Hi There: I’ve read the two questions posted on the blog about hyperthyroidism, & their responses, & neither answers my question.
My cat is 16 yrs old, & has had hyperthyroidism for not quite a yr now. We have tried methimazole (first treatment), & the one similar to it (don’t have the bottle in front of me – carbimazole?), which we are doing right now. Neither of these meds have been successful in controling her condition, & both have resulted in horribly sore, scabby, & bleeding ears. She is quite miserable.
Radiocat is not an option for her – at age 16, & having never been out of the house, I’m certain she’d starve herself to death during the waiting period. The closest place to us who can do it is about 1.5 hrs away. If she were 6, maybe, but not at age 16. We won’t consider it – we know her too well, & she would not be able to handle it.
So, I am asking about surgery. Our vet, who is excellent but young, has never done the surgery on a cat before (watched one during vet school, & has done it on dogs). He’s concerned about the close quarters in there, & the possibility of nerve damage. He tried looking for info on whether the surgery has ever been done w/ lasers or not, & couldn’t find anything regarding that. Everyone pushes the Radiocat, & not surgery as much.
Could this surgery be done w/ lasers? Where could my vet find info about it, if it has been done, & by whom? We’re tentatively looking at a surgery date of next Fri, no matter which type of surgery he does. Our poor kitty is quite healthy otherwise, has been all her life, but this is really making her feel awful. Because she’s otherwise healthy, I’m not so worried about the risk of anesthesia, etc, but just making this as easy on her as possible.
Any ideas would be appreciated!
