I'm not squirrel, but I've stayed in a HI Express. ;)

Sorry to hear about your kitty. Several cats on the FD Message Board have thyroid problems. It may be worth you registering and/or searching/reading over there. Lots of dedicated pet owners with a wealth of knowledge.

Look in Health and Community - Health isn't just all about Diabetes. Start a thread and I guarantee you, you'll get some answers.

Here is a link that might be useful: FD board

Thanks so much Allison, much appreciated!

Hi Lukki : )

Oh gosh, these things are so hard, and hard to comprehend and deal with at the time.

I'm going to have to rack my brain a little here. I've actually had three cats with HT and they all started on meds and moved on to radiation therapy. I've read it isn't common, but it sure seems to be with my cats. My last episode with the treatment was about five years ago, with a 12-13yo. Prior to that, two of my kitties had the treatment, which was about 15 years ago now. They were also older. One maybe 12 and the other 13. It's not a sure-thing treatment, and sometimes there are other things going on.

One of my guys has been showing some HT symptoms but hasn't been showing a trend or anything on the tests. I'm kind of waiting for it to surface with him, though. He'll be 14 in September. Interesting, he's also been having trouble since he had that operation to remove a suspicious lump a little over a year ago (was only a fatty lypoma).

I'm going to have to look back over your post at the questions and try to recall what went on with my guys, but just wanted to let you know I saw it.

How old is she?

Thanks Squirrelheaven! I appreciate the response. The link that Allison provided is also very helpful.

She's 15 and definately my buddy. From what I've been reading on the site Allison provided her symptoms seem to be classic. I can't believe how thin and boney she is. The cardio appointment is next Thursday, but she has to be off the Tabizole for 2 weeks before they'll do the radiation treatment. We were getting pretty frantic before we could confirm it was the Thyroid, cause it seems like she's just wilting away. Now that we know though, I sure wish it wasn't so darn expensive! We also have two cockaitels and one of them has been having problems too! It's funny how attached we become to our animals no matter what they are, isn't it?

Glad I could help. That is a great website.

Hi Lukki! Sorry that your baby cat girl (& your birdie) are having difficulties.

My dh is a medical physicist who works in radiation therapy (for people, mostly with cancer). He has always said that if Jasmine got cancer he would take her into his dept. & radiate her!

Best of luck (lukki)with whatever treatment you decide on. You sound like an amazing mom to both your 2 & 4 legged children.

Thanks Stinky-gardener! I appreciate that! Yes, poor Sparky (we call her sparky-doo) hit her beak on something and now has a tilted head. We had to give her medication (think it was steriods) to relieve some swelling in her brain, but the tilt never went away...poor girl...

Medical physicist huh? Wow impressive! I think zapping her is going to be her only option at this point. Thanks for the well wishes! You'll have to keep me posted on the progress for your kitty too...I'm thinking it's allergies!

Sorry its so long. I was trying to recall what I could for you.

That really is such severe weight loss. Very scarey when those things start to happen and no one can figure out whatÂs going on. I have been told that the thyroid tests arenÂt always accurate. There are other tests and ones with different levels of sensitivity that they use to try to get a picture of whatÂs going on, but usually start with the basic thyroid test (canÂt remember, maybe itÂs T3; and T4 is the more sensitive one.) Feline HT is pretty common these days, so I would think they would have been screening appropriately for something going on there. They do test periodically and look for a change and trend in the values.

Even though she may be classic, I guess they canÂt actually treat it with the radiation until itÂs clear from the diagnostics whatÂs going on. I think my vet tried meds on kitty #1 to see if it helped, even though the actual tests were showing he was ok after the first treatment. She is a cat specialist though, so may be more comfortable with something like that.

ItÂs very frustrating, confusing, and expensive with a lot of these health issues, and with the various medical procedures and options. Doctors don't even agree on things, so you can get conflicting information. Around and around, and often evasive or illusive information from the docs. I often feel like IÂm dealing with a sales person rather than a medical professional, and have definitely become pretty wary about all of it at this point. ItÂs best to read and talk to others as much as you can, to educate yourself.

Can you tell me what symptoms your cat was experiencing before the diagnosis and proceedure?

The symptoms I remember with my cats are:

- very hungry
- but losing weight
- very thirsty
- increased urination
- hyper behaviors like more aggressive, playful, or affectionate
- increase in energy (crazy cat spurts)
- heart rate also increases significantly (sign noted at the vet).

The heart murmur on your cat is concerning, as HT can cause heart damage when the disease is uncontrolled. ItÂs a condition thatÂs very hard on the body because everything is revved up.

Did you try the medication first with limited results?

Yes. Both mixed and limited results.

Can you give some detail as to why it failed, and if you know if this is common or not.

As far as whether the radiation works or not, IÂve had mixed experiences. My first cat was controlled for a while with meds. Then he became symptomatic again, so the radiation iodine therapy treatment was done. He did well on that for a while, maybe a year?, but then was having trouble again. So, he had another treatment. I donÂt recall whether that helped at all, but he was still having problems. My vet (a cat specialist) figured he had other things going on, which is why the disease didnÂt appear to be under control. He eventually landed in the University hospital ER and, while they thought he had some asthma based on the xrays and negative lung aspiration, it turned out he had cancer and it was riddled throughout his body at that point.

My second HT cat, I donÂt recall being terribly sick when he had his treatment done. He was diagnosed, we tried meds for a short while, and then I just decided to cut to the chase and get the radiation therapy done. His kidneys were ok but, right after treatment, it was like his whole body shut down. He had a heart murmur and his kidneys started to fail. I remember the doc saying something about his stomache slowing down too. I think he was even drooling. He was put on synthroid, but it was just downhill for him. So, the treatment was not a good thing in his case.

