The Fee – What’s Included?

We make our fee as all-inclusive as possible so that you will not be surprised with any extras during your cat’s stay. Week in and week out, unless there is a major medical emergency, the fee for RAI treatment does not change. Follows is the range of services that are included in the fee. Skip to the bottom to read about what is not included.

Included:

  • Assessment of medical records, labs and consultation with your family vet prior to admission as needed to determine whether your cat is a good candidate for treatment.
  • Initial telephone consultation with you in which we discuss your cat’s candidacy, talk about the ins and outs of the procedure and expected outcomes, and go over radiation safety instructions after your cat comes home.
  • Ongoing collaboration with your family veterinarian to ensure the cats will be comfortable during their medication withdrawal prior to treatment day
  • Consultation and physical exam at time of admission
  • The radioiodine treatment itself, with a tailored dose ordered and delivered from Montreal or Edmonton specially for your kitty.

Side note: we continue treating regardless of the form in which radioiodine is available. We use the oral form when injectable product is not available. Giving RAI orally does not mean anesthesia or routine sedation. A few drops in the back of the mouth is all it takes and most cats are very accepting of this. There is no difference in cure rate or how the cats feel if we use the oral product, however there is more risk of radiation exposure to ourselves personally. We have accepted this risk as we know these hyperthyroid kitties need to be treated!

  • Daily updates by phone or email to let you know how your kitty is doing during thyroid camp.
  • Hospitalization– there is no extra charge for the kitties who hang on to their radiation and are required to stay longer than the mandated minimum 4 day stay
  • At least one veterinarian and technician on site assessing and caring for your cat each and every day of their stay.

Side note: Our clinic is not a department within another facility and the cats are not just part of our duties – they are our entire focus.  Hyperthyroid medicine is all we do. We will never be called away to attend to other species or to perform other tasks. Caring for the hyperthyroid kitties is our WHOLE job.

  • Any medications your cat may require while in hospital – this includes administering those which you bring with you or those we feel your cat needs during their stay. Common treatments needed by hyperthyroid cats include subcutaneous fluid therapy, anti-nausea medications, probiotics, anti-diarrheal medications, anti-constipation medications, appetite stimulants, anti-anxiety medications and beta-blockers. We have them all!
  • Re-treatment at no-charge within 1 year of treatment should we not cure the hyperthyroid state (as long as the post treatment blood work is performed as recommended so we can ensure that it was failure of this treatment and not development of a new tumour. (If the thyroid level normalizes then we know we have cured the tumour).
  • Ongoing Communication – We’re happy to collaborate with your family veterinarian about your cat’s thyroid level for the duration of your cat’s life
  • Initial thyroxine supplementation – if your cat is one of the few that we have determined would be safest with immediate post-treatment thyroxine supplementation the first 5 week supply of thyroxine is included.  This is generally for cats with moderate kidney disease and we will have discussed this with you during the initial telephone conversation.

During their stay your cat will enjoy:

  • High End hotel rooms – Kitty condos which are specially modified to meet federal requirements for housing hyperthyroid kitties (it means fresher air!), built in resting shelves, separate room for litter boxes to ensure clean dining rooms, luxurious, biscuit making bedding and beds, NapPurr hidey houses for shy kitties, room service and bed turn-down and toilet cleaning as often as needed.  Not to mention bottomless catnip bar, treat dispensing and aromatherapy in the form of diffused feline happy pheromones (Feliway).
  • The Spa – a specially designed cat only and cat friendly room in which the cats stay. The room was built to federal regulations. It is in the rear of the clinic which makes it a quiet zone for the cats.
  • Fine dining – we carry a large variety of canned foods and a few types of dry (it gets stale if we carry too many types). If your cat is on a special (prescription) diet that we do not stock we will ask you to bring it with you. Otherwise its free trips to the buffet throughout their stay.
  • Spa services – Furever ear rubs and zoom grooming (at your cat’s discretion), nail trims, dreadlock clipping.
  • Use of the exercise facilities – “one-cat-at-a-time” use of The Playroom (aka The Palace) and the main area room (which means 2 cats can be out of their kennels at the same time but will not encounter each other) for exploration and leg stretching, use of scratching posts, climbing shelves, catnip toy box and secret sleeping beds in special nooks.
  • Fish TV – we have a large aquarium and a resting post beside it so the cats and can watch the zippy fish from near or far. 

What Isn’t Included?

  • Radiographs  ultrasound, or blood work aside from a T4/TSH if required during their stay – we do not have an Xray machine or in-house lab. For a fee, we can use the neighbouring veterinary dental clinic’s facilities (just 2 doors down).
  • Follow-up blood work after the treatment – this is performed at your family veterinarian and can vary from cat to cat – but we are always happy to discuss and interpret the results with your family vet
  • Re-treatment should your cat develop another thyroid tumour in the future and which is not failure of the first treatment. If your cat’s thyroid level normalizes after treatment, then we have cured the tumour. A small percentage of cats (1%) will grow a new tumour years later. If the cats are medically good candidates there is no barrier to treating again with RAI. Because we empathize with the owners of these rare cases we offer re-treatment at half the current treatment fee.
  • Medical treatments out of our ability to treat appropriately – While rare, during their stay with us a cat may express a major medical issue which may or may not be related to hyperthyroidism. In this instance we will do all we can to stabilize your kitty and then transfer them to where they can receive the best possible care.
  • Ongoing thyroxine supplementation if needed – fortunately this is a very inexpensive medication.