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Willows Hails Success Of Innovative £1m Cat Treatment Unit

4 years ago
1328 views

Posted
27th February, 2020 11h48

Author
Linnaeus Group


A specialist unit to treat cats suffering from an overactive thyroid has been hailed a “great success” after celebrating its second anniversary.

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, in Solihull, West Midlands, has treated almost 100 cats since its state-of-the-art radioactive iodine (RAI) unit opened in January 2018.

An overactive thyroid (known as hyperthyroidism) is a common hormonal disorder in cats, with symptoms including increased appetite, weight loss, muscle wasting, excitability, nervousness, behavioural changes, tremors and heat intolerance.

If left untreated, hyperthyroidism can be life-threatening and has a huge impact on a cat’s health. However, in most cases it is a reversible condition with most cats making a complete recovery after treatment.

Radioactive Iodine treatment at Willows offers cats and their owners a definitive treatment for the condition without the need for on-going medication.

Traditionally managed through medication, special diets, topical creams or surgery, hyperthyroidism can be a lifelong condition.

Whilst effective medical therapies manage the condition, they do not address the underlying disorder, can cause side-effects and a resistance to medication can develop.

RAI therapy provides a simple and painless cure for the condition, with a 98 per cent success rate and no associated side-effects.

Maria Mannion’s cat Snowy was the first patient at Willows’ £1 million RAI Unit and she said her
15-year-old domestic short hair has not required any more medication at all since her treatment.

Maria, a veterinary nurse at Willows, said: “I was very happy with Snowy being the first cat to use the RAI unit and her treatment’s been a great success.

“She recovered brilliantly and settled right back in at home, like she’d never been away!

“Snowy had a blood test earlier this year and all her results came back normal and she hasn’t required any medication in two years now.”

Snowy’s case is not unusual with the treatment enjoying a remarkable success rate, Willows’ internal medicine specialist Laura Bree says it’s a real advance in cat care.

She explained: “The importance of RAI therapy is the ease and effectiveness of the treatment itself.

“Cats are given a dose of iodine, which travels to the over-active tissues within one or both thyroid glands and safely destroys the abnormal tissues.

“It’s a straightforward injection, with no side effects and has an incredible success rate of over 98 per cent.

“Cats stay with us for 14 days following the injection as the iodine is radioactive. This means we can closely monitor the patient throughout their stay, ensure they are well, and only return home once the radiation levels fall to a safe level. Our patients are assessed individually, which means that we can allow those that have a reduced level of radiation to go home sooner.”

Laura added: “Willows’ purpose-built unit for hyperthyroid cats has been developed to a gold standard providing a very safe and peaceful space for the cats to stay while they are radioactive.

“We also have a team of dedicated RAI nurses who are on hand to care for our patients and provide updates, pictures and comfort calls to the owners.”

Snowy’s owner Maria confirmed: “The RAI unit is incredible, and I was so grateful to the specialist nurses who looked after her.

“Although you can’t be with your cat, there is a CCTV system in the unit, so it was nice to be able to see her walking round and having lots of room or just simply settled happily in her bed.

“Snowy gained her weight back, her thyroid hormone levels returned to normal and when she was allowed home, she was her old happy self again – and hasn’t had a problem since. Everything went really well.”

To find out more information about Willows and its specialised RAI unit, visit www.willows.uk.net.


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