The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. With this therapy, you take radioactive iodine (radioiodine) by mouth. Over ten years of clinical nutrition research revealed that by controlling dietary levels of iodine, the hyperthyroid cat's body would resume normal thyroid hormone production. Each treatment option has its advantages and disadvantages. The Disadvantages of Radioiodine Therapy Treatment for Cats, American Veterinary Medical Imaging: Feline Hyperthyroidism, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Radioactive Iodine Treatment of Hyperthyroid Cats, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Hyperthyroidism in the Cat, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Hyperthyroidism in Cats. Several complications of hyperthyroidism can be significant, includinghypertension(high blood pressure) and a heart disease called thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy. She gained and ate a lot and we were more than happy. Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pets diet, medication, or physical activity routines. The injection has no direct side effects. Limit close contact (closer than 1 foot) to one hour per day. At 1 and 3 months after the treatment, a blood test for thyroid and kidney function should be done by your veterinarian. About 25% of cats with hyperthyroidism become hypertensive. In almost all cases, your thyroid hormone levels will return to normal or below normal after radioactive iodine treatment. While the treatment is fairly expensive, over the long term it could be cheaper than medication and is on a par with surgical treatment. 2007 07/19/2011; Available from: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/. For this long-term treatment, the cat is injected with the radioactive iodine, which destroys the tissue of the overactive thyroid gland. Radioactive iodine therapy is becoming the treatment of choice for felines with hyperthyroidism. Risks from hyperthyroidism. It will take about a month for thyroid levels to return to normal in most cats. Some people also feel flushed. Mean baseline age was 12.7 3.0 years and mean baseline BMI SDS was 0.003 1.18 kg/m 2. He's radioactive, so it's not safe even for humans wearing protective clothing to spend too much time around him. However, these options tend to be expensive and not possible for all pet owners. The typical cat with hyperthyroidism is middle-aged or older; the average age of affected cats is approximately 12 years. Generally, about 5 to 10 pounds of excess weight can likely be attributed to the lack of thyroid hormones that occurs in people diagnosed with hypothyroidism. AAFCO Doesnt Approve Pet Foods, A broken heart: Risk of heart disease in boutique or grain-free diets and exotic ingredients, Its Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy. If this is the case with your cat, paying special attention to specific nutrients such as dietary phosphorus (a key player in chronic kidney disease) may be required. Survival Times for Cats with Hyperthyroidism Treated with Iodine 131, Methimazole, or Both, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/, Determination of Release Criteria for I-131 Therapy Cats, Risk of Ionizing Radiation Exposure to Children: A Subject Review, Hormesis: From Marginalization to Mainstream: A Case for Hormesis as the Default Dose-Response Model in Risk Assessment. These include an iodine-restricted diet, medications, and radioactive iodine therapy. These include weight loss, increased activity, and kitten like behaviour. Risks related to radioiodine: There are fundamental differences between a continuous dose over a year (background radiation) and a dose that occurs over a few seconds like in CT, but these are helpful comparisons. Even after treatment it may take a long time to reverse weight loss and muscle loss that occurred before your cats diagnosis. Chance of significant, unhealthy weight gain is increased. 8. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists, on Long Island, Cornell Veterinary Experts Address Feline Nutrition. So in this case the targeted radiation exposure is actually increasing survival for these patients. 7. Prominent in the regulations established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for radioactive materials users are guidelines that limit exposure to radiation workers, and members of the general public. Researchers estimated a 12% increased risk for death from breast cancer and a 5% increased risk for death from . Fluffy might be a candidate for a thyroidectomy, surgery to remove the thyroid glands, which usually results in a cure. Removal of the thyroid glands, called surgical thyroidectomy, is a relatively straightforward surgical procedure that has a good success rate. Amazingly despite over 35 years of veterinary experience treating hyperthyroid cats with radioiodine there are virtually no reported side effects. There are several treatment options, and your veterinarian will determine the best choice for your cat. If surgery is the chosen treatment method, the anti-thyroid medication methimazole (Tapazole, Felimazole) may be prescribed for several weeks before the operation. 4. When a radioactive form of iodine is given to hyperthyroid cats, the radiation destroys a portion of the thyroid gland. For the first two weeks after I-131: Keep your cat indoors or supervised when outside to prevent contact with other people. (For example, for human patients we provide instructions such as "sleep in separate beds" and "stay at least 1 meter away from others as much as possible.") 