Please keep a good thought for my 14 year old DSH "Percy" today. He will be going under anesthesia for a Nuclear Scan to determine the size of his thyroid tumor in order to dose him properly tomorrow, for his Radiation Iodine Therapy.

Thanks,
Mary

Best of luck to both you and Percy. Hope he's got a can of tuna waiting for him at home as a treat.

He has now had his Radioactive Iodine Therapy IV Injection to destroy the abnormal tissue that is playing havoc on his thyroid. The worst part is behind us, as the old boy did very well under anesthesia Thursday, when he had his Nuclear Scan. No thyroid carcinomas or disease in his chest were found.

He will be quarantined until his radiation exposure is at a legal, safe level, about 9-10 days due to the high dose of radiation he required. They will scan him with a Geiger Counter daily after day 3...lol...seriously.

Took his bed, food and a few toys to make his stay more homey and comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Hilliard-Krueger:
He has now had his Radioactive Iodine Therapy IV Injection to destroy the abnormal tissue that is playing havoc on his thyroid. The worst part is behind us, as the old boy did very well under anesthesia Thursday, when he had his Nuclear Scan. No thyroid carcinomas or disease in his chest were found.

He will be quarantined until his radiation exposure is at a legal, safe level, about 9-10 days due to the high dose of radiation he required. They will scan him with a Geiger Counter daily after day 3...lol...seriously.

Took his bed, food and a few toys to make his stay more homey and comfortable.

I hate cats, but given the obvious attachment that you have for this particular pussy I do hope it makes a full recovery.

Good idea to provide him with his own bed and toys whilst recovering.

Good on you for taking this step with your cat. I had one that had thyroid issues and we had to dose orally every day for it. The next time I have a pet cat with thyroid issues and radiation is one of the options, I will use it.

bob

Very glad to hear he is doing well. He needs to hurry and get home.
Butch

Thanks for your kindness, all. The old boy had a rough weekend, off his feed and vomitting. Some SubQ fluids, an appetite stimulant and an injection to stop the vomitting have him feeling a bit better today. Geiger Counter reads him still "hot". Hoping he is clear by Thursday or Friday so he can come home. I know he will feel much better when he gets in his own environment.

Bob - I had tried the oral meds with him and he was in the small percentile that did not tolerate them, made him even more ill.

Percy's tech took this picture when I brought him his bed, blanket and toys.

Poor fellow hope it all comes out ok.

Well, Percy is home, safe and sound and resting in his new fluffy bed. It was quite emotional when he first saw me after 9 days of isolation. If cats could cry and smile that is the face he made. He rubbed his head in my hands for quite some time while I spoke with his doctor. On the long ride home a usually vocal Percy just laid in his carrier, chest heaving with his inaudible purr and smiling the cat half eyed smile at me with just an occasional "brrrrrt" vocalization. Upon arriving home he inspected all of his favorite spots, ate a little, drank a little, checked out his litterbox and laid in the warmth of the baby torti heat lamps.
Needless to say, we are all content to have one of the missing pieces of our homes puzzle put back into place.
Will recheck his T4 and kidneys in a month to validate the success of the Radiation Therapy.

He'll make it and be a joy to you.
Butch

Mary: I'm glad you got the hoped-for outcome. Now I have to go hug my worthless, fat kitty, Spencer.

Good luck Mary. From a fellow kitty lover.
Brice

Mary,

Sorry I didn't see this much earlier. Glad the initial outcome looks good ... sending best hopes that the baby is doing fine and has many years left!

Coco sends her best wishes for a full recovery.

Scooter



Murphy & Punkin



Tigger



All the guys in the back yard, say: Being sick is no fun, get better and have a Merry Christmas!!!

Phil,

I want to come deer hunting at your house.

Mr. Persnikitty aka Percy and I thank you all for your kind sentiments. It has been quite the rollercoaster ride for the old boy. The first 5 weeks following the procedure were tough, he just wasn't progressing as he should have been. We made many visits back and forth from the vets office. I did several follow up blood tests and the results were all good, while Percy continued to wane. The doctors only wanted more expensive tests and procedures that I just felt were unwarranted. Upon doing much research on my own I found the appetite stimulant he was on, which was not approved for felines, had many human side effects that the old boy was displaying across the board. When I brought this to the attention of the "Specialist" I got the generic response, "We use this med for all our patients and they have no problems with it." Well, this generalization made me very upset. I declined the ultrasounds, additional testing and referal to an Internist, as my Radiology Specialist said there was nothing else they could do. I demanded a different appetite stimulant for Percy and stated if there was no improvement, I would then consider her recommendations. Well, geewhiz, within 24 hours on his new meds he was a different cat. 80% improvement immediately!
I keep a close eye on his kidneys, for kidney failure can be present but undetected in a hyperthyroid cat. I administer SQ fluids every third day and will recheck his T4 and kidneys after the holidays. But for now, Mr. Persnikitty is content, has good quality to and is enjoying his life. He isn't at 100% but neither am I at my age.

