Stan Carlin, DVM The Cat Clinic of Conway & Regional Feline RADIO-IODINE Center 2113 Prince Street Conway, Arkansas 72034 (501) 328-3344 fax: 501-327-4240 home: 501-450-7225 my wife’s cell: 501-472-0593 stancarlindvm@felinethyroid.net www.felinethyroid.net
Subject:
Emergency Vet Care during the 14 day Home Quarantine period (following radio-iodine treatment & following release from our radiation safety ward)
Dear Doctor:
Most radio-iodine patients do not need emergency veterinary care during their home quarantine (if an "emergency" occurs, clients are instructed to call Doctor Carlin first). Please understand that the 14 day home quarantine for Feline patients (post radio-iodine treatment) is a safety measure imposed by State and Federal agencies because they are concerned that the Feline patient won’t do what it is told (ie., "urinate in the proper place and don’t sleep with your human companion").
So, during this 14 day home quarantine, if a true veterinary emergency occurs, some very simple steps will allow you to maintain a good doctor-patient relationship with both the cat and its "owner"; and, yet allow you and your staff to be completely safe.
First, do
not bring the cat into your clinic…simply examine it in the owner’s automobile (or make a house call).Then (during your exam & treatment)…
Summary: [details on next page…]1. Wear exam gloves.
2. Keep the cat at "arm’s length". You may work with these "14 day quarantine" cats for up to 100 hours per year if you follow these rules.
3. No one under 18 may be within three feet of the cat at any time.
4. No pregnant nor nursing mothers may be within three feet of the cat at any time.
5. Treat the cat’s urine, feces, & saliva as if they were wet paint (don’t get any on your body nor on your clothes). Do
6. If you need to clean up any of this "wet paint", use disposable paper towels & then discard them and your exam gloves into a plastic bag. Give the client the bag to take home and put in their official "90 day storage bin". Do
not toss into the regular trash (the landfill alarms will not be happy…in fact, you will be subject to a $fine$).
Details:
A. When you examine the cat, wear disposable exam gloves…when you are finished with the cat, turn the gloves inside out as you remove them…give them to the cat owner and ask them to put them (the gloves) into their "official 90 day storage bin" (the owner has detailed instructions about this bin). If you need to handle the cat again (or multiple times) simply put on a fresh set of exam gloves each time. When you are through, wash your hands with lukewarm water and mild soap.
B. The above steps are based upon the fact that tiny amounts of radio-iodine will be in the cat’s urine, feces, and saliva during this 14 day period. Therefore, do not allow any of these to get on your skin. However, it they do, immediately gently wash that spot with lukewarm water and mild soap (Betadine scrub soap is best).
The above two paragraphs will take care of any Beta radiation issues.
C. I-131 also emits gamma radiation. By the time the cat is in its 14 day quarantine period, the levels are significantly reduced. However, the following steps will ensure your complete safety:
D. Children under 18, pregnant women (including any woman who has the slightest chance of being pregnant), and nursing mothers must not have any contact with the cat, or its urine, feces, saliva, or litter; and, they must stay at least three feet away from the cat at all times.
E. Except for those persons noted above, and using the exam gloves as noted above, and, by working "at arms length"* from the cat, it is completely safe to handle and examine these "14 day quarantine cats" for up to 100 hours per year (the only time that applies is when you are within three feet of the cat). *Working "at arms length" from the cat means please do not hold the cat directly against your abdomen, groin, chest, or neck (your distal arms & legs are allowed a higher occupational radiation dose than your body).
F. Please wear your "X-ray" badge when doing any of the above.
If you are uncomfortable with any of the above, then please consider simply supporting the cat via teaching the client techniques such as home administration of subcutaneous fluids (you can teach them with a clinic cat).
Sincerely,
Stan Carlin, DVM
Stan Carlin, DVM
Radiation Safety Officer,
Feline Radio-Iodine Center
aka Cat Clinic of Conway
1-800-786-0158