Calcium Oxalate Stones for the 3rd time

My husband and I have a DLH that is about 7 years old. She has had two bouts of Calcium Oxalate stones in the past 5 years. We have spent thousands of dollars on surgery, tests and vet visits. We put her on specially formulated food, feed her wet food and bought a water fountain so she would have constant access to fresh running water. In the past 24 hours she has peed twice in inappropriate places and now I am afraid the stones are back. My husband doesn't want to put her through surgery a 3rd time or have a cat we have to spend $1000+ on surgery and vet bills every other year. I can't see putting her down when surgery would "fix" the issue. Any opinions?

Well, given we've spent more than that on saving the lives of several of our cats, you're not going to get an unbiased opinion from me. The first time, we could afford it. The second, we really couldn't. But they're family, and we do what we need to do for them. :heart2:

My thoughts are you can take further steps to prevent this. The problem is that if the crystals/stones are too large to pass, then there's no option other than surgery and future prevention - and though we're not familiar with what's been done to prevent them, there may be more steps you can take.

Is the prescription diet kibble? Is there a prescription canned food alternative? Because the main thing with preventing any crystals is keeping kitty really well hydrated and flushed. I have a kitty that is prone to struvite crystals. She eats no dry food, and I give her fluids at home once or twice a week. I keep very close track of her urine pH, because struvite crystals form in an alkaline pH (above 7.0). I use urine test strips.

What has your kitty's urine pH been when she has this problem? I'm wondering if it's related to urine pH (being too acidic), though with calcium oxalates, it often isn't.

Calcium oxalate crystals are more difficult, and can form in any urine pH, though the neutral pH to slightly below is ideal for preventing them (6.5 - 7.0).

At this point, I'd be wondering if there's an issue with her calcium metabolism. Has she been checked for hyperparathyroidism?

Here are some articles that may help you understand what's happening:

https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/clinpath/modules/UA-ROUT/crystsed.htm

This information is based on humans, but the issues would be the same: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/732914_2

Important dietary information for cats with crystals (written by a vet, Dr. Lisa Pierson): http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth


I would see if there's any possibility they haven't grown to a size that can't be flushed out (get an ultrasound). And if they CAN be, flush, flush, flush with sub-q fluids at home - discuss with the vet, but you can give smaller amounts 2x a day, or a larger amount once a day.

And if she's not on an all wet food diet, I would work on getting her transitioned. If she eats dry food, she needs to drink one cup of water daily to equal the amount of water she would get if eating canned food only.

Many vibes for your girl!

I would also consider using distilled water for her. When on canned, she'll drink less, so the distilled water won't have as much of an impact. If you're feeding dry, it's not a good idea. But you need a purified water, that has very low mineral content, particularly calcium and magnesium.

I'm trying to think of other factors that could be at play here.

Treats? If you give her treats, consider stopping anything other than plain freeze dried meat or liver treats, no other ingredients. Obviously she's on the prescription food, but I don't know what else she may be fed.... you need to avoid anything with spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes.... (foods high in oxalates).