6. By 14 days after treatment, the radioactivity will have decayed to a very low level. When available, radioactive iodine therapy is the treatment of choice for cats with hyperthyroidism. When it comes to survival, the studies that have been done show that cats cured of their thyroid disease by radioactive iodine live much longer (up to twice as long) when compared to hyperthyroid cats treated by methimazole. By Also, I wonder if there is home-testing equipment to track the household dispersal of the radioactive contaminants that he emits after his treatment and something else to monitor and determine my exposure to the 131I remnants. TheCatSite.com is a community of cat lovers dedicated to quality cat care and cat welfare. An anti-thyroid medication, like methimazole. Special attention should be given to the thyroid glands to look for evidence of enlargement and the clinical signs of hyperthyroidism. As for equipment for tracking radioactive contamination, there really is no readily available "home-testing" equipment. Treating Hyperthyroidism in Cats. To convert these to traditional units we have prepared a. The radioactivity carries no significant risk for the cat, but precautionary protective measures are required for people who come into close contact with the cat. My pet has kidney disease what kind of diet should I feed. In a study of 524 hyperthyroid cats treated with I-131, only 11/524 (2.1%) developed However, it may not be the best treatment for your particular cat. Dry, dull coat. The cell dies (only occurs with very high doses). Antithyroid medications are also available in a gel that can be applied to the skin. While my facility does not treat cats with radioactive 131I, I have consulted with a veterinary medicine program at a nearby university that does perform these types of procedures to get myself in the "cat-patient" mode of thought. If you suspect your cat might be experiencing some of these symptoms, the next step is visiting your veterinarian for a blood test to check your cats thyroid hormone levels. They may have increased water consumption and urination. Dr. Linder has received speaker fees or research fudning from Hills Pet Nutrition, Nestl Purina PetCare, Royal Canin, and Virbac, and has provided professional services for Mark Morris Institute. Wet food is much better for him anyhow, so this is a good time to get him settled on it. It is actually the best approach to take to minimize exposures to you and your family while allowing the cat to have post-treatment recovery time at home and not in a veterinary hospital. Did You Know? We found out about the radioactive iodine treatment and after lots.of research decided this was the way to go. This surgery requires general anesthesia, however, and there might be added risks if older cats have heart, kidney, or other problems that could cause complications. During treatment, radioactive iodine is administered as an injection and is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Elevated thyroid hormones stimulate an increased heart rate and a stronger contraction of the heart muscle, and can cause thickening of the left ventricle of the heart over time. If radioactive iodine therapy won't work for you and your cat, alternatives are available. (At my facility we treat people but many of the concepts are the same, it is just that patient compliance is easier to obtain with people.) As youre on this website right now, we can assume that you love pets and likely have a special dog or cat (or many) in your life. You should talk with your veterinarian about what diets may be best for him in this case. What they are trying to prevent is the intake (ingestion, etc.) These licenses establish the basis for the facilities compliance with federal regulations established by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Side effects may include fluid retention, weight gain, elevated . As stated above, it may also be used for a few weeks to stabilize a cat at increased surgical risk because of cardiac complications. Not all veterinary facilities perform the procedure. In some cases, the cat will develop a heart murmur associated with cardiomyopathy. The radioactive iodine is useful in treating the condition that your veterinarian has diagnosed in your cat. Treatment usually includes an adjustment to your cat's diet, medication, radioactive iodine therapy, or surgery. Unfortunately these cats may continue to deteriorate and may even die from their other non-thyroid diseases. Thus, pate is a better choice for your cat than gravy food due to the latter's higher . No individual breed is known to have a greater risk, although Siamese, Burmese, Persian, Abyssinian, Tonkinese, and British shorthair breeds appear to have a somewhat decreased incidence of hyperthyroidism compared to other breeds. Radioactive iodine is an effective and safe treatment option for children and teenagers with an overactive thyroid gland, but will usually be given as a second-line treatment after a reasonably long course of antithyroid medication. Endocrinology, 1988. Overall, weight gain was associated with development of hypothyroidism despite levothyroxine replacement . This I131 injection accumulates in the abnormal thyroid tissue, and the radioactivity kills the abnormal tissue without harming other vital structures nearby. Surgical removal of the gland under general anesthetic was another option. Whats the difference between type 1 and 2 diabetes NHS. Hyperthyroidism & Liver Function in Cats, Intervals of Depo-Medrol Injections for Cats. Hair loss. Ten patients (6.4%) had DS (Down Syndrome) and 33 (21.0%) had received ATDs before RAI ablation. Medications for hyperthyroidism in cats are prescribed on a case by case basis. hypothyroidism was only treated if it was associated with clinical signs like excessive weight gain, lethargy, and skin problems. . The average US total radiation exposure (all sources) is 6.2 mSv/yr which is an increase from 20 years ago (3.6 mSv/year) when CT scans were much less common. Prognosis The other conditions that cats can develop at this age are numerous and varied. "The most common clinical sign of hyperthyroidism is weight loss due to the increased rate of metabolism despite an increased appetite.". Hopefully this answers your questions and good luck with your cat. All rights reserved. Jeff Brunette, CHP, Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice. All middle-aged and senior cats should receive a complete physical examination by a veterinarian every six months. Your veterinarian's instructions regarding separation for the two weeks are simply doing the same thing we do with people. