Hyperthyroidism

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amysanimals

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 8:19 pm


As the title suggests, my guinea pig Oscar was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. His regular veterinarian, Dr. Keefer, diagnosed him with this approximately a week ago through physical examination and blood tests. Oscar shows all the classic signs--weightloss, excessive drinking, excessive eating--he also has a large macadamia-nut-sized lump under his throat, which can be felt easily upon palpitation. Dr. Keefer said that he is completely healthy in all other respects. She checked his lungs, heart, teeth and stomach--all turned up clean.

Whats a mother to do? Oscar seems to be very happy and content, other than the increased appetite. Dr. Keefer, who has treated another guinea pig with this condition, stated that if I would like to treat Oscar it would require weekly bloodwork, twice-daily medication administration and a period of weeks or months to find the correct dosage. Im torn. I would love to just give my pretty pig a 2 week course of medication and having everything become better, but that wont be the case. From previous experience, I know that Oscar HATES taking medication. He fights with all his little strength. Should I go with the route of medication and force him to endure it twice daily, not to mention the blood tests weekly, or should I let nature takes its course and put him 'to rest' when he shows signs of suffering. Hes only 3 years old. Is it fair to make him take medication for the rest of his life? Or is it unfair to NOT make him take it?

Is there any way to help lessen the affectives of this illness?

Help =(

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 8:27 pm


Have you read this page?

https://www.guinealynx.info/hyperthyroid ... study.html

A while back Brian Martin contacted me with this information about his guinea pig. I do not know if you can glean useful info that might improve his outcome but perhaps a close reading could give you some ideas.

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GuineaPigGoddess

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 8:29 pm


Amy, it's been much too long since I've last talked to you. :) Although Im sad at the news. Oscar sure doesn't deserve it. I'm sure whatever you choose will be in the best interest of your little boy. Good luck and kishes to Oscar.

egustavson

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 9:08 pm


There was a thread recently about a guinea pig with hyperthyroidism. You may want to do a search on the medical forum and read it.

It is a difficult situation and the more knowledge you have will help you make decisions. I wish you and Oscar the best.

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mmeadow
Supporter 2004-2022

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 10:55 pm


My pig Scooby showed the most important sign of hyperthyroidism--weight loss despite large amounts of hand-feeding. Lacking a model for the disease in cavies, our vet opted to follow the protocol for cats with hyperthyroidism and treat her with methimazole (Tapazole). The vet did a couple of blood tests, but the results were always inconclusive. As we raised the dose, the weight loss slowed until we were able to maintain her with less hand-feeding, and she clearly felt better, so we did not bother with the invasive-but-unhelpful blood tests. In retrospect, I wish we had been less conservative in the rate at which we raised the dose, because it took weeks and several adjustments while Scooby continued to lose a scary amount of weight.

We did not find giving her the small amount of medicine twice daily to be a problem.

As time went on, there was a palpable thyroid nodule, so it may well have been cancer. After 9-12 months, she had a "thyroid storm" (extreme secretion of thyroid hormone) crisis and we chose to let her go since it was not manageable.

Good luck with your pig!

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Tracy

Post   » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:40 pm


I, too, found blood tests unreliable. My Inca's T-4 levels were "within normal range," yet we treated her with tapazole based on a lump in her neck, weight loss, and rapid heart. We increased Inca's tapazole dose a few times, but it seemed like it wasn't helping because I couldn't get her to gain weight (despite supplemental feedings) and her heart continued to beat fast. She also wasn't keen on the tapazole. As a result, I gradually decreased (skipping doses when she resisted too much) and then stopped the tapazole, in the interest of letting her be happy for her remaining time.

Turns out the med was probably helping (she was losing weight slower) because without the med she had a thyroid storm that lead to an ER visit; unfortunately her sped-up metabolism could not be managed and she died before I got back for euthanasia. My "lesson learned" is what all vets will tell you -- tapazole is for life. If you go that route, do not stop even if you may have an incorrect dose, if it doesn't seem to be helping, or if your piggy does not like it. Correction: If you decide to stop tapazole for any reason, be prepared for consequences.

By the way, it's a pretty cheap drug. And, for whatever it's worth, my Inca liked the regular flavor better -- HATED banana. Also, my girl did not seem to suffer while losing weight (had great attitude up until the night before her thyroid storm), though it was very tough on me to watch her weigh drop and feel her bones. (She died around 505 grams, half her peak weight.)

Some piggies have had surgery for thyroid tumors -- according to cat protocol they should receive tapazole first for a while (don't remember how long) so that their body does not go from one extreme to the other. My vet also has a few hyperthyroid piggy patients in a trial for a radioactive iodine protocol used with cats; I can send you her contact info if your vet wants to learn more about that. Finally, I think I read something about a kind of tapazole applied to the ear instead of oral doses (don't recall exactly, but do a search and ask your vet).

All things to consider. Good luck to you!

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 1:41 am


I recently lost a piggie with hyperthyroidism. I live in a country where this is not treated by any vet, so I was forced to find herbs which had an effect. They don't even do blood works here on piggies, except the ones that can be done with a testing strip. My piggie had all the symptoms, but she developed the swollen thyroid as last, only then I was sure. I gave her the herbs as tea in small amounts with a syringe and the dosage was correct after the second attempt. It worked very well.

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mmeadow
Supporter 2004-2022

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 12:07 pm


pigjes, that is very interesting. What herb did you use?

Tracy and my vet (same person) did not have a treatment protocol for hyperthyroidism in cavies, so she followed the usual procedure for cats. I'm sure a vet in Belgium could do that too.

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AliceMcmallis
Supporter in '08

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 12:33 pm


I would get surgery done to remove the thyroid gland tumour. I have had this procedure done on 3 guinea pigs now and it worked out wonderfully all 3 times.

Do a search on "Maggie" with me as the author and you'll find her thread. She was the 1st guinea pig my vet had ever done this surgery on. We tried the medication route and it lowered her levels slightly, but didn't improve her condition enough. When the other two pigs presented with the same symptoms + increased thyroid levels we just did the surgery rather than mess around and waste time with medications.

All three pigs recovered well - Maggie I believe lived another year after surgery until her little heart gave out, another pig lived about 2 yrs after surgery and died from kidney failure which was unrelated to the thyroid condition, and the third had her surgery in February and is still doing wonderfully.

The surgery is basically the same as on a cat. So if your vet has experience doing it on cats and experience with other types of surgeries on guinea pigs, I would see no reason why she couldn't do it and have a positive outcome. He could live another few years quite happily.

egustavson

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 1:03 pm


I did have a cat with hyperthyroidism who had the radioactive iodine treatment. I took him to a specialist recommended by the veterinarian we used at the time. He lived another 9 years after the treatment.

I don't know how widely available the radioactive iodine treatment is--I don't think many vets did it at the time my cat had the treatment. Surgery may be a good option.

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Tracy

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:01 pm


AliceMcmallis, would you be willing to send your vet's name to me via e-mail? I'd love to pass it along to my vet, in the event they consider doing some thyroid surgeries on piggies. Right now she's very leery of going that route, especially without a period of tapazole beforehand. I know the hospital's surgeons would definitely be familiar with cat thyroid removals, so maybe they'd all be more willing to treat piggies that way after learning about a few success stories. Thanks! (And if you'd rather not, that's fine.)

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AliceMcmallis
Supporter in '08

Post   » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:19 pm


Will do! He's a bit difficult to get hold of sometimes, but is definitely willing to consult with other vets.

Also seems to be on VIN quite often, so if your vet were to post for info there I could let him to know to look for it.

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