The verdict

The vet checked out Rudolph today and it looks like cancer. He has some growths on his thyroid. It was first noted on his record back in Japan, when we first got the hyperthyroid diagnosis (the growth is what's stimulating his thyroid to over-produce). For some reason, though, the vets haven't looked at the growth since. They x-rayed him today to assess them and the vet said they were "quite large." He also guessed that the growths were cancerous and that was causing his decline in health.

The vet gave him a shot of fluids and sent us home with some calorie-rich food. He also recommended giving him some Pepcid AC to help settle his stomach. The vet was pretty sure the anti-inflammatory drugs interacted badly with the thyroid meds. So, no thyroid meds until Monday. We're to bring him back in a month for another assessment. The vet said it should be pretty clear a month from now whether or not Rudolph will be up for a flight back to the States.