Kindest regards and Happy Holidays to you all,
Mary

I'm very happy for you and Percy. Merry Christmas from Little Buddy and Ashes.
Butch

I haven't been a cat owner long enough to experience what you are dealing with. Scooter & Tigger are our first felines, they were given to us in 01 as kittens. Hard to beleive how they fit in to our life style.
With dogs it a different story, always had a dog normally two. We just lost a big yellow lab, "Casey", in Nov. So we can understand your feelings.
Wish you and Percy our best.

Phil

I've had two cats with bad kidneys, I think the thing that helped them the most was raw meat.
My cat Bullett had a good year and a half after the vet said she had maybe weeks.

My kitty, Cleopatra, sends her best wishes to Percy.

A big hug for the kitty!

Percy update:
The procedure was a complete success! His thyroid is normal as of his last bloodwork. He has gained 1 1/2 pounds and is looking very well for an old boy. He's running, grooming, playing and back to his old content self. Unfortunately, due to his age, his kidneys are showing some wear. We knew this could be a possibility once his thyroid was in check, as the elevated thyroid levels can disguise the signs of kidney failure. He is far from kidney failure and I am supplementing him to slow the process. He loves his special diet of K/D and patiently allows me to SQ fluids every 3rd day to keep his kidneys functioning well. His quality of life is very high, so we will go on with this agenda until he lets me know different.

I wish I could have done something like that for my Blackie.

I rescued him 5 or 6 years ago from a feral life living in some blackberry bushes near my barn. I've pretty much never had less than 3 cats, but Blackie was the most loving, well behaved cat I have ever seen. Came when called, followed me around like a dog, slept up against me all night, every night. Never scratched, bit, or was otherwise negativelly aggressive, even when first trapped as a feral kitty in my Hav-a-heart trap.

Took him to the vet here in Cave Creek last November as he had gotten a hacking cough. They did X-rays and blood tests and diagnosed asthma and prescribed steroid therapy via a prednizone cream applied to the bare skin inside the ears. It worked for about a week. Cured his cough initially, then he started getting worse. I kept faithfully following their directions re dosage and frequency, and in the meantime took in stool samples, had blood tests done, etc., all to the tune of about $2,000.

Then he he began to throw up, infrequently at first, then every day, then several times a day, then after every meal. They told me they had no idea what the problem was, asked if he was normally nervous, and ventured the opinion that he might have an ulcer. He was of course by then losing weight (3 of his original 11 pounds), as he couldn't keep his food down.

Worst part was watching him run for the tile floor to throw up because he was so embarrassed to make a mess on the carpet or the bed. Poor guy had a heart of gold and didn't want to be a problem.

After more X-rays, more money, and nothing more by way of diagnoses, I took him to the cats-only hospital on west Cactus in Phoenix, just west of I-17.

They did a much more careful and thorough exam and then told me they were virtually sure he had Lymphoma. Called in an ultrasound specialist who did a study and two biopsies. Sure enough, large malignant growth at the front of the stomach.

They told me he had at most 3 months to live, and that I would know his time was definitely up when he began throwing up and having diahrea continuously, but that their recommendation was to do the kind, responsible thing a true friend would do and put him down before he had to go through all of that.

It tore my heart out, but after I went home and thought it through I told them to go ahead. On my last visit, he clearly thought I had come to take him home and was so happy to see me it just broke and then shredded my heart. How do you say goodbye to your best friend who thinks you are there to save him, when actually you are there to sign his death warrant?

I begged him for forgiveness...and walked away. It was the only thing I could do. I would have much rather traded my life for his if I could. That was four months ago now, and I still cry every night when I go to bed and Blackie isn't there. Life is a bitch sometimes.

I am very happy for you that your cat is okay. I hope he stays that way for many more years so you can continue to bring each other joy and good times.

Sorry for this garbage post, but I had to tell someone who also loves cats, just how much I miss my boy Blackie and how bad I feel about having to let them kill him.

Glad to hear things are going well.

Best wishes,

Ricky

ASSS Iii Try to type myy little keyboard thief is stolling about on the desk (written quickly). My litykle 'DARLINGS' name is Hercules Puuuuroiu;the cat detective.Pictures coming of this little sweet dumpling + terror of the larder.(mice beware!)