Alternatives to expensive Urinary SO food

I do know unfortunately. Since my Alex passed I have spent 7 years researching this, providing case studies on my site, talking with others, etc. I try to help as many as I can and educate them. We do what we can and then ultimately it's their choice and unfortunately we have to live with that. It's out of our hands. 

The higher protein in relation to crystals (or bladder stones) in cats is based on a CORRELATION in humans.

Here is an interesting overview of calcium OXALATE stones - of which very little is still known in cats.

This is published by the leading University conducting research on crystals/stones in cats. http://www.cvm.umn.edu/depts/minnes...@urolith/documents/asset/cvm_asset_199029.pdf

Bottom line: The issue with calcium oxalate crystals is the concentrated urine. The issue with struvites is urine pH. So feeding a species-appropriate diet (high protein, high moisture) is the BEST diet to feed. If there are still problems, then the "stress" (environmental factors) of the cat need to be addressed:

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=743091&pageID=1&sk=&date=

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/pdf/education/courses/vcs724/lectures/buffington/fic.pdf

http://www.hillscampus.it/files/sim...ors in feline lower urinary tract disease.pdf

http://vetgrad.com/show10MinuteTopUp.php?type=&Entity=10MinuteTopUps&ID=36

My cats case is different. After the first blockage I put him on all wet high quality food but he blocked again. After three more times of blocking after on mostly high quality wet food with some prescription, I now feed him only prescription Royal Canin Urinary SO. I was recently only feeding him Wild Calling, Dave's, Nature's Variety Instinct, etc, but his latest urinalysis said that he urine pH was 8.5 so the vet said to keep him on prescription only now. I hate it, but I'm deathly afraid of him getting blocked again.

As long as you are feeding him the wet food, it's not so bad. Feeding dry of any kind to a cat who has had blockages just makes no sense, and is asking for more trouble.

My cat Blue blocked in September, and he was diagnosed with struvite crystals, my vet put him on Royal Canine SO-dry only because this cat is finicky as the day is long and won't go near a can of wet food. He won't even sniff a piece of meat or cheese. He only will eat kibble. He has been crystal free since he started the prescription food. Before the prescription food I fed him grain free Blue Buffalo. I don't care for all the ingredients in RC SO-there is grain and it makes me angry to think I spent all this money on the grain free stuff, to make sure he was getting what was best for him and he blocked!

There is so much debate on whether or not to feed a cat with urinary crystals dry food even if it is prescription, I know my Blue has increased his water consumption by ten times as to what he used to drink. I would like to think that increase in water is making up for what he is missing in canned food. Although I do have TWO drinking fountains, and two tea cups I refresh with bottled water daily. He likes the water cold and will lap up half the tea cup when I put cold water in it.

I agree that every cat is different, I am hoping to try the canned RC SO in the future, hoping he will grow out of this strange attraction to only kibble.

LDG said:

The higher protein in relation to crystals (or bladder stones) in cats is based on a CORRELATION in humans.

Here is an interesting overview of calcium OXALATE stones - of which very little is still known in cats.

This is published by the leading University conducting research on crystals/stones in cats. http://www.cvm.umn.edu/depts/minnes...@urolith/documents/asset/cvm_asset_199029.pdf

Bottom line: The issue with calcium oxalate crystals is the concentrated urine. The issue with struvites is urine pH. So feeding a species-appropriate diet (high protein, high moisture) is the BEST diet to feed. If there are still problems, then the "stress" (environmental factors) of the cat need to be addressed:

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=743091&pageID=1&sk=&date=

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/pdf/education/courses/vcs724/lectures/buffington/fic.pdf

http://www.hillscampus.it/files/sim...ors in feline lower urinary tract disease.pdf

http://vetgrad.com/show10MinuteTopUp.php?type=&Entity=10MinuteTopUps&ID=36

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Wow, Laurie,Thanks for posting those articel links. That was a lot of reading, but I read through them all!!

(except the first one, sense it was about oxalate crystals, & Angel had  struvite crystals). 

All of the info here also makes me certain that I am going to start mixing in the better food that he used to eat, 1/2 & 1/2 w/ the canned Rx food!   (Before the Grain, or By Nature).

I also think that like I said, maybe that will help him finally loose a little weight, & that will in turn be another positive thing in all of this.

I just have to see which one has less fat, sense it did mention this about high protein diets. 

