Blood in Urine - Part III

Thanks for the information, Simkie. When I came home from work tonight, there was blood in Buster's urine again. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm so frustrated and I'm going broke.

Originally Posted by Blast-Off-Girl

Thanks for the information, Simkie. When I came home from work tonight, there was blood in Buster's urine again. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm so frustrated and I'm going broke.

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Bummer

Depending on what, exactly, is going on, you may never be able to get rid of the blood. If it's something like calcium oxalate crystal, they do not dissolve with a food change (unlike struvite crystals) and you may or may not be able to remove them, depending on where they are.

Not knowing the cause of the bleeding is frustrating. Has your kitty had any sort of crystal or stone on a UA?

Something you can ask your vet is what they THINK it is, and treat based on that. Yeah, that ultrasound would be nice, but we're not made of money here. Vets have been trained and see a whole bunch of urinary issues with kitties...treating based on an educated guess is honestly not a bad option.

Nope, he doesn't have crystals. The vet diagnosed him with cystitis, which is a bladder infection of unknown origin. The good news is that I'm meeting with the holistic vet this afternoon. He really helped me with Buster's constipation problem. The bad news is that it's going to be super expensive.

I'll keep you updated!

I just got back from the holistic vet and he feels 95% certain that Buster's problems are food related. He didn't feel any abnormalities in the bladder, fortunately. However, he wants me to stop with all the commercial cat food because of the high ash and magnesium content. I can only feed premium brands now. He also suggested I give one half of Claritin each day until the bleeeding subsides.

I hope this works!

Cystitis is actually not an infection--it is inflammation and irritation--and Cosequin is often very, very helpful with cystitis kitties

Interesting about the holistic vet! What had you been feeding, and what did he tell you to feed now? I've been feeding Innova for nearly 10 years now, and ultra-premium brands for about 5 years before that, so it's been a long time since I've really known anything about anything but the ultra-premium stuff.

Yeah, that's why he didn't understand why the other vets were treating the bleeding with antibiotics. He said those antibiotics do have anti-inflammatory properties but they are more quick fixes. They don't always solve the problem in the long-run.

I have been feeding my cats Fancy Feast and Friskies. I know that stuff is junky but I have to mix senna and Kristalose in Buster's food because of his constipation problems. Those commercial products are very rich and can cover up the taste of the medications.

The holistic vet didn't endorse one particular product because he's totally against doing that. However, he mentioned Wellness, Inova, Tiki Cat, etc..basically the cans that cost well over $1.00. He ultimately wants me to feed Buster raw meats or cooked beef but I can't do that with my schedule.

Depending on the markup in your area, www.petfooddirect.com might be the less expensive option. Definitely call around--some places WILL be cheaper. Look at buying the bigger cans instead of the itty bitty ones. The food will keep in the fridge just fine. (For example, right now I'm paying less than $2 for a 13.5 oz can of Cal Nat, which is just SO much better than $1+ for 3 oz. You do pay for convenience!)

I do hear you on the price. I've got seven kitties all eating ultra premium wet food. I do think it saves me on my vet bills, and they are all generally very, very healthy, but I seem to be a magnet for animals with totally off the wall, strange medical problems, so I still seem to write my paycheck over to my vets sometimes

Good luck!

Thanks for the link, Simkie. I'll definitely check it out. We are very lucky in the Bay Area because we have this dirt cheap warehouse store called the Pet Club. It's like a Costco for pet supplies. Not only do they carry commercial foods but they have a large selection of most of the premium brands such as Wellness. I never went back to the overpriced Petco after discovering the Pet Club!!

I can't believe you have seven cats; that's definitely a handful! I feel overwhelmed with two cats and can barely afford them.

I wish we had something like the Pet Club here! I do get a pretty good price at my local feed store--it's not a pet "boutique" type place...it's just a regular feed store that happens to carry all the good brands--but it's still expensive.

Something else to consider: my cystitis kitty also has asthma and some odd skin issues, which we finally figured out are due to ALLERGIES. She does not really present like an allergy cat AT ALL, but she really should benefit from novel protein foods. We just figured this out and I just switched her over, so we'll see, but my vet is very positive that we'll be able to help Celia.

Since you are making the change right now anyway, it may not be a bad idea to look for novel protein stuff and start there. Doing so would eliminate one more potential source of your kitties problems. Right now I'm using the salmon and sweet potato California Natural food. Things my vet wanted me to avoid were chicken, turkey, beef, tuna, rice...basically, your common ingredients.

Buster doesn't really have any other medical issues other than the constipation. He has never been diagnosed with asthma or allergies.

I definitely agree with you about the protein though! The vet and I talked about it and I'm going to get started on that.

Buster is clearly blocked right now and making little pee
puddles with clots inside. Naturally, I will take him to the vet at 9
AM, which is in two hours. This is his second blockage in a month.
Will there be a solution for this other than a PU surgery? I feel
that I've hit all these roadblocks and going broke. I've been
thinking about euthanasia all night because I don't know what else to
do.

This is what we've tried during the past one month:
1) Clamavox
2) Emergency catheter when he was partially blocked
3) Baytril
4) Phenoxybezamine
5) Prednisone
6) Claritin
7) Removal of all dry foods
8) sub q fluids

I have not had the chance to buy the premium cat foods but I was going
to do that this weekend. My vet thinks that a diet change will
magically cure everything but I really don't know anymore.

I remember going through all these emotions last year when Buster was
experiencing constant bouts of constipation. I was spending hundreds
of enemas and medications. At that point, I was also contemplating
euthanasia but my holistic vet helped me find the proper herbs to
manage his condition.

I just don't know what else to do.

