Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How Australian vets treat and monitor hyperthyroid cats
By Kopecny, Lucy et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management and monitoring of hyperthyroid cats: a survey of Australian veterinarians.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A survey of Australian veterinarians found that most prefer using antithyroid medications to manage hyperthyroidism in cats, with 56% choosing this option. Radioiodine treatment, which is often more effective, was selected by 38% of vets, but many had limited experience with it. While most vets aim to keep thyroid hormone levels within a normal range, blood pressure checks for these cats are not commonly done. The study suggests that while radioiodine is gaining popularity, there are still barriers to its use, such as cost and misconceptions about its effectiveness.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism treatment options · antithyroid medication for cats · radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroid cats
Abstract
Objectives This study sought to evaluate how Australian veterinarians approach management and monitoring of feline hyperthyroidism and compare these results with a similar survey recently performed in the UK. Methods An invitation to complete an online survey was sent to veterinarians in all states and territories of Australia. The survey comprised questions relating to management of hyperthyroidism, use of antithyroid drugs vs radioiodine treatment vs surgical thyroidectomy, in addition to demographic information for respondents. Results A total of 546 clinicians completed the survey. The most commonly preferred treatments for long-term management of feline hyperthyroidism were antithyroid medications (305/546; 56%) and radioiodine (210/546; 38%), with substantially more respondents selecting radioiodine when cost was removed as a consideration (425/546; 78%). However, most respondents had treated or referred few cases for radioiodine (median 2). Most veterinarians (500/546; 92%) used antithyroid medications either long term or prior to definitive treatment of hyperthyroidism. For medical management, 45% (244/546) of veterinarians used twice-daily carbimazole. Half of respondents (274/546) aimed to maintain the total thyroxine concentration anywhere within the laboratory reference interval in hyperthyroid cats without chronic kidney disease. Blood pressure monitoring was uncommon. Surgical thyroidectomy was rarely performed. Conclusions and relevance Radioiodine was more frequently preferred by Australian veterinarians compared with those in the UK, likely associated with greater availability, reduced cost and shorter hospitalisation times in this jurisdiction, although antithyroid medications were the most frequently used treatment modality. Barriers remain to its utilisation, however, including perceived cost, misconceptions with regard to expected success rate and accessibility. Recent changes to recommendations on the management and monitoring of hyperthyroid cats do not appear to have been widely adopted by veterinarians at this time.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26965675/