is there a Radiocat in your area, Bonkers?  I think they charge a little over $1000.

I hope and pray AV will be able to pull Rufus out of this, Peg... I feel so bad about what happened to him in that drat hospital!

And Bonkers, I know how scary it is; but try to remember that hyperthyroidism in cats is so very treatable and manageable.  It is one of a few feline diseases that actuly has a permanent cure!  The thing to concentrate on now is get a firm diagnosis.  {{{Hugs}}} and give a smooch on the nose for Tinker from me.  I'll tell Cato to send a kitty-telepathy messag to her that she has to bring that T4 down becuase she's scaring her Meowmie!

Bonkers:  ALT and ALKP are liver enzymes.  And yes - lab results can turn uo with errors andven the labs admit this.  Antech had an article about their thyroid T4 results and that for some reason, these numbers turn up elevated in as many as 25% of patients.  It can be the same with Idexx.  That's why retest is always in order if throid T4 results are borderline high or low or too high or otherwise not normal.

Your vet will know if you ask specifically for a thyroid panel blood test.  This will contain a minimum of 4 values:

TT4 (Total T4)
fT4 (free T4)
TT3 (Total T3)
fT3 (free T3)

This time, see if you can get Antech lab (there should be one in servicing the vets in your area).  I've seen some pet parents obtain test results from both labs for comparison.

I think you should follow your gut feeling, Bonkers and withhold the Tapazole until an iron-clad diagnosis is made based on bth T4 abd T3 reads (this is in the standard thyroid panel - Antech offers it, and so must Idexx).  Peg is right - a week waiting won't do any harm.

Raw broccoli and cabbage are known to suppress thyroid hormone production.  If the high T4 is merely a "spike" then a temporary diet change may bring it back to normal levels - as it did for Kaffe.  If the high T4 is due to an adenoma in the thyroid glands (the most common cause of feline hyperthyroidism), then it needs to be regulated by thyroid medication like Tapazole methimazole).  But the"rule of thumb" now is to start at a low dose, even if the manufacturer recommends the 5mg per day.  Other options are Surgery and I131.  If these are not options and kitty cannot tolerate Tapazole, there's something you can get - I can't remember the name of the chemical (its not a drug); but I'll check in the feline hyper-T group.
The Acetyl-L-Carnitine supplement is to prevent what is called a "thyroid storm" which happens when a kitty on Tapazole is suddenly taken off it in preparation for I131 treatment.  Or when thyroid hormones suddenly go amuck, affecting many organs and systems in the body - heart, kidney, everything! It also helps in the transport of fats and is a great dietary supplement for obese kitties.

$2000 for the I131!  Oh my!  In Oregon, when I was checking clinics, I found the going price was between $800 and $1200. What state are you in, Bonkes?

   Sorry, didn't see that, Bonkers.  I really should read the whole article. 

Does anyone here know of any literaure supporting the claim that ALL meats (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.) that enters a petood manufacturing plant HAS to be denatured?

Another theory I read about in the hyper-T group was the varying amounts of dietary iodine contained in petfoods... basically it was thought that the yo-yo swings of available iodine threw the thyroid out of whack... something like that.

I only got to read this thread today, Bonkers.  I know how scary a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is.  But wait... did you have the Thyroid panel done?  At least the one with both T4 and T3?  Most good vets don't put kitty on Tapazole treatment until a definite diagnosis has been reached and that can't be done with the regular T4 alone. 

Is the lab Idexx?  Must be with those numbers.  I am more familiar wit Antech values...

Also, 5mg a day of Tapazole is too high - join te Feline hyperthyroidism group right away and you'll see/learn lots of very helpul stuff.  I really would question the vet about startng tapazole treatment on just a ONE T4 reading and tarting at 5mg per day.  Tapazole is a powerful drug and a small percentage of cats cannot tolerate it. 

If diagnosis is firm, check to see if your kitty can be a cadidate for I131 trreatment becuase that cures the condition; whereas, Tapazole has to be taken for life.  Some cats are hard to pill and some cats cannot tolerate methimazole (sp) at all.   If I131 treament is an option for you, ususally the vet will put kitty on Tapazole for at least 2 wks and then check kidney function (hyperthyroidism masks underlaying renal disease).  If numbers are ood, then you may rejoice because kitty will then be a good candidate for I131 treatment.  Radio-iodine facilities are everywhere these days and pricing varies... the length of time the cat needs to sta in the clinic also varies depending on which state you live in.  When I was in Oregon, it was 3 days. 

If you recall, back in early 2008, one f Kaffe's annual blood tests returned with a high T4 reading.  The vet told me that in such cases, they recommend a retest at the very least or a full thyroid panel done.  If hyperthyroidism truly is present, then cat is prescribed Tapazole.  When I heard that, I immediately researched and joined the hyper-T group.  After reading all I could, I reformulated Kaffe's diet and asked the vet to give me one month before retest.  All I did was add raw broccoli and raw cabbage into his raw food and give supplementary L-carnitine 250mg per day spread over several meals.  After one month, a second full panel blood test was done and T4 was normal! 

Sometimes, for unknown reasons, T4 can spike and then fall to normal levels again.  That's why a retest or a thyroid panel is a must.

If you cat is not exhibiting hyperthyroid symptoms (drinking and eating a lot, loosing weight, super-active, vocal, greasy, unkept coat), dont be afraid to question one vet's diagnosis based on one blodd test result.  Mind you, at that time, Kaffe was drinking more and was very very active and vocal - but I was not convinced with that what he had was hyper-T.

Ruf-Ruf sweetie... please wait for Angel Vet...

Kaffe, I am going to have to disagree.  

well, why not?  of course you can disagree.

[Quote:]

 I just have to ask the same question as Nicole Martin.

Quote:  "The thing I always wonder in these instances is, why did it leave the factory if it wasn't up to their standards?"

That's a bit of a mystery to me too, unless the self-testing that they do takes several days to complete.

This is just my sily 'ol opinion, but at least NV voluntarily recalls faulty products as soon as they realize that there is a problem... not like some petfood companies we can name that deny and deny in the face of so many consumer complaints that something is the matter with their product.  A few days ago, I though the trouble with the NV Freeze-Dry may have something to do with the preservatives they use (the tocopherols, rosemary, sage, clove herb mix) or something went sub-standad in the processing itself (freeze-drying is  very long process compared to the processes involved in canned, kibble or raw diets).  

Thing is, and this is not going to be popular, whenever you need to mass-produce, problems will occur; especially if there are so many ingredients involved and steps in the processing.

That's why I make my own cat's food --- well, most of it anyway.  I still do feed a bit of kibble and keep commercial canned food handy just in case - with the knowledge behind my head that something may be wrong with them and like the great majority of pet parents now, praying that "whatever could be wrong" won't be lethal.

where do you get these pattis, sherrylynne?

Yep - we're all here together to help each other.  Great that onkers was able to come up with a list so quick!  Good-on-ya, Bonkers!

oh my goodness!  I can just picture that scene in my head.  Yes - cats know when you are worried about something to do with them; and often, they know exactly what is is you're concerned about.  I'm sure Rufus couldn't wait for you to get home so he can show you his wonderful creation: shaped poop!  And of course he has a right to be proud of himself!  I'm so glad, Peg and let's hope that thin but well-shaped poopie is a harbinger of better things to come for sweet Rufus-boy.  Next best thing now is that he'll eat like a hog!