h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I finally managed to get Timmy to the vet for a blood test today. Timmy's been loosing weight for a while and the vet thought it was his thryoid. When the last cat Anabella was loosing weight it turned out to be a lymphoma and there wasn't anything we could do apart from palliate her. Well vets don't do palliative care really, but I took her home and fed her chicken, which she seemed to appreciate.

I was nervous about these blood results, but it turns out that he's got an overactive thyroid and there are three treatment options.

Pills every day. He tries to kill people who give him pills. The vet surgery was wondering if they have to keep him until 7pm or if I could come and get him sooner.

<--Vet: Surgery. I'm a bit nervous about this because his blood tests showed that he had some liver congestion which would mean that his heart was under strain. I would be reluctant for a human to have an anaesthetic in this condition, and cats seem to be smaller and fiddlier to operate on.

Radioactive iodine. You give them some radioactive iodine and it destroys part of their thyroid. We do this to humans and it seems to work quite well. Humans are allowed to work, but not go near children, animals have to stay at the vet hospital in isolation to have it. Timmy currently hates people so I don't think he'd be that bothered by isolation to be honest.

Both surgery and iodine might needs pills anyway, but they might not.

Fortunately he's well insured so I shouldn't need to pay for any of it. Top of the range pet insurance for people who live near a top vet hospital and secretly want an MRI of their guinea pig.

My old mum's old cat Tom (I am already dead for referring to my mother like that but she doesn't read the guide so hey ho) had hyperthyroidism and went on the course of pills. This seemed to work well as the cat would eat a sofa if you put fish paste on one of the legs. As far as your homicidal moggy is concerned the Iodine seems like a better option - long term fix - short term savaging of a vet's extremities and then time alone in a box to think about what he'd done.

Cats, rule us like gods, shit in our shoes.

Tim.

I'm glad they gave you the verdict, I was concerned that they'd tell me about it and I'd fail to ask the right questions.

I can pick him up tonight; I assume he's at the nearer one?

B

In this case the optimal questions to ask a vet are?

1. What is your recent audit data on complication rates of surgery, when was your last audit.

2. What are the chances of my cat not needing medication after surgery, and after radioactive iodine? Can I have a P Value with that?

3. Do you need a tetanus shot? does that wound he caused need stitches. Do you want me to take a look at it?

4. Mmm that'll need antibiotics, are you allergic to penicillin?

Hi Tim

I'd be tempted to try the pills for a while to see if I could get him better that way... maybe I should buy some fish paste first.

Here's hoping kitty gets was and doesn't savage any one

My mom's 21yo cat probably has overactive thyroid. We don't have pet insurance, but at 21 I can't see putting her through any of those options anyway. She's surprisingly healthy otherwise, she's just lost a little of what was excess weight.

Poor old Timmy. He may be less grumpy once he's stopped being hyperthyroid, mayn't he? At least, it sometimes works that way for humans, I think I once gathered from somewhere.

I love the way you guys know the other's on Hootoo often enough to make it worth having quietly domestic arrangementing conversations. Is that why you saved it? So you wouldn't have to TEXT each other, like normal vulgar human couples?

But of course. And it was where we first met... Who wouldn't fight to save the place they first met?

Awww... I agree with Ag, I love partaking of small snippets of your everyday this-and-that.

And might I suggest as the smiley of choice for the Radioactive iodine option?

Post 4 - I shall print this out for next time I take a chicken to the vet .

Actually I'm lucky, because a) she will see chickens, b) she's very straight about the options, c) she's very aware of the ambiguity in taking a chicken to a vet when you might be having its cousin roasted for Sunday lunch, d) she doesn't laugh at me (like half my work colleagues and all the neighbours) for bringing in a chicken.

I hope whatever you choose for Timmy works easily and well,

Waz

I find the ambiguity about farm animals and pets really difficult, and it's the main reason why I'm not a vet.

I remember my vet getting twitchy when I asked for my 2 rats to be desexed........I suspect he thought I was mad,and for a bit so did I, as this was the result A2656361

The upside of this?..
that ratbaby lived till nearly 6 years old, almost double the life span of an unspayed rat

it was worth the stares and comments

I had my gerbils neutered, it was the vet's idea when 1 of the 3 girls I'd bought turned out to be a rather virile and horney little dude. Found out when two litters suddenly popped up...