# Pippin cat - so far, so good



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I took Pippin for another blood test today, after three weeks on meds for hyperthyroidism. Still awaiting the results of the test, but he has gained 300 grammes (about 9 ounces) in three weeks, and his heart beat is much steadier, so things are looking promising. The big question is how well his kidneys are functioning - if all is well then we will start planning for radio iodine treatment in the New Year. My vet was quite definite that it was the best option, even though it will mean a referral as only a few specialists offer it. I am a bit anxious about coping with a biohazardous cat for around 6 weeks - they are very scrupulous in the UK! We are not even on mains drainage, so it will mean storing used cat litter until it is deemed safe. Has anyone been through the process?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

My daughter did it. Her cat is now euthyroid. She had to keep the cat mostly in the basement at the beginning away from the other pets and people when he first came home. She also had to store all poop until it had decayed to a safe level. It’s annoying but definitely doable. The change in her cat is amazing and she’s lucky that she doesn’t have to medicate him post treatment. 

They are strict here too and for years my lab and I worked with radioactive materials so I know while it sounds scary. Follow the rules exactly as written and you will be fine. They will keep your cat for a short time after treatment when he’s most radioactive and they should monitor the decay daily and release him to you when it’s safe for you to have some contact with him in the beginning.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am happy to hear he is improved.

I know a few people who have had radio iodide or other similar therapies (prostate seeds). As long as you follow the instructions it will all be fine. I also used lots of isotopes in my grad school days and I don't glow in the dark. I hope Pippin's renal function test comes back okay to proceed.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks both. I plan setting up a safe space for him in my study upstairs, and create an “air lock” to keep the other animals out - from what I have read the highest risk would be the dogs helping themselves from the cat tray delicatessen! With luck he will be completely recovered by the time the weather improves in the Spring.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I think you will handle this just fine! What a lucky kitty he is to have a mom like you! Hope all turns out well and Pippin recovers quickly!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

*More good news*

Gerard the vet has just phoned with the results of Pip’s blood test - thyroid is now low normal, liver is back within normal range, and kidneys are fine (urea a bit high, but creatinine spot on), so we are on track for radio-iodine treatment and, I hope, a complete cure in the new year.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Pippin continues to do well, has now been referred for the radio-iodine treatment and we are finalising the details before taking him off medication for a week or so ahead of another blood test and, I hope, admission this month. 

He has continued to gain back weight, and even seems to be rebuilding some muscle - the lass at the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre said it was unusual to see such a significant weight gain in even a treated cat. I did some research into the optimal diet for a cat recovering from hyperthyroidism, and discovered it was exactly what he was getting already - a balanced meat diet. Which may explain his comparatively good condition... So prepping enough frozen meals for his stay at the Centre is the next job - he may stay for the full 4 weeks, so that is rather a lot of pots!


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I am glad to hear that Pippin is doing well, I hope he continues to do well.

Many years ago I rescued a cat out of a dumpster whom I re-homed, his new mommy adored him and had him go through the radio iodine treatment as well. The cat, named Desmond did well and lived for many, many years after his treatment


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am glad things are going so well for Pippin. I am sure for you that is a lot of cooking, but if we were neighbors I could get it done for you in a jiffy since I am scaled to cook for three big dogs. How far away from your home is the treatment center? Maybe you could deliver a week's worth at a time?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It's a 2.5 to 3 hour drive each way, so a bit too much for extra round trips if they can be avoided. I have ordered pots the right size, and a couple of big pans should be enough. 2 kilos/4.5 pounds of chicken thighs, around 3.5 kilos/8 pounds of mixed chicken, rabbit and beef, and some raw chicken wings should do it!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well now that is too far for extra trips. Your month's worth of meats for Pippin is about 4 1/2 days worth for my three big dogs!

I am sure you will be happy to have this behind you and that Pippin will be happy to feel well and return home when all is done.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Yes - I can imagine one cat meal would be a mouthful for one of your dogs! I calculate he needs around 300kcal a day under normal circumstances, but am allowing rather more as he needs to recover from the muscle wastage. My mixed meats come in at 200kcals per 100g raw, so 150-175g raw is about right. I then assume 100g raw becomes 80g cooked, so 120 - 140g of cooked per day, plus treats. It sounds complicated, but becomes a bit like cooking for a family - you get to be able to visualise how much is about right, and then increase or decrease it a bit according to waistlines!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

fjm said:


> - he may stay for the full 4 weeks, so that is rather a lot of pots!


