Medicating a hyperthyroid cat

[Bobsdadbod]

My cat has been diagnosed with hyperthyroid, while I'm hypothyroid.

Does any one know how safe it is for me to handle the hyperthyroid medication without risking my own thyroid?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

What is your cat's medication? A tablet? Liquid? I imagine it's fine, however you give it just wash your hands afterwards.

I'm thinking of using a vet in future, they seem to know a lot more than GPs and they listen.

[bantam12 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Vets can only go on blood results, they don't know if the animal feels good or bad !

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to bantam12]

My GP doesn't know if I feel good or bad - oh wait - yes they do because I tell them but it doesn't make any difference, they don't care if I feel bad.

[bantam12 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I know but at least we humans can speak !

[Hidden in reply to bantam12]

Don't mean Jack Shite as can Yak and Yak to the cows come home but Quacks never listen/hear what your saying

[Batty1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hehehe

[BrynGlas in reply to SeasideSusie]

You too S. Susie?

[tattybogle in reply to bantam12]

So they have to actually look at the animal ,, and ask questions, and think .... an improvement on many GP's. I think i'd still prefer a vet's opinion on my treatment than a GP's... and vets are taught to take 'time of last dose Levo' into account when interpreting bloods.

[bantam12 in reply to tattybogle]

My daughter is a Vet 🙂

[Batty1 in reply to tattybogle]

I wouldn’t trust my vet with a piece of paper I think she is a murdering itch.

[Zephyrbear in reply to bantam12]

Yes, and rather than call a result “sub-clinical” hypothyroidism which doesn’t get treated, they see an abnormal result and treat it straight away! And they don’t just rely on TSH!!! I used to be a veterinary nurse and I would quite happily have gone to a vet for my diagnosis rather than spend 10 years on the damned TSH ‘sub clinical’ spectrum feeling worse by the day!

[Bluespots in reply to Zephyrbear]

I suggested thyroid problems to my vet about my dog....full thyroid blood panel straight away.....vets don't like to see suffering patients. They also take notice of raggedy fur.....my falling out hair and other physical signs was ignored for six years by my GP Practice. Autoimmune Hashimoto's...how much damage was done in six years !!

[FinneUK in reply to bantam12]

My cat was hyperthyroid and died of the condition as diagnosed late. It could not speak but with hindsight behaviour was a clue. It was a lovely cat that died before his time.

[bantam12 in reply to FinneUK]

Our 2 were hyper for several years, both had failed thyroid ops and both died from hyper complications despite the best care.

[Lalatoot in reply to SeasideSusie]

At least vets have to see the patient. They can't tell the cat it will be a telephone appointment. 🐱

[greygoose in reply to Lalatoot]

lol

[Batty1 in reply to Lalatoot]

LMAO 😂

[Doris11 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I’m up for seeing a Vet to 😂😂😂😂

[Jump1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Ha ha...no they are as clueless

[bantam12]

I had 2 hyper cats at the same time, surgery failed in both, tablets didn't work so they were both on Thyronorm liquid. I added it to their food so no problems with me handling it.

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Hyperthyroidism its fairly common condition in older cats. Cats can develop hyper nodules. Thyroid issues in people is usually autoimmune. I have a nodule - so same as my cat!

Medication is either pill or liquid. Pills are least expense but my cat was difficult with pills so we give 0.25ml liquid x2 daily by syringe. Wear gloves if you are likely to get any on you as a precaution. On food is ok as long as the cat eats all food fairly quickly and it’s not eaten by other pets.

My cat had a monthly blood test at first & 2 dose adjustments before stable. Humans are left longer between checks. Now my cat is checked every 6 month if she seems well.

If your cat is insured they may be covered for surgery or even radio-iodine treatment. My cat it too old for surgery the specialist centre which offer Radioactive iodine treatment for around £2200 privately. Its usually a 14 day isolation for cats. Humans go home on the same day but are expected to avoid close contact. (Assuming the human can be trusted not to use the neighbours garden as a bathroom like cats do).

[Hidden in reply to PurpleNails]

At least the Cat buries it's Turds Unlike Humans

[Bellaowl]

He’s a lovely cat. My cat had tumours in the thyroid, lost a great deal of weight and had radio-isotope ctreatment at Rex, Potters Bar. Lovely vet. She then developed diabetes and I was giving her insulin but was convinced it was making her worse.

