radioactive kitty (followup)

[cellio]

Embla went to the vet tonight for scheduled maintenance... err, her three-month checkup after being treated for hyperthyroidism. I won't have the test results for a few days, but my vet said she would be very surprised if things are not normal. The folks at RadioCat had said that it was possible Embla would need a second treatment, because her numbers were off the scale.

While on the drugs in June Embla weighed 7lbs 14oz. After being off the drugs for a week (test requirement) in August, she was down to 7lbs 1oz. RadioCat did not weigh her on treatment day, but it was probably comparable. Tonight she weighed 9 pounds (even). She hasn't weighed that much for three years! So that's a good sign. Her heart rate was 160, which is very good.

Embla was not, however, happy to be at the vet's:

I parse this as "but mom, I am not having fun here!". :-) (I don't know how to transliterate "whiny tone", so you'll have to use your imagination.)

Comments

[multislackerkim.livejournal.com]

How old is your cat? And how much was the treatment? (If you don't mind me asking). My girl cat has been on Methamazole for twoish years now. I dissolve it in water and mix it with tuna. I'm sure she likes the tuna regimen better, but I'd like to know what the options entail.

[cellio]

I don't mind.

Embla is about 12 years old. (She came to me as an adult stray, so there's some ambiguity.) She is otherwise completely healthy. She was treated by RadioCat, who charged $1200 for the treatment. (There were also pre-treatment X-rays and bloodwork for about another $250, IIRC.)

I was previously spending about $40-45 a month on Methimazole, and blood tests two or three times a year, so the economics were pretty clear for me. That aside, though, not having to push pills into the cat twice a day is great, and she's doing better now than she was while on the meds (weight, appetite, general mood -- heck, even her coat is healthier now). Even though Erik is almost 15 and on a lower dose, if I could treat his hyperthyroidism the same way I would just for the hassle factor. But he has other health problems, so RadioCat probably would not accept him for treatment.

(I take an approach similar to yours with the meds: I crush the pills to powder and mix them into a small amount of canned food. I then have to supervise until that food is eaten to make sure the right cat, and only the right cat, eats the drug-laced food.)

[rectangularcat]

fyi - I now use a drug pen for claudia - two rotations and it dispenses the right amount of methimazole cream on the tip applicator. no more fiddling with gloves! it's slightly more expensive than the pills but Claudia is on a once every two days dosage so about $20 per month.

Wow, Embla looks great!

[cellio]

Thanks for the information. My vet prefers the pills to the cream, at least at the doses Embla required (and Erik requires). Once every two days is pretty mild (go Claudia!).

I've also tried the pill-plunger gadget, where you load a pill, push the end into the cat's mouth, and push the other end to eject. That sounds great but is a little hard for me to manage (without the cat subsequently ejecting the pill), and the methimazole pills are too small to fit! Oh well.

Wow, Embla looks great!

And, here, limited by a cell-phone camera. :-) But yeah, she's doing well. I'm so happy!

[rectangularcat]

I've heard great things about pill pockets for cats - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13311&c=3261+1954+13311

I am going to try them next time Claudia needs pills. She gets so stressed!

LJ - what a useful tool for sharing the latest in cat technology!

[cellio]

Ah, sounds like I need to get some of those. (I've heard of them but never seen them.)