should I take the cat to the vets?

[mckenzie]

He is quite old (about 15) and at the moment seems to be a bit wobbly on his back legs. Also, if he gets up on the table in the garden it appears that he has to take a deep breathe to prepare himself (for the pain??) before he jumps down. DH says not to take him as all that will happen is we'll get a huge bill for being told that he's old and given tablets of some sort. I think I should take him just to get him checked out.

What do you think?

Well here's my view on this case, not sure whether the others will agree.

Hyperthyroidism should be diagnosed by a blood sample. It can often be diagnosed by palpation but should always be confirmed by bloods. Usually a hyperthyroid cat would be stabilised on medication before the surgery. Some cases can be managed with long term medication alone while other cases can be treated with radioactive iodine (£££ though).

IMO in the case of an elderly cat I would also want to know if his kidney function is OK before proceeding with surgery (or even hyperthyroidism meds in cases with signs of renal failure). And of course as with any older animal, the benefits of surgery have to be carefully considered versus the risks and the recovery which the animal will have to go through.

If you came to me with this case I would be looking to take a blood sample to check his thyroid and organs first, and only with that information to go on could we then make a decision regarding surgery. At his age it is my feeling that you need to work out what problems are having most impact on his quality of life and deal with them first. But obviously the standard disclaimer applies - I haven't examined the animal nor managed the case until now etc etc blah blah blah.

I absolutely agree with IAteDAvinaForDinner. You definitely need to have more information on his overall health before you can decide what to proceed with. A full blood profile is essential in my opinion.

Message withdrawn

thanks VERY much for these replies. I have been away since monday lunchtime (for an exam and course) and got back this evening to find the cat had been left in the lounge all day and the carpet was covered in places, and I mean covered, in fur!! Like I have never seen before. I have also noticed that he is drinking more so when you all mentioned kidneys I thought it might be relevant.

#What do you think I should do now? Go to a different vet or ask the same vet to take blood tests?

And unfortunately oops he isn't insured . In my wisdom last year when the premium went sky high I cancelled it. Please don't reprimand me as I have reprimanded myself enough times since.

TIA

are any of you Vets in Enfield by any slim chance?

Not in Enfield, sorry.

Trying to be diplomatic here, what about seeing another vet at the practice or phoning your vet first to discuss things further?

As a vet I'm not sure whether there's been a communication problem (ie your vet hasn't quite made it clear that bloods would be a necessary start-point, but would intend to do these as a matter of course) or your vet has genuinely suggested surgery as a first-line approach to this case - if this is the case I strongly disagree with him.

If he was my cat, from what you've described, I wouldn't be considering surgery for his thyroid. You need to know much more about his general health and organ function before that anyway, but at 15 with a history of weight loss and reduced mobility it's possible this guy has a spectrum of problems which won't all be addressed by surgery and could actually be made worse.

You are always free and quite within your rights to seek a second opinion from another practice.

thanks very much for your reply. My memory of the conversation is fairly clear and I believe he was suggesting surgery straight off. He was bragging a little if anything about how often he does this operation - more than spading in his surgery. I remember at the time thinking it was a little strange but each to their own. I think I will go to a completely different vet and get another opinion. I'm going to ask around and see who people recommend around this area, see whose name keeps being mentioned and go with that vet i think.

I spoke to 5 people this afternoon/evening and they all recommended the same vet practice (yet we have quite a few in the area). I took that to be a good sign and I have spoken to them and they are going to get Tom's notes from the other vet and see him by the end of the week.

Sorry- missed your update, but agree with other vets- I'd definitely be doing bloods first. Hyperthyroidism can often be managed with medication alone, especially if surgery is risky (these guys often have a secondary heart problem, and at 15 may have kidney? liver issues) The op itself IS straightforward, but the anaesthetic, and consequent recovery, can be hairy for an old cat who isn't in the best of health- did the vet mention a heart murmur at all when he examined Tom?

Think you are right to get a 2nd opinion. Like the others, I would never diss a vet when I didn't actually witness the consult or examine the cat, but it's not the way I would go about it as standard practice.

HTH

thanks jjj. I have heard some negative stuff about our vet before but obviously I didn't want to right him off based on hearsay and he seemed to treat my cat well enough. Now I can't help but wonder if some of the other stuff I heard did have some truth in it and so will move to this other vet practice that has come highly recommended and if they end up giving the same diagnosis and treatment then so be it but at least i will feel more comfortable with the decision.

the update as it's saturday night and i;m bored waiting for teh X factor results programme to come on!!

The new vet is lovely, much less posh but more friendly and has a very nice feel to it. Young vet that checked over Tom explained everything he was checking, why he was checking etc. he did some blood tests and confirmed that he does have hyperthyroidism but no live/kidney complaint. We've stopped the painkillers that the first vet had given for now and we're treating the hyperthyroidism with tablets and then I'm to take him back in a month and we'll see how things are. Tom seems fine although I think, just as an add on now, that he might have worms. I've just tonight discovered that DD has them but have been thinking for the last few dayay that the cat is eating huge amounts to it could be related huh? Back to the vets??

I've just seen all my spelling mistakes etc . Sorry.