(I also think he wants to eat so much because he is not feeling satisfied w/ the Rx food & the carbs in it, VS/ 95-96% protein like his old food has.)

Some days he is o.k. w/ what he gets, & some days, like yesterday & today, he is wanting food almost all day!

(I have even given him some of his Pure Bites treats more that I should today (3xs) because he acts like he is so hungry.)

I even tried to ignore him a few times, so he would give up, & go settle down. He did a couple of times, but it didn't last. 

I am happy to say that Christmas day was a whole year ago sense his last trip to the emergency room w/ this issue!

This month, (next week actually) makes one year that he has been eating the Rx Purina UR SO canned food.  

The articles also addressed his related belly licking/chewing, even though he still sometimes does it, & has been fine for a year.

The sympathetic nervous system explanation made sense. 

My 7 yo male was having trouble with peeing tiny bits all over and it was found he had a stone. We put him on the SO food for 8 weeks because the vet said it would shrink  it which I think was BS. He actually got worse and was on 8 weeks of antibiotics. They gave us an option to remove the stone for a lesser price or the big surgery that basically turns him into a female. He was blocked in one day after the removal of the stone. Today he had the bigger surgery and is recovering at the vet. At first they said once this surgery was done he could go back to regular wet food now they are saying he has to be on the SO forever and at it is soooo expensive. If other foods are better why are they pushing this SO stuff, it's ridiculous. 

My 1 year old male cat has only been on a raw balanced diet and he now has been diagnosed with FLUTD (crystals in urine). The vet said to use the SO diet. I will let you know how we do, today is day 1.

I have 5 cats, 2 of them had urinary problems over and over. I use Urinary So and Iams original dry cat food. No more problems 2 plus years now. Iams is not the cheapest either, about 1/2 the price of Urinary So. 

Do you feed them wet food only?

My experience with my boy is pretty much identical to molldee's. He was having crystal problems on Wellness, was put on Hill's s/d for a month until he was better, at which time I started giving him a few high quality, grain free foods that I had researched for too many hours to count that, on paper, should have avoided a recurrence. But when he got crystals again, he got them *really* bad and was blocked and spent a couple days in the hospital. He was on s/d for another month after that, and now is on c/d forever (c/d is essentially s/d without the extra salt, per my vet). I hate it, it's terrible food, but it keeps him alive and unblocked, and I don't trust anything else to do that after failing with the high quality foods.

I agree with beckbjj-I am not crazy about what is in the RC SO-but it keeps my cat alive and healthy, I have had numerous people suggest I try raw diets and other "high quality"foods, it's not worth it to take the chace if you ask me. I found what works and that is what I am sticking to.

beckbjj said:

My experience with my boy is pretty much identical to molldee's. He was having crystal problems on Wellness, was put on Hill's s/d for a month until he was better, at which time I started giving him a few high quality, grain free foods that I had researched for too many hours to count that, on paper, should have avoided a recurrence. But when he got crystals again, he got them *really* bad and was blocked and spent a couple days in the hospital. He was on s/d for another month after that, and now is on c/d forever (c/d is essentially s/d without the extra salt, per my vet). I hate it, it's terrible food, but it keeps him alive and unblocked, and I don't trust anything else to do that after failing with the high quality foods.

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I Understand! If you read my post above, (back in Feb.) you know that angel went through cystitis w/ sturvite crystals a couple of years ago too. Thank the lord, he never blocked though!

Out of the three Rx foods at the vets we went w/ the Purina UR SO. (The vet knew how I felt about the bad ingredients, so she looked at all 3 w/ me & it  had the least of the bad  ).

He had his first "all clear" ultrasound & urinalysis 3 wks after starting the RX food!  (which I also mixed in some water from the PUR filter, as well, & still do, "just to stay on the safe side!") 

Anyway, I kept Angel on it for a whole year. at that point, w/ no recurrences, I wanted to try & find something that would have healthier ingredients, but still not cause any future problems.

We have a natural pet food store here, (& the staff are very knowledgeable, unlike @ the big box stores!) So, I explained his history of cystitis 3XS in two years, & what I was looking for.

They had a new line in I had never seen before, that had a couple of "restricted diet foods," one in which was made to compare to the urinary formulas.  After all 3 employees agreeing about it, & the owner,

I felt confident in trying it. I bought a couple of cans, & Angel loved it! I emailed his vet about it & sent her a link to review the ingredients. She didn't shoot it down, & said if I wanted to give it a try, & do a follow up

urinalysis after he has been on it a little while, we will go from there.   

