Meet Lincoln, an 11 year old Domestic Long Hair cat who came to us as his owner noticed that he seemed to be hungrier than normal, and had more vomiting episodes than the occasional hair ball. When he presented to Corio Veterinary Clinic, a low grade heart murmur that has not been picked up before was detected, and he had also lost some weight. Our vet Dr. Melissa also picked up a slightly more prominent thyroid.
A blood test was recommended, and hyperthyroidism was diagnosed based on an elevated thyroid level. Treatment options for hyperthyroidism include daily medication that comes in the form of tablets, oral liquid or transdermal gels, a prescription iodine restricted diet that is fed exclusively to manage the disease by limiting the raw materials the thyroid needs to produce, or radioactive iodine therapy. Of all these treatment options, radioactive iodine therapy is considered the gold standard, as it is curative.
Since Lincoln was diagnosed early and his thyroid levels were not that high, he was a great candidate for radioactive iodine therapy as he was otherwise well. His owner was keen to pursue this treatment option as it would mean he would not need daily medication and follow up blood tests for the rest of his life. As there are only a few specialised facilities in Melbourne equipped to administer radioactive iodine therapy, we referred Lincoln to the Melbourne Feline Thyroid Centre in Brunswick. He stayed at the facility there for 5 days while receiving treatment, to ensure that he eliminated all the radioiodine before he could return home.
Lincoln returned to our clinic for a follow up blood test 6 weeks after his radioactive iodine treatment, and it showed that his thyroid levels are back to normal. His clinical signs have also resolved, and he was back to his happy and usual self, which was a great result altogether!
