[joep]

Seems I may have a rather sick cat with hyperthyroidism. But I want a second opinion before I make any decisions.

Anyone?

[roundel]

New cats are cheaper than fixing broken ones.

[BobNovas]

Treatable and not that expensive to treat (pills) sez my expert. How old's the cat? We just had to put down Gizmo, a 22 year old tabby, who was very sick and had congestive heart failure. Heroic efforts could have bought him a couple of days - we couldn't do that to the cat. But depending on how old the cat is, hyperthyroidism should be treatable and not break the bank.

[joep]

This cat is a 5̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ 6 year old female so I'm thinking long term I want to make an effort, but from what I've read about it, this condition isn't typical in such a young cat.

[BobNovas]

Well, can't claim the necessary expertise. We use Gaithersburg Animal hosp for regular care and VCA for emergencies, but VCA is expensive and seems to like to go the heroic route. Is there a real vet present?

[dhshivers]

Contact Alexandria Animal Hospital (703) 751-2022. When our last dog was sick they sent us to an endocrinologist. I forget where he is located, but I think it's west of Alexandria. Good luck. Sorry to hear about your cat.

[realroadrage]

Originally Posted by BobNovas

Treatable and not that expensive to treat (pills) sez my expert.

x2, should be easily treatable with the right meds.

[joep]

Thanks all. I appreciate the feedback.

[hoophead]

I used these guys for my cat several years ago, when the thyroid meds became too much:

http://www.radiocat.com/

It worked great. Keep in mind that hyperthyroid can hide kidney failure, particularly in an older cat. In our case it bought the cat a good year of life before the kidneys failed, at which point we said it was time.

[joep]

This is who my vet has directed us too. My only concern is that I want to make sure I'm not about to put the little girl through hell and major expense only to find out we fell victim to mis-diagnoiss or a pressure sales pitch.

Online research shows the cost of treatment is highly variable. That makes me concerned...