Chase update.. suggestions? (recurring UTIs)

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ghostuser

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Chase recently had yet another UTI pop up.. he seems to be only making it a month or two between them now. Never any crystals, I think she (we saw a new vet) said usually no bacteria either, though the antibiotics always help. We also did an x-ray this time, and there were no stones (and she said all his organs look absolutely wonderful for his age). He had blood-work a couple months ago, but we'll repeat that if another pops up. He's eating wonderfully after a week of antibiotics, and the vet wants to put him on a week of antibiotics a month for possibly the rest of his life. I'd really think this should only be a last resort, or a temporary measure?

He'll go for a recheck in a couple of days.. so I want to ask her about Cosequin or maybe some sort of immune booster? What do you guys think?

If she's dead set on just the antibiotic option, I'll be calling around for another vet for a second opinion.. I certainly don't mind doing it if it's necessary, but.. I just worry about having him on antibiotics so often. If that does become necessary, are there any medicines that would be better choices? Orbax is his usual. He can't have Amoxicillin, it makes him terribly sick. She was thinking Cefa-drops, though being related to penicillin, would that be likely to make him sick like the Amoxi does?

Oh, and he's been eating a lot of Nutro Max cans (non-fishy flavors), with a few Iams, Pro-Plan, and Wellness mixed in. He occasionally eats a few bites of Nutro dry, but not much, and not consistently. He really does need to gain weight, so I don't want to take away any extra calories he might take in.

Sorry to ramble on and on like that.. I'm just confused between all I've been reading and what the vets keep telling me etc etc..
 

taterbug

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Have the vets done a culture of his urine to find what specific antibiotic he may need? IMO, a week a month on antibiotics is NOT going to get rid of it. I would think they would want to try two weeks or maybe even four weeks continuously.

I'm no expert on it, but I know with humans with a resistant infection, the Dr. will prescribe an extended dosage....or a maintenance course of a lower dose for an extended time. Anyway..I hope they find something that will work soon!
 

white cat lover

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Vet here does 14 days for UTI minimum.....21-30 days for severe UTIs.

Long term anti-biotics....I'd think his body would become resistant to them....not to mention it would damage his internal organs.

Most certainly stay with the wet diet.....does he have a water fountain(drinkwell, fresh flow)?
 
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He's usually on at least 14 days, I have no idea why she only gave 7 days worth this time.. but he is acting perfectly fine, and always does after his course of meds. The once-a-month thing she said would be to prevent them from ever flaring up so badly, so he won't keep going off of his food like this.

He doesn't have a fountain yet as I'm trying to figure out where on earth I could put one that the dogs wouldn't be able to get to.. I don't think I can afford a huge one to share between two cats and four dogs right now. But he loves to drink from a cup in the bathroom, so I've taken to filling it up every time I pass by there.
 

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Does your kitty have interstitial cystitis an not an actual infection? I have a cystitis kitty who recently got a severe infection. We had her on 14 days amoxicillan then 14 day pen-G injections then three days of Gent.

The vet said if she kept getting infections this bad ( he said he has never seen so much gunk in urine before, no crystals though) she would have to be on antibiotics the rest of her life.

She has a very thickened bladder wall which can actually be seen on x-ray. but also has had two ultrasounds.

What has helped her is Cosequin. She has not had any episodes since starting it. She was also started on an all wet, homemade diet 4 months afterwards.

The Cosequin is supposed to help the mucus lining of the bladder helping to prevent irritation. It was originally discovered that it helped humans that had cystitis. Might be something to discuss with your vet. If you decide it is something you want to try, you can get it very inexpensively through Amazon.
 
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The last vet I went to said that it may be cystitis, but never would give me any definite answer, and blew off my asking about Cosequin saying they never did that. He did have an ultrasound at that point, but she said they didn't find anything abnormal. I'll definitely be asking at our recheck if this vet thinks that's what it may be too.

I had tried just getting him something similar to Cosequin but he won't eat it, even tiny amounts sprinkled into his food.. but maybe the real thing would taste better.
 

kittymonsters

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Zoe is a picky girl, but the Cosequin for Cats is chicken and liver flavored sprinkle caps and she gobbles it right up with her wet food. Normally she knows when her food has been "doctored" and wont touch it.

I was quite skeptical at first. But I did find research supporting this and in trying it, Zoe really has benefited from it.

Trying the real stuff certainly can't hurt. I think you can get an 80 day supply on amazon for like 12 dollars.
 

booktigger

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i would try looking at some supplements, I used Cystaid on my foster with cystitis (think it is very similar to Cosequin), and that helped more than anything else. Also, a lot of cystitis is caused through stress, so it might be wroth looking at any thing that may stress him out and try and change them?
 
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I talked to the vet again today, actually two of them at the clinic.. they said they believe it is cystitis, but are dead set on the antibiotics for a week every so often for the rest of his life option. They just scoffed at the Cosequin idea, saying they hadn't seen any evidence it is beneficial. Needless to say I'm not too happy with the trip. The only plus is that if he does need pills again I don't have to take him in anymore, I can just ask for them.

