any new info on a canned food for males with crystals/urinary blockage?

Spunky, our poster child for urinary blockage, is finally back from his recent trip to the vet.  Three days, catheter, etc. and a whole lot of money.  He is also or most finicky eater, and the most stressed over sambo, the new kid on the block.  (see pic in pic forum)

Anyway, we need to find a good wet canned he will eat consistently.  We have tried hills H/D I believe it is called for hospital stays...lots of fat,,etc.  As with the Fancy feast classic (6 dif flavors so far) he just sniffs, maybe a bite, and walks away. 

Now if you put down his old Blue Buffalo adult dry he will eat all of that he can get.

So we need to find something he will eat wet. 

Yes, we have mixed the others with Blue to get him started but no success.  We even tried raw ground chicken which we feed our barn cat colony and supplement to our other 4 in house rescues. Yes, this probably qualifies us as "cat hoarders...8 barn cats and 6 at home!)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We are starting the fluid IV for a few days to "flush" his system.

trudy1 said:

 
Spunky, our poster child for urinary blockage, is finally back from his recent trip to the vet.  Three days, catheter, etc. and a whole lot of money.  He is also or most finicky eater, and the most stressed over sambo, the new kid on the block.  (see pic in pic forum)

Anyway, we need to find a good wet canned he will eat consistently.  We have tried hills H/D I believe it is called for hospital stays...lots of fat,,etc.  As with the Fancy feast classic (6 dif flavors so far) he just sniffs, maybe a bite, and walks away. 

Now if you put down his old Blue Buffalo adult dry he will eat all of that he can get.

So we need to find something he will eat wet. 

Yes, we have mixed the others with Blue to get him started but no success.  We even tried raw ground chicken which we feed our barn cat colony and supplement to our other 4 in house rescues. Yes, this probably qualifies us as "cat hoarders...8 barn cats and 6 at home!)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We are starting the fluid IV for a few days to "flush" his system.

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Oh the poor baby . I hope he is feeling better .  Maybe you could try Fancy Feast Chicken Primavera .. My cats are super picky and they love this one and the FF Grilled Chicken . The only 2  FF  varieties ( and the only brand of can food )they will eat ..  

thanks cats...will try it

by the way thats' Spunky"s picture on my post

a rescue...arn't they all? but real sweet...just a little paranoid and ADHD mixed

thanks...will let you know

GTO

Does he like cooked chicken? He might like a homecooked diet better than the raw.

While not as good as the Classic line, my cats reallyreally like the creamy Fancy Feast flavors, Florentine, I think, is the line. You just have to get him eating SOMETHING wet so right now isn't the time to worry too much about higher carbs or unnecessary veggies. So try a lot of FF flavors---they have something like 60 different flavors so there has to be one he likes!

Yes, and whatever food you settle on always add a few spoons of water to it as the more dilute you get the urine - the better.

trudy1 said:

 
thanks cats...will try it

by the way thats' Spunky"s picture on my post

a rescue...arn't they all? but real sweet...just a little paranoid and ADHD mixed

thanks...will let you know

GTO

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Good luck , I hope you can find one he likes .. Aww , Spunky is a cutie ...

This may be a bit off-topic and, if so, I apologize. One of our cats had two blockages. In his case, it was our well water that was causing the crystals. Once we started him on bottled spring water, he never blocked up again and he lived to be over 20 years old. As a result, all of our cats (we now have six, but at one time we were up to eight) have been raised now on bottled spring water. 

Our vet really thought it was the food causing the blockages. We were feeding him Friskies Buffet (and yeah, I know it's not the best food out there, but it a food that he would eat; in fact, it's a food that all our cats will eat. We've tried switching over to new and better foods, but if the cats won't eat the food, you've gained nothing.) So we went back to his old food and used the bottled spring water in his water dishes. 

Even though we now have a water system in our basement that treats our well water, I won't go back to using well water for the cats. I'm too paranoid. To this day, those cats only drink the bottled water.

Interesting thought on the water....maybe I should switch to distilled in our 3 cat fountains? We are on rural water and have a softener which I am sure adds minerals and salt.
Spunky's biggest problem is Sambo, our newest rescue and the stress he adds to the mix...always wanting play, running them off the fountains and their food, etc.
Oh well,he is off to be "tutored" on the 4th....hope it will calm him down!
Thanks to all for the info
Spunky is now on 2 subcue saline drips a day which seems to be helping....this will go for two more days!

Originally Posted by Winchester  

if cats won't eat the food, you've gained nothing.

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 One of my cats was SUPER picky about wet and the only kind I could get him to eat is Friskies turkey and giblets, mixed grill, and chicken and liver. Not top of the line food, but better than all dry.

Oh I have been there! ...3 XS!  (Two yrs, 3 episodes for angel. Stress induced we think).  It is no fun, & yes, expensive!  ("Thank you care credit!!)

Good suggestion from Winchester!  I too only give Angel water from the PUR filter on the faucet.  I also mix it in w/ his food every time, still a couple of yrs later... just to be safe! (oatmeal consistency).