I don't think my daughter's cat was away for 4 weeks - I can't remember but it was only a few days, a week at the most. His level of radioactivity had to drop to a safe and legal limit to be released home. Once home for a short while she had to keep him in the basement away from all other pets and humans with very short visits to be petted and fed. Then he was allowed more time upstairs - I think after about 2 weeks or so he was back to his normal routine. She had to store all his litter for a short time as well until the radioactivity had decayed to the point that it was safe to put in the garbage. I know her cat was not kept at the treating facility for a month. I hope Pippin doesn't have to stay than long either.

As I mentioned before he is euthyroid, this was several years ago and he looks great for an elderly gent.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It is much the same in the UK - I talked it through with one of the vets last night. The cat stays in very strict confinement with minimal handling until radiation levels drop to a certain level - usually 5-10 days. Then they can either come home, and be in close confinement for 2 weeks and house arrest for a further 2 weeks, or stay on at the centre for a while in a cattery style pen, with space and windows and rather more comfort. The treatment cost includes a two week stay, after that you pay boarding fees if you want them to stay longer. I am now planning on bringing him home after two weeks, as it will be rather easier to set up the spare room than I had thought, and a possible total of over 5 weeks away seems too much.

I was rather surprised to learn they don't have a freezer! Raw/home cooked doesn't seem to have caught on for cats in the way it has for dogs, which rather surprises me given the obvious benefits for an obligate carnivore. They are trying to sort something out - he is not going in until the end of February (if I am managing him at home I needed to be sure I would be here!), so there is plenty of time to plan.

Meanwhile he is gaining weight fast - possibly too fast! I don't want him to end up overweight.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm as regards the food, since you only need two weeks worth rather than a months if you think back to March I took a 2 week road trip with Lily and Javelin and had to take their food for the whole trip with me. I have a vacuum sealer and made meals up in vacuum bags. I froze almost all of what I was taking and kept the packets in coolers with the main one being a heavy duty styrofoam box in which we had received some frozen steaks. The frozen food by itself was enough to keep that food frozen until I got to that box. The earlier meals were in a soft sided cooler that started thawing earlier. Maybe individual meals made up in a styrofoam box would work.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Turns out they do have a freezer - I think the vet I spoke to was just a bit thrown by the idea of a home prepared diet! They do want me to sign a disclaimer taking responsibility for the food and to write out instructions for feeding, which is fair enough. The pots I ordered have arrived and seem _tiny_, but in fact they hold exactly half the amount I would usually feed Pip a day - it is always surprising how much food comes out of a small pot. I may make up enough for three a day though, just in case!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Wow! Sounds like a lot of work, but I bet you are ready and willing to do anything you can to make Pippin healthy again! And I bet the girls will be happy to have their co-conspirator back in action!!! Get cookin'! LOL!!!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Another belated update. Pip did well at the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre, although the vet there was concerned about his soaring blood pressure and put him on medication just in case. There was then a rather worrying blip a week or so after the treatment when his blood pressure continued to rise despite the drugs, and his heart beat went haywire, so we agreed to double the dose of the hypertension medication and add in a small dose of diuretic, in case of congestion. I picked him up two weeks after the radio-iodine treatment, at which point all looked well except for slightly elevated results for kidneys - not unusual and may improve or may get worse.

I had set up the spare room for him and he settled well, but was very subdued at first. He lost a lot of muscle due to the combination of age, arthritis and hyperthyroidism, and the weeks of confinement did not help. There were times, watching him wobble and stagger, when I wondered if I had done the right thing in choosing the treatment that offered the longest life expectancy, over the one that was already working. He cheered up as the days went by, but only really began to improve when he was back in the bosom of the family about a week ago.

Since then he has improved steadily. The weight he gained is beginning to turn to muscle and he is moving much more freely and with better balance. He is using the ramp I have put up to the cat flap windowsill without problem (I have a microchip operated flap ready to install but that is proving a bit tricky to sort out), eating well, not drinking excessively, and generally seems contented with a life of laps, chairs, pootling round the courtyards and lazing in what little sun we have had. 

I will know more when he has the next round of blood tests in a few days time, and I will also discuss with the vet whether there are alternative pain relief medications. It is not quite six weeks since his treatment, and I saw marked improvement when he had been on Thyronorm for a couple of months, so I am hoping he will continue to build muscle and condition. Kidneys are a bit of a worry, but at 15 and after years of Metacam that is almost normal, and something I am prepared for. 

He particularly likes the little tub chair I reupholstered to be especially low so he can reach the seat easily:


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