Before treatment he was ravenous and losing weight -- typical of cats with that disorder I'm told. Annual blood and urine tests are important in all cats seven years and older to detect hyperthyroidism before potentially irreversible damage occurs. Having lost my 18-year-old feline member of the family a few years ago, I completely understand the attachment and your desire to not stress the cat. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. 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. Treatment for Hypothyroidism in Cats. The outcomes following most hyperthyroid therapies are usually excellent, and most cats have a very good chance of returning to a normal state of health. Radioactive iodine therapy is a very effective way to treat hyperthyroidism (I-131). As the thyroid levels return to normal, some cats may be able to adjust to their new diets quickly after treatment. 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. What is not taken up by the thyroid will be present in the cat's bodily fluids and will primarily be voided in the cat's urine (in those first four days at the vet hospital). Many times the only symptoms these other conditions cause are weight loss. Prescription nutrition. 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. This single treatment will cure 95-98% of cats.
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. Radioactive-iodine therapy is becoming increasingly popular when dealing with hyperthyroidism in cats. Before deciding the form of treatment, several tests are performed, including additional blood tests, a urinalysis, chest radiographs (X-rays), an ECG, and blood pressure measurements. It is also common for some cats to hide under the bed for a day or so after returning home as they de-stress following their out of home experience. Cats afflicted with hyperthyroidism usually develop a variety of signs that may be subtle at first but that become more severe as the disease progresses. Because metabolism is altered in hyperthyroidism, it's important to monitor your cat's weight and muscle mass. Each treatment option has its advantages and disadvantages. I-131 is normally a health concern after the . 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. 5. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 2004. This cat is showing weight loss and poor coat - typical signs of hyperthyroidism. If left untreated, a hyperthyroid cat can exhibit many, if not all, of the following signs: extreme weight loss, excessive appetite in most cases, but decreased appetite in some, muscle weakness, heart disease (increase in the size of the heart, increased rate, changes in heart rhythm, cardiac arrest), intolerance to stress, and eventually death. 6. Unfortunately, 131I has a rather high-energy gamma emission that is difficult to shield. What may work for one cat may not work for another. This helps us offset the costs of running this site, so thank you for your support! Radioactive iodine therapy is becoming the treatment of choice for felines with hyperthyroidism. Because the risk from exposure to radiation in children is generally considered greater than the risk from the same exposure in adults[7], radiation precautions for children and pregnant women are more restrictive than for adults.The release instructions advising clients of hyperthyroid cats being discharged following radioiodine therapy at AVMI advise that pregnant women and children (defined as individuals less than 18 years of age) avoid contact (defined as a proximity of less than 6 feet) with the patient for a period of 12 days following discharge. However, caution should be taken in disposal of products that may contain trace amounts of this radioactive substance. Your doctor will order a test called a radioactive iodine uptake and scan to determine the dose you will need. Thyroid hormone regulates the metabolic rate of an animal. For this reason, some cats with hyperthyroidism may require additional treatment to control secondary heart disease. Thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy may develop because the heart enlarges and thickens to meet the increased metabolic demands. Other than unexplained weight loss, your cat may also become more restless, hyperactive, vocal, and extremely hungry! The majority of cats treated with radioactive iodine have normal hormone levels within one to two weeks of treatment. Clinical Signs Hyperthyroid cats suffer overactive thyroid glands, circulating too much thyroid hormone through their system and affecting nearly every organ. About TheCatSite.com. Feeding an iodine-limited diet (Hills Prescription Diet y/d) can resolve clinical signs and lower thyroid hormone concentration. 2007 07/19/2011; Available from: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/. Your cat will not experience nausea, hair loss, lethargy, or decreased appetite as a result of the procedure. My pet has kidney disease what kind of diet should I feed. Occasionally cats will act like they may have a sore throat for a couple of days after the radioiodine therapy. For some cats, a veterinary therapeutic diet low in iodine may be all thats required to control symptoms. Oftentimes it takes decades for cancer to be detected following radiation exposure. Despite the extensive blood and urine tests, chest x-rays and physical exams that we require before . Now the question is what risk does one obtain from receiving an exposure of 1 mSv? With this therapy, you take radioactive iodine (radioiodine) by mouth. Since hyperthyroid cats are usually over eight years of age, there is a degree of risk involved. These licenses establish the basis for the facilities compliance with federal regulations established by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Thus, pate is a better choice for your cat than gravy food due to the latter's higher . Of 247 patients receiving RAI for GD, 157 (79.6% female) had complete data and were included in the analysis. Site Help | There are several treatment options, and your veterinarian will determine the best choice for your cat. Conveniently, the main use of iodine in the body is the production of thyroid hormone, so a deficient diet shouldnt cause any other health issues in a hyperthyroid cat. Now let's deal with the issue of radioactive iodine released by the cat, which I believe is actually the bigger concern. If the total GFR is below this number, medical therapy for hyperthyroidism may be recommended, although I-131 treatment may still be an option in specific patients. If your cat requires daily medications for issues other than hyperthyroidism, he's not a candidate for radioactive iodine therapy.
