Chronic UTI/struvite crystals/blood in urine

white cat lover · May 14, 2008

Squishy's UTI is back again. 3 rounds of anti-biotics since March.

On dry S/D again. Clavamox 125mgs 1 tab 2x a day. Canned S/D as much as I can get him to eat 2x a day.

He's got the struvite crystals, plus blood in his urine, plus a UTI.

We've done bladder x-rays which showed no stones. We've done the needle aspirate to get urine from his bladder, which was sent to a lab to be analyzed. They found nothing other than what they found in his urine at the vet's when they analyzed it.

What else can I do? Cosequin? Cranberry?

We're talking about 3 weeks of C/D a month, then 1 week of S/D.....or else like 3/4 C/D & 1/4 S/D (He won't eat straight C/D, & S/D can't be used long-term)

sharky · May 14, 2008

try glucosamine and condrotin( spelling??) ie what is in cosequin..

possibley the food has something he is sensitive too like corn?? Do you still have the homemade UTI diet??

white cat lover · May 14, 2008

No, I probably don't have the homemade UTI diet. Care to PM it to me, please?

sharky · May 14, 2008

I will as soon as I RE get it from the vet

camille eonich · May 14, 2008

Use filtered water only if you aren't already. Not stream water but distilled or RO water. My cat got one blackage and the one UTI. They put him on Eukanuba wet food, I would prefer a better food but the Eukanuba/Iams does have a bit better ingredients than the SD. When I give him his wet food I add water to it in about a 1:1 ratio. He deosn't care at all. At first I had to heat it in the microwave a couple of seconds for him to eat it but then he just started pigging it down. I'm not sure why he got the first blockage because he's 9 and has never had any urinary problems but it hasn't reoccurred and I have read that most cats that get one blockage have another within three weeks. His was in the first part of Febuary.

Are you absolutely sure that it's struvite and not Oxalate? Don't overfeed. If your cat is overweight then back the food down. If you're feeding too much then the kidneys have to work harder and don't do as good of a job.

Youc an also ask your vet to prescribe DL-Methione to you so that you can add it to whatever food you choose to feed, if it is struvite crystals.

laureen227 · May 14, 2008

Sharky, if it's struvite, wouldn't an acidifier work?

white cat lover · May 14, 2008

Positive it's struvite crystals.

Overweight.....erm yes. He's 15 lbs. I've even been restricting portions, he's gaining weight. Someone else has to be sneaking the "starving baby" extra food! (There will be a family discussion over that one!)

He's 15-ish....at elast 13 years the vet thinks. I got him in Jan, he'd come into the shelter in Nov I think? Anyways, he was going to be euthanized & I wasn't about to let that happen.....so here he is. No idea if he had a history of UTIs, either.

gloriajh · May 14, 2008

My KiKi was diagnosed with this -- vet put him on the canned Royal Canin SO, and told me NO fish, of any kind ...

oh, also, he said, it's the magnesium (sp?) that causes the struvite crystals

hope this helps, even if just a little

zazi · May 15, 2008

Originally Posted by laureen227

Sharky, if it's struvite, wouldn't an acidifier work?

I agree.... i think you should get your vet to suggest some options for getting your cats system to the correct level of acidity. The correct acid level will actually prevent crystals from building up. It will also prevent plaque and tartar from forming on your cats teeth.

I know that the raw food diet will get your cats system to the correct acidity but it is a fair amount of work... and the best way to do it, if you have the funds available would be to get hold of a vet who uses the raw food diet as a treatment option and get their opinion on it and how to move forward....

I treated my cat bobbie with sugar free cranberry extract for quite some time. It's hard to get hold of though.

momofmany · May 15, 2008

Stones don't always show up on xrays and you could do an ultrasound to try to confirm that diagnosis. I'm going thru this with Muddy right now. His ultrasound showed what looked to be a stone, but his surgery today showed no stones, which left us with a probably diagnosis of ideopathic cystitis. 3 rounds of antibiotics didn't help him, but antibiotics will serve as an anti-inflamatory for the bladder, which gives them relief for a few weeks after they stop taking it, then it starts again. If that is what you are going thru with Squishy, ask about this disease with your vet.

