Hyperthyroidism in Cats-Options for Treatment

Hyperthyroidism in Cats-Options for Treatment will provide an overview of traditional veterinary approaches to treating hyperthyroidism in cats.

There are basically three traditional treatment options for hyperthyroidism in cats.

The first option is medication. Tapazole or methimazole is the preferred treatment of choice among veterinarians. Tapazole in effect makes the thyroid less productive and therefore reduces the release of thyroid hormone.

The primary advantage of Tapazole is that this treatment is reversible, meaning that if you discontinue the drug with your cat, pre-administering levels of thyroid hormone will return. This is a particulary helpful feature when treating a cat who the vet suspects may have kidney disease as well.

The draw-backs of Tapazole therapy are few, but worth mentioning. First, Tapazole may produce mild side effects in cats, such as vomiting, lethargy and skin reactions.Secondly, Tapazole is a pill which must be administered at least once daily, making it somewhat inconvenient for the pet parent.

The second option is surgery, which unlike a drug that manages a condition, acts as a cure through removal of the gland. If a cat is in good renal health, this could be a good solution.

As with any surgery, there are risks involved. First, anesthesia is risky for older cats who may have other conditions (heart and kidney) that could result in complications. There is also a danger of inadvertent damage to the parathyroid glands that regulate blood-calcium levels.

The third option, and an option that's rapidly becoming a preferred treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats, is radioactive iodine therapy. During the course of treatment, radioactive iodine is injected into the blood stream where it's quickly absorbed and taken up by the thyroid gland,but not by other tissues. The iodine destroys the abnormal thyroid tissue, but not the parathyroid glands. Within two weeks of beginning treatment, most feline patients have thyroid levels in the normal range.

The advantages to radioactive iodine therapy are several. First, it works; radioactive iodine therapy is curative in 95% of cases. Secondly, there are no serious side effects and anesthesia is not required, making it a safer choice for older cats who are otherwise healthy.

As with any treatment, there is a downside or two to this therapy. Radioactive iodine therapy is not widely available and where it is available, it's nearly expensive as surgery. There are also risks to handling radioactive iodine and as such, the feline patient must be quarantined for a week or two until radioactivity reaches an accepted level. This means the cat-parent must visit her cat from the opposite side of a window until it is finally time to come home.

Now, this is a web site on all natural pet care, so you may be asking "What about natural options for treating hyperthyroidism in cats?" And the answer is there are natural options- click here if you want to explore further.

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