June 8 is National Best Friends Day and, here at HHF, we’re all about loving and honoring our four-legged best friends. Mine is Marmalade, an 18-year-old ginger cat who came to my family at 8 weeks of age and has been my snuggle buddy ever since. I am particularly glad to celebrate this day with him because Marmalade recently underwent radioactive-iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism, a common issue for older kitties. 

If you’re not familiar with the treatment, which in this case was done at Powers Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, it involves one injection of radioactive isotopes that target the benign thyroid tumors that cause the condition. The treatment doesn’t make the cat sick, but he did have be hospitalized for 4 days, then return home to isolation for an additional 10 days.  I don’t know who struggled more—Marmalade for not seeing his other feline friends and humans or me for only getting two short visits with him each day.

The good news is, we got through it. The bad news, hyperthyroidism can mask kidney disease, another common issue in older cats. So, while we’re thrilled his thyroid numbers are back to normal, we now face the reality of managing his kidney disease for as long as possible.

Whether your best friend is a dog, cat, rabbit, horse, bird or other small companion, take the time to cherish them on June 8th and every other day of the year.