My 14 year old cat has had elevated thyroid levels for a few years now (four or so) - her levels aren’t terribly high, just on the upper levels of normal. The vet wants her to come in to get her thyroid levels checked about once every one or two months. He won’t refill her prescription for thyroid meds without getting another blood test done.
I feel like he’s holding her medications hostage for more blood tests (and more money, of course - $103 per test) when I don’t think she needs blood tests that often for what is basically a stable condition. Plus, at 14 years old and healthy in all other ways, I don’t think she needs the trauma of a vet visit every month. I could go for two visits a year at most at this point.
What do you think? Is this standard veterinary care that I would receive anywhere, or should I go to another vet that would listen to me better?
I have a hyperthyroid cat, and our vet does quarterly blood tests, and was happy to write a prescription so I could buy felimazole online. ($20, shipping included for 100, and yes it’s USbased and legal).
We were testing every three weeks when we were establishing her dosing. But since then it’s been quarterly. If your vet can’t give a medical reason for the frequent testing, I would amscray.
I agree. The vet I worked for would only do monthly testing when levels were being determined (the same was done for my fiance except it took them 3 years to figure out why his levels always fluctuated and now he only gets tested once a year). If the cat’s levels were stable, she tested 3 times a year maximum.
In my experience, once dosage is established, every six months would be usual, unless there were symptoms that indicated that her levels had changed. Even if your vet has a good reason, if you feel the vet is not listening to you, that is sufficient reason to change. A good vet discusses options and recognizes that quality of the pet’s life and financial considerations are ultimately your decision.
If you say you can’t afford to pay for monthly tests and the answer is too bad, you don’t get any medicine, that’s not the right vet.
The above posts pretty much covered it. A cat doing really well on the same dose after the initial testing, with fine levels after 3 months then 6 months, can then get tested every 6 months thereafter, and more often if symptoms appear. If your cat is “borderline” then your vet should be doing a “free T4” on top of the regular T4. It will better determine where your cat’s thyroid levels are for her age and therapy.
That’s it - I feel like he isn’t listening to me. I know my cat - she isn’t showing any signs of hyperthyroidism except for her tests coming up slightly higher than normal (at the same level). I have to weigh the trauma of taking a cat in to the vet (which she hates) against the usefulness of getting her tested as often as the vet thinks she should be tested.
I think I will find another vet - thanks for your input, everyone.
Monthly testing sounds a little weird unless the levels are really off, but testing before a refill sounds normal. I would think more like retesting once every 6 months or so (unless you notice a problem with the cat) would be more like it.
Finding another vet, even if just for a 2nd opinion, I think that’s a good idea if you feel the other vet isn’t doing things right.
