How Long Can cats live with thyroid disease?
Most cats that are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and are treated only with medical management will live an average of 3-5 years before dying of either heart failure or kidney failure. But, those 3-5 years can be good quality years.
How long can a cat live with hyperthyroidism untreated?
The median survival times reported are 25 (iodine 131 treatment),1 24 (radioiodine treatment),2 and 48 months (iodine 131 treatment),3 with a more recent paper citing 14 months (carbimazole or methimazole treatment alone or in combination with thyroidectomy).
How old can a cat be with thyroid?
Could well be four or five years – she’s 17 now. One tablet a day hidden in food and blood tests twice a year. It’s only really in the last year that she’s started to struggle with life a bit but that’s much more about old age than the thyroid I think. Definitely worth giving them ago as your cat could enjoy many more years of life.
When to take a cat with hyperthyroidism to the vet?
The veterinarians at the emergency clinic had restarted Hobbs on his feline hyperthyroidism treatment and instructed his owner to take her kitty to a local veterinarian in 2 weeks for a thyroid blood level. As I listened to her story, I had to bite my tongue, freeze an understanding smile on my face, and breathe deeply.
Is it worth giving my cat thyroid medication?
Definitely worth trying the pills, though – as MegBusset says, they can sometimes buy another couple of years of healthy life for your cat. My cat is 16. Diagnosed about 6 months ago. Is on one small tablet a day which gets hidden in his food. The difference since starting the medication is huge.
How can you tell if your cat has hyperthyroidism?
Most cats with hyperthyroidism have elevated levels of the thyroid hormone T4 in their bloodstream, but a small percentage of cats with hyperthyroidism have T4 levels within the normal range. If your cat does not have elevated T4 levels but your veterinarian still suspects your cat has hyperthyroidism,…
What can be done about hyperthyroidism in cats?
Hyperthyroidism in Cats: So Treatable if Diagnosed Early 1 Diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism in Cats. The diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism is usually simple and the treatment straightforward and very successful. 2 Feline Hyperthyroidism Treatment. 3 The Consequences of Letting Hyperthyroidism in Cats Go Untreated.
Is it common for cats to have thyroid disease?
Hobbs, an adorable orange cat, had been to the emergency room 2 weeks earlier and indeed had been diagnosed with cat thyroid disease. My technician informed me that Hobbs was in to see me because his owner was out of Tapazole, the most common medication a feline hyperthyroid patient is prescribed.
Can a geriatric cat have a thyroid removed?
In surgery, the thyroid gland is removed and therefore (at least in theory) the hyperthyroidism is, too. But the risk of anesthesia in a geriatric cat with impaired kidney function, among other issues, led me to rule out surgery. Medication, I’m familiar with.
How did Hobbs the cat get his thyroid?
Hobbs’ owner told me that her cat had actually been diagnosed 2 years earlier with feline thyroid disease. Hobbs had been prescribed the appropriate medication (Tapazole) at that time, but when the cat’s owner got home and tried to give it to him, she found that it was too difficult to administer pills to her cat so she gave up.