The principle advantage of Radioactive Iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism is that it tends to have a much higher success rate than medications. Until then, the radiation safety guidelines of Michigan and the NCR are followed. So, we must use distance and reduction of time near the source when dealing with patients and pets treated with 131I. 2. Calabrese E.J., Hormesis: From Marginalization to Mainstream: A Case for Hormesis as the Default Dose-Response Model in Risk Assessment. 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. Radioactive iodine is a treatment for an overactive thyroid gland. They were randomized into 2 groups for continuous antithyroid and radioiodine treatment. We love them, too! A blood chemistry panel and urinalysis will provide information about other organs and provide your veterinarian with an overall picture of your cats health. The treatment options for hyperthyroidism are: Oral medication. The risks of ingesting radioactive iodine and the risks of being around a patient that has been treated with radioactive iodine are very different. Having said that, the clients who own the cats we treat with radioiodine should make every effort to avoid ingesting any contents from the litter box. Should we just cut him off "cold turkey" (pun intended) and hope he finds fulfillment and eventual weight gain with his old diet of dry food? At 1 and 3 months after the treatment, a blood test for thyroid and kidney function should be done by your veterinarian. Weight change was analyzed in only 228 patients and 84% gained weight by 1 year after radioactive iodine therapy. Cats havetwo thyroid glands in the neck that are vital in regulating the body's metabolic rate. We were told that 90% of the Radioactive Iodine is gone from the cat in two days.
What is taken up by the thyroid will be released slowly over the next days/weeks to the other bodily fluids which is why they have the precautions that you describe. The thyroid takes up the radioactive iodine, which destroys cells in the thyroid. There are four treatment options for feline hyperthyroidism: medication, radioactive iodine therapy, surgery, and dietary therapy. 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. Radioactive Iodine Therapy No ill effects have been noted in the children born to parents who received radioactive iodine in the past. 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. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. As with surgery, you may need to take thyroid hormone . Weight gain was similar for patients who received antithyroid drugs or radioiodine treatment but was significantly greater for patients who had been treated with thyroidectomy (5 kg vs 10 kg; P = 0.007). In almost all cases, your thyroid hormone levels will return to normal or below normal after radioactive iodine treatment. How long can a cat live after radioactive iodine treatment? Depending on the dose of radioactive iodine chosen, and the disease under treatment (Grave's vs toxic goitre, vs hot nodule etc), success rate in achieving definitive resolution of the hyperthyroidism . Why? However, it may not be the best treatment for your particular cat. The delivery of iodine is targeted to the overactive thyroid gland(s), the cat does not experience any radiation side effects at the normal therapy doses used to treat hyperthyroidism. Medication and radioactive iodine therapy are just as effective at treating hyperthyroidism in cats as surgery and are less invasive, so surgical treatment is rarely chosen for treating this condition. Of course some cats treated with radioiodine for their hyperthyroidism will go on to get cancer, but in the same proportion as hyperthyroid cats treated with methimazole or surgery. Malcolm Weir, DVM, MSc, MPH; Krista Williams, BSc, DVM; Robin Downing, DVM, CVPP, CCRP, DAAPM; Ernest Ward, DVM.
