FLUTD and UTI: Vet says no more dry foods

Since December when Ramsay had a bout of "idiopathic cystitis" I've been feeding all of the cats 1/4 cup of dry food (Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea due to Gus's allergies) and 2-3 oz of grain free canned a day. Well now I have Gus and Ramsay both with a UTI this week. Gus has been peeing quite a bit of blood for 2 days now, and Ramsay has just been straining to pee a lot. Fortunately neither were blocked when we took them in, but they were both given Clavamox and Bupronex. She also suggested that I feed them more low carb wet food and strongly suggested I cut the dry all together.

So, I'm interested to know what other people's experiences are. Will switching to 100% wet make a noticeable difference? What wet foods are people feeding successfully with FLUTD and UTI prone cats? If possible I'd like to avoid the prescription foods because Gus can't eat them anyway with the allergies.

Thanks.

Pretty much any wet food will help reduce the chance of crystals forming. The increase water intake, from cats on a wet diet, will dilute the minerals (one requirement for the formation of crystals is a high mineral concentration in the urine) and flush out the bladder frequently. If you can, try to feed a low carb wet.

I know wet helps reduce crystals, but they haven't an issue with crystals. That's why I'm wondering, in other people's experience, what kind of an impact 100% wet will make as opposed to half wet with FLUTD and UTI.

Diet really doesn't play a part in actual UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections). Strengthening the immune system is about the only thing you can do. Possibly adding cranberry to the diet. But overall imo wet is still better for cats.

I had a cat who had idiopathic cystitis. We switched to a mostly wet diet. The cats got very little dry when we had Raven . I also had him on Cosequin for a while to help his bladder. We also used Feliway diffusers, and they seemed to help. You could feel the tension come back to the house when the diffuser was running out. His cystitis would flare up for months, then go away for long periods of time. We just got really good at managing it. I also made sure all of their foods were in the target pH range for a healthy urinary tract. My other 2 cats had issues when they were very young, but have been fine since. I still feed a lot of wet food, Nabu hardly eats any dry--if he does he's pretty hungry.

Originally Posted by chris10

Diet really doesn't play a part in actual UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections). Strengthening the immune system is about the only thing you can do.

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This might help http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=017

This is an article written by a veterinarian. There are always differences of opinion on how to treat each condition. Just thought the information might be helpful. She explains feline urinary issues very well. The wet food gets more water in their system therefore making the urine more dilute.

I hope you find a food that works for all.

Originally Posted by Skimble

This might help http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=017

This is an article written by a veterinarian. There are always differences of opinion on how to treat each condition. Just thought the information might be helpful. She explains feline urinary issues very well. The wet food gets more water in their system therefore making the urine more dilute.

I hope you find a food that works for all.

Click to expand...

How I understand it is that FLUTD is the overall condition and UTI's and crystals are the specific problems in the condition. In the article listed above it talks about bacteria and crystals. And both are referenced to as FLUTD. Water may help prevent crystals from forming. But it really doesn't take care of the inflammation caused by bacteria. Only antibiotics and the immune system can fight those nasties off. Cats who frequently come down with the bacteria may have compromised immune systems. It might be beneficial to add lysine to the diet to help build the immune system.