My Experience With Blockages and PU Surgery

I just took my boy In on tues he comes home tomorrow. He blocked same day a few hours after cath was out in for 2 nd time so yesterday they did pu surgery . Not sure what up stands for but maybe rhis- they took his penis and testicles. They are putting him on so food. Is so s brand or a type ? What I saw is very costly and I'm looking to find a less expensive but proper food for him , there's a lot I don't yet know/ understand as this just happened. So glad he is ok now or at least will be. Any tips or knowledge that can help me. Hope I can find this post again to see it as I'm also new to thus site just now!!! I will respond once I've seen it so if you don't see me again would you be so kind as to PM me. Thank you- angel

SO is a prescription food from Hills and it is expensive.  It has extra methionine added to it to acidify the urine.  More acidic urine is less conducive to the formation of struvite crystals.  For now I would feed that until he is fully recovered.  You might be able to do something else less expensive down the road but that is a maybe.  You can google feline FLUTD, that will bring up lots of info about it.

Wet food is a big help with this because more moisture means more diluted urine.  Many people add a little water to the wet food to up the moisture.  Some kitties will also drink more out of a fountain.  

It is still early days after bringing him home. My cat wasn't interested in much of anything for a few days. He was definitely annoyed at having the cone on all the time. Do you take the cone off while offering him something to eat? Perhaps your other cat is frightened of the cone? Maybe he just needs some time to settle back into home again.

angel r said:

I just took my boy In on tues he comes home tomorrow. He blocked same day a few hours after cath was out in for 2 nd time so yesterday they did pu surgery . Not sure what up stands for but maybe rhis- they took his penis and testicles.

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PU is short for perineal uthrostomy, which as you know they take the penis and the testicles. The vet then widens the urethra where the wee comes and stitch it to the outside wall closer to the anus  out so there is a  lesser chance of becoming blocked again. Effectively, your cat looks like a girl to the untrained eye!

As for tips, just make sure he keeps the cone on unless he's under your supervision and don't let him lick the wound. As Denice said , offer mostly wet food with extra water added into it.

elise1030 said:

It is still early days after bringing him home. My cat wasn't interested in much of anything for a few days. He was definitely annoyed at having the cone on all the time. Do you take the cone off while offering him something to eat? Perhaps your other cat is frightened of the cone? Maybe he just needs some time to settle back into home again.

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I do take it off. I have it off as much as possible. Right now he's just sitting on a blanket under the sink. That's been his place of choice. The bathroom door is open and he won't come socialize. However we have been kind of forcing him a little food. But I don't want him to go without. He is pretty dirty on his backend and of course we can't let him lick. We have brushed him and combed him. We also bought some baby wipes and have tried to clean him some for him. But I think the smell might be off putting as well.

Denice said:

 
SO is a prescription food from Hills and it is expensive.  It has extra methionine added to it to acidify the urine.  More acidic urine is less conducive to the formation of struvite crystals.  For now I would feed that until he is fully recovered.  You might be able to do something else less expensive down the road but that is a maybe.  You can google feline FLUTD, that will bring up lots of info about it.

Wet food is a big help with this because more moisture means more diluted urine.  Many people add a little water to the wet food to up the moisture.  Some kitties will also drink more out of a fountain.  

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SO is from Royal Canin Urinary SO. I think you're thinking of Hill's s/d?

msoard said:

He doesn't appear to be in any pain. The only medicine they sent home with us is Clavamox. When he was at they were giving him Valium to try to stimulate appetite. But it didn't seem to really help. He was on a lot more meds at the vet than what they sent us home with. I think they also injected him with antibiotics right before my husband brought him home. He just really doesn't seem interested in anything we offer him.

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Cats hide pain REALLY well. Lethargy, anorexia, and hiding can be signs of pain. Clavamox can make some cats have an upset stomach. The most commonly used appetite stimulants are mirtazapine and cyproheptadine. I would ask your vet about those. Is he eating anything? When was the last time he had a normal sized meal?

GoHolistic said:

Cats hide pain REALLY well. Lethargy, anorexia, and hiding can be signs of pain. Clavamox can make some cats have an upset stomach. The most commonly used appetite stimulants are mirtazapine and cyproheptadine. I would ask your vet about those. Is he eating anything? When was the last time he had a normal sized meal?

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He eats when we force him. His attitude seemed a little better this morning. He was waiting for me to open the door to his bathroom this morning and went right out the door and sat in a certain spot. I had him in my lap last night and fell asleep on the couch with him for a few hours. I think that helped. Also the other cat has stopped growling and hissing. The last full meal he has had has been a while but he has eaten enough to be ok either willingly of by being forced. We're hoping that we can make it through this weekend with forcing him if we have to. He's supposed to have his stitches removed Monday and then we can get him clean and hopefully things will settle down.

Thanks for the info Picked up "chance" , were almost home with a BIG bag of the prescription food. 17 lb = $56.00 but it will last awhile. He has to wear the cone. . I feel sad for him but he's alive. [emoji]128516[/emoji]. That's what counts.

