Kitty with Urinary Blockage/Uroabdomen

mommyto

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Hello all!  I am an avid cat person, but have never really thought to log into one of these sites for help.  My three buddies are usually as healthy as can be!

But our luck ran out - our 1 year old Domestic Long Hair suffered a urinary blockage last Friday night.  It snuck up on us, totally surprising.  The vet managed to unblock him that night and get a urinary catheter in.  He went home on Sunday, but back to the vet on Monday morning because he had stopped peeing.  The vet tried all sorts of meds to help him out, but didn't re-catheter since he was still leaking urine at that point.  Just not peeing like normal.  Tuesday, and his belly was all sorts of swollen.  The vet withdrew almost 300ml from his belly.  We put the cath back in, did scans to check the bladder for rupture.  Nothing.  So we left the cath in, assumed a tear in the urethra.  Next day, a little less fluid, but still leaking.  Yesterday, still fluid, but down to only 30ml.  The vet removed the catheter and he has been peeing on his own.

Anyone been through this?  The vet is concerned about peritonitis, and is talking about surgery to wash his belly and check for any tears.  We are taking most of today off from treatment, since the poor fella is SO stressed out.  We have to sedate for checks, and we will be going back this evening to do that.  I'm so confused by all of this, as far as what is right to do.  It seems like surgery to check, when he is approaching no fluid leaking would just be pointless.  We've talked about going to a specialist, but it is just out of our means.  
 

vball91

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Hmm, very puzzling. What did the urinalysis show? What caused the blockage in the first place? I don't think I have heard of fluid in the belly from an urinary blockage, so this is definitely an unusual case. What kind of fluid was it? I'm really not sure what to suggest, but maybe ask the vet for more details and options? I'm so sorry you're going through this. Many vibes.
 

peaches08

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He was diagnosed with uroabdomen, correct? Maybe ask your vet about a consult with a university?

Urine is usually sterile, but it's still concerning. Has he done blood work since the rupture?
 

spitzerag

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My cat went through this a few years back. He got it one year in july, I took him in, he got it cleared after staying at the vet for a few days, and was fine for about a year. Then it happened again, same prognosis, same treatment, same $1500 price tag. Unfortunately when it happened again 3 months later I didn't have the funds to go through it all again... Hardest thing I did in my life, but I couldn't put myself even further in debt for him, especially when it would just keep happening again and again. Hopefully this is a one time occurrence for your buddy. There are a few things that I was recommended for my cat to help prevent a occurrence- you can get a kitty drinking fountain. the moving water encourages them to drink more, which helps keep them flushed out. you can also do a life-long treatment with cosiquin. Its typically used to treat arthritis in animals, but is apparently also helpful with urinary tract blockages. Its fairly cheap on amazon, and if you mix it with a little water and some wet food, they'll eat it right up. And it won't be harmful if your other 2 cats get into it. I also heard about a surgery which is basically a gender reassignment thing which will help stop blockages, but its SUPER expensive, and out of the question for most pet-owners of normal means. There is also special food you can get him, which is a little pricey, but trust me, anything you can do  to prevent it will be cheaper than getting it fixed once it happens again. Hope something here helps! Its not a fun thing to go through for you or your cat :(
 
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mommyto

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The fluid is urine. They can handle it for a few days, but it can get infected. He has a tear in his urethera. The crystals that causes the blockage weakened the walls. Or it was from when they cathed him. That all doesn't matter - important part is healing him up. The tear seems to be healing on its own, had a better talk with the vet tonight. This stuff is just way over my head. Oh - and the urinalysis did confirm crystals, he actually let me see them. We were told the same thing about it reoccurring - he said it would either be a one time deal, or keep happening. We have the special food, the doc gave us dry and wet, but I'm not sure what we will continue with. Everything I read screams forget the dry and go wet. I'm afraid to even think about the maintenance part yet - I just want to get him back on track first.

Any who, doc thinks he looks like he is healing and we are going to do sedation tomorrow and more bloodwork, and remove his iv cath. Was just looking for others that had been through it - whether the fluid went to peritonitis or not. And how they managed that. Instead of opening him up, we are now talking a small procedure to flood the area with saline - and then remove it. Get out any yuckies.

