Radioactive Sprocket is Home From the Vet Hospital

We just got home a few moments ago. It was an interesting trip in the White Whale Work Truck to go get him in West LA. On the way home, I took some short videos of Sprockey in his carrier and I'll upload those as soon as I can.

I did not go to court today. I had lots to get caught up around the house and besides, today was the day Sprocket came home, and I didn't think I could get home from the courthouse in time for the trip over the hill.

Here are the instructions from the vet:

Sprocket has been treated with 4.0 millicuries of radioactive iodine (I-131).

No special radiation safety precautions are necessary AFTER August 17th, 2009.

Until then:
1. Persons over 45 years of age should stay three feet or further away from Sprocket, except for brief periods of necessary care.

2. Persons under 45 years of age should stay six feet or further away from Sprocket, except for brief periods of necessary care.

3. Children under 18 and pregnant women should not have any contact with Sprocket.

4. You must keep Sprocket strictly confined to your premises during this period.

The radioactive iodine which Sprocket has received is beneficial to him, but it is desirable that other persons not be unnecessarily exposed to radiation. To keep such exposure as low as possible:

a) You should minimize close contact with Sprocket including arranging to have Sprocket sleep in a separate room.

b) Sprocket is still excreting radioactive iodine. Do not dispose of Sprocket's waste in the trash. Use a flushable litter box filler and dispose of Sprocket's waste by flushing it down the toilet. Radioactive waste that is detected at a landfill can be traced back to your address and would become your responsibility to retrieve.

c) Wash your hands carefully after handling Sprocket, his food dishes, or litter box.

Please remember to return Sprocket to the initial treating vet approximately one month following his discharge from your hospital to allow Sprocket's thyroid to be rechecked.

Sprocket's radio graphic films were returned to me. I have a jpeg of those and I'll try to upload those, too.

We get one hour per day of close contact with him. The total treatment cost for Sprocket's one week stay was $1,158.25. When you think about the other options (surgery= risks; medication= for life) this was the best option and in the long run, the least expensive way to treat his hyperthyroid condition and the best option for him to have (hopefully) many more good years with us. Radiation has a greater than 95% success rate in treating this common condition.

Sprockey was pretty vocal on the trip home and the first thing he did was chow down. He will have to receive 200 milliliters of lactated ringers + potassium under the skin every other day for ten days. This is because his kidneys were functioning just outside the range of where they would like them to be.

The vet says that his blood pressure should come down pretty quickly and his heart rate go back to normal in about another week. It will take longer for the other symptoms (dull coat, constant vocal cries and voracious appetite) to dissipate but he is on the road to a full recovery now. We are so happy to have him home.