Hi Foxlegs,

What did you decide in the end? My cat Tess was diagnosed last year and had I131 at the Animal Health Trust near Newmarket. I wasn't sure she'd deal with 3 weeks away. She was very quiet for the first week and they had to give her an appetite stimulant as she was very reluctant to eat. She did settle in the end though and looking back, I definitely think it was the right decision. She was there for 3 weeks in total. When she came home we had to be careful for another 2 weeks, such as wearing gloves when cleaning the litter tray and double bagging the soiled litter. We also had to avoid her overgrooming the other cats and not fuss her too much for those two weeks.

One of my other cats Tiger (Tess' brother) was diagnosed with hyper-t last week so we've only just got him started on tablets. Once his t4 is stable though, he'll be going to the AHT for I131 as well. Again, I don't think he'll deal with the 3 weeks away too well at first but I think he'll settle after a short while. He hates tablets and I worry about the risk of surgery so I think I131 will be best for him too.

I too am thinking of having Radioactive Iodine Treatment for my12 year old cat. I am in Portsmouth UK and my cat is very unhappy and showing all of the classic signs of having thyroid problems. My vet ran the tests and they came back negative. She contacted the labs who said that he still might be suffering from it, He may be starting tablets next week, but I do not want them longterm as I have read so many other things that the tablets might affect, I am not sure where the nearest centre is but apart from that and a heart murmer he is healthy. Does anybody know where to find a list of places that do this in the south of England?

Ginette

Apparently, there aren't many. A quick google search brought me this:


source (worth reading, very good info here):

Clinical Information > Hyperthyroidism

Keep us posted on your kitty okay? did your vet do a blood chemistry, checking everything? There are many other diseases senior cats can get that have similar symptoms to hyperthyroid. CRF and diabetes, to name two.

My elderly cat, Meg, had radioiodine treatment back in February. She's already had one thyroid gland removed but the hyperthyroidism came back and she couldn't tolerate the tablets. We live in Hull so went to Ripon. She had to stay for 2 weeks and it cost us about £1200. I can't speak highly enough of Andrew Bodey, the vet, and his team at Bishopton.

She just had a blood test and her thyroid levels are perfect. It was hard for us when she was at the vets for 2 weeks, but if any of my other cats were hyperthyroid I'd definitely have the same treatment for them.