She ten had a monitor implanted which showed I was right.

She now has no treatment.

Cats have thyroid gland material down the oesophagus and in the stomach lining which appears to become active even after radiotherapy you the thyroid gland.

I wish mine could. I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and have no thyroid gland left at all.

Bella

[BabyDoe]

You are fine.... Im a vet asst and I have thyroid problem and I handle pets with thyroid problems all the time and is perfectly fine. It's not like you're going to inject it into your body... if it was dangerous for you it would be dangerous for everyone cuz it would screw up everybody's thyroid.

[rosetrees]

Like bantam12 - I have an elderly cat on thyronorm. It comes with a measuring syringe that you use to draw it straight from the bottle. You never have to touch it.

[StillEverHopeful]

I too have a hyperthyroid cat & I have hypothyroidism. He was diagnosed a couple of months ago & is on thyronorm (thiamazole) It says to wash your hands after handling. The only time I’ve had to handle it is when I’ve squirted the stuff in the side of his mouth & it shot out the other side. :)Curiously over the pond Thyronorm is a different product used to treat hypOthyroisdism. Nothing like confusing folks!

Cost wise it can work out cheaper to go the radio-iodine route than the cost of medication & regular blood tests. After about 3 years you have broken even. I have an aunt who’s cat had his thyroid removed & he is doing well. Removal of thyroid for cats is slightly different as the have thyroid tissue else where in their bodies.( It’s called something like embryonic or ancestral thyroid tissue) which then produces enough hormone for most not to need medication for UAT

I was also told that as treatment starts that it can then uncover kidney problems that have been masked by the hyperthyroidism & some cats have a reaction to the medication that disrupts the liver. My cat initially had raised liver enzymes, but that has resolved but he does have some early kidney issues that we have opted for quality of life and let him eat his usual food rather than try the kidney diet, that is not tasty to cats, as he gets “takeaways” from the fields & visits other homes for a snack & a nap.

[Xeniav]

Same here It's not a problem. I use an ointment you rub in the cats ear. He is much better and I never touch it.

[Jings in reply to Xeniav]

Aye that's what my cat gets..Transdermal cream rubbed into the inside of the ear flap pinna. She now tolerates it unlike the pills when she turned into a ninja. 🥴

[naryshkin]

Your cat is very handsome! Hope he'll get better soon! Please give him a chin scratch for me

The neighbour's cat named Clive who used to visit me for his daily chin scratches had hyperthyroidism too, so we'd help her by making sure he'd have some fresh water available whenever he popped over (no cheeky treats since he was on a thyroid-friendly diet). She said he was ok with pills for a while until he grew tired of them, so she'd hide them in his wet food, before switching to a liquid solution. If he wasn't home by dinner, she knew he'd be camping out with us. He lived for a good few years after receiving his diagnosis and he caught birds and squirrels until the end, when he turned 17. Lovely cat!

[tibble]

I used a cream from the vets that I rubbed inside my cat's ears twice a day. I used rubber gloves to administer and had to clean his ears with witch hazel. This option cost an extra £10 a month compared to giving him tablets for his thyroid every day but it was well worth it and so much easier and a happier cat.

[Batty1]

He is a cutieee…. his meds won’t effect you.

[kvmj]

My cat was diagnosed hyperthyroid in April. I administer Methimazole via a syringe dispenser (it's a cream) to the non hairy part of his inner ear. I was told to wear gloves, but the dispenser has a flat, angled head which I use to spread the medication.

Yes, the medication can affect you. I'm hyper too so don't worry about it much. We are both awaiting RAI.

[Poniesrfun]

There is a Feline Thyroid group with a lot of information - groups.io/g/FelineThyroidMa...

[Countrykitten]

One of my cats has been Hyper for six or seven years. I pop his pills down his throat every night and never have any problems because of that. (I'm Hypo) He's now 19 years and 6 months old, so prognosis good if cat has regular checks. Good luck.

[Petronella]

Lovely cat! I hope all the other replies have set your mind at rest!

I remember long ago my father saying how much better the vet treated our cat than the doctor treated my mother!