What are the best treatment options for a cat with acromegaly?

Luv Bug is so very fortunate to have you as an owner. I am sure that you are one of the main reasons that she is going strong at 17 years of age. Kudos to you for your consideration and compassion for your pet. In terms of hyperthyroidism in cats, there are only three real treatments on the market today. These are methimazole treatment, thyroidectomy surgery, and radioactive iodine treatment. It is believed in the veterinary community that radioactive iodine is the gold standard treatment today. With the information you have provided, I can offer you a few possibilities for future treatment: 1. Perhaps you can get the math him is all in a tablet form to crush it into a fine powder and then mix it with any palatable substance that she likes and then squirt it in her mouth with a syringe. This, however, may cause some behavior problems because she may not like this either. 2. If you are willing to accept the costs and all of the different parts that go with the radioactive iodine treatment, I say go for it because the success rate for that specific treatment is excellent. Thank you very much for your question and I know you will make the right decision on her behalf. Have a great day.

Oh my. Poor girl. The most pressing issue here is the fluid on the lungs. You need to find out the underling cause for the fluid and hopefully it is something that is treatable. You will have to start with chest radiographs to find out possible causes and treatment options. The hyperthyroidism can be managed with medications until then. Hyperthyroidism in cats is typically treated with either the prescription diet Hill's Y/D or with Felimazole. I hope that your pet Lucy is able to stabilize her condition soon! Best wishes and take care.

Surgery will be a definitive option and treatment won't be needed anymore in the long term. Unfortunately the down side of it is the cost and invasiveness of procedure. Medical treatment on other hand requires constant monitoring and continue treatment but it is a good option as well. The decision is very subjective, but usually where cat and client are right candidates, I tend to suggest surgery. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

In the majority of cases hyperthyroidism is due to a benign tumour (adenoma )within the thyroid gland. As time goes by, the lump continues to grow with worsening of the symptoms that will require more treatment. It is difficult to be stable on the medications, they wil need adjusting and repeat blood test. There are other more permanent treatment options such as radioactive treatment. I am quite positive about integrating conventional therapies with holistic ones i general, in this case though I don’t see how it would help .

I am so sorry that your and Gingers are both going through this. Mammy tumors in cats can be malignant or benign. Unfortunately, studies show that 90% of them are malignant and aggressive where only 10% are benign. The normal treatment would be a full mastectomy on the side that the tumor is located. With her age, this is still an option but you may just consider taking off just the mass to make recovery easier. The other option is to do nothing and just keep her comfortable. I am sorry that she is going through this and I know it isn't easy on your as she is part of the family. My thoughts are with you during this time and whatever you decide, just know you are doing it with her best interest in mind. I hope this helps!

That's a complicated recommendation to give, especially since we don't know the type of cancer. It is possible that local excision could be curative. It is also possible that after local excision and a diagnosis from histopathology, we find that amputation is needed. In my opinion solely based on the pictures, I would probably remove the tumor and not try to get aggressive clean borders and wait to see what the tumor is before doing anything more drastic.

First off, are you sure of the diagnosis. Iris melanosis is usually found in older cats. It is not impossible for Foggy to have it at his age but it is not common. Luckily, most cases of iris melanosis do not undergo malignant change to melanoma. In fact, a cat with progressive iris melanosis is more likely to develop glaucoma from infiltration and obstruction of the drainage angle (the area in the eye where the intraocular fluid drains) than he is to develop distant metastasis. Although opinions vary, the usual approach to cats with iris melanosis is to follow the progress by semi-frequent (2 times per year) re-examination. If glaucoma develops, and the eye is painful, enucleation (removal) of the eye is recommended. If any of the pigmented lesions become raised, velvety or if pupillary distortion is evident this would suggest progression and the risk of malignant transformation. It is possible to do a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the mass and collect enough cells for a definitive diagnosis by the pathologist. This is a tricky technique which should only be done by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Two possible treatment options exist for iris melanoma. The first is a laser treatment using a diode laser to destroy the tumor cells. Laser treatment is confined to small masses. The second treatment option is enucleation (removal of the eye). This is to prevent spread of the cancer. There is no chemotherapy for this type of tumor/cancer if it progresses to that stage. Hope this clarifies. Best wishes to you and Foggy.