Archive for September, 2009

We are almost booked up for houndstooth so if you are still interested please call the clinic. If you aren’t sure if your pet is a canidate please let us know and we can assist you.

Don’t sit back and relax, Houndstooth is coming back again. Last time was so successful that they are coming back October 27th(Tuesday) and Oct 28th(Wednesday). Remember this is anesthesia free cleaning. They clean, scale,polish the teeth. They are licensed veterinary dental hygienists. If you have any questions or want to know if your pet is eligible just give us a call.

Feline Hyperthroidism

Is a disease seen in older cats with the median age of about 12 where nodules on the thyroid gland cause an overproduction of thyroid hormone. With these increased hormone level will cause an increase in the body’s metabolism which in most cases will cause the pet to eat more and loose weight. Other symptoms which may be seen are vomiting, diarrhea, drinking more and hyperactivity. In a small % of cats we may see appetite loss.

Diagnosis:

Routine blood test to check thyroid levels

Treatment:

3 options 1)I131 this is considered the gold standard (ie ideal) cats receive a one time treatment of radiation which destroy the surround abnormal thyroid tissue. Advantages of this procedure is no oral medication is needed and one time treatment  in most cases. Disadvantages: owner and pet are separated for several days, cost (about 1500), in less 2% of cases a second treatment is needed, not a good option for cats with kidney disease.

2)Oral medication (methiamizole)- block production of thyroid gland. Advantages: medication is relatively inexpensive, can be stopped if adverse affects, side effects uncommon, no hospitalization required. Disadvantages:must be given to be effective often twice daily, approximately 15% have adverse effects, facial itchiness, and bone marrow changes may be seen in a small amount of cases. Pre-existing kidney insufficiency can be masked in hyperthyroidism. This is because the heart disease and high blood pressure that goes with hyperthyroidism actually increases blood flow through the kidneys making the kidneys more efficient (virtually the only positive aspect of having hyperthyroidism). Once treatment is instituted for hyperthyroidism, the kidney disease is unmasked or made worse when kidney blood flow returns to normal. Sometimes it is necessary to choose between treating the kidneys and treating the thyroid, so monitoring kidney function along with thyroid levels is particularly important during methimazole therapy.

3)Surgery:removing thyroid gland. Advantages:treatment is permanent, no specialty facility required. Disadvantages: costly, performing general anesthesia on geriatric patient , a second surgery may be necessary, takes 1-3 months for thyroid levels to level out.

 Prognosis:

Generally favorable if treatment is chosen. With out treatment the patient will continue to loose weight and effectively starve itself.  Cats with pre-existing kidney disease are often the hardest to manage and finding a happy medium is hard to achieve.

Please click on the link below to learn more:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/