my cat had radiation therapy..?

Question

and we weren't supposed to hold him for too long because of the exposure to the radiation. but when i woke up this morning, he was snuggled against my leg. what should i do/take to counteract the effects of any radiation poisoning?

i've seen potassium iodide listed as a treatment, but i can't find that in any of the stores.

Answer 1

It kind of depends on exactly what the radiation was given to treat; they tell you not to handle patients who get "seeds" implanted because while the material is in their bodies, some of the contamination may leach out through pores in their skin and contaminate you. If your cat had a thyroid problem, then radioactive iodine 131 was used to kill thyroid tissue, because the thyroid selectively collects iodine. As a previous poster said, by the time you can get to a doctor, you're already going to absorb all you're probably going to get from this exposure, because iodine 131 has a half life of about a half an hour, so by the time three hours have passed, it's all decayed away to normal iodine. The reason you found potassion iodide listed as a treatment is that if you take a tablet, it floods your system with more iodine than your thyroid can handle, and it won't accept any more; assuming you take it BEFORE or IMMEDIATELY after your exposure to radioactive iodine, it prevents your body from absorbing the radioactive stuff and it just flushes right out of your system.

If, however, your cat was treated with something other than iodine, whatever isotope was used may have other effects on you (strontium deposits in bone, for instance, replacing calcium) Only way to know for sure is to figure out what the treatment was and ask your doctor for advice. It is probably nothing to worry about, but worth checking with a medical professional just to be sure.

Answer 2

Don't worry too much about it. The radioactive materials used the those treatments have a very short "half life". They decay and stop being radioactive in a very short period of time. Your exposure probably isn't any more than a person who lives in Leadville, Colorado experiences in a day. I don't recommend it as a lifestyle, but I doubt you require anti radiation drugs, or the Vet would not have sent the cat home with you.

Answer 3

You might want to talk to your doctor about that. Radiation treatments are not usually found OTC. I would call your Doctors office and ask them what they think. Depending on how long ago the cat was nuked will determined how much radiation you soaked up. My sister had radiation treatment and had to stay at a hotel for a weekend.

good luck

Answer 4

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Answer 5

don't do anything until see doctor. Probably nothing as they always over emphasize things so as not to get sued.