Midnight did that 3 times then he started eating the expensive and was ok for 2.5 years until this week. I would try the other food.
The Pu surgery works well also but it is expensive. Did your cat do blood tests?

Eeeeeek. I do not think that much blood is normal at all in cystitis.

Once you stabilize him, this is what *I* would do at this point:

Culture and sensitivity on the urine. Make SURE he does not have some sort of resistant infection.
Radiograph of the belly. Make sure he does not have some crystals lodged in there, make sure he does not have some sort of tumor causing these issues.
Sub-q fluids. Can you do them at home even a couple times a week? Can a friend help you? Get a script for the fluids (do you also need a script for the needles/infusion set in CA?) and order from www.allivet.com.
If he tolerates it, I would add as much water to his food as possible. I would want him flushing his urinary tract continually.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes at the vets.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Midnight did that 3 times then he started eating the expensive and was ok for 2.5 years until this week. I would try the other food.
The Pu surgery works well also but it is expensive. Did your cat do blood tests?

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Yeah, he did blood tests and everything came out pretty much okay. His BUN was 34, which is still in the normal range.

What food does Midnight eat? My holistic vet hates Prescription Diet, by the way.

Originally Posted by Simkie

Eeeeeek. I do not think that much blood is normal at all in cystitis.

Once you stabilize him, this is what *I* would do at this point:

Culture and sensitivity on the urine. Make SURE he does not have some sort of resistant infection.
Radiograph of the belly. Make sure he does not have some crystals lodged in there, make sure he does not have some sort of tumor causing these issues.
Sub-q fluids. Can you do them at home even a couple times a week? Can a friend help you? Get a script for the fluids (do you also need a script for the needles/infusion set in CA?) and order from www.allivet.com.
If he tolerates it, I would add as much water to his food as possible. I would want him flushing his urinary tract continually.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes at the vets.

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Yeah, it's just crazy!! The blood goes away and then comes back. I just dropped him off at the vet and waiting for a phone call to see what happens.

I guess we'll have to do the ultrasound at this point. I'm completely tapped out and don't know what to do. I've blown all my money on these emergency treatments but they don't solve anything in the long run.

All I have left is a diet change. If that doesn't work, then I may have to euthanize him. I can't afford these thousand dollar treatments that do nothing.

As for the fluids, I don't have the courage to do it. The vet tech tells me he's difficult to administer them. I'll have to bring him to the vet. How many times per week do you give fluids?

How much is the Ultrasound at you Vet?
Coco had one yesterday and it was 78.60
She had the Aerobic Culture&Sensitivity test and it was 119.50.
I sure hope your cat will be ok.
Coco has a thick bladder in the ultrasound.
Midnight was on Science Diet and was ok until now.
He is on S/D for the next 2 months and then will be on C/D.
I am scared to do Sub Q's also.
I have a almost 1000 vet bil from the last 2 days and had to charge some of it because i do not have the money.
If you can get your cat by for a few mor months I will be able to help you with money. I will be geting some money soon and will loan some to you if you need it.

I am broke until it comes.
I do not want you to have to have him pts.
His Bun is still ok.
Cocos is 79.
The ultrasound will show alot and can help.
Cocos test was sent to Uc Davis yesterday.
Qould you want to join this Group?
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/
They can help you alot there.

I would be curious as to what your vet thinks would be the advantage of an ultrasound vs a radiograph, and whether that additional info is worth the difference in price. Honestly, if your kitty has so much blood in his urinary tract that he's forming clots that are blocking him up, my concerns would be something VERY wrong--like a tumor--which would be very easy to visualize on a radiograph.

Any news?

I was wondering if you heard anything also?
I hope he will be ok.
Is the vet you go to in Oakland?
Did they ever mention it could be a tumor.
My vet said they have a cam they can put up there and it will show everything.

Well, I did hear from the vet several hours ago and she told me that Buster is NOT blocked. He urinated all over the table when they put the sub-q fluids in. Therefore, they don't have to insert a catheter. However, the urine was filled with chunky blood clots, so they are treating him with an aggressive regimen of sub-q fluids. I think I'll pick him up on Tuesday.

I am happy to hear that Buster is not blocked; however, I am very concerned about the possibility of a tumor too. I'm assuming tumor = death sentence? I think that's worse than having UTIs. His blood test did not indicate cancer but maybe they didn't look for it.

I will ask the vet for an x-ray instead but which gives more information? I'm willing to pay the price to finally get an answer.

I'm so scared that he has a tumor. The holistic vet didn't feel anything unusual in his bladder at all though. He said that bladder tumors are very rare in cats. I hope whatever they find is treatable. I will pay the high costs as long as it helps Buster. I will take out more student loans, I suppose.

An ultrasound and a radiograph are going to tell you different things. A radiograph is going to give you a broader view and a deeper look. An ultrasound will allow the vet to visualize narrow slices at a time and evaluate the condition of the tissue more carefully. Another option would be to scope the bladder, but I would personally not pursue that until other diagnostics had ruled out lodged crystals, tumor, etc. A scope will require the cat to at least be heavily sedated if not under general, but will allow the vet to visualize the lining of the bladder directly (but will be *costly*)

This is absolutely a time to have a conversation with your vet about what they think is going on and which imaging technique would be more valuable. Make sure they know money is tight, but that you need a diagnosis of the problem. I would request that the vet run though EACH strong possibility--why they think "x" is or could be the problem, how the diagnostics they are suggesting will actually diagnose that problem and are necessary, what the treatment for the problem will be, and the costs associated with each and every step. If you have ANY questions, or don't understand something, or need more explaination, ASK.

There's a reason why he's bleeding that heavily into his urinary tract. Figure out why before really starting to worry.

Good luck. I hope it's nothing bad.