Hello and Hyperthyroidism

[truthisouthere]

Hi Gaina,
Just to add to the already teriffic amount of support and helpful advice on here, for what it's worth my cat Mitzi has been on Vidalta for about 4 years now, felimazole didn't suit her. She was very sleepy for the 1st 2 weeks while her body adjusted on the Vidalta but was fine afterwards. I've found the 15mg suits her at the moment.

An important point Farthing has mentioned is if Billy is ever poorly, you will need to keep a very close eye on the dosage. Vidalta can play havoc on a poorly cat if not monitored carefully, and in my Mitzi's case will give confusing readings and need to be adjusted accordingly when going through illness or if a cat loses weight or/and puts it on again. When Mitzi was ill the blood notes came back that her dose would need to be upped, however, this was the illness affecting the reading, so be aware of this. You know your own cat and what is 'normal' and not normal, be guided by that. I had to change the dosage a little while Mitzi was ill as it would have been too much for her little body to take otherwise. Her organs were ok to start with though, and they're ok now. Billy's a different case and I trust your vet will guide you on his other bits and pieces, bless him.

I get my tablets from the internet now. The vet's cost was spiralling and it's much more manageable for me this way. In time you might want to do this too. Once you get the dose right ask for a 'repeat prescription' from your vet. You'll still need the regular blood tests, every 6 months or so, depending on how Billy is doing. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by truthisouthere

Hi Gaina,
Just to add to the already teriffic amount of support and helpful advice on here, for what it's worth my cat Mitzi has been on Vidalta for about 4 years now, felimazole didn't suit her. She was very sleepy for the 1st 2 weeks while her body adjusted on the Vidalta but was fine afterwards. I've found the 15mg suits her at the moment.

An important point Farthing has mentioned is if Billy is ever poorly, you will need to keep a very close eye on the dosage. Vidalta can play havoc on a poorly cat if not monitored carefully, and in my Mitzi's case will give confusing readings and need to be adjusted accordingly when going through illness or if a cat loses weight or/and puts it on again. When Mitzi was ill the blood notes came back that her dose would need to be upped, however, this was the illness affecting the reading, so be aware of this. You know your own cat and what is 'normal' and not normal, be guided by that. I had to change the dosage a little while Mitzi was ill as it would have been too much for her little body to take otherwise. Her organs were ok to start with though, and they're ok now. Billy's a different case and I trust your vet will guide you on his other bits and pieces, bless him.

I get my tablets from the internet now. The vet's cost was spiralling and it's much more manageable for me this way. In time you might want to do this too. Once you get the dose right ask for a 'repeat prescription' from your vet. You'll still need the regular blood tests, every 6 months or so, depending on how Billy is doing. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Hello! Thanks for your thorough reply x

My vet said we'll be better able to see what's going on with his kidneys etc when his BP and thyroid are stabilized as the thyroid problem is the root of everything else.

I'm fully insured so right now it's just a case of talking to my insurer and finding out if it's worth going online for the meds or if I should stay with the vet. We considered doing this before with his flea and worming treatments but I realised after prescription costs I'd have been precisely 50p better off!

I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Gaina x

[Gaina]

Mum just picked Bill up and it seems he's put a little weight on in the last week. He's continuing to move around and explore the garden a lot more and he jumped up on the dining chair for a cuddle this morning which he wasn't doing last week.

[angieh]

That's good news Gaina - seems he's feeling more himself again.

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by angieh

That's good news Gaina - seems he's feeling more himself again.

Yep . Not totally relaxed yet until we get the BP and Thyroid levels stable but it's going in the right direction .

[truthisouthere]

Bless him. That's good news

I forgot to mention about the Vidalta tablets: Always, always give with plenty of water. I used to drizzle a small syringeful of water down Mitzi's mouth when giving the tablet, but just to make absoloutley sure it goes down and to stop it sticking to the side of her mouth I always give her about 3 or 4 syringefuls now. It's quite powdery and expands quite a bit when dropped in water, so it wouldn't be good being 'hidden' in the pocket of a cat's cheek! It's time relased, so it must go down unbroken and fairly quickly.
If Billy is the sort of cat who will spit it out on the sly, like my Mitzi does(!), then you'll need to pick it up again and dry it off in something close at hand before trying again, it can get sticky and shouldn't really touch any skin once wet. It needs to be dry to drop it in the mouth.

Very important to always rinse hands immmediately after administering. This sort of dose would be considered very high for a human and any trace must be washed off.

[Liz]

Good news about the stabilisation. Our HT boy Max has nearly got all his weight back and we are just waiting for the vet to get his plastercast off so he can have his op to remove it as he is deemed the perfect candidate for the op

Max is on 20mg of Vitalda at the moment and is stable and very active we are paying approx £30 a month for his tablets, makes a change as the last thing we had at that price was the insulin and needles for our 2 late great diabetics

We have the same vets as Farthing

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Liz

Good news about the stabilisation. Our HT boy Max has nearly got all his weight back and we are just waiting for the vet to get his plastercast off so he can have his op to remove it as he is deemed the perfect candidate for the op

Max is on 20mg of Vitalda at the moment and is stable and very active we are paying approx £30 a month for his tablets, makes a change as the last thing we had at that price was the insulin and needles for our 2 late great diabetics

We have the same vets as Farthing

Plaster cast? Oh dear - what's Max been up to!?

Billy's on 15mg of Vidalta. Does your pet insurance pay for your tablets? I'm just wondering if my pet insurance will work out the cost monthly or yearly, cos if it's the latter then maybe I'll be covered. I'll wait and see what happens when he's stabilised and I'll have a better idea how we're proceeding If, when stable he's a good candidate for removal of the thyroid I won't mess about, I'll just have it done.

truthisouthere - Thanks for the warning about washing your hands. The pill has definitely gone 'all the way down the hatch' because it's hidden in his favourite treats and gets polished off quickly! He also gets another piece of whatever we've hidden the pill in and then has a drink before retiring for a nap (he's got such a hard life, my cat! haha).

We went out for lunch today and when we came back, he trotted straight outside to greet us as soon as the door was open, which is another sign he's reverting back to his usual self .

[Gaina]

Guess what Billy did today? *skipped* upstairs and shouted at my mum for not giving him his breakfast 'right now'. Someone's feeling better!

Back to the vet on Wednesday or Thursday to check his heart and BP. Hopefully both improved, but by looking at his demeanour today I think I can breath a little easier.

[Gaina]

Hello all

Himself is still doing well and the shine is coming back to his coat along with the weight .

Tonight he was about half an hour later with his Vidalta than usual as the plumber was in (don't ask! haha). Is this ok? When they say 'to be taken at the same time every day' how specific are the manufacturers being with the phrase 'same time'?

I wouldn't even have known it was supposed to be taken at the same time every day if I'd not looked up the medication - vet gave me no clue at all, just said 1 tablet a day!

Oh, and we're off to the vet for an check-up on Thursday so I'll update you then on his progress.