Allen, Rachel & Meghan may be affected.

sharky

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Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Thank you so much, everyone, for your support. I'm keeping my blood pressure down by will alone here, and your encouragement definitely helps.

The siblings are going in for the urine test tomorrow, and I found out today the doc wants to stick a needle directly into their bladders to draw the urine. I just can't seem to make myself believe that's really an ok thing to do!


Is this really as common and simple a practice as my vet wants me to think it is?
It is a common practice and actually is easier on the cat
 

white cat lover

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Damita has her bladder squeezed for a urine sample about 6 times since the beginning of the year. She normally struts around the vet's office & is very friendly. After getting a urine sample that way, she is often testy & swats at people. I think a needle right into the bladder would make her more comfortable & might request that in 3 months when she is due for another urine sample.
 
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auntie crazy

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Thanks, all! I guess it really must be a fairly simple process; it took less than ten minutes for all three and they weren't spittin' mad when they came back (although I did notice the tech had quite a scratch across her right hand - whew!).

The good news is the urine specific gravity shows concentrated urine, so that rules out any type of Renal Failure.


The bad news is, the urine was TOO concentrated, the PH was high, and I still don't know why the BUN and creatinine levels are higher than they should be.
I tried to discuss this with the vet, but she left a message that she had too many surgeries and could not talk to me today. Hopefully, she will tomorrow.


Here's a breakdown:
Allen: normal BUN - 25; normal creatinine - 1.5; high PH - 8.5; high USG - 1.065
Rachel: high normal BUN - 33; high normal creatinine - 1.6; high PH - 7.5; high USG - 1.084
Meghan: normal BUN - 30; high creatinine - 1.8; high PH - 8.5; high USG - 1.071

Do those of you who are experienced with these tests have any idea what I may be looking at here? The vet's message said that I need to get the kittens to drink more water, but not why (and they drink a lot already - one of the reasons I brought them in for testing to begin with). It also mentioned "triple phosphate crystals" that she thought might have "precipitated out" because the urine was sent to lab and perhaps sat too long. Er, is she saying she thinks my furkids have UTI's? I thought that wasn't something I'd have to worry about until the kittens were older?

Well, whatever's going on is clearly not stressing the vet, which means it must be pretty minor and/or easily treated, and that's very good news!
 

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I'm glad it wasn' renal failure. Still sending tons of vibes to you and your kits. I hope you get answers soon!!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Thanks, all! I guess it really must be a fairly simple process; it took less than ten minutes for all three and they weren't spittin' mad when they came back (although I did notice the tech had quite a scratch across her right hand - whew!).

The good news is the urine specific gravity shows concentrated urine, so that rules out any type of Renal Failure.


The bad news is, the urine was TOO concentrated, the PH was high, and I still don't know why the BUN and creatinine levels are higher than they should be.
I tried to discuss this with the vet, but she left a message that she had too many surgeries and could not talk to me today. Hopefully, she will tomorrow.


Here's a breakdown:
Allen: normal BUN - 25; normal creatinine - 1.5; high PH - 8.5; high USG - 1.065

Are they eating a UTi health food??? they should or if you want homemade PM me
Rachel: high normal BUN - 33; high normal creatinine - 1.6; high PH - 7.5; high USG - 1.084

Meghan: normal BUN - 30; high creatinine - 1.8; high PH - 8.5; high USG - 1.071

Do those of you who are experienced with these tests have any idea what I may be looking at here? The vet's message said that I need to get the kittens to drink more water, but not why (and they drink a lot already - one of the reasons I brought them in for testing to begin with). It also mentioned "triple phosphate crystals" that she thought might have "precipitated out" because the urine was sent to lab and perhaps sat too long. Er, is she saying she thinks my furkids have UTI's? I thought that wasn't something I'd have to worry about until the kittens were older?

Some kitties have UTI issues all along

Well, whatever's going on is clearly not stressing the vet, which means it must be pretty minor and/or easily treated, and that's very good news!
UTI s stress us more than the vets as they see them regularly
 
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auntie crazy

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Since I took them off the Nutro (NC Kitten wet & Max Cat Kitten dry) in mid February, they have been getting a straight rotation of Solid Gold Gourmet, Innova Evo and Natural Balance Chicken and Liver canned, 11 oz per day, half in the am, half in the pm. I removed the Evo about a week ago after learning Menu Foods manufactures Natura's wet foods.

For dry, they've been getting one cup of 50/50 Evo/NV Raw Instincts every evening.

I know the Evo dry's high in phosphorous (right?) which can lead to UTI's, but I honestly thought the kittens had to be full-grown cats before there would be any potential for problems. It looks like I misunderstood something?
 

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You'll want to ask the vet if they found any indication of bacteria. I doubt they did...so no, probably not technically a UTI. But their pH is very high, especially Allen and Meghan. The high pH puts them at risk for struvite / phosphate crystals. In a cat that young, I believe there would need to be a great number of crystals irritating the bladder and/or urethra to cause a full blown UTI. But the crystals themselves can cause all the same symptoms and discomfort as a UTI. I hope that makes sense.

I could have my facts wrong, but as I recall high concentration often goes w/ a high pH, as when urine sits anywhere (bladder or outside) for awhile, the concentration and the pH go up. That's why keeping more moisture going through the bladder can help keep those values in check. I've read about this stuff until my eyes hurt sometimes...but the facts are hard to keep straight sometimes.

I'm glad it wasn't renal failure too!!
 

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Time to find a wet food you are satisfied with ...
 

jean44

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I agree with beandip about the dangers of a high pH level. The recommended pH for a cat is 6.0-6.5. One way to decrease the pH is to increase the amount of moisture in the diet. The theory is that this will increase frequency of urination so that urine doesn't sit in the bladder allowing time for crystals to form. You may want to increase the amount of wet food your cats eat or add a small amount of water to their food.

I, too, have read more about this issue than I want to think about, especially because two of my cats have developed crystals in the last three weeks.
Here's a link to a site that provides some good basic information about FLUTD and crystals.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=2729

I know that BUN and creatinine indicate how well the kidneys are doing in filtering and excreting certain waste products. I don't totally understand the specifics. You'll have to ask your vet why the levels are slightly elevated for your cats.

Good luck in finding answers for your kitties. Hugs to all of you.
 

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I don't understand the figures so I can't help there, but I am glad that if there is anything wrong it is minor and treatable!
 
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