From: dawn@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Dawn Griesbach)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Thyroidectomy
Date: 23 Jul 92 12:22:18 GMT
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK



(I have sent a slightly modified version of this message to Scott, but
thought I would post it here too, since it may help others.  I have
enjoyed this newsgroup for a long time, but this is the first time I am
posting to it.  I hope it is not taboo to recommend a particular
veterinary practice.  If anyone out there living near Philadelphia would
like the name of Dr. X at the Cat Hospital, I would be happy to provide
it).


I am originally from Philadelphia.  My cat, Abby, a 14-year-old
part-Abbyssinian, had the same problems with her thyroid that your cat
has now.  My vet was Dr. X at the Cat Hospital, who I can recommend
*very* highly.

I took Abby to the Cat Hospital in October of 1990, because of an
allergic reaction to fleas, and while there, had some blood tests done
because Dr. X had noticed that Abby had lost 2 lbs. in the past year,
and that seemed suspicious to her.  The blood tests confirmed that
Abby's thyroid level was way up, and we started her on tapazole
immediately, along with another pill for her heart, which was constantly
racing because of the excess thyroid hormone.

Dr. X presented me with the same three options you have been given:

1.  medication for the rest of Abby's life,
2.  removal of the thyroid gland,
3.  radiation therapy in New York.

Dr. X recommended removal of the thyroid, because (i) the medication
will eventually lose its effectiveness after a few years, and also
because of the discomfort to the cat of being force-fed 2 pills per day
for the rest of her life; and (ii) because the Cat Hospital has had
excellent success with the thyroidectomy operation.  The radiation
therapy was not really an option for me because of its expense, and, as
you have noted, one never knows whether such a trip will cause more harm
than good.

Dr. X told me that they generally only remove one lobe of the thyroid
gland, then wait a few months (or years) to see if the thyroid level
stabilizes.  If it begins to rise again, the second lobe of the gland is
removed at that time.  (Apparantly cats can get on fine without a
thyroid gland, but it would be too much of a shock to the system to have
it all removed in one go).

So, after several weeks on tapazole and the heart medication, I took
Abby in for surgery in December 1990 (a very traumatic event for us
both, let me tell you!) and 2 days later she was home with me.  She
began eating better and putting on weight (I switched her to Science
Diet at the same time), and she was clearly improving.

I took her in for a check-up the following May (1991), and had blood
samples taken, and Dr. X noted that the thyroid level was slightly
elevated again, (still within normal range, but on the high end of
normal).  This did not surprise her.  Because Abby had responded so well
to the first surgery, I agreed to go through with the second surgery, at
the end of June 1991.

My little Abby is now 2 pounds heavier than she has ever been!  And she
is happy and healthy.  One never knows how long a 14-year-old cat will
live, but since she is an indoor-only cat, I suspect she'll live another
3 or 4 years at least.

So, to cut a long story short, if you are using the Cat Hospital, I
highly recommend that you go ahead with the surgery.  They are very
good, and will take excellent care of your cat before, during, and after
surgery.  They will also comfort you if you find yourself sobbing in
their waiting room when you drop your cat off on the morning of surgery.
:-)

The Penn Vet Hospital is supposed to be very good, but they will charge
you much more than the Cat Hospital will for the same surgery.

The cost of the surgery, and all the related blood tests *is* expensive,
but it is cheaper than the radiation therapy in New York, and perhaps
the Cat Hospital would agree to let you pay in installments?  I didn't
do this.  I think I just paid part of the cost of surgery myself, and
charged the other half to my Visa card.

I have been living in Scotland now since September, and had to leave my
Abby behind in Philadelphia.  I couldn't bear the thought of putting her
through 6 months of quarantine, so I left her with a friend, who takes
her regularly to visit Dr. X.  I miss her terribly, but I know she is
happy where she is, and am looking forward to seeing her in October when
I am home.

Let me know if I can help in some other way.  I know what you're going
through and I sympathize with you!

	Dawn Griesbach
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