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There is some evidence in the nutrition scientific literature that increased moisture in the diet (i.e., through wet food, increased water uptake) plays an important role in promoting a dilute urine, maintaining urinary pH and hence, preventing the re-occurrence of crystals. Ideally, one should...

I went through the same situation a couple of years ago when my boys were 9 months old. Pico got really fat and was up to 18 lbs! Shortly thereafter, we separated them in different rooms for their scheduled feedings and Pico's now 15 lbs with a lot of loose skin. It takes about 20-30 min out...

One of my cats Pico had a bout of struvite crystals about a year ago and he's now on RX Royal Canin Urinary SO dry mixed in with the same wet food (plus extra water added). My other healthy male is on Nutro MAX Cat Roasted Chicken dry with the MAX cat canned food for UTI health as a...

My cat Pico had struvite crystals flushed from his bladder under anesthesia. It was done overnight and we picked him up the next afternoon. It took him about a day to perk up again, and about 1-2 days before he had regular litter box habits again.

In terms of magnesium levels in dry food, anything up to 0.1% is pretty standard. Other than conducting feeding studies attesting to a food's ability to maintain urinary tract health, most of these special non-RX dry foods have magnesium levels around 0.08%. One of my boys is currently on...

I'm also on board with a switch from Nutro Max Gourmet Classics (non-recalled items) to something else. I am incredibly concerned about the complete lack of quality control and monitoring of pet food sources by Menu Foods and the affected companies. Are there any other pet store or specialty...

Basically, your kitty is plugged up with high levels of struvite crystals and some calcium oxalate crystals. The other urinalysis parameters include the cellular components found in urine and markers of inflammation etc. Feeding Royal Canin Urinary SO is a good way to prevent the formation...

I completely agree with a lot of the replies in this thread. Blood in the urine is one of the later clinical signs of FLUTD, so using Hemalert probably isn't as useful as keeping an eye on your cat's litterbox habits etc. My boy Pico was behaving normal, eating well and the only clinical sign...

In addition, male cats' urinary tracts are conducive to blockages by virtue of their anatomy. After exiting the bladder, the urethra curves back towards the tail and then curves forward out of the penis. Aside from being very narrow, the male urethra also has a complicated exit point, so...

If you've tried multiple lite or weight loss formulations and you still have one overweight cat, he's very likely a compulsive eater like my cat Pico. Although it is EXTREMELY inconvenient, the tried and true method for weight loss in cats is scheduled feedings. I agree that locking up your...

Aw shoot, that's too bad. Depending on the cat food distributors that the vet clinics in your area deal with, you might not even be able to order it. I've encountered vet clinics that have an arrangement with Hill's to only carry and recommend their products, so it's not even possible to order...

I feed my cat Pico Waltham's Urinary SO canned and dry formulations, and he hasn't had any reoccurrence for 6 months. As for why domesticated cats are prone to UTIs/crystals, the jury's out on that one. The precise etiology/cause of FLUTD isn't well understood, however, diet, genetics and...

One of the best vet clinics in town (also a 24 h emergency clinic), as well as my own vet recommended that my FLUTD kitty stay on an RX maintenance food (either Hill's C/D or Royal Canin S/O) for his entire life. There are obviously various different opinions amongst veterinarians and experts...

I recommend putting your cat on Hill's S/D for 4-6 weeks (or whatever your vet recommends) and then changing kitty to a maintenance diet. A follow-up urinalysis is a definite must. S/D is really the best thing for the initial stages after a struvite episode even if the ingredients are junk...

Yep, only some vets carry Waltham's SO, or can order it on request. For convenience, we order ours from a vet office that isn't our regular vet and we haven't had any problems. I suppose the variation is due to different relations with suppliers or loyalty to Hill's?

I hope the appointment goes well! Please keep us updated. Just a small point to add... just because a cat is still passing "some" urine doesn't mean he/she's out of the woods for a potential block in the near future, and it should be treated as an emergency. My cat Pico was still able to...

As everyone has suggested, go to your vet to exclude some of the mentioned possibilities. In many species of animals including cats, mild hair loss is indeed a sign of stress. Once, my 2 cats were wrestling and locked themselves in the bathroom for a couple of hours. When we returned home...

I definitely wouldn't be completely satisfied with this answer from a company The precise cause of FLUTD isn't known but with so many factors influencing the onset and formation of struvite crystals, I'd want a product that has the minimum amount of magnesium for a FLUTD kitty. IMHO, it just...

I completely agree that you should ask your vet for a referral to a neurologist if you want to pursue this further. A standard neurological assessment can pinpoint whether the cranial nerves are affected (due to a tumour or other neurological disease), or whether it's something less severe like...

Waltham's SO is actually indicated for the dissolution and prevention of struvite crystals. By keeping urinary pH in the proper range (6.2-6.4, if I recall correctly), crystals will not form based on the chemistry of crystal formation in the bladder. The technology behind the Waltham's food is...