UTI's and crystals and foods, oh my...

So, Tiko had his two-week checkup yesterday, after being diagnosed with a UTI and crystals. After eating the special S/D food exclusively, he tested free of crystals, and the UTI was in the margins. So the vet said it was okay to put them all on a specific off-the-shelf food; I don't want to say the name, but this stuff was very inexpensive, and quite frankly, the ingredients didn't look very appealing...lots of meal and by-products. I've heard of other people giving all of their cats the C/D stuff as an everyday food, but this stuff...I'd never heard of it. The latest labeling doesn't even have anything referring to "urinary tract" on the label (which the vet did mention was going to be the case).

Also...he needs to drink more water. Are there additives or flavors you can add to water to get them to drink more? How about adding water to their dry food to make it more gravy-ish, do they tend to like that?

Thanks!

I am very surprised that your vet does not want to keep Tiko on a prescription food, such as the Hills c/d or Royal Canin s/o.

Crystals almost always come back without special diet...and in males this can be fatal, or at the very least require a very expensive, iffy, surgery. Males can block very suddenly. Once blocked they will die within 24 hours without emergency treatment.

Did your vet mention that information to you?

I have one cat (female) who forms crystals. I tried recently (against my vet's better judgment) to switch her to a designer food that makes big claims about keeping the urinary tract healthy, the pH low, and preventing crystals.

I brought her in for a check after being on the new food for 2 months. the result? her urine pH was 7.5 (6-6.5 is healthy) and her urine was full of struvite crystals again.

Back on the Hills prescription c/d for Mazy. forever.

Yes, the prescription foods may not seem like the best, given the ingredients, but they are made the way they are for a reason. sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils, and in this case, in my opinion, its the prescription food.

Mazy does very well on it, I just have to watch her weight. I schedule feed anyway, but still...I have to make sure she gets plenty of exercise each day. Keeping weight down, and lots of exercise is very important for FLUTD cats.

You might try a fountain, to encourage drinking.

If you add water to the kibble, some cats will tolerate it some won't. Never leave kibble that has been wet to sit. It forms bacteria fairly quickly.

I am curious what your vet recommended. I think I'd be questioning my vet very closely about the recommendation of a non prescription food for your male cat, and I'd be looking for a new vet if I didn't get satisfactory answers.

Please keep us updated on Tiko.

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You can also add canned food (no fish) to his diet to help him get more water. But, IMO, it should be prescription canned food. If not the Hills, then one of the other prescription brands. Purina, and Royal Canin have prescription foods for FLUTD cats, and there may be others, can't think of them off hand.

My male cat had crystals 3 times and 2 of those times he was on a prescription diet....mind u it was dry c/d and dry s/o...he wouldn't eat the canned at all only lick off the gravy....He has told me my cat need to drink more as well...he isn't much of a drinker...And he should only eat canned food...Well then it began I tried to get him to eat all the canned food the vets recommended...We got to the point I just started to feed him....wellness grain free....and so far so good ..Mind you this was like a year process...but its been 3 yrs now with no flare ups...I dont reccommend changing from the diet the vet recommends...If my cat would have eaten the canned food..he still would be on it...I'm just telling you this that there are food out there that cats prone to crystals can eat...
I've has 3 male cats with crystals....its not fun dealing with such an illness...Good luck I hope you find a good food for all your cats...

It was the Wellness I switched my FLUTD cat to, from the prescription c/d. It didn't work for her, and the claims they make are very dangerous.

Each case is different of course. I'm glad the wellness has worked for your boy. How often do you have his urine checked?

Mazy will be on the c/d, or other prescription food, for life now.

Way back when, I had a boy cat Baby (rb 12/98 ) who had one bout of cystitis. the vet told me to put him on an all canned diet, which I did, and he never had a repeat.

But then 20 years later here's Mazy with a similar problem, but she has to have the prescription food.

I think I'm rambling now. oh welll!

I think your right its different for each cat...I had one ....same as you this was years ago... vet sent me home with canned food...he wouldn't eat it...vet recommended any canned food...He never had it again...Another boy has crystal ...for yrs til he finally had to have urethrostomy surgery...he was on c/d dry ..he wouldn't eat canned....at that time ....after the surgery he was fine..but he gained weight and eventually got diabetes...Then had to be switched to an all canned diet which he did very well on....for both illness's and live to be almost 18...One thing my vet had said....with my latest male cat is that some cat are just going to get it....his main concern was to get my cat to drink more...I've tried everything...adding 2 fountain...adding broth to water....and a splash of milk...the milk one is a fav with all my cats..So far so good....As far as having his urine check...he was going every few months til there was no signs of crystals..or infection....He got sick on me early summer and being I've had alot of troubles with him in the past ...he stopped eating and was vomiting...They checked his urine then and blood...all was ok..And of course he was back to normal the next day...