Sept. 11, this month, was 2 months of him being on just that food.

I took him in yesterday, (9/15/14) for his follow up ultrasound, & urinalysis, & I am VERY happy to report that everything was "ALL CLEAR!"  "I am one happy momma!!!" 

Here is the link to the food Angel is on, if anyone is interested.  If you can't find it locally, maybe you can order it directly. (?)

http://davespetfood.com/product/restricted-diet-magnesium-phosphorus-pork-dinner-cats/

"One more thing,"

 Last week, I called to order another case for him, & they were out of stock, & hadn't gotten any in. I thought I was going to have to go get a few cans of the Rx at the vets to

tie us over, until the other came in. Then on the day I was going to have to go pick some up, they called, had gotten some in, & set a case aside for me! 

To me, that was a sign from above that we were on the right track w/ this food, & I didn't have to go buy any Rx food! (which I really didn't want to do).

God provided, & made sure it came in on time for us!     

Oh, & not only is it healthier, (no byproducts/grains, etc..) but it is $10.00 cheaper than the Rx food @ $32.00/case VS/ $42.00!!

I wish you the best of luck! Keep us posted.

I had read another thread about Dave's Cat Food on this site somewhere a while back while looking for U.S.-made food for my other three kitties, and did notice that they have one for urinary health that does have methionine in it.  The only other food that I can definitely recall seeing that lists methionine as an ingredient is PetGuard, which is also U.S.-made, and which I used to use a couple years ago until my girls suddenly refused to eat it (after going nuts for it previously).  The only catch I guess is that I don't know the levels of methionine in the Dave's versus in the Hill's.  I've been thinking about emailing Dave's to see if they can give me those figures, but I'm not sure anyone really knows how much of what is in the Hill's, and I know Hill's won't tell me if I emailed them.  The Dave's sounds like a great product though, and I've been very tempted to try their urinary diet for the boy and a couple of their regular varieties (the ones that keep fruits/veggies to a minimum) for everyone else.  I just really wish I knew for sure that it had enough methionine to keep the boy safe.

I understand. Well, all I can say is Angel has been on it for 2 months now, & the urinalysis was clear.   (after being on Rx food for 1 yr).  All you can do is try it, & then do a check like I did, to let you know  for sure.

My vet did a urinalysis after 3 weeks of him being on the Rx food, to make sure it was working, & we were on the right track.

I kept him on it for a yr. because I tried other foods, even grain free, etc.. (before knowing about Dave's), & nothing else worked. I felt comfortable switching him to the Dave's because he had been okay for a year w/ no 

problems. It was time to safely try something better, but created as a urinary formula. 

beckbjj said:

 
I had read another thread about Dave's Cat Food on this site somewhere a while back while looking for U.S.-made food for my other three kitties, and did notice that they have one for urinary health that does have methionine in it.  The only other food that I can definitely recall seeing that lists methionine as an ingredient is PetGuard, which is also U.S.-made, and which I used to use a couple years ago until my girls suddenly refused to eat it (after going nuts for it previously).  The only catch I guess is that I don't know the levels of methionine in the Dave's versus in the Hill's.  I've been thinking about emailing Dave's to see if they can give me those figures, but I'm not sure anyone really knows how much of what is in the Hill's, and I know Hill's won't tell me if I emailed them.  The Dave's sounds like a great product though, and I've been very tempted to try their urinary diet for the boy and a couple of their regular varieties (the ones that keep fruits/veggies to a minimum) for everyone else.  I just really wish I knew for sure that it had enough methionine to keep the boy safe.

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Methionine is an amino acid found in meat. I haven't kept track of which brands have it, but it is fairly common. Also, since it naturally occurs in meat, brands with more protein might not add it. Methionine and its man-made sister, DL-methionine can be purchased in health food stores. However, because too much methionine can turn the urine too acidic and lead to calcium oxalate stones, you need to work with a vet if you want to use it to correct urine pH. I did add it to my kitty's food for a while. I got a baseline urine pH from a vet lab test, then administered the methionine. I checked urine pH daily with urine pH strips at home. Then after a month I got another urine pH test to verify the urine was in the correct range. After that I continued home testing and got quarterly and then semi-annual urine tests at the vet.

