The Doctor called around 5:30 this evening and Smoky is officially irradiated. We talked about it in advance, but he ended up getting a very high dose. Usually the highest does for non-cancerous cats is 7 millicuries. Smoky got exactly that. That does is two and a half times the usual does for a hyperthyroid cat. Partly this is because we’re trying to zap his entire thyroid and the cystic goiter that’s growing on it and partly this is because this procedure is happening while he’s still on his methimazole.
Because his thyroid and the attached growth are SO screwy, we can’t take him off of his methimazole which is standard operating procedure. The last time we did that he went into a thyroid storm, nearly died, and in 48 hours in the ICU racked up $1,000 in medical bills.
This time he went in to the hospital on his full dose of methimazole, atenolol, and lasix. That should keep him stable as he progresses through the treatment. The doctor is calling us with daily updates. He got the I-131 shot today. Dr. Duddy said he was on a food strike for a little while but that she’d found him a hidey hole. When we checked him in we’d asked if they might be able to find him a cardboard box. Smoky likes to hide when he’s nervous and he LOVES to scratch on cardboard. Well, Dr. Duddy did one better. When she called she told me that she’d found a rattan basket and put in on its side. When she checked on him around 5:00 Smoky was curled up inside of it. That’s a great sign.
