A new update, we picked up Jack this morning from the emergency vets .
He had a stable night, but they couldn't give him the atenolol injection as he got too stressed when they went near his cubicle, he hissed and spat whenever anybody walked past. This is completely out of character for Jack as he is the softest cat you could ever hope to meet, so he was obviously not feeling good at all.
We then drove the the Cardiff cat clinic. We said we were with PDSA (the charity vet) but that he needs help and we'd like him to be transferred here. The vet did say he'd need his records, but phoned then and asked for them to be faxed to him, he also had the emergency vets record faxed through also.
He examined him and said the outlook is not good. His heartbeat is extreme and his breathing is also terrible.
He also said his other thyroid gland is huge and is a goitre(?) so would need to be taken out as it's gone haywire like his other one did.
So he is suffering still from hyperthyroidism and that the gland is probably leaking the toxic fluid into his blood causing his heart rate.
However he said he may have irepairable damage to his heart and he will need oto X-ray it to see if it is enlarged.
As he is gravely ill, the main thing to do is to try and lower his heart rate so he has been put on oxygen for a few hours to try and calm it down.
However he said he is extremely weak and could very likely collapse at any time.
If he can't get his heart rate down with oxygen, then he said he would certainly not survive an aneasthetic for an X-ray or anything else and there would be nothing he could do.
He said he doesn't want to handle him too much either as the slightest physical movement and stress could kill him.

He said the prognosis is extremely poor. I wanted to give him the best chance possible so opted for him to be treated with oxygen for a few hours to see if it works and lowers his heart. If it doesn't, then it will be time to let him go.

I cannot describe how I am feeling right now, my heart is broken, and I feel dead inside, and just want to lie down and sob. My heart is breaking into pieces and the thought of having to let him go is just too much for me to take.

I feel partly responsible in taking him to the PDSA (the PDSA is for people on low incomes who recieve housing or tax benefits) and not to a better vet practice who could've spotted the trouble and removed both thyroids, I have no doubt he would've had better treatment. It's only now going to these private vets that I can see the difference in the way they treat the animals and the level of care they give. Jack didn't have any aftercare after his operation to remove his thyroid, no medication, nothing.
If he had been at another vets I think he wouldn't be the way he is now.
I know deep down it's not my fault as I didn't know, and knew nothing about hyperthyroidism., but if only I had taken him sooner, it may have helped, I just thought he was losing weight from excercise, I did'nt know there was anything wrong with him. How could I have been so blind to the fact he was ill?
I feel that it could've been so different if I'd only taken him to a private vets instead of using PDSA, they obviously only offer basics, but I just didn't know or realise that, I just didn't know.

So that is the update, I am waiting for a phone call this afternoon to let me know if he has repsonded to the oxygen treatment. I am praying that he has

My heart is broken, and it will never ever heal.