The tests came back conclusive from your veterinarian that your kitty has a thyroid tumor. That's why your cat has been bouncing off the walls and eating everything like it was their last meal. Your cat is still young and healthy, so the doctor suggests radiation treatment to get rid of the tumor. While this is a definitive treatment for this type of tumor, there are some precautions to take after the treatment. Here is what to expect from the radiation treatment for your feline friend.
How This Treatment Works
Your cat will be injected with radioactive iodine. This travels through the bloodstream until it is taken in by the thyroid, which is the only organ that will absorb the iodine. The tumor causes cells in the thyroid to rapidly reproduce and those are the cells targeted by the iodine. It binds with those active cells and kills them while leaving the inactive cells in the thyroid alone. The iodine that doesn't become absorbed by cancerous cells is flushed out of the bloodstream in the urine. With the cancerous cells gone, the healthy cells in the thyroid take over again and your cat's metabolism returns to normal levels.
The Hospital Stay
Facilities that do veterinarian radiation therapy must be equipped to handle the radioactive material and the staff trained to work with such patients. Your cat will need to stay in the clinic for one or more days as the radioactive material is expelled from their body. The duration of stay depends on how large the tumor was and the amount of iodine the cat needed to kill the cancer cells.
Your cat will get rid of the radioactive iodine through their urine, so it will be checked frequently to test for the radiation level. Your cat will stay in a special area just for patients treated with radiation. No visitors are allowed in the area and you won't be able to leave toys or other items for your cat and expect them back. Such items would be contaminated with radiation and unable to go home with you and your cat.
Taking Your Cat Home
The staff at the clinic will monitor your cat and test their urine until the radiation level is at a safe level for your cat to go home. In a few days, when the level is safe, you'll take your cat home and you'll be given a number of precautions to take:
- Isolate your cat from other pets and people for a couple of weeks.
- Limit your own contact with your cat to just a few minutes each day for the same duration.
- Wash your hands after contact with the cat, food dishes or litter.
- When you clean the litter box, store the waste in a large bucket lined with a heavy-duty liner. Store the bucket in an out-of-the-way place for several weeks. Your veterinarian will tell you when it's safe to throw the litter into the garbage.
These steps are to limit your contact with the radioactive material. While it doesn't pose an immediate threat to you and other people and animals, the accumulation of radiation over time from various sources could be a cause for concern.
To learn more, contact a veterinarian clinic like All-Pets Hospital.
