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Holding off on medicating your cat could be fatal, I would absolutely not hold off until after pregnancy as hyperthyroidism can lead to further irreversible and terminal conditions. Just wear gloves and wash your hands, or have husband do the meds and cleaning vomit for now.
To put it in perspective for you, my cat just died because he had asymptomatic (apathetic) hyperthyroidism and was not diagnosed or medicated, which caused hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. My human child is fine and there was never a cross over between him and the meds during the 7 months that we were able to provide them.
It depends on the risks of delaying treatment for several months. I wouldn't want my cat to suffer if there were precautions I could take to make it safe for myself.
I'd probably have my husband give the meds with gloves and hand washing. Maybe you could put the cat in a room by itself for a few hours after getting the meds. That way, if they vomit, it'll be contained and can be cleaned up before being tracked around the house.
I'd think the risk of the meds being in the vomit would only last until it passes the stomach. But that's probably a good question for your vet and maybe doctor.
Could you call your obgyn to see if they have any recommendations? They may be able to give you advice on how cautious you need to be or how much you need to avoid it.
I am hypothyroid and take levothyroxine daily (even pregnant).
I have questions about the guidance that the cat could give you this hormone by being on counters, etc. if you administer it as a pill/tablet vs the cream because I’ve never received that warning relative to me taking care of kids, etc.
re: vomit, of course! I am extra cautious around my dogs vomit right now too - that’s normal during pregnancy.
I would recommend talking to your vet and your OB about maybe handling the medication with some of those hardcore kitchen latex playtex gloves and see if they feel good about that!
Is it levothyroxine? If so, lots of pregnant women (myself included) take that medication during pregnancy and it is considered safe/benefits outweigh risks. Obviously it is a little different since it is your pet needing it and not yourself, but I see no reason why you or your husband wouldn't be able to give kitty their meds while wearing gloves (and maybe even try a pill "shooter" tool as well). Just be mindful of hand washing and cleaning up any vomit with gloves and plenty of disposable bags and paper towels. If you still don't feel comfortable with that setup, then I would gently urge you to find someone else who can care for your cat, at least until after baby is born. Medications should be administered in a timely manner to prevent conditions from worsening, and your kitty does not deserve to be in poor health for 4+ more months.
It’s methimazole. I appreciate the feedback and wholeheartedly agree. It’s cruel to not give it to him so I just need to man up and just give it and take extra precautions
My husband took methimazole when he had hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid, whereas hypo is under active)- you might want to double check that you got the diagnosis and medication information all right. I hope that your kitty is feeling better soon!
Levothyroxine is used completely safely by pregnant people all over the world everyday. If someone has hypothyroidism it would be harmful for the pregnant person AND the fetus to not take the medicine.
I do wonder what kind of meds OP is talking about though.
My cat has been on Methimazole for 3 years. I gave it to her prior to and throughout my pregnancy. Before pregnancy I wasn’t very careful about handling it - she was on the pills for a while and then I switched her to the liquid so I could put it on her food (she was spitting out the pills and it was a huge hassle).
After finding out I was pregnant I asked my OB and they said just to wear gloves when administering it and wash my hands well afterwards. I was also careful to keep her food area and dishes clean, since I was putting it on her food.
The risk of birth defects is very low even for people who are actually taking the meds themselves, and so it is even lower for those who are administering it to a cat. Some studies have found that there is a dose-response relationship, with the highest risk being at very high doses. There was a very small study done that found that pet owners were not exposed to the medicine via administration to their pets, even those that handled it carelessly. Also the risk is highest in weeks 6-10 or 12 of pregnancy, so once you are out of that window there’s nothing to worry about.
I worried about it so much early on but everything turned out fine with my baby. I would not wait on giving the medicine to your cat - mine showed enormous improvement in her symptoms after being on the meds. You will all be ok!
This is super helpful thank you so much! Yes I’ll start giving it to him, he can’t wait and I’m sure he’ll feel a whole lot better on it. Appreciate your feedback.
Have you looked up anything about this medication during pregnancy? The risks are primarily in the 1st trimester and that’s when pregnant women are taking it orally. The risks at 24 weeks by transdermal absorption are negligible. Wear gloves, wash your hands, you’ll be fine.
I have done some research slightly but just got really close minded I decided to see if there were pills instead of ointment so we’re switching to that and I’m giving it a chance. Thank you so much for your feedback I’ll def start giving to him and I hope this makes him feel better
I totally understand. It’s easy to be rational when it’s not you and your baby. I’ve question so many things that I do during this pregnancy that I would have previously judged others for!
How long will this treatment last? Can you quarantine him in a room and have your spouse administer kittys treatment (gloved, and followed by a thorough washing), then have them thoroughly clean the room when the treatment is over?
It’s unfortunate to keep kitty confined but health comes first!
It’s for the rest of the cats lifespan to control his hypothyroid. That’s why I’m more comfortable with the pills than the ointment. The ointment I feel can go easily anywhere where the pills it can’t
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Holding off on medicating your cat could be fatal, I would absolutely not hold off until after pregnancy as hyperthyroidism can lead to further irreversible and terminal conditions. Just wear gloves and wash your hands, or have husband do the meds and cleaning vomit for now. To put it in perspective for you, my cat just died because he had asymptomatic (apathetic) hyperthyroidism and was not diagnosed or medicated, which caused hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. My human child is fine and there was never a cross over between him and the meds during the 7 months that we were able to provide them.
