Surgical thyroidectomy offers a permanent cure for feline hyperthyroidism and, when performed with appropriate technique and monitoring, provides excellent welfare outcomes.
Surgical thyroidectomy, when performed by experienced surgeons with appropriate technique, offers excellent welfare outcomes — a one-time procedure resulting in permanent cure without radiation isolation. However, the surgical risks are significant. Hypocalcaemia from inadvertent parathyroid damage causes severe muscle tremors, tetany, and cardiac arrhythmias within 72 hours — a profoundly distressing and potentially fatal complication. Rigorous post-operative monitoring with serum calcium measurement is essential. Experienced surgical teams and centres with appropriate post-operative monitoring protocols achieve much better outcomes than occasional surgical performers. Cats without access to specialist referral may have better welfare outcomes from radioiodine, which has a more consistent safety profile across different treatment centres.