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 Iodine-131
Treatment for Feline
Hyperthyroidism - A one shot deal!
What is
Hyperthyroidism?
Like an engine,
the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland regulates many aspects of the body's
metabolic rate. Your hyperthyroid cat has a tumor (98% are benign) that is
producing too much thyroid hormone, which in turn keeps the cat's
"engine" running at an abnormally high speed. This condition
over-stimulates virtually every organ system, and causes reactions including
behavioral changes, weight loss, excessive or decreased appetite, hyperactivity
or lethargy, fever, rapid heartbeat and/or arrhythmia, shedding, increased
water consumption & litter box output, diarrhea and osteoporosis. While
fatal if left untreated, we can now cure this disease, and return your cat to
a normal thyroid state! It's a one shot deal.
Other options and
their risks
Anti-thyroid
drugs (Tapazole):
- Do not cure the disease or
kill the tumor causing the problem
- Side effects like nausea,
vomiting, lethargy, lack of appetite, and hair loss/facial scabbing
- Loss of vital white blood
cells & blood clotting abilities
- Long-term damage to liver and
kidneys
- Damage to owner-pet
relationship due to difficulties in pilling your cat 1-3 times daily
- Increased need for blood
tests to monitor thyroid hormone levels and potential side effects
- Cost of pills & blood
tests is $500-$700 per year, for the rest of your cat's life
With Surgery there are
always risks:
- Anesthesia
- Possible damage to/removal of
parathyroid glands
- Difficulty in
identifying/removing the entire tumor
- Persistence of hyperthyroidism
post-surgery (80% will develop a tumor in the opposite side within one
and a half years)
- Cost of one surgery is
$700-$1300
- Often performed in two
surgeries
- Thyroid tissue in the chest
that can not be removed and where the tumor can recur
- Many cats still need I-131
therapy after undergoing one or more thyroidectomies
The Cure for Feline
Hyperthyroidism is here...
A one shot deal!
 One injection of Radioiodine (I-131) is all it
takes! The I-131 is absorbed into and destroys only the thyroid tumor --
wherever its location -- in roughly 98-99% of cats after just one injection.
By law, this therapy requires a clinic stay of less than one week but does
NOT require anesthesia; does NOT affect healthy thyroid tissue, the
neighboring parathyroid glands, or have any harmful side effects. Your cat's
thyroid function should become normal within one month, and should not
require thyroid supplementation. Our treatment plan includes a review of
records, x-ray interpretation; I-131 injection; daily monitoring (with as
much love and care as we can safely give); feeding and hospitalization.
Following discharge, we will still be involved in your cat's health via
discussions with you and a review of your cat's post treatment test results
with your referring veterinarian.
- This is a disease of older
cats. Radiocat® regularly treats cats as old as 20...
- We have successfully treated
over 21,000 cats.
Your cat's
hospitalization
Your cat must reach
the safe and legal level of radiation release (less than a week) before
coming home (often harder for the owner than the cat). While we are waiting for the radiation
levels to decline a specially trained Radiocat staff member will be caring
for your cat. During this time they
will have access to a veterinarian should the need arise. We make every
effort to make our feline guests as happy as possible. We limit their numbers
to allow us to spend more time with each one. Our wards are large, airy, bright
and comfortable. We can arrange to play special music or audiotapes of your
voice for your cat, and have a TV/VCR complete with a library of "Kitty
Videos". Toys and blankets are welcome (but not returnable). We'll work
with you in determining a menu of your cat's favorite dishes, and take great
pride in caring for and loving your pet in your absence. Daily progress
reports on your cat are available.
Post-Treatment care
After your cat is
released, we ask that you take two weeks of some basic, common sense safety
precautions primarily regarding your cat's litter box output (we'll give you
detailed written instructions along with a litter disposal kit). You'd
probably receive more radiation from an extended flight or a day at the beach
than you'll get from your cat once it's released, so it does NOT need to be
isolated from you, your family and other pets, but it must stay indoors.
Limiting (NOT halting) snuggling with your cat, and washing your hands after
prolonged close contact is recommended. We'll help you figure out ways to
accommodate these small changes in your daily routine. The potential risk to
owners is extremely remote as regulations for using I-131 are much stricter
for animals than for people, but we recommend pregnant women not participate
in the cat's care during these two weeks. After two weeks, simply return to
your normal pet-care and pet-loving routine!
Radiocat® ...
Behind the name
Dr. David S.
Herring is a Board Certified Veterinary Radiologist who believes the pet's
best interests are paramount and that the treatment should never be worse
than the disease. He received advanced training in diagnostic ultrasound,
echocardiography, radiography and nuclear medicine, and taught at Texas
A&M and The Ohio State University. In 1985 he moved to the
Baltimore-Washington area, where he became the first veterinarian to offer
abdominal ultrasound and, in 1995, radioiodine therapy (I-131).
Dr. Rand S. Wachsstock is
a graduate of The University of Illinois. Dr. Wachsstock taught both there
and at Yale University. He has actively practiced
emergency medicine since 1984 and believes comprehensive state-of-the-art
medical care should be readily available to all pets. He owns and operates
The Springfield Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Springfield, Virginia.
Dr. Herring and Dr. Wachsstock are co-founders of Radiocat® , a veterinary
practice dedicated exclusively to the care and treatment of feline
hyperthyroidism.
A One Shot Deal... One
injection of Radioiodine (I-131) is all it takes!
- Experts agree: treatment of
choice
- More cost effective
- Eliminates daily pilling
- Does NOT require anesthesia
- Does NOT affect healthy
thyroid tissue
- Does NOT damage any other
tissue or organs, including the parathyroid glands
- Does NOT have any harmful
side effects
- Destroys thyroid tumors
wherever their location
- Returns thyroid function to
normal usually within one month
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