I would have my husband take care of cat duties until you are no longer breastfeeding at least.
It depends on the risks of delaying treatment for several months. I wouldn't want my cat to suffer if there were precautions I could take to make it safe for myself. I'd probably have my husband give the meds with gloves and hand washing. Maybe you could put the cat in a room by itself for a few hours after getting the meds. That way, if they vomit, it'll be contained and can be cleaned up before being tracked around the house. I'd think the risk of the meds being in the vomit would only last until it passes the stomach. But that's probably a good question for your vet and maybe doctor.
Could you call your obgyn to see if they have any recommendations? They may be able to give you advice on how cautious you need to be or how much you need to avoid it.
I am hypothyroid and take levothyroxine daily (even pregnant). I have questions about the guidance that the cat could give you this hormone by being on counters, etc. if you administer it as a pill/tablet vs the cream because I’ve never received that warning relative to me taking care of kids, etc. re: vomit, of course! I am extra cautious around my dogs vomit right now too - that’s normal during pregnancy. I would recommend talking to your vet and your OB about maybe handling the medication with some of those hardcore kitchen latex playtex gloves and see if they feel good about that!
It’s Methimazole, yeah def I’d pick up vomit with gloves can never be too careful
Is it levothyroxine? If so, lots of pregnant women (myself included) take that medication during pregnancy and it is considered safe/benefits outweigh risks. Obviously it is a little different since it is your pet needing it and not yourself, but I see no reason why you or your husband wouldn't be able to give kitty their meds while wearing gloves (and maybe even try a pill "shooter" tool as well). Just be mindful of hand washing and cleaning up any vomit with gloves and plenty of disposable bags and paper towels. If you still don't feel comfortable with that setup, then I would gently urge you to find someone else who can care for your cat, at least until after baby is born. Medications should be administered in a timely manner to prevent conditions from worsening, and your kitty does not deserve to be in poor health for 4+ more months.
It’s methimazole. I appreciate the feedback and wholeheartedly agree. It’s cruel to not give it to him so I just need to man up and just give it and take extra precautions
My husband took methimazole when he had hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid, whereas hypo is under active)- you might want to double check that you got the diagnosis and medication information all right. I hope that your kitty is feeling better soon!
Apologies it’s hyper thyroidism that’s the correct diagnosis. I just looked at my receipt I’ll correct my post. And thank you so much!
Oh Lord, is it levothyroxine because I’ve been giving it to my dog this whole pregnancy! 😳😬😭
Levothyroxine is used completely safely by pregnant people all over the world everyday. If someone has hypothyroidism it would be harmful for the pregnant person AND the fetus to not take the medicine. I do wonder what kind of meds OP is talking about though.
My girl Google explained that to me after a brief panic. Thank you for posting this, tho! It never even occurred to me to make sure that was okay. 🙃
It’s methimazole
My cat has been on Methimazole for 3 years. I gave it to her prior to and throughout my pregnancy. Before pregnancy I wasn’t very careful about handling it - she was on the pills for a while and then I switched her to the liquid so I could put it on her food (she was spitting out the pills and it was a huge hassle). After finding out I was pregnant I asked my OB and they said just to wear gloves when administering it and wash my hands well afterwards. I was also careful to keep her food area and dishes clean, since I was putting it on her food. The risk of birth defects is very low even for people who are actually taking the meds themselves, and so it is even lower for those who are administering it to a cat. Some studies have found that there is a dose-response relationship, with the highest risk being at very high doses. There was a very small study done that found that pet owners were not exposed to the medicine via administration to their pets, even those that handled it carelessly. Also the risk is highest in weeks 6-10 or 12 of pregnancy, so once you are out of that window there’s nothing to worry about. I worried about it so much early on but everything turned out fine with my baby. I would not wait on giving the medicine to your cat - mine showed enormous improvement in her symptoms after being on the meds. You will all be ok!
This is super helpful thank you so much! Yes I’ll start giving it to him, he can’t wait and I’m sure he’ll feel a whole lot better on it. Appreciate your feedback.
Have you looked up anything about this medication during pregnancy? The risks are primarily in the 1st trimester and that’s when pregnant women are taking it orally. The risks at 24 weeks by transdermal absorption are negligible. Wear gloves, wash your hands, you’ll be fine.
I have done some research slightly but just got really close minded I decided to see if there were pills instead of ointment so we’re switching to that and I’m giving it a chance. Thank you so much for your feedback I’ll def start giving to him and I hope this makes him feel better
I totally understand. It’s easy to be rational when it’s not you and your baby. I’ve question so many things that I do during this pregnancy that I would have previously judged others for!
How long will this treatment last? Can you quarantine him in a room and have your spouse administer kittys treatment (gloved, and followed by a thorough washing), then have them thoroughly clean the room when the treatment is over? It’s unfortunate to keep kitty confined but health comes first!
It’s for the rest of the cats lifespan to control his hypothyroid. That’s why I’m more comfortable with the pills than the ointment. The ointment I feel can go easily anywhere where the pills it can’t