He really is a sweetie, and au
 
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mommyto

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Opps! Super attached to my 9 year old. I hope we can get him through it!
 

spitzerag

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Good luck! I agree with the wet food over dry food idea. And do ask them about the Cosiquin. It did seem to help my kitty some, and its very easy to mix in with the wet food.
 
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mommyto

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I will definitely ask! My other two kitties are seniors, so I'm sure that wouldn't be a bad thing for them either :eek:). Try as we may, feeding them separate diets would never work. The guy in trouble is my piggy out of the bunch!
 

maureen brad

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en through this. I a keeping good thoughts for your kitty. I know male cats are prone to this. I have 3 male cats 2 of whom have had their share of health problems. I did switch to all wet food, I add a little water to each meal.I know quality food is expensive but once they get used to it they actually eat less so it evens out, I have read that any wet food is better than any dry food so do what you can. I just read about a fountain I am going to get the cats. I found it on another site www.thewayofcats.com. She wrote about it i yesterday o the night before. That is a great site about cats too. Good luck to you I know how horrible it is to have to worry like this. Doesn't feel any better when you also have to worry about the money.
 

bastfriend

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I went through this with my kitty too a couple summers ago and he has been on Royal Canin S/O dry ever since and it has worked wonderfully.    I also supplement his diet with the canned food as well but his mainstay is the dry.    If you are feeding a dry urinary diet and that is the large majority of all food that goes into the cat it should work.     I've discussed with my vet what my other food options are and she said if I want to move away from the urinary diet then he would need to be on canned food only.      Much sympathies for you and your kitty.    These urinary blockage situations are so upsetting for the cats to go through and for the owners it is so hard because of the expense and risk to their lives.    Another resource to consult is the FLUTD group on Yahoo.
 

babynaj10

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Hello...

I a keeping good thoughts for your kitty. I know male cats are prone to this. I have 3 male cats 2 of whom have had their share of health problems. I did switch to all wet food, I add a little water to each meal.I know quality food is expensive but once they get used to it they actually eat less so it evens out,

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TOP PROJECT WORLD INFORMATION
 

brooklet425

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A few years ago my cat had a severe blockage with a torn urethra. He was experiencing the same things as yours and in my case, the vet called in a specialist for advice. They specialist was my cat's savior - seriously. Initially they gave him a 1% chance of living. By the time the specialist was called they increased it to 20%. And each day that number increased.

PLEASE talk to you vet about this because it's the only thing that saved my Moses. He was kept on a catheter for 10 days. It wasn't removed at all during that time (it was initially removed but this is after they realized he had a torn urethra). The catheter was left in that long to give the tear a chance to heal. And it worked. The specialist told us that most cats will die if they get a urethra tear because it's not given enough time to heal. 10 days seemed to do the trick for him. He was also on antibiotics for about 3 months and he has eaten Royal Canin Urinary SO dry food ever since. Its been about 4 years and he hasnt had any problems since then.

Good luck! Please let us know how it all turns out!
 

shanaskye

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I'm very sorry to hear your kitty is having such problems. I went through the same thing with my one cat. It was a Saturday night and I noticed he was having a hard time peeing and his belly was swollen and hard. I could tell by the way he was behaving that he was in a lot of pain.So I took him to the emergency vet in the middle of the night. They told me he had a blockage due to the crystals and catheterized him. They were able to empty his bladder but when the cathater came out the problem came back. So I agreed to the surgery to remove his penis therefore making the area larger so the crystals could pass easily if they came back. Having gone through the emergency vet it was even more expensive. I seem to recall about $1800 total. After coming home we went through a stage of special food, special litter, and some medications. After about a month everything seemed good. I returned him to regular litter, he was done with the meds and I put him on Purina Urinary Tract food.  He also gets treats of wet food and packaged treats occasionally but I have had no trouble since.  I don't know if I've been lucky or if this is somewhat the norm, but I'm certainly happy with the results.  I now refer to him as my transgender baby. I have a total of 8 cats right now (I was up to 11) but several were very old and passed at home in their sleep. I still have 3 with special needs so it's always alot of work. My 18-1/2 year old died last month. He had been born with Cerabellar Hypoplasia so he had a difficult but very happy life. But no matter what the problems and challenges everyone of them is worth it. We give each other unconditional love and companionship that I wouldn't trade for anything. Hope your kitty gets better soon....he's in my prayers.
 
