Cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

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Hi

Vet has just called. Our 16 year old boy has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

We were offered radiotherapy but it would cost 3k and with his age we have said no

There was a special food but as we have another cat we can't have that as it is harmful to cats which don't have hyperthyroidism

So we are left with the tablet route. He is terrible at taking medication so we will have to try it and see how we get on

Can anyone give me an indication of what the hyperthyroidism medication costs. It is a tablet and two liquid medication a day. Apart from the issues with his thyroid and generally being an elderly boy his quality of life is good.

Oh, bless him. It’s quite common in older cats. My mum’s cat was diagnosed a couple of years ago. She’s on liquid meds twice a day, prescription is around £35 for around six weeks worth of meds.

My old boy was on tablets for another condition. For both tablet and liquid, I’ve always found this the easiest and quickest way to administer - it’s quick and there’s no bundling them up in a blanket or anything, which I think can add to their stress:

Firstly, get tablet or syringe ready well in advance of giving them, so cat doesn’t associate you popping out tablets as a signal to run!

When ready, quickly/gently scoop up your cat.
Pop them on a worktop or table - you want them at your mid-chest height.
Pop them in a sitting position, facing away from you.
So that you can kind of cradle them to your chest.
Use one hand to gently tip their head back whilst gently prising open their jaw.
Syringe the liquid/pop in the tablet.
Gently hold their mouth closed for a couple of seconds.
Let go of them so that they have the freedom to jump down of their own accord.
Enthusiastically shake a packet of Dreamies and pop a few on the floor.
Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

It sounds complicated, but really isn’t. The key is to be calm and confident. My mum was nervous at first, so I showed her the first few times. The cat didn’t know what had hit her, it was over in seconds 🤣

Hi OP.

I had two cats with hyperthyroidism and they were treated with the liquid medicine (Thyronorm).

We'd got them as rescues and they were never happy being handled, so it was impossible to give them tablets or medicine straight into their mouths.

We used to mix the medicine with a little cat food and they ate it fine. The vet was really surprised because it's supposed to work better if it's given on an empty stomach, but it wasn't possible with our two.

Anyway, the medicine was free thanks to insurance, but I don't think it was horribly expensive if people were not insured.

Both cats did very well and gained weight very quickly once treated.

When ready, quickly/gently scoop up your cat.

Yes, that was our problem! They would not let us hold them at all. We did chase after the first one who got it, and managed to get hold of him, but he was very distressed and wet himself in fear when we did it, so that is why we ended up mixing the medicine with his food.

Of course, if your cat is okay being handled, you won't have that problem!

All the best.

My cat had hyperthyroidism. Her medication cost about £30 a month. I think you are advised to give either tablets or liquid directly ie. Not mixed into food but I found that difficult and I just mixed them into her food, she ate it and it worked. She lived well for years with condition.

Once his levels have stabilised, get a prescription from your vet and buy the meds online. Our vet charges about £100 for 100ml Thyronorm, available online for about £40/£45, best to shop around for the best deal. Most vets charge about £20 for the prescription but will write it for a few months worth so it still works out a lot cheaper

You get used to administering meds, I have one on Thyronorm liquid and one on Vidalta tablets. Our old cat lived to 20 on thyroid meds since the age of 14

My cat has hyperthyroidism and takes liquid Thyronorm twice a day, I give it to her directly with a small syringe. She is very good though and doesn't resist so that probably doesn't help you much. It's worked well for her, she's almost 20 and has been on it since around the age your cat is.
I wouldn't bother going down the route of very expensive treatment that could be traumatic for your cat, especially at his age.

I had a cat with hyperthyroidism who’s sadly passed.

He had a tablet twice a day in a little ball of pate. Because it’s not a worming tablet (which apparently tastes/smells horrible) it wasn’t an issue.

Each time he’d jump up eagerly onto the counter as soon as I opened the fridge!