I never want to have to do the IV thing to him again either!  

Angel never blocked, but did have sturvite crystals in his bladder. The Vet put him on Cosequin (normally for joints) to help w/ the bladder inflammation. (Sense he is 11 now, I continued this for his joints, so he hopefully won't get arthritis as he gets older.)  (She also put him on amatriptyline for a few wks to help his bladder relax from the spasms. It's an anti-anxiety/dep. drug, but really helped! It also helped in fact that he didn't whine at the door to go out transitioning at the time to indoor only, because the 1st infection was a UTI from bacteria. This month is 3yrs. inside!)  

He was on the Purina UR SO RX food from the vet for a year. The vet knew how I felt about the crappy Rx food ingredients, so she looked at labels w/ me, & out of the 3 urinary formulas they had, Purina was the least bad, &  He liked it to, so that was a plus. However, with the cost of it,  (42.00/case!) & ingredients, I knew I wanted to find something better after a year. (His 1st "all clear" ultrasound was 3 wks after starting the RX food)

I visited a local Natural pet food store, I used to go to, & explained his condition, & looking for an alternative. They started carrying a restricted diet that was formulated by this company to be like the urinary formulas.

The store owner, & two other employees said it was a good comparison, & that's why the company created it, so I felt confident in trying some. I bought a few cans, & he liked it. I started weaning it in w/ his Rx food, until he was switched over in about a week I think. I also informed his vet of what I was doing, & sent her a link of the label. She said we could do a urinalysis check after he has been on it a little while, just to check things out.  The 11th will be one month on just this new food, so I will do it sometime around then. ...."OH WOW, That's tomorrow!  Time flies!  

Sorry if that got a little long winded, but if any of that helps.....   I have been there!  Good luck & keep me posted! 

-Kelly

Here is the link. I hope you can find it somewhere close by to you. 

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

Angels mommy said:

Oh I have been there! ...3 XS!  (Two yrs, 3 episodes for angel. Stress induced we think).  It is no fun, & yes, expensive!  ("Thank you care credit!!)

Good suggestion from Winchester!  I too only give Angel water from the PUR filter on the faucet.  I also mix it in w/ his food every time, still a couple of yrs later... just to be safe! (oatmeal consistency).
I never want to have to do the IV thing to him again either!  

Angel never blocked, but did have sturvite crystals in his bladder. The Vet put him on Cosequin (normally for joints) to help w/ the bladder inflammation. (Sense he is 11 now, I continued this for his joints, so he hopefully won't get arthritis as he gets older.)  (She also put him on amatriptyline for a few wks to help his bladder relax from the spasms. It's an anti-anxiety/dep. drug, but really helped! It also helped in fact that he didn't whine at the door to go out transitioning at the time to indoor only, because the 1st infection was a UTI from bacteria. This month is 3yrs. inside!)  
He was on the Purina UR SO RX food from the vet for a year. The vet knew how I felt about the crappy Rx food ingredients, so she looked at labels w/ me, & out of the 3 urinary formulas they had, Purina was the least bad, &  He liked it to, so that was a plus. However, with the cost of it,  (42.00/case!) & ingredients, I knew I wanted to find something better after a year. (His 1st "all clear" ultrasound was 3 wks after starting the RX food)
I visited a local Natural pet food store, I used to go to, & explained his condition, & looking for an alternative. They started carrying a restricted diet that was formulated by this company to be like the urinary formulas.
The store owner, & two other employees said it was a good comparison, & that's why the company created it, so I felt confident in trying some. I bought a few cans, & he liked it. I started weaning it in w/ his Rx food, until he was switched over in about a week I think. I also informed his vet of what I was doing, & sent her a link of the label. She said we could do a urinalysis check after he has been on it a little while, just to check things out.  The 11th will be one month on just this new food, so I will do it sometime around then. ...."OH WOW, That's tomorrow!  Time flies!  

Sorry if that got a little long winded, but if any of that helps.....   I have been there!  Good luck & keep me posted! 

-Kelly

Here is the link. I hope you can find it somewhere close by to you. 

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

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Is Purina better than Royal Canine renal s/o wet food?

Maysa said:

Is Purina better than Royal Canine renal s/o wet food?

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I don't know if it's better, but my vet knew how I felt about all the yucky ingredients, & she looked at all 3 of the urinary formulas they had, (Royal Canine was one) & the Purina had the least amount. 

I feel like it probably is, if it has the least of ALL those ingredients. 

@angelmommy

I didnt mean Royal canine Urinary dry food , i meant Royal Canine Renal wet food , have you checked it?

trudy1 said:

Interesting thought on the water....maybe I should switch to distilled in our 3 cat fountains? We are on rural water and have a softener which I am sure adds minerals and salt.
Spunky's biggest problem is Sambo, our newest rescue and the stress he adds to the mix...always wanting play, running them off the fountains and their food, etc.
Oh well,he is off to be "tutored" on the 4th....hope it will calm him down!
Thanks to all for the info
Spunky is now on 2 subcue saline drips a day which seems to be helping....this will go for two more days!

