Vet overdosed cat!

My 18.5 year old cat had radioactive iodine a couple years ago to treat hyperthyroidism. Since, he’s developed hypothyroidism.

Our vet put him on what she said is the standard starting dose according .7 mg levothyroxine. I immediately questioned it because I’m hypo myself and take .5 mg. I told her that and asked how could a small cat require more than me? She said cats metabolize it very differently. Ok, I think, and we give him the meds for 6 weeks then blood draw.

She called and said he was a little over (I think my husband talked to her) and that we’d reduce to .6 mg daily. Thought it seemed like we should reduce by more since we’d overshot but I didn’t think it was something to quibble over.

Fast forward to yesterday when she called to tell me he was still over and we’d reduce another .1 mg and put him in .5 mg. This is when I really started questioning her because things just weren’t making sense to me. Like I said I’m hypo and my doctor nailed my dose first time, though she said one adjustment was often necessary.

I ask more details, like what are the actual T4 numbers? She says on .7 mg his levels were at 7. On .6 mg his levels were 5. Ideal is apparently about 2.5, with 4 being MAX. My initial reaction was just that we should reduce more and I question her again why he was started on .7. She doubled down saying that was the starting dose and she wants to adjust incrementally.

So, I finally research this myself, victim worried about keeping my very elderly cat in a hyper state for longer than necessary. This is when I discover that the starting dose is .05-.1 mg!!!!!! Every vet source in the web confirms this! She overdosed him by 7-14 times what he needed!

They’re closed today but I tried sending an email. I am beyond upset that my vet apparently doesn’t think about the difference between.07 and .7. An intelligent ninth grader shouldn’t make a mistake like this. She’s confusing mcg with mg!

So definite rant and also a warning to double check what your vet is doing. I usually have in the past but have kids now, am busy and just had to trust the professionals.

I guess I’m wondering if I could be wrong here but I don’t see how. I’d love to be. If I’m not, I will be contacting the vet board, her insurance company and possibly a lawyer.