I second the PP's suggestion that you get the medicine from an online vet pharmacy. That's if you do not have insurance. If you have insurance they will pay.

We get our cats' Bravecto (flea treatments) from Animed Direct. It's much cheaper than getting it directly from the vet.

Our cat with this had medication rubbed into her ears twice daily - is this an option? It was easier to give than tablets!

Wow.
I wish this had been available 3 yrs ago.

So he is on the tablets and so far no problem. I saw a tip about inserting it into a piece of meaty cat stick and that has worked.

Excellent. You've got this.

It was, our cat had it from at least 2016

It's called Methimazole, you apply it to the inside of the ear whilst wearing disposable gloves to avoid dosing yourself. The vet does need to monitor the cat carefully, every 3 months or so, and you have to clean the cat's ears out regularly otherwise you get a build up of the gel. It took her from 16/17 to about 21. Towards the end she was on all sorts of other meds for all her ailments and it was by far the easiest to administer and she didn't mind it

Looks like you're on top of it, but just in case it helps, our 20 something cat was on liquid thyroid meds for ages, we gave it to her in likelix, which she devoured. When the time came that she couldn't even get out of bed for likelix, it was time to say our farewells. It was another year or two of cuddles and love though, at quite a grand old age

Mine is on liquid (thyronorm) twice a day. If I get this from the vet, it is upwards of £100. So I buy the prescription for about £15 then get the medication from an online pharmacy for about £37. Depends what dose your cat is on but ours only has 1.25mls a day so a 100ml bottle lasts ages. I put the thyronorm out in a little bowl with some lick-e-lix and he eats it no problem

My cat had the same problem, lost so much weight, she was tiny anyway and would cry for food constantly.
After a few weeks on a liquid medicine she was like a new cat for a while
She put weight on, ate normally and was so much happier. She had a good year and died 12 months later at the age of 20.Good luck with your boy

Ours is on liquid Thyronorm twice a day. She's very placid - I tuck her under my arm and open her mouth a little with my left hand and then squirt it in with my right hand.
If she wasn't like that I would put it in something strong smelling like tuna.
I pay the vet for a prescription and buy it online from Animed.

If you can manage the cost then I would go the radiotherapy route. The medication for approx the 6 + years our old boy when he was on it would have cost the same and we had lots of other costs too. We just didn't have that amount back then. He developed high blood pressure (hyperthyroidism can affect the kidneys and heart as well) which made him go blind for a short while until meds lowered his bp and his eye sight came back. He was pts last year, almost a year ago, at the grand age of 19 1/2 years after collapsing.
If you are going the medication route then I can highly recommend pill paste. It's expensive but it helped give our fussy boy his medication every time, even when he was feeling off. www.viovet.co.uk/EasyPill-for-Dogs-Cats/c21744/

One of the cats I once had was the same - she was treated with a transdermal gel. I had to ask my vet for it because it used to be a nightmare struggling to get tablets down her. This gel is just rubbed into the OUTSIDE park of the ear, and was quick and simple to administer.

Our vet never mentioned it.
Damn.

My two girls really liked their liquid Thyronorm and waited expectantly for it.
The both lived happily for five or six years past their diagnosis, had surgery fairly early on but the condition returned later, which I believe is common.

My pet insurance covered my old girl to have radioactive iodine therapy, she did very well afterwards but only lived for another year. She was 19. I had to cancel the insurance after that because it went up to £100 a month.
Sadly she developed kidney failure then and died at 20. Hyperthyroidism can often hide kidney failure.
At 16 you are probably better off with the pills.
Burrito your cat and give them via a pill popper, they do get used to it.
Without the pills his blood pressure will go right up and he will probably go blind.
You can get them much cheaper via an online pet pharmacy, about half as cheap but your vet will need to issue a prescription. Just tell the vet you can't afford the meds from them and will need to buy them online, they are usually very understanding, I always do that for long term meds because they are so expensive direct from the vets.