I guess we'll be vet hunting again.. but I'm not overly optimistic from what I've been hearing asking around so far.
 

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DUMB >???? time


Have they done like a 4 weeks strait antibiotic???
 
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He had 3 weeks with the last one when I requested another week's worth.. but usually they just want to do the two. They seem to come into the room knowing what they plan to do and be rather unwilling to budge on that.. and unfortunately this seems rather common to vets around here so far..

The first one he ever had, he was on meds for over a month.. and was fine for a lot longer after that one than any of them since. But that one they were still seeing blood until then. So I don't know that I can convince them to let me try a month at once now.. and the Orbax is really expensive, I need to figure out something else that will work for him if possible..
 

jenniferd

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My cat with cystitis has been helped by prescription Waltham SO dry cat food. Since being on it he had no more bouts with cystitis so far. And this is a cat that is stressed out by everything.
I don't know what they put into this food but it really made a huge difference for him.
 

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Before putting the cat on a lifelong treatment, wouldn't it be a viable option to take him to a veterinary specialist who might actually make a real diagnosis ? It must be so stressy for you that you just don't know anything for sure.

I'm sending some get-well vibes for Chase.
 

kittymonsters

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I am sorry that your vets didn't seem to be more aware of the benefits of Cosequin for cats with cystitis.

I agree with Mimosa, it is hard to know what direction to take without having a confirmed diagnosis. I wish you could get a specialist to give you a firm diagnosis and treatment plan that will keep Chase feeling well if not able to actually cure him.

I worry about the on and off antibiotics. That type of use is what leads to drug resistant bacteria, which could be more dangerous than anything else.

that you get answers soon
 
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They seem pretty confident it is cystitis, since the ultrasound, x-rays, and bloodwork were all fine. A specialist would probably require at least an hour's trip, and Chase really stresses out in the car.. if it seems the only choice left, I'll do it, obviously, but.. I'd prefer to spare him that if I can.

I plan to order some of the Cosequin sometime soon.. it certainly can't hurt to try it.
 

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Did they do the Chemistry as well as the CBC? Booboo has constant UTI's and I have him on a special diet for it. If I EVER change his diet he gets a UTI. I dont even have to take him in anymore, just call them. I would check to see what they have done and what they havn't done because there maybe more tests like the chemistry that they havn't done. UTI's are really stressfull on a kitty and mine is on a homeopathic anti anxiety med now since the loss of our Precious Glitch. He seems to do much better, but like I said if I switch his food to ANYTHING ELSE, he gets a UTI. The food he is on is Hills Science Diet CD. Its for the control of constant UTI's so they tell me. Seems to work! I hope your kitty gets better and Im send good

Good luck, Keeps us Posted please!
 
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I don't know what all exactly they have done.. his last blood work was a senior panel, which includes a real long list of things. And they always send his urine tests off to the lab in addition to doing their own testing on it to check into it further.

For all this vet pushes Science Diet, they never really suggested the prescription diet for him. They just suggested I try the SD kitten food to put weight back on him, and weren't even trying to sell it to me themselves.
 

glitch

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well it sounds like they probably did a chemistry also then. The Hills Science Diet CD is really good for UTI's but I dont know how that would work with the trying to put weight on kitty! (mines 15lbs but he was that weight before we put him on it) I so hope he gets better!! It just isn't fair that you or your kitty have to go through this!
 

littleraven7726

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Raven was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis summer 2004. He was put on Cosequin and Amitriptyline for 3-4 months, until we moved and a new vet weaned him off of the Amitriptyline. (I didn't like the Amitriptyline's side effects, but a few months of it stabilized Raven pretty well) He's been stable ever since. He's on a 90% canned diet now (he's sick with cancer and doesn't really touch dry food anymore). From 2004 until this fall he was on 2/3 wet food and the remaining 1/3 of his diet was dry food.

We stopped the Cosequin about when we stopped the Amitriptyline because Raven began refusing it in his food.

The vet who took Raven off of everything was a major proponent of wet food only diets, and didn't care if all he would eat was Fancy Feast as long as it was canned.
We've had good luck with Fancy Feast, a few Friskies flavors, Natural Balance (1 flavor they like), Nutro Indoor cans, and before the recalls they liked Nutro Gourmet (a few flavors). Recently they've decided Iams Chicken Entree is yummy.

I've never been able to get Stimpy weaned off of kibble but he's eating about 1/4 the amount of dry he ate 5 years ago.
 

tickytat

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Have you tried a urinary acidifier? Mitties was having terrible UTI's this summer. Seemed she could only do good for a month then one would pop up. I tried these tablets (which she LOVES!!!) and she hasn't had a UTI since. It's a good source of DL-methionine, which is good for preventing UTI's.
 
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