Muddy's treatment: cosequin and put on a diabetic type diet - high protein, low fiber, low magnesium. The problem with this type of diet is that high protein is somewhat hard on the kidneys but easier on the bladder. So treatment might have longer term CRF issues.

laureen227 · May 15, 2008

Originally Posted by zazi

I treated my cat bobbie with sugar free cranberry extract for quite some time. It's hard to get hold of though.

many healthy food/vitamin stores have cranberry pills. found these @ the vitamin shoppe... cranberry caps
cranberry extract [unsweetened]
cranberry tabs

white cat lover · May 15, 2008

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Stones don't always show up on xrays and you could do an ultrasound to try to confirm that diagnosis. I'm going thru this with Muddy right now. His ultrasound showed what looked to be a stone, but his surgery today showed no stones, which left us with a probably diagnosis of ideopathic cystitis. 3 rounds of antibiotics didn't help him, but antibiotics will serve as an anti-inflamatory for the bladder, which gives them relief for a few weeks after they stop taking it, then it starts again. If that is what you are going thru with Squishy, ask about this disease with your vet.

Muddy's treatment: cosequin and put on a diabetic type diet - high protein, low fiber, low magnesium. The problem with this type of diet is that high protein is somewhat hard on the kidneys but easier on the bladder. So treatment might have longer term CRF issues.

It does seem to pop back up a few weeks after anti-biotics. Ultrasound is an hour away one way, I'm putting that off until after this UTI is cleared up. I'm honestly not all that concerned about CRF long term....Squishy's guesstimated at 15 years old now.

Reading all the replies, will check to see if I can find unsweetened cranberry extract locally. I haven't got a vet who has a clue about raw, although I did try it with sharky's assistance once for another kitty. I went the premade route, which is incredibly difficult to get ahold of.

Oh & the Clavamox did not sit well, so now we're on Orbax for 21 days.

cc12 · May 16, 2008

Poor baby.
I hope he gets better.

mybabies · May 18, 2008

Originally Posted by laureen227

many healthy food/vitamin stores have cranberry pills. found these @ the vitamin shoppe... cranberry caps
cranberry extract [unsweetened]
cranberry tabs

I have been told Cranberries and blueberries are not good for cats as they cause the urine to be TOOO acidic.

mybabies · May 18, 2008

MY boy has the same problem. HE suddenly could not pee. ER Vets about mutilated him and the Flutd group I am on said do'nt feed CD or SO etc. INSTEAD feed a grainless canned food.

Vet says to give him the RX food so I don't know what i am doing!

mybabies · May 18, 2008

Forgot to say: my boy may be sore in his bladder as he tenses up when touched and is peeing every 12 or so hours and not in between.

gailuvscats · May 19, 2008

Carpon once a day has saved Fang from struvite crystals.
http://www.belfield.com/carpon.php

I highly recommend it. None of my vets ever heard of it, but then they can't keep up with everything I guess. I told my vet about it the other day, and he said to use vitamin c 250 mgs Not sure if I am wasting my money or not, but I do know it works, and the pill is the right size, unlike the methionine, which the cat is supposed to love so much they gobble it up. NOT

mybabies · May 19, 2008

Originally Posted by gailuvscats

Carpon once a day has saved Fang from struvite crystals.
http://www.belfield.com/carpon.php

I highly recommend it. None of my vets ever heard of it, but then they can't keep up with everything I guess. I told my vet about it the other day, and he said to use vitamin c 250 mgs Not sure if I am wasting my money or not, but I do know it works, and the pill is the right size, unlike the methionine, which the cat is supposed to love so much they gobble it up. NOT

Would you tell me more about this and where you get it? Thanks!

gailuvscats · May 19, 2008

click on the link (in blue) and it will explain everything.

Chronic UTI/struvite crystals/blood in urine

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