Hyperthyriodism cats???

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

shropshirelass_1987 — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:43:55 GMT

Hi I am in practice but its another practice that my families pets are registered with, & unfortunatley am a student on limited funds which can only really just cover my own bills would be unable to pay for treatment / bloods of the cat. It is frustrating when you can see he's gone downhill & annoys me owners both in practice & (Inparticular family) dont want to take him to the vets & some simple treatments can be given - this probably does the rest of you to. I have mentioned it to them several times about taking him & I get the same sort of response that he's fine & has just lost weight because he's getting old, although I do wonder if they think he's fine because he hunts reguarly & is very active. I may have to try the literature route & see if that works.

But thanks sal for the whole diabetes thing it hadnt even crossed my mind I dont think hes being drinking excessivley but hes a semi-outdoors cat & is out on our farmyard a lot so seeing him weeing & drinking a lot would be hard as its such a large area to cover with so many areas to drink but when he does in the house it doesent seem excessive. But again the above poses the problem of getting a urine sample from him. I have increased his food, but are there any diets people can recomend that are fairly inexspensive for the time being. I can totally associate with lesleys quotes & feelings & if he was my cat he would be straight there for bloods but I'm lucky because I have insured both my cat & my dog & my parents have not. I'm not hugely familiar with both diabetes & hyperthyroidism but I know the symptoms & tests required & what hyperthyroidism does but then I am an SVN and am still learning which is why I am here asking for advice. But I'll still keep trying & nagging & hopefully we'll make some progress xx

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

Phrin Vernon RVN — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:45:04 GMT

[quote user="Lesley Stinson"]

The hardest part of veterinary can be dealing with our own family as they don't seem to believe us when we notice something is wrong with their animals. We only play and cuddle kittens and puppies after all.

[/quote]

So true in my experience

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

PHA86 — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:15:06 GMT

Maybe offer to contribute to the cost yourself?

My cat is on Vidalta, probably costs around £30 a month to medicate and then costs for the odd T4 and biochem (assuming it is hyperthyroidism).

It might be worth taking home some literature for your parents to read, perhaps?

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

Lesley Stinson — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:06:09 GMT

I am sorry about this but i am sick of people who keep pets but refuse to have them treated because it going to cost them money or time.

Part of being a responsible pet owner is having your animals treated if they are sick. The cat definetily sounds like it needs to be checked by a vet . If you are working in a practice then bring in a urine sample to start with. It is quick and cheap and it is a first step.

This may seem hard and i am sorry but if it was a client we would do our upmost to convince them to bring in an animal for treatment so why should it be different for family

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

Sal the 1st — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:12:51 GMT

dont forget diabetes- which may present similarly, is kitty drinking a lot? if you can get a wee sample at least you could rule that out (or rule it in ) at little expense as well as checking a few other things along the way

Re: Hyperthyriodism cats???

Phrin Vernon RVN — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:57:28 GMT

Are you in practice? Would it help to convince them if you could get a vet check/ blood test done at staff rates?