The cell repairs itself perfectly (most common result). The treatment you and your vet choose depends on several factors including how severe the disease is, your cats health, and what works best for your family. Surgery will be performed if your cat successfully undergoes the initial treatment without complication. The estimates of risk currently used are extrapolated from patients that have received much higher doses (e.g., atomic bomb survivors) using the linear, no-threshold model of radiation exposure risk. But those instruments are quite expensive and are not readily available in stores. 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. If these tests are not diagnostic, athyroid scan (thyroid scintigraphy)can be performed at a veterinary referral center, or the TT4 can be measured again in a few weeks. What this means is that occasionally we invest clients economic and perhaps more importantly, emotional resources in treating and resolving hyperthyroidism is cats with other, currently unknown diseases. Hair loss. The thyroid cells are damaged or destroyed, but that's the whole idea other cells are left untouched. The dose of radiation used during radioactive iodine treatment is very low, but there are some precautions you'll need to take after treatment: avoid prolonged close contact with children and pregnant women for a few days or weeks women should avoid getting pregnant for at least 6 months men should not father a child for at least 4 months 4. If this is accompanied by clinical signs such as lethargy, obesity, and poor hair coat, then thyroid hormone supplementation may be required. She's lost a pound in less than two weeks, so yeah, I'm glad I let her eat as much as she wanted. . The risks associated with low level ingestion of radioactive iodine relate to an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer. Because each cat is different, your veterinarian will advise you on the best treatment for your cat. In a cat treated with radioactive iodine, the drool will contain radioactive materials. NRC Regulations Is radioactive iodine treatment safe? For this long-term treatment, the cat is injected with the radioactive iodine, which destroys the tissue of the overactive thyroid gland. Reduce the time near a source, increase the distance from the source, or use some sort of radiation absorbing shielding between you and the source of radiation and you will reduce your radiation dose. As for your dose, my primary concernespecially if you were allowing the cat to have direct, prolonged contact within the first week of releasewould be the potentially contaminated materials that could result in your intake of radioactive 131I. A treated cat has to remain hospitalized until its radiation level has fallen to within acceptable limits. While the concept of radiation hormesiswould suggest a potential benefit from exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation by stimulating the immune system's ability to repair DNA, any potential benefit is poorly defined and hence the current recommendations surrounding radiation exposure follow the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) concept. An anti-thyroid medication, like methimazole. Even after treatment it may take a long time to reverse weight loss and muscle loss that occurred before your cats diagnosis. Will he come around at some point or have we created a monster who will run off to the food dish every time we get up from the chair. Therefore if you adhere to the release instructions we provide you with (copies provided on admission and again at discharge), you should be assured of getting less than 1 mSv exposure from interacting with your cat. Risks from hyperthyroidism. A single injection is given subcutaneously (i.e. Domestic airline pilots are exposed to an additional 2.2 mSv per year, about the same dose as a brain CT. As you can see from the table below, the estimated risk of developing cancer from exposure to 0.1 Gy (= 100mSv), while it varies with the age of the individual, is something less than 1% for adults. I-131 therapy does not require anesthesia and eliminates the need for daily medication. Hence additional separation between the patient and children are unnecessary. A veterinarian who suspects a cat has a thyroid problem will conduct a physical examination and palpate the cats neck area to check for an enlarged thyroid gland (see Figure 2). Wet food is much better for him anyhow, so this is a good time to get him settled on it. This treatment involves administering an injection of iodine with a radioactive substance attached. After administration of 131 Iodine, your cat is . By
However, once the underlying hyperthyroidism has been controlled, the cardiac changes will often improve or may even resolve completely. Hypertension develops due to the increased pumping pressure and elevated heart rate that occurs with hyperthyroidism. Dr. Heinze is an employee of Mark Morris Institute and has provided professional serviceshas done consulting for Lafeber and WellPet, given sponsored talks for Nestl Purina PetCare and the Pet Food Institute, and provided professional services to Balance IT.com and Mark Morris Institute. When a radioactive form of iodine is given to hyperthyroid cats, the radiation destroys a portion of the thyroid gland. Since platelets are essential for blood clotting, thrombocytopenia may lead to problems with excessive bleeding. Blog written by Dr. Daisy Spears in conjunction with Dr. Linder. By 14 days after treatment, the radioactivity will have decayed to a very low level. However, the risk is minimal if your cat is otherwise healthy, and the initial diagnostic tests and treatment did not reveal any underlying conditions. 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. Clients frequently have the following 2 questions when considering radioiodine therapy for their cat's hyperthyroidism. This may take 8 to 12 weeks or longer. Giving him medication once or twice a day isn't an option, although if it's a medication that can be mixed in with his food, it's something you could discuss with the veterinary staff at the facility.
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