I am so happy to have found this.... I have a bit of a different issue, yet the same. My cat is Stitch. Before we adopted him, he was hit by a car and had to have his back left leg amputated. This left him with some neurological issues. We didn't know it at the time but he was unable to pee on his own. When his bladder got full, he would dribble urine. Once we realized what was going on, I started expressing his bladder daily. He has always been very difficult to express and never completely emptied. In January, he lost tone to his bladder and we thought we were going to lose him but we started him on 2 different meds and he pulled through. All of a sudden, about 5 days ago, his urine was coming out in drops. I took him in and the doc diagnosed him with probable FLUTD. She catheterized him and told me to give him urethral relaxer meds twice a day and call in the am if no change. By the am, I was getting nothing out. She admitted him for three days and left a cath in and flushed him out. She said he had sludge and mentioned the p.u. surgery and that it may be his only option if we pull the cath and are unable to get urine. So Monday morning, cath was pulled and she got a weak stream and sent him home with me. He isnt eating and I am getting dribbles of urine out. I think we are facing the p.u. surgery and I am terrified. Because he can't pee on his own, he would need to be hospitalized for 10 days post op with a catheter and cone. He pulled out his catheter 2 nights in a row this last stay. I just don't know if I should put him through all this. I am worried it wont even work and I am worried he will hate us in the end. Are we doing it for us or for him?

If your cat has continual blockages, I would opt for the surgery. There is a risk, of course, to every surgery so be wary of that. But my Buddha had the surgery and is totally fine now with no blockages and it's been about two years. His quality of life is much better and I'm so happy they could do something to stop the painful blockages.

What are you feeding him? For cats with urinary issues, only feed wet food as it will help flush out the "sludge."

Well while at the vet and since he has been home, he has barely eaten any thing. He normally devours wet food and has been turning his nose up at it. We have had them on a high qualitt grain free dry food and I was going to start adding in the Royal Canine urinary health rx diet food to graze on and then feed wet on a daily basis as well but he wont he at all. I am dreading this call to the doc this am.

stitchiesmom said:

Well while at the vet and since he has been home, he has barely eaten any thing. He normally devours wet food and has been turning his nose up at it. We have had them on a high qualitt grain free dry food and I was going to start adding in the Royal Canine urinary health rx diet food to graze on and then feed wet on a daily basis as well but he wont he at all.

I am dreading this call to the doc this am.

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Hi there .. I am sorry to hear about your kitties current troubles. Is he currently drinking much water? If not, he could be experiencing a bit of dehydration which will effect his appetite. If this is the case, then you should probably stick to feeding wet food which will provide some moisture, and add a bit of water to this as well. You could try some different foods that you think he will like to get him to eat. I have a young male who has had one episode of crystals (but no blocking) and is prone to changes in ph. I feed him RC Urinary SO wet food in rotation, and this is working to manage his ph levels and he is peeing well. This is a pork based food which has a fairly nice aroma. You could pick up a few cans of this to try.

All the best ...

So my boy had his p.u. surgery at 5pm today. The doctor said it went well and she was able to express a good stream through the new urethra. He can't pee on his own so his story is a little different than most. I hope he does well overnight and I will update after I see him in the am. I hope he eats.

stitchiesmom said:

So my boy had his p.u. surgery at 5pm today. The doctor said it went well and she was able to express a good stream through the new urethra. He can't pee on his own so his story is a little different than most. I hope he does well overnight and I will update after I see him in the am. I hope he eats.

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Sending lots of vibes for your boy! 

My cat had his p.u. surgery last Tuesday. He has developed pus drainage at the urethra site. Any one else have that happen?

I am so grateful this thread is active!
My 3year old baby boy Vinny (b/w kitty in pic) is going for pu surgery tomorrow and I feel so scared for him. He is a healthy boy and young and deserves to live along and health life.

All of these stories have helped me feel better about the procedure, I miss my little guy like crazy... My vet is an hour away also which makes my heart ache more I wish I could go visit him. I have made a special room for him to recover in and to keep his mother Lola (grey kitty in pic) away until he is feeling better.

How long was everyone's recovery time?

Hi there! My boy is 6 days out from his p.u. surgery, one week tomorrow. He had a little pus at urethra site but is on clavamox and it has cleared up. I took him in today and vet said site looks good. Stitches come out 8/3 so several more days of a boring room with a cone but it will all be worth it. He is such a good boy and doesnt even cry to get out. I wish you luck and am so sorry you are far from your baby. The staff will take great care of him and he will be home in no time starting his recovery. Keep us posted!

Thank you stichiesmom I feel like I left my child alone...

I was there when Lola gave birth to him and the thought of him there alone is eating at me.
My hubby has been supportive but I just wish I could have stayed with him you know?? (Crazy cat lady lol)

I am so glad to hear your buddy is doing well and thank you for the support >
I appreciate it more than you know.

I'll keep you posted,

blessings!

How long are they estimating he will need to stay? I completely understand about feeling like you've left him alone. I visited Stitch twice a day (but I live close). It is scary. The surgery and recovery. You just have to hang in there and take it one day at a time. He is young and healthy. He will make it through surgery and the healing is kind of up to his body. Just limit his activity, make sure he doesn't lick and pray.