Specialty Referral Practice

Radioactive Iodine Therapy (I-131) Treatment

Radioiodine therapy treats hyperthyroidism, which is caused by a benign tumor of the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism can cause many problems, including weight loss, behavioral changes, excessive appetite, poor coat, diarrhea, heart problems, and can be deadly if left untreated. Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disease in older cats, and radioiodine therapy is the most succcessful treatment for this condition, curing 95-98% of cats with virtually no side effects. For this reason alone, Radioiodine therapy is considered the treatment of choice when compared to surgical removal of the tumor or continued medical therapy. which requires daily pilling of your cat for the rest of his/ her life and follow up blood work to ensure the liver and kidneys are not harmed by the drugs. We believe that your cat's quality of life can be significantly improved with the treatment.

Surgery can be very expensive for this condition, running an average of $800-$1500. Surgery also carries the inherent risk of anesthesia, and may not completely cure the disease; success rates are lower than with the raioiodine treatment. Drugs over the lifetime of the pet, coupled with the blood work recommended, can be $500-$700 annually. Please call our referral coordinator for more information about the cost of radioiodine treatment at our facility, which is less than the cost of surgery and less than two years of medical treatment. We offer pet health care financing to help you plan the cost of the treatment.

Other reasons to consider radioiodine therapy:
- more cost effective than drugs for the rest of the pet's life and surgery
- cure rate is higher than with drugs or surgery
- no anesthesia required
-no side effects
-thyroid function returns to normal in 1-3 months in most cases

Before the treatment, we will partner with your family veterinarian, who will perform chest x-rays and blood-work for your pet. Our specialist will review the x-rays and lab work with you to make sure your cat is a healthy candidate for the treatment. Your cat will be admitted to the radioiodine therapy ward early in the week, and given a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. We will house your cat in order to allow the radiation levels to decline. During this period of 3-5 days, we will care for your cat like they are our own! They will have daily access to a certified technician who will provide food and water, cleaning, and as much attention as possible with the restrictions placed by state guidelines. We typically have 6 or fewer cats in the program at any one time in order to limit their stress as much as possible; many cats do fine being away from home, especially in our cozy ward where we provide music and "kitty tv". We will also provide you with daily updates as to how your cat is doing, and your pet will have access to a veterinarian at all times should the need arise.

Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital is the only facility on the Central Coast licensed to perform this treatment . We are happy to have you visit us or call for more information. You may also see the link below for more information about hyperthyroidism, radioiodine therapy, and aftercare instructions.

Radioactive Iodine Therapy (I-131) for hyperthyroid cats (88 kb PDF).