My vet always explained to me that if thereÂs kidney deficiency, they wonÂt do the treatment. Unfortunately, also, by the time a deficiency appears on the labwork, their function is already 75% gone. She also explained that it doesnÂt always work, as I recall.

With my third kitty, things were rough. She was very timid and sensitive, and I didnÂt want to put her through a weekÂs stay at the treatment center. She was also not a good pill taker, so we tried a med that gets absorbed through the ear. She wasnÂt doing well on that, as I recall, and her disease was difficult to control. She was scheduled for the radiation, but a week beforehand she became seriously ill and landed in the ER. They were able to stabilize her enough for the treatment and, fortunately, she had no heart damage so was able to get it. That did work for her. About a year later, she seemed off but the labwork wasnÂt pointing to anything. Then she became seriously ill and landed in the ER again. The doctor told me she felt a small mass in her belly. She was there for maybe three days and each day they felt more lumps appear. This time it was lymphoma. I did start the chemo after being told that it had a good success rate and that there werenÂt bad side effects, as with people. She went down so fast though. It must have been some sort of a galloping version of disease. I had to drop her for a few hours for one of her treatments and they called later to say she passed right there in the hospital. That was the last thing in the world I ever wanted for her (or any of my cats). To die in the hospital. And it was very hard to deal with.

Lastly, our vet gave us no indication that there is a risk the treatment could fail. Your post is the first I've heard of that, so understandably it's a red flag to me. Can you give some detail as to why it failed, and if you know if this is common or not. I'm very interested in any information you can share also about the process, the healing period or side effects.

My vet also always explained that it usually worked but not always. Sometimes they would need a second treatment. Or sometimes other things were going on.

I donÂt recall the pre-treatment procedure, other than an initial visit with the radiologist for assessment. The doctor did an ultrasound to check the thyroid and for any incidence of cancer. If he finds cancer, the treatment isnÂt done. For the treatment itself, they stay in the hospital for a week because they are eliminating radioactive waste, which needs to be controlled. The tech called each day with a report. After they come home, youÂre instructed to be careful with their waste by using gloves and washing. I think it was a separate litter box, too, which is supposed to be discarded afterwards. DonÂt recall how long this goes on for but it wasnÂt terribly long.

Other than my one cat, where the treatment actually killed him (unusual, I think), there were no side effects, other than stress, that I recall.

The financial aspect was pretty shocking the first time I went through all that. And I was very afraid of the treatment, too. I can say that HT is a horrible way to go. And that there is a successful treatment for it. My little girl was a small, frail kitty to begin with and she got so terribly sick when it was uncontrollable. The treatment did stop that disease process and we had a good year until the next thing hit.

If sheÂs actually well enough to go through with the treatment, I would do it. Though I donÂt know much about her. She will only continue to decline  and itÂs not pretty - and she will die from the disease. I do think itÂs a very treatable disease, unlike some others.

IÂm so sorry you and your kitty are going through all this, and that it took so long for the disease itself to be diagnosed. It is terribly heartbreaking and often so confusing as to what to do. I always think IÂm going to die when one of my cats gets sick and there usually arenÂt clear answers on what to do. If you are going ahead with the treatment, I hope you're already scheduled, as it sounds like there's no time for delay at this point.

Take care, good luck with everything, and please keep us posted.

P.S. My vet said that there's research to support that the food canning process may be causing hyperthroid disease. The pop-top cans have a chemical used to seal them, which is suspect. There's also a preservative sprayed on the linings that may be involved.

Wow, thank you so much Squirrel Heaven. It sounds like you have spent a mint in Vet Bills! After reading your post I'm embarrassed I complained! LOL The information you wrote though is very helpful. Yes, of course we will be doing whatever we can to get her well. Both DH & I could not fathum the idea of NOT treating her, even though it will be a bit of a hardship financially we'll work it out. I was told she had a murmur about 6 years ago, but her heart beat was fine. I have her appointment with the Cardiologist on Thursday and our Vet says she's expecting it to be ok because the rapid heart didn't start until more recently. Then we have to have her off the tapizol for 2 weeks. So I'm guessing she will be having the proceedure done in 3 weeks (or sooner if possible). She seems to be doing "ok" on the Tapizol for now, although it hasn't been working 100% it has at least seemed to calm things down for her a bit. The upchucking is driving me nutty though.

Thank you too for your kind words, I've always had animals and loved them all dearly, but you know how it is, sometimes there's that one that tugs at your heart strings just a little bit harder. I was reading what you wrote about the canned cat foods having ingredients that have been linked to HT, I always fed her soft food thinking I was giving her the best. By the time I found out I was wrong, it was too late. Wish us luck, and thanks again for your post, I really appreciate it. Will keep you posted! -- Lukki

You're welcome.

Re my suggesting to go ahead with the radiation, I only meant to not be afraid to do it. Its one of those situations where something can actually be done and its not a bad treatment. And its probably unusual for something to go wrong. When I first had to think about all of it, I was scared to death of the treatment itself. That it would kill my cat. It was also a terribly expensive undertaking. My experience with all the expensive medical stuff to that point was that they were not proving to be very effective or useful. On the road to nowhere. That last trip to the ER, for instance, usually runs at least another $1500. And then they die. I just can't not 'take care' of them, but its so hard to know when to pursue and when there's no point. The docs dont seem to be very useful there for some reason. Things are usually so sketchy that I now ask them what they would do if it were their cat.

Good luck : ) Hope her heart and kidneys are doing well so you can pursue.