A Veterinary Journal by Claire Poole
March
Chapter 3 - Page 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Wednesday 11th March
Wednesday 11th March
Today is really a busman’s holiday. I am spending my precious morning off completing a job first started 7 weeks ago when I visited Mrs Adams, one of my favourite clients. Her old cat, Lacey, suffers from chronic respiratory problems and occasionally needs a course of treatment. While I examined Lacey, Mrs Adams mentioned that Lacey’s brother Cagney had lost weight. Cagney is a super cat, friendly and cheerful with above average intelligence. Happy to be the centre of attention, he is no trouble to examine. He certainly looked thinner; ‘He’s eating very well - in fact I can’t fill him’, observed his anxious owner. An extremely fast heart rate and palpably enlarged thyroid glands clinched the likely diagnosis; Cagney was hyperthyroid. Overactive thyroid glands speed up the cat’s metabolism, resulting in the symptoms observed – most commonly – weight loss, ravenous appetite and increased heart rate. Although affected cats initially seem very well, they will eventually progress to heart failure if left untreated.
Next day, Julie and I took a blood sample from Cagney to confirm the diagnosis, and 2 days later, Mrs Adams and I got together to discuss treatment options. We covered the 3 possibilities: medical treatment with tablets to be given up to 3 times daily; surgery to remove the abnormal tissue - generally successful, but with potential risks; and radioactive iodine therapy. This last treatment is frequently used in humans - radioactive iodine is given by a simple injection, localises in the thyroid glands and knocks out the abnormal tissue. The treatment is very simple and risk free, but complications arise from the potential risks to people and animals in contact with the treated cat who is now effectively radioactive. Stringent health regulations dictate that the cat has to be kept in isolation for a month - handled as little as possible, with all waste being disposed of in accordance with strict guidelines. Few centres in Britain can offer this treatment, and Glasgow is one of them.
As Mrs Adams is almost blind, tablet-giving is out of the question. She does not like the idea of surgery, and as she has recently received a modest inheritance, she decided to opt for treatment at Glasgow. Although old, Cagney is a happy-go- lucky chap and we don’t think that the change of scene will be too traumatic for him. After consultation with the vets at Glasgow vet school, all is arranged and 6 weeks ago, Mrs Adams and I delivered Cagney for his treatment. All has gone well. Mrs Adams has phoned me regularly with progress reports about Cagney’s settling-in period, his injection then his month in isolation. Now his sentence is up: he has put weight on and is fit to go home. Mrs Adams is a delightful lady with interesting tales to tell, and the journey to Glasgow passes quickly. During our last trip to Glasgow, we stopped for lunch at a scenic pub. Mrs Adams surprised me by ordering chicken korma - her first curry at the age of 93. Today, Mrs Adams is game to try more.
There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Glasgow, many fondly remembered from my student days. But although very pleasant, pub curries often bear little resemblance to the real thing, and I have a twinge of anxiety as we enter my favourite curry house. I needn’t have worried - popadoms, chutney, chicken tikka masala, pilau rice and a nan on the side - all are enthusiastically demolished. Thus fortified, we set off to collect Cagney. He looks heavier already and his latest blood results show that the treatment has worked. After her exciting morning, Mrs Adams sleeps throughout the return journey while Cagney wails unhappily in the background. Safely delivered back home, Cagney inspects his surroundings ... and his sister carefully, to reassure himself that nothing has changed in his absence. As I rush out the door, late for evening surgery, Mrs Adams parting words ring out ominously: ‘Doesn’t he look heavy beside his sister. Come to think of it, she seems to have lost weight recently ...’
Copyright Claire Poole 2005
