Hyperthyroidism

[TimO]

Correction, pills are definitely not a long term solution.  He's getting better at clawing his way out of the towel, and very sneakily walking away before spitting out the pill.  I think I managed to give it to him today, I can't find the pill anywhere around, and I've got him to eat something, so I'm fairly sure that he's swallowed it now.

He actually swallowed after I gave him the pill the first time, looked annoyed and just stayed on his back looking at me.  I let him get up, and he wandered over to the kitchen door, where I guess he thought he could get away with it, and let the pill drop out.

This is the fifth day, so I've got another 16 or so to go before we go back to the vets.  I hope the cattery is used to giving cats pills whole.

[Jimbob]

So the blood tests for Bailey are 'inconclusive' but do not show hyperthroidism... nor kidney problems or liver problems, so that's all kind of good news.      However, he has been on antibiotics for a week, and the Vet thinks that may be interfering with the results.

So, we need to wait another week and have another blood test (another shaved and grumpy cat that day).  Fingers crossed the results of that one shed some light on Bailey's problem.  If he loses much more weight he'll be a skeleton with fur hanging off...

I don't envy you the cat wrapping. The last time I tried to give my cat a pill, he scratched me to pieces, and he still didn't swallow the pill.   

[TimO]

The best pills to give to cats are the Panacur worming ones.  Talisker loves them, if he realises that you're taking one out of a packet, he'll be there like a snap.   I assume they're meat flavoured, it's a shame that the Hyperthyroid ones need to be swallowed whole, so can't be given to him to "eat".

Hopefully they'll sort Bailey out shortly, Talisker seems the same as normal, but he wasn't obviously ill, so I don't exactly expect him to be suddenly better.  The cattery didn't blink an eyelid (well, over the phone, so not actually blinking, but from the voice...) when I said he needed a pill every day.  I guess they're more used to this sort of thing, and will broke little nonsense from him!

[TimO]

Well, I've just got back from taking Talisker in for a blood test, to see how well the treatment is working, but I won't get the results from that until later this afternoon, or tomorrow.

They did weigh him again though, and he's now 3.25 kg, vs 2.6 kg three weeks ago, so he's put on 25% of his body weight.  At least in that respect, things are working.

(That's like me putting on 3 or 4 stone, which is a scary amount of extra weight!)

[Pingu]

Good news on the weight gain 

[TimO]

Apparently his T4 measurement is down to around 80, which is half what it was three weeks ago.  Normal for a cat should be around 50, so he's better, but not entirely there yet.  The Vet said to continue with the same treatment for another 6-8 weeks, and then test him again.

In some respects that's good, since I don't have to change anything about his treatment when I take him to the cattery tomorrow for his Christmas break.  I was slightly worried that they may change the pills, and if he reacted badly, I would be reliant on the cattery to call their vet, and the risk of high bills for me when I got back.

[TimO]

Talisker is now up to 3.75kg, which is over a 1kg higher than when I first took him to the vets.  My wallet is also £69 lighter for the complete set of blood tests which he's having done.　At least he won't need to go back for 6 months now, the vet is quite happy with him.

[Pingu]

Good news, Tim 

The vet decided not to a blood test on Pippin last week as she seems to be doing quite well. she was a bit porky just before Xmas, though 

[TimO]

I just got the blood results back, and it turns out that his thyroid levels are now a bit too low, so the pill dose is going to be adjusted, and I'll need to take him back in in a couple of months after all...

Ho hum.

Talisker still a bit difficult about taking the pill.  I have to get his mouth open, pop the pill in, rub his throat until he licks his lips with his tongue (which is a sign that he's swallowed).  Sometimes I'll pop his mouth open and check inside, since he will occasionally manage to get it to the side of his mouth.

Giving him half of a "Käse mit Taurin" stick (from zooplus) is a good test to see if he's swallowed it, since he won't eat it if he's still got the pill in his mouth.  Not eating anything cheese or cheese flavoured is suspicious, since he goes utterly mad for cheese, like most cats.

[Woofage]

I've only just seen this thread. Our Dilly has just turned 13 and was diagnosed with HT towards the end of last year. We went in to make an appt for her ear to be chopped (she's white...) but the vet went on about blood tests, heart murmur blah blah £££££ with the result that she had HT and needed te$ts.

Anyway, 2 blood test at £50-odd a pop plus an intervening load of £ablets revealed that the latter hadn't worked so they would operate anyway (despite the previous warnings over heart murmur etc ). So in she went for full thyroidectomy and pinna reduction (and tooth extraction to boot).

The result? She's right as rain and back to the cat we knew a few years ago. Her appetite is normal, she's gained weight and seems generally happy. Somewhat odd-looking, but happy .

[TimO]

I just took Talisker in for a blood test, but after checking him over, the Vet decided it was unnecessary since he seemed healthy, and his weight is stable.

Obviously Talisker didn't appreciate travelling to the vet, but once all the others in the waiting room had buggered off, and it was just us, he curled up in his basket and started snoozing!

Anyway, so 16 months down the road, he's healthy and as bouncy as ever, still doesn't really like taking his pills ^[1], but doesn't fight too much!

Footnote [1]: The vet gave him a worming tablet whilst we were there, and he managed to catch the pill before it went down.  In the end the vet had to squirt some water down his throat with a syringe to force him to swallow!  I have more success than that every morning, so it's good to see that even the professional can have problems with pets and pills.

[Auntie Helen]

The vet gave him a worming tablet whilst we were there, and he managed to catch the pill before it went down.  In the end the vet had to squirt some water down his throat with a syringe to force him to swallow!  I have more success than that every morning, so it's good to see that even the professional can have problems with pets and pills. [/size]

This is an advantage of dogs - wrap anything up in salami, no matter how unpleasant, and our Lab or Weimaraner would wolf it straight down.

[TimO]

This is an advantage of dogs - wrap anything up in salami, no matter how unpleasant, and our Lab or Weimaraner would wolf it straight down.

Giving a cat a pill

[Jaded]

Don't forget Pavlov's Cats. They respond to the sound of the bubble pack pill tin-foil. 

[Kathy]

Yay for mog betterness!

Last night was a pill bonanza for Emmie. She's normally fairly tolerant, but by the time I had wodged an antibiotic down her throat, followed by a steroid and then a super-size worming tablet, and then coated her in anti-flea spot-on, her patience was beginning to wear thin.

The vet likes her. She sits on his lap and has a cuddle, and he calls her "complicated". I call her a ruddy expensive walking pharmacy!

[TimO]

After 18 months, Talisker may have worked out that he's getting his pill first thing in the morning.  I pretty much had to trap him today, to get hold of him.

Of course it may also be that he's got some food from a neighbour (or eaten someone), and doesn't feel the need for more breakfast.  That doesn't generally stop him however!