I'm confused, which is better?

gailuvscats

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My crystal cat is having great results by taking and acidifier Carpon.
http://www.belfield.com/article4.html
This appears to be something he will take forever because when I miss a pill, I notice a difference in his toileting. The developer of the product claims it is safe to use as maintenance and it will not result in too much acidifying, the way I am using it, and he recommends it be used this way. It is a botanical product and has no side effects other than dissolving the crystals.

Other posts indicate people giving their cats Rx food, I presume for it's acidifying properties, and remark that it is only for a few months, but then other posts invariably say the problem comes back, I noticed this a lot with people that are finishing with a round of meds too. My cats do get good quality food at a price I am comfortable with. I do read the labels.

Am I wrong to assume this body chemistry in FUS cats is forever and it is not something that can be cured? Much like a diabetic or other chronic condition?

Are there any of you out there that gave a Rx food for three months and then changed to another good food and the symptoms never returned?

If my cat can be cured, I would cure him. I don't like pilling him twice a day, but we are both OK with it. As far as expense, 50 pills costs about 20 dollars, so compared with the cost of a Rx food, it might be the same(?). I have two other cats to feed, so it is more convenient that thay all eat the same stuff.

Which treatment would be preferred do you think, comparing convenience, costs, and the possibility of the condition disappearing?
 

starryeyedtiger

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I wish I could offer you some advice on that topic, but i honestly have never had medical experience with that issue (just every other one between my fosters and my own animals
). Hopefully someone will come along soon that can advise you a bit. I recommend calling around to several reputable vets in your area and telling them about the ingredients in the product and see what they recommend.
 

tru

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gailuvscats...

I got some Carpon and started useing it for my Nugent because of your glowing reports. I gave him two pills a day the first week and then cut back to one a day for the next week. At his vet appointment he still had a very few crystals. I showed the vet the Carpon and he said that is just fine and that his urine ph was 6.0 which is a great level. He thinks the crystals are caused by and ongoing infection and changed the antibiotic to see if that will work better.

In the meantime I have started using Nutro Max Cat, (because it is designed for urinary tract health), to try and keep all my crew healthy. I'm hoping to not have to pill Nugie for life, but like you, if I must, then I will. I guess all we can do is take it a day at a time and see how it goes.
 

jlutgendorf

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My understanding from my vet was that cats that develope crystals will have that problem their entire life.

For now, I'm looking at keeping my guy on an Rx food for the rest of his life (or until I can find a better nonRx food!).

I was explained that there are some cats that just can't process "regular" food without developing crystals, and will therefore need to be on a different diet their entire life.

Now, if someone else has heard differently, I would like to hear about it. I know that many vets are not very educated in terms of nutrition for cats, and they could just be telling me what their food reps are telling them (which would be to sell more food!)

~Julia
 

sharky

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My understanding is once a Uti or crystal cat the liklihood is HIGH that it will reoccur...

RX I would think of for stablizing and severe cases...

My Kandie has Uti issues now, hers didnt start till about age 18 .... simple fix change the meat sources she eats .. But i do this with my vet and do tests on things prior to giving them to her...

OTC diets can help the less severe cases ... think OTC meds for you ... but SOme cats need more intervention for life
 

jlutgendorf

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Interesting. My vet didn't flat out come out and say "he must eat this the rest of his life" but she did say that she's noticed when owners take their cats off of the rx food, they get another UTI and have to go back on it. Could that really mean that the owners were maybe feeding a bad food to begin with, and that most of them could go off the Rx food if they would feed a better quality store bought food?

Sorry to hijack your thread Gail, but I'd really like to get my guy off of the c/d. He's been on it for just about a year now. I don't know if it means anything that he was only 1 and 1/2 years old when he got his first UTI.

I now get what you're saying about getting his urine PH tested. I should just be able to bring in a sample to my vet and ask for that right? Would I need to ask for anything else? I need to be very specific with my vet or I won't get what I need. And then from those levels, I should know what to look for in a non-rx diet?

Sorry that it's taking me a while to put this together!

~Julia
 

sharky

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Julia

what type of crystal s if any were present??

My vet said many of her crystal cats eat NON RX but then she does avocate homeade and raw diets ...
 

jlutgendorf

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he has/had struvite crystals. I would love to feed raw! We have a great farmer's market withing spitting distance and I can get whole rabbits, quail, chicken, you name it.

However my UTI guy just licks raw meat and my other two will only eat cubes of skinned chicken breast. They're so spoiled!

~Julia
 

sharky

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Julia

have you tried cooked meat???

rabbit is a cool meat and may help not help

with kandie the hot meats like lamb venison cooked/fried chn seem to help .. Just hollor and I will send you a Pm
 
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gailuvscats

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Well, if my choice is to give carpon the rest of his life, or feed a Rx food, I chose the carpon because I have two other cats and cannot afford to feed everyone the Rx, and Fang(crystal cat) is so slow to eat his food, and I am constantly monitoring, picking it up, putting it back down, so Spike doesn't scarf it all.

I would like an easier way to give the pill. He doesn't like me shoving down his throat, I do a little butter and try to be as exact and quick as possible, but he hates when I start coming at him with the pill. Are there any gadgets that get it down the throat quicker?

I intend to go to the medical supply and buy my own Ph strips. I can put one under the flow and take it out before he knows the difference.
I am not sure what the ideal PH is.(Sharky?) I imagine whatever it is now, because he is doing great.

Those that are giving their non crystal cats Rx food as a precautionary measure should rethink that, because too much acidity causes the crystals that don't dissolve and require surgery.
 

jlutgendorf

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Thanks Sharky, I would love a pm about some cooked foods!

Gail, as for pills, have you tried a pill poper? you can get them at most pet stores and your vet may have them. You load the pill in and the "sryinge" lets you get they pill way to the back of the throat. We started out pilling my guy with two of us and eventually got to the point where my husband could pill him by himself with the pill popper.

I'd also like to get some ph strips to test my guys urine every so often. Is that something available from a vet? Or maybe a feed store?

Thanks,

~Julia
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by jlutgendorf

Thanks Sharky, I would love a pm about some cooked foods!

Gail, as for pills, have you tried a pill poper? you can get them at most pet stores and your vet may have them. You load the pill in and the "sryinge" lets you get they pill way to the back of the throat. We started out pilling my guy with two of us and eventually got to the point where my husband could pill him by himself with the pill popper.

I'd also like to get some ph strips to test my guys urine every so often. Is that something available from a vet? Or maybe a feed store?

Thanks,

~Julia
I would get ph test strip s from the vet ( that way you know it is real)
 

treehorn

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Just want to chime in and thank everybody for the information on this thread. Found out this morning that my cat, who was having litter box issues, has crystals...so getting an interestingly diverse spectrum of information from my vet (who is 'keep her on the food forever') and the pet-food guy I trust and seems very knowledgeable (who is more in the 'this is a manageable health issue and you need to do X, Y and Z') So nice to see elements of each mirrored here with feedback.

Going to try wet C/D for a while (a month after it clears up is what pet food guy recommended) and go from there. Hoping that this is a one-time thing (but what are the chances of that??) so will print out the pills, etc. just in case...
 
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gailuvscats

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jlutgendorf

The drug store told me to buy them at a medical supply store. I imagine that is where the vet gets them as well. I didn't think to ask a vet to sell them to me. Haven't checked it out yet. Let me know if you get the info before me.
 
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