When is thyroid surgery a good idea for cats?
Since there doesn’t seem to be a Dr. Mewas, I’ll
see if Dr. Barchas can help ;-) My cat, Jasper,
was diagnosed with hyperthroidism a little over a
year ago. He is now taking Tapazole twice a day
and the blood tests show he is under control.
I’m writing to ask for your opinion on a surgical
solution to my cat’s problem. My reasons for
researching this are partially for my convenience
and partially for my cat’s. It goes against my
grain to turn to surgery for convenience, but the
problem is growing since I started my new job.
I am often not able to get home from work
within 12 hours of having given Jasper his morning
pill. When this happens he gets into a cycle of
vomiting and, I believe, this can include
expelling some or all of his most recent pill,
which then produces more vomiting.
Do you think a surgical solution is worth pursuit for us?
Thank you so much,
Jan
Manila, CA
Hyperthyroidism is a very common disease of older cats. It may cause weight loss, vomiting, a rough coat, heart troubles, and a number of other problems. There are three ways to treat the disease: medication (known as Tapazole), surgery, or radioiodine therapy.
Most people start by treating their hyperthyroid cat with medication. And, for many cats, this treatment works out well. In other cases, complications arise. Some cats experience side effects from the medicine. Others, such as Jasper, have a low tolerance for late doses. The vomiting cycles that you describe are unpleasant for him. They are also bad for his health.
When Tapazole treatment does not work perfectly, it is not unreasonable to consider the other two options. Surgical removal of the thyroid gland usually cures hyperthyroidism permanently. However, it is not without risks. Cats must be anesthetized for the procedure. Postoperative pain is common. And, in rare cases small glands located near the thyroid gland (the parathyroid glands) are damaged or accidentally removed along with the thyroid gland, leading to fatal blood chemistry imbalances.
Radioiodine therapy is a newer form of treatment. Cats receiving this treatment are injected with a small amount of mildly radioactive iodine. The iodine eliminates excess thyroid gland activity.
Most veterinarians (including me) believe that, in most cases, radioiodine therapy is a better choice than surgery. Usually, radioiodine therapy cures hyperthyroidism permanently. No anesthesia is required, and the procedure is not painful. The biggest downside to the procedure is that cats must be hospitalized at a special facility for a few days while they eliminate the radioactive iodine. However, that downside is not unique to radioiodine therapy–many vets also recommend several days of hospitalization following thyroid surgery.
Jasper may be a good candidate for radioiodine therapy. I recommend that you talk about the pros and cons of the procedure with your vet.
You have questions. 
A friend of mine recently radioiodine therapy route with her cat. The cat is doing great and we all agree that it was more stressful for my friend than the cat.
My cat mu shue had radiodomoe theperpy done. Now he has kidney problems. The vet said that some time the kidney look normal and it just hidden. Or it was just bad luck that 6 mouths latter he started haveing kideny probelms. it was less streess it also very very very expesive
Mom had a Maine Coon - Conan the Bavarian that had hyperthyroid. The Tapazole did not work well for him, and when she and the Doc discussed options - he recommened the surgery versus the Radiocat.
Conan came through surgery fine, but they did not do a biopsy on the tissue removed. Mom was furious because she had left a huge deposit and told them do whatever he needed.
Sadly Conan died a month later because the cancer was wider spread than the Vet thought.
If Mom had to do it again - she would do Radiocat. It’s got a much better survival rate.
My 12 year old Inkblott Kitty of the Wilderness had her thyroid ablated with radioactive iodine about three years ago. She is still skinny, but the change in her behavior changed the feeling in the entire house hold–the dogs relaxed quite a bit in their reaction to poor jittery kitty and her talking quieted down quite a bit. It was cost effective (compared to a life time of meds) and she has a much better life. Thanks.
My cat who was a stray I adopted from a pound (unsure of his age) too was just diagnosed with hyperthyroid and he just had the radio iodine treatment and came through with flying colors! It was 3 days in the ward but definitely worth it not to have to frighten him repeatedly with trips to the vets for blood test, medication adjustments, he is a terror to medicate so this radioiodine was worth it for this reason alone! Compared to a life time of medication and blood tests, possible side effects to med requiring treatment it usually is as cost effective or more so than the life time of medication treatment. Another cat I have also has hyperthyroid but she also has some kidney problems so I might be trading one problem for another if I did get her the radioiodine but she too has the low tolerance to late or missed dose of medication and I just dont know if any resulting kidney disease might be more difficult to treat than the current medication regime we are on with her. For a good candidate though I would certainly go through this radio iodine without reservation.