Click to expand...

I don't know about distilled water, distilled is controversial. Some say it's bad, some say it's good.

http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/drinking-distilled-water.html

http://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/f/Can-You-Drink-Distilled-Water.htm

But some sort of filtered water, and definitely NOT mineral water!

As for finding food, try different textures. Some kitties like shredded, others like pate. Just get the small, cheaper sizes until you find something.

Maysa said:

@angelmommy

I didnt mean Royal canine Urinary dry food , i meant Royal Canine Renal wet food , have you checked it?

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Oh, yes, I knew you meant wet.     With urinary issues, dry is not an option for Angel.  I don't know the exact formula of Royal Canine my vet had & compared, (& because we didn't buy that one),

 but I'm sure there's only one wet one??  

Distilled water in theory can be bad. Like your not supposed to fill fish tanks with it because it will pull minerals out of the fishes bodies to make up for the fact distilled water is pure H2O and water doesn't like being that way.

I highly recommend Weruva "Because weluvyou" line of cat food. They are spending but my kitty is 3 years free of bladder issues on it. Weruva food is also specifically designed for kitties with crystals in their urine.

http://www.weruva.com/

ReiKitty said:

 
Distilled water in theory can be bad. Like your not supposed to fill fish tanks with it because it will pull minerals out of the fishes bodies to make up for the fact distilled water is pure H2O and water doesn't like being that way.

I highly recommend Weruva "Because weluvyou" line of cat food. They are spending but my kitty is 3 years free of bladder issues on it. Weruva food is also specifically designed for kitties with crystals in their urine.

http://www.weruva.com/

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Wow, I didn't know that!  We've never tried that, but good to know.  Angel did well on the Daves Restricted Diet for 5 months. His ultrasound & urinalysis follow up after being on it for 2 months was good.

However,   Last month, there were a few days that his clumps in the litter box were smaller. Not, uh oh, we have to get to the vet now, but about half their size. He usually has big pee pee's, because he is a big 15 lb long boy.   I didn't want to take ANY chances w/ Christmas coming up, (& sense the last time we ended up in the emergency was Christmas morning 2012. That was his last episode).   so & bought some of the Rx Purina UR he used to be on for over a yr.  The only reason I can think of is maybe some Temptations treats I bought him. (& I even bought the free range chicken ones). He's had them once in a long while, (rarely) but don't know if they were the cause. 

 I usually don't, he usually only gets the Pure Bites freeze dried chicken, or maybe some Natural Balance rabbit treats.  There was no stress going on here. I was o.k., so none to pick up there. I wasn't gone a lot more, so ...???? Sensitive kitties........ Anyway, I just bought another case of the Rx, & will probably keep him on it for a little while before trying the Dave's again. I know it wasn't the Dave's, because after 2 months on it,

his test came back fine.  

Stress can be a trigger to. We have ended up at the vet so often with Rusty (my crystal kitty) at the end of December due to urinary tract issues and stress from the holidays. Last year he was pooing blood clots, everything came back normal so we decided it was stress as it cleared up about week after all our company left. I also theorize it may have something to with the drier weather too and they need to increase their water consumption.

You might want to mix some more water in with his food to give him a little extra hydration. Do you have water fountain? If not I can't recommend you to get one enough. It really stimulates kitties to drink more. (Rusty's last infection a couple years ago actually occurred shortly after mine broke and I hadn't bothered to replace it yet)

I'm also lucky with Rusty he can go off diet with out hurting him as long as we get him back on soon.  My parents cat can't even eat a couple of non-diet treats with out a flare up.

Yes, I think stress was what caused his second flare up in 2012. After being at work all day, I was only home an hour or two, then back out to my aunts, as we had family visiting there. He is used to me being home a lot, w/ the exception of work. Plus, it's just the two of us, so I understand. This time,  there was no extra stress, or company here, so I'm not sure what it was. It might have just been irritation of the bladder from those treats.  He was peeing fine, just half as much.  He has been on cosequin ever sense 2012 too. It was for the bladder inflammation, & sense he is 11, I have kept him on it every other day as maintenance. I did up that back to every day at the time. As soon as I got the Rx food, he was back to normal that night!  

Yes, I do (ever sense this all happened 2 yrs ago) put water in his food. I use the water from the PUR filter on my fauset.  I mix in quite a bit, any more, & it would be soup! LOL!

His hydration levels have always been good. The vet did what ever test it was on that, & the numbers were so good, she said, "he is definitely getting plenty of water".

I'd love to try a fountain, but can't do plastic w/ him, because he is very sensitive, & gets chin acne. I even had to finally take up his place mat!  ...and the stainless ones are not cheap!  

I'm just glad he is fine now. 

Well it sounds like Spunky has quite the mom to take care of him.

Why does it always seem that the kitty with one issue is the kitty that gets them all. 

I do really recommend the water fountains though and if you watch around PetSmart and Petco put them on sale occasionally or you can wait for a friends and family weekend and get upto 15% off of them.