Hyper Thyroidism & Liver Problem….?
Posted by: Alan in Cat Health Problem, tags: Hyper, Liver, Problem, Thyroidism
Hello everyone, here is my story:
I have a male cat who is 13 years young and we have just been stationed in Germany. During a routine visit for my cat to get his up to date rabies shot the vet was concerned about his health and wanted to run a blood test.
This was a little over a month ago and it showed that he had a high elevation of white blood cells, which then led to the vet finding out that 3 of the 4 part of his liver are elevated in percentages. During the next visit, after the phone call where I learned the information above, the vet found leak-age in his upper left gum by his canine.
From there, she put my cat on a high dose of antibiotics and a steroid. (Clindamycin & Millipred–Prednisolone). He was on the steroid for 10 days and the antibiotics for 3 weeks(which he just finished on Tuesday morning). Both these medicines were to help with his liver, high white blood cell count, and the gum problem.
On Tuesday, we were at the vet to get another dose of blood work to see if the medicine, either one, has helped him. The blood test was to be run again to check his liver to see if there has been any improvement or not. She also then wanted to check his thyroid.
Wednesday morning I got the call back that he has hyper thyroidism; which I was told is some what common in older cats. The vet assistant ran through my options:
1. Surgery to remove the thyroid(which she said is not really done anymore)
2. Radio-active Treatment (which is going to run me 800 euros, which would be roughly $1,000 American)
3. Medication called Methimazole for the rest of his life.
Now, my concern is this:
I still have yet to have a call back on his liver blood results, and depending on what they are, whether or not I need to get an ultra sound/biopsy done.
I was researching the methimazole and it says that it is to be used with extreme caution in cats that have a liver impairment. It also says that it is not recommended for a long period of use. It is temporary until one can get the surgery for the thyroid.
I can’t afford the surgery for the thryoid or let alone, if his liver needs something done, I can’t afford that either. I’ve already spent more out of my budget to help cure what is partially ailing him now and to figure out what exactly is wrong with him.
Does anyone else have similar experiences with this hyper thyroidism? What did you do? I know I’m thinking ahead, because I don’t have his liver blood work back yet, but I just sort of want to get all my ducks in order as of right now; I’m also in a tizzy because I don’t want to lose him, he’s my best friend.
Any help or guidance/input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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December 1st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I have treated many cats with Tapazole with great success. I actually worry more about kidney function with these guys than liver function. A lot of cats with increased thyroid hormone are masking early renal failure. It’s often a balancing act to get them to neutral ground (happy thyroid gland and happy kidneys). This is why I prefer meds to surgery or RAI treatment. Those are permanent and allow for no real titration, plus most of my clients don’t want to drive the 3 hours to a center that can do the RAI treatment.
Really go with whatever your vet, and you are most comfortable with. We all have different levels of what works best in our hands.
As to the liver. I’d judge the treatment on how elevated the liver enzymes were. If they are less than 2X normal I usually don’t even get that excited. Liver is one of the only organs that can easily regenerate, so you have some wiggle room. The steroid injection can also falsely elevate the enzymes. Talk this over with your vet.
Good luck! Many cats with this condition go on to lead healthy, active long lives!!!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
The liver problem was likely caused by the tooth infection, and once that is solved, things should go back to normal as far as the liver.
If I had been able to do it, I would have opted for the radiation treatment for my cat who had hyperthyroidism. That is because on Tapazole (methimazole), there is regular blood monitoring required, it can have some effects on the kidneys, and radiation treatment is sort of a one shot does it all effect. And you have to pill your cat daily for the methimazole. In the long run, radiation treatment is actually cheaper, but that cost comes all at once.
And, I am not sure, but it is possible on methimazole she slowly lost her appetite, as that is what finally did her in. She ran out of reserves. With her, at that time, the radiation treatment was very difficult to access.