To recap, we had decided to keep Bubba on the Tapazole therapy, pending a decision to go for a "permanent cure" via the more-expensive radioactive iodine therapy. After talking to the clinic manager in Sacramento, and discussing it with my husband, we agreed to continue on the Tapazole for an indefinite period of time. It seemed to be keeping Bubba's thyroid levels under control, but mainly, Asa was very concerned about Bubba's stress level, if he had to stay up to two weeks in a clinic 80 miles distant. It befell to Asa to become the pill-giver, as Bubba trusts him and considers Asa his "main man."
It has been a fairly uneventful year, punctuated only by one scare in mid-July. Bubba had again become anorexic, had apparently lost weight, and, in addition, seemed to be losing muscle mass in his hind quarters. We scheduled an appointment with his regular veterinary clinic, and subsequent blood tests were excellent. In fact, when the veterinarian (one who had not seen Bubba before) called with the results, he said, "If I didn't have the age of the cat on this chart (Bubba turned 16 on July 4th), I'd swear that this was the blood test of a young cat."
With that encouraging news, we continued the routine course of treatment, and experimented with several new foods. Bubba's appetite perked up, and he seemed to gain back some of those lost ounces.
Recently, however, because of a new episode of frequent vomiting, apparent weight loss, and because it was almost time for his annual checkup, we scheduled him for an appointment. I was also concerned, because I had been doing research on hypertension for a profile on that feline disease, and I saw what I interpreted to be small broken blood vessels in Bubba's eyes (Dr. Schnittker did not see anything untoward).
Once again, the veterinarian called with good news. Bubba's T4 is well within the "normal range," at 2.8 (although I noted it has dropped from last year's 3.3). His BUN and Creatine levels are also entirely normal.
We'll continue with the Tapazole treatment and increase the Reglan (for vomiting) to twice daily.
Because I write about cats, it's very possible that I overreact to symptoms with my own cats. However, I practice "better safe than sorry," because their health and welfare is extremely important to me.
Disclaimer : I am not a veterinarian, and this history is not necessarily a typical one for a hyperthyroid cat. Only your own veterinarian is qualified to treat your cat, based on a diagnosis after indicated lab work. I do hope that if you have a hyperthyroid cat, his condition will respond as readily as Bubba's has.
