a ginger kitty too and is about 13 yrs old. This is her blog if you want to reach out to her: http://onespoiledcat.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. We agree with Fuzzy Tales. If meds aren't called for at this time I would not put him on it and I also agree if you have the means available and he is able to do the I-131 treatment I would opt for that.

    ReplyDelete