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mommyto

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Brooklet425 - my buddy was on and off the cath for 8 days. The vet thought his tear was at the spot where the bladder and urethera joined, but it was just easier to call it urethera. The cath came out Friday, and he has been as good as gold since then! Makes me realize how much we must have missed the signs of him getting sick. He has been crazy active all weekend! The vet did X-rays and bloodwork yesterday, his plalets were low, but that is about it. He thinks he has the peritonitis, so we are on extended antibiotics as well.

Only challenge with him has been the food. Doc wants all wet for a few days and Oliver is a kibble addict! He is snubbing his nose at the wet. I gave my other two a little dry when he was out of the room and he came running like a maniac, so I know he is hungry. Suggestions?
 

peaches08

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He's got to have food to heal. How about crunching some of the dry food and topping the wet with it? At this point, if he'll eat it, wetting the dry food? Just don't leave watered down kibble out all day, it'll turn into bacterial soup.

Cheese? Tuna water? What are things that he likes?
 
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mommyto

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I have no idea! We have only ever fed dry, blue buffalo. I avoid table food. Too dangerous with kids in the house, heaven only knows what they would give them. I will try tuna water on it tomorrow, I don't think I have any in the pantry right now. The vet mentioned sprinkling bouillon on the food, does that work? He will eat the new kibble, just snubs the wet stuff. I did water it down the first couple of days. He are that, but I want to save that as a last resort.
 

bastfriend

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Peaches idea of crumbling some dry on top sounds great.   I've used a variation of that by putting Bonito flakes (dry thin fish flakes for cats) on top of wet food which can also get them going.    I'm so glad he's doing well!
 

cprcheetah

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Sorry you are dealing with this.  Wet food is definitely best for Urinary issues.  Here is a link on how to transition kibble junkies to wet food.  http://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf   It can be hard sometimes if they are kibble addicts but it cat be done.  You want to encourage as much drinking as possible.  My boy Munchie is prone to bladder issues I add a tablespoon or two of water to his canned food each meal.
 

brooklet425

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I'm very happy to hear that he's doing well off of the catheter!

As for the food, here is something to consider. First, yes, wet food is better for cats who are prone to urinary issues. BUT with that being said, prescription food is prescription food for a reason. It's been formulated with specific conditions in mind. The main reason for wet food being the better choice is because it has water in it, and many cats don't drink enough on their own. Dry food is also known for having more calories which leads to weight gain too.

When my Moses was going through the same thing as your cat, he was switched to Royal Canin Urinary SO dry food. He has been doing VERY well on it. We occasionally give him some of the wet food, but he drinks a lot on his own and he has never had another blockage once he switched to the prescription food. So my point is, while wet is typically better, it doesn't mean that the dry food is bad. Specifically the prescription food. I'm sure there are people out there who will disagree with me, but you can google it too - Royal Canin is a brand that has a lot of research behind it and MANY cats do well on just the dry food. Its formulated with ingredients that break up crystals and prevent new crystals from forming.You'll still need to make sure that he drinks water, but I honestly wouldn't worry too much if he refuses the wet food. Now if he refuses ANY of the prescription food then you'll have a problem, but as long as he's getting the correct food, wet or dry AND he's drinking water - he should be fine. My vet initially had Moses eat the wet food for just a few days, before switching to the dry, because he wanted him to have enough water in his system to help flush out the infection. So I do understand the desire of the vet to want him on wet food for a few days, but if he refuses it, you just have to make sure that he drinks enough water during that time.

And just to be clear for anyone who disagrees - I am only referring to the prescription food here. Feeding him just any dry food isn't a good idea. But then again, neither is feeding just any wet food at this point. He needs to be on a prescription diet and as long as he's on the correct prescription diet, wet or dry - he should do well on it.

I hope that helps!
 
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