Radioiodine treatment in hyperthyroid cats: a survey of owner motivation and perception

Introduction Radioiodine (¹³¹I) treatment is often seen as the most appropriate treatment option for many hyperthyroid cats, but ¹³¹I therapy is not always pursued by the owner. Hence it is important to gain more insight into their decision making process and satisfaction.

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine which factors motivated owners to choose ¹³¹I treatment and how they experienced the ¹³¹I treatment of their cat.

Methods A survey was sent to owners whose cat underwent ¹³¹I therapy (n=1071) between 2010 and 2017 at Ghent University. The survey contained 36 questions concerning family situation, previous treatments, comorbidities, motivation for ¹³¹I treatment and owner experience after ¹³¹I therapy.

Results and discussion Four hundred and thirty-eight owners completed 94% or more of the questionnaire. More than half of the cats (55%) received previous medical, dietary or surgical treatment. Reasons for changing the initial treatment to ¹³¹I therapy were difficulties administrating medication (31%), insufficient improvement of clinical signs (23%), presence of side effects (16%) and veterinarians’ advice (16%). Surprisingly 18% of owners had to find information on ¹³¹I treatment online or through friends. Seventy-eight percent of cats was treated within six months after diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Although client service and cat friendliness are deemed important in our clinic, hospitalising their cat was very distressing for 17% of owners. Despite most owners (92%) were satisfied with the treatment, some points for improvement were identified such as improved communication regarding complications and comorbidities, the stress of owners during the hospitalisation period and the importance of underlying comorbidities.

Conclusion Our study stresses the importance of veterinary education regarding ¹³¹I therapy. The results of this study can aid in improving client communication and management of owner expectations when advising ¹³¹I as the preferred therapy for many hyperthyroid cats.

Publication History

Article published online:
08 March 2022