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. These statistics are averages and do not predict what is going to happen to you. First we need to put this exposure level into some context: How do x-rays increase your risk for cancer? The School of Veterinary Medicine's Ryan Hospital, however, is one of the few veterinary centers in the region to offer a treatment that can cure the disease: a single shot of radioactive iodine, I-131. How long can a cat live after radioactive iodine treatment? The clinical significance of weight gain from the time of diagnosis of hyperthyroidism to 2 years after radioactive iodine therapy is unclear. Discuss these issues with your veterinarian when considering dietary iodine restriction as a treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats. These positive ions, or free radicals, can cause damage to DNA. Weight gain after RAI is typical. . As in the case of heart disease, after the hyperthyroidism has been successfully treated, high blood pressure will often resolve, and permanent treatment for it may not be required. These tests are needed to evaluate your cats overall health and predict the likelihood of complications with the chosen treatment protocol. A prescription diet is available that lowers thyroid hormone, but for it to work your cat can't ever eat any other food. Of 247 patients receiving RAI for GD, 157 (79.6% female) had complete data and were included in the analysis. Radioactive iodine therapy is the treatment of choice, however, because it destroys abnormal thyroid tissue without damaging the surrounding tissue, providing a more permanent form of treatment. If you know that your cat has hyperthyroidism, you probably have already seen your vet in order to have this disease properly treated. This disease is common in older cats. Hyperthyroidism in cats is a commonly diagnosed endocrinopathy with an overall prevalence of 2.4% in England which increases to 8.7% in cats aged 10 years or older. Excessive weight gain. Depending on the dose, radioactive iodine can kill a portion, or all, of your thyroid. Upon discharge from PVESC (after an average of 4 to 7 days after treatment), treated cats will still be excreting radioiodine in their urine, saliva, and feces. . The treatment options for hyperthyroidism are: Oral medication. Diagnosis Hence for a transient period following radioiodine therapy, the patient's urine contains excreted radioiodine which will emit beta particles as it continues to decay. Log in 24/7 to access your pets health care information. Because metabolism is altered in hyperthyroidism, its important to monitor your cats weight and muscle mass. 2. . A treated cat has to remain hospitalized until its radiation level has fallen to within acceptable limits. In cats > 95% of the radioiodine is excreted in the urine. However, your cat will still have a low amount of radiation in his or her body. It does, however, involve the handling and injection of a radioactive substance that is only permitted at facilities specially licensed to use radioisotopes. If thyroid disease is a possibility, your veterinarian will likely order a blood chemistry panel and an analysis of thyroid hormone levels. Risks unrelated to radioiodine therapy: Slater M.R., Geller S. and Rogers K., Long-Term Health and Predictors of Survival for Hyperthyroid Cats Treated with Iodine 131. These complications include cerebrovascular events (i.e., strokes) and the premature exacerbation of pre-existing kidney disease. The good news is that there are many treatment options available to our hyperthyroid cats. Prescription nutrition. Pediatrics, 1998. If hypertension is diagnosed along with hyperthyroidism, drugs may be needed to control the blood pressure and reduce the risk of damaging other organs. Cats treated with radioactive iodine for their hyperthyroidism have several risks unrelated to the radioiodine therapy itself. Due to the damaging effects of hyperthyroid-induced hypertension on your cats kidneys, blood kidney values must be reassessed once the thyroxine level has normalized, even if they were normal on initial blood tests. They will then need to take a thyroid supplement. This may take 8 to 12 weeks or longer. Methods: Therapy and body weight related data of 100 consecutive RITh-patients were retrospectively analysed from the time before up to three years after RITh. Our cat was treated for hyperthyroidism and has been back home for about two weeks. These include surgical removal of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) or treatment with radioactive iodine. But this generally resolves without intervention. Cats with hyperthyroidism exhibit symptoms that are similar to those of humans with the disease: weight loss, increased appetite, excessive . There are four treatment options for feline hyperthyroidism: medication, radioactive iodine therapy, surgery, and dietary therapy. The first step is determining the blood level of one of the thyroid hormones calledtotal thyroxine (TT4). Laura Porter / Verywell The normal thyroid cells will therefore not take up any radioactive iodine. Employees of facilities that utilize radioactive materials may be categorized as "radiation workers" depending on their role. Lifelong administration of methimazole can control the effects of an overactive thyroid gland. What is the biggest concern with nuclear meltdown and why? Affiliate of Mars Inc. 2023 | Copyright VCA Animal Hospitals all rights reserved. The advantage of surgery is that it is likely to produce a long-term or permanent cure in most cats, and therefore eliminates the need for long-term medication. Because of the short distances they travel they never exit the patient and as a result no one other than the patient is at risk from exposure to the beta particles unless they internalized the radioiodine excreted by the patient. Iodine-131, Hyperthyroidism, and Radioactive Iodine Therapy Iodine-131 (I-131) is a radioisotope of iodine with a physical half-life of 8.02 days; its primary decay emissions include a 606 keV - particle with 89.6% abundance and a 364 keV -ray with 81.5% abundance (Knolls Atomic Power Lab 2010).
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