Matto said:

 
According to my vet, my kitty probably got oxalate crystals from too much protein combined with too little exercise. I always gave her a high power protein diet, either the best brands or raw, but since I live in a small apartment, she doesnt get to lead the wild life that such a diet is constructed for. Thats why the protein levels in urinary s/o are low, apparently - however, there are different kinds of crystals and different causes, the most common being stress, apparently.

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Hmmm, my babes are indoor only as well, and sleep most of the day when I'm not home I'm sure.  I too was feeding Nature's Instinct Raw frozen bites (primarily rabbit, as it seemed he developed an allergy to his old food hence the switch), which they loved and produced a really soft coat and smaller near odorless poo, but my boy developed bad crystals/blood in urine and had to be rushed to the vet.   Who knows, it may have cleared up on its own either way, but not only does he always have two filtered water fountains available 24x7 with water refreshed every 3-days, but I always added water to his raw food and they'd lick the bowl dry.     When the first question of the vet was whether or not I was feeding a high protein diet, I was confused, as that should have been a good thing in my book... but perhaps the lower protein "indoor" formulas of various foods actually do make sense for more than just the reason of weight issues (my kitties were always the perfect weight since I simply adjusted feeding portions, so didn't give it a second thought).  

Right now they are on a VERY strange ingredient (mostly rice, no joke) food from Hills with "hydrolyzed" protein (whatever that is, mostly soy) called Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Hydrolyzed Protein Adult HP ($50 for 7lbs), but surprisingly they LOVE the flavor (even when I prepare it like cereal with water in place of milk), and the poos actually are not all that big despite having to feed more and odor is surprisingly low.    So far so good, but will have to wait for long term to see if their ultra soft coat stays nice and glossy.  Its not specifically designed as a urinary food, which was the reason for the vet visits, but he indicates he has good success with just switching to lower protein.   So if you don't have any allergy issues, perhaps just any indoor formula food with rice in it will do the trick.   And as long as your cats gobble up the food instantly, feel free to turn the kibble into a soup.   Mine eat it so fast it doesn't have time to get soggy.

I feed my guy Wysong uretic, after almost losing him to urinary blockage. After spending $1,000 on emergency and surgery I literally couldn't afford the prescription food. My local pet store provided samples and suggested it. It is a not badly priced dry food. I add equal amount water 15 min before feeding. It has better ingredients then many others and I've had no more issues.

mzfeisty said:

I feed my guy Wysong uretic, after almost losing him to urinary blockage. After spending $1,000 on emergency and surgery I literally couldn't afford the prescription food. My local pet store provided samples and suggested it. It is a not badly priced dry food. I add equal amount water 15 min before feeding. It has better ingredients then many others and I've had no more issues.

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I'm glad to hear you are mixing it w/ water. Are you using filtered water? That is important, especially w/ what your boy has been through. I just have a PUR filter on the faucet, & use that water. 

I was feeding Orijen Dry Food & Weruva canned food when my two cats developed Urinary Tract Disease. I always said it wouldn't be me, despite knowing so many customer's who's cats have it. (I work at a pet retail store weekends) Which was more expensive than the RX food honestly, pretty much best foods you can get canned or dry. They both had struvite crystals and utis. The one male cat had to get unblocked, followed by having his bladder flushed. (yay 4.5k later) Nothing was working for him. I've tried Hills both dry and wet, Wysong Urinary Formula & Wysongs Urinary Supplement for Struvite crystals mixed with weruva canned (Methionine supplement) with no success.  My one male was eating RC S/O dry for a year fine, but when I tried to feed to Bruce, the problem child, he developed an ear infection and an allergy to it, so we went back to hills. We now do the S/O canned food and I give the Dry S/O only as a treat, like 10 kibbles and it has been going well about 1 1/2 no problems and they are both at optimal weight, neither one is fat but.....

I looked at my ingredients on the canned S/O today and I am POSITIVE it has had to have changed in the year I have kept him on it, it has "pork-by product" as the first ingredient and I swore it used to be chicken. I would not have even bought this, I would have went with the balance it homemade prescription diet that my vet said I could also do. This Dave's Pet Food seems promising I am going to order it. What sucks is I have a month and a half of the S/O, I suppose I should start a transition and set up a vet appointment for a couple months later. I did try to try raw food at one point, I literally introduced like .5oz one night to him and next thing I know that week he was in hospital, wasn't stable enough to experiment with that. They said if he got blocked again in the next few weeks he could die. I'm hoping my store can order Dave's for me, hopefully one of our vendor's carries it.