Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Miriam Lodewyks — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 22:33:29 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

I'll bet you sixpence that 'more variety' means they want cheaper pet food. ;) (i'm going to land another red star for that, I just know it!)

[/quote] Oh you cynic, you... ;-)

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Stephen Courtney — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:11:22 GMT

Just gave you 5...

To be honest I've found YD hugely disappointing in all but 2 cats. it looks great on paper but either the cats won't eat it or the owners all lie to me and say they won't!

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Mark Hedberg — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:03:40 GMT

I'll bet you sixpence that 'more variety' means they want cheaper pet food. ;) (i'm going to land another red star for that, I just know it!)

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Jo Cobbett — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:55:40 GMT

It looks like most people are thinking the same as me then, I agree it seems a bit daft to go through all that rigmarole!

As to why they want to change, I didn't see the owner in question, I just had a note left on my desk by a colleague asking me to find out for him, so I made the phone call. I would have thought if they wanted variety in the diet they should have started on the tablets in the first place.

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Stephen Courtney — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:39:57 GMT

This is ridiculous - you already know the cat is hyperthyroid. if the client wants to stop the diet, stop the diet and start medication at the dose you would have used in the first place. end of.

There is no point whatsoever in testing before starting meds, unless you doubt the original diagnosis.

Worry about monitoring bloods three to four weeks after treatment change.

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Clive Ansell — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:19:29 GMT

Why on earth has Mark been red stared?

The cat is 18, the diet works, the cat eats it, why the hell would anyone change that in favour of daily tableting. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Andrew Kent — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:01:18 GMT

Presumably you know what it's original T4 was prior to treatment so you have a good idea what dose it is likely to need of oral treatment. For me slow release carbimazole is a big step forward but I do think the best drug is whatever you are most familiar with. I would stop the diet and start the meds 1-2 days later, I can't see that you will run into any problems even if it goes hypo for a day or 2 (assuming the kidneys have been ok?). Andy

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:41:35 GMT

*sigh* so cat's made a brilliant recovery and the owner wants to willingly tablet a cat. Just checking.

(apologies, that wasn't very helpful. No, i've not heard of people changing from diet to tablets.)

Re: Changing from y/d to medical therapy

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:39:10 GMT

I don't have experience of going this direction, I'm presently weaning a cat which suffered a drug eruption to Felimazole onto YD. I would say a level of 25 nmol/l is not low and it is likely to quickly rise when you stop the diet so there is little danger of making it go dangerously hypothyroid and see no harm in starting with a low dose of whichever drug you prefer. I am a committed Felimazole man, as I see carbimazole as a backward step. I would thus probably start with 2.5mg twice daily as soon as its weaned off the YD, re-test every 3 weeks and titrate up as necessary. On the other hand you could always do a thyroidectomy - its probably a bit old for radio iodine therapy now