Urinary Tract Obstruction and Infection, How to Prevent Reblockage

bijouandrocky

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Last night we had to rush Rocky out to the emergency vet at 9:00 PM, as he was displaying all the symptoms of a urinary blockage. I'm glad we did take him, for it turns out we were right. At first we had thought he was constipated, but that obviously turned out not to be the case. The poor little guy's at the vet recovering for a day, but he's healing up well.

My main concern is preventing it from happening again.. it is my understanding that if he reblocks again, he might need to undergo some sort of surgery? It sounds like it would be expensive, but if it came down to it we would go through with it. However, I'd like to do anything possible to prevent him from having to undergo surgery, not just because of costs, but for Rocky's sake as well. If you have any knowledge/experience on this I would be very thankful for ANY of your advice and feedback. Here are a few general questions I have:

1) DIET

The vet is going to prescribe some sort of special diet to help dissolve crystals when we pick Rocky up tomorrow.. I don't really know much about this food though. It has something to do with pH?? From what I read online, it sounds like it would be good to switch him to an all wet diet, but I don't really know. If anyone knows anything about this, I would be very grateful if I could receive your opinions/feedback to consider.

2) WATER INTAKE

To increase Rocky's water intake I'm considering purchasing one of those fancy water fountain bowls to encourage him to drink more. He really likes drippy faucets, so hopefully he'll take a liking to it. Still debating whether to invest in one of those fancy $80-$100 dollar ones, or just get a $20-$30 plastic one.. I will be going over product reviews to see if the more expensive ones are worth it. Other than that, all I can think of is switching him to an all wet diet, and mixing water in with his canned food.

3) MONITORING THE LITTER BOX

Because we have 2 cats, it is hard to tell who used the litter box, and which poops and pees belong to which cat. I guess I'll have to assume that if the litter box isn't as full, that Rocky hasn't used it. Also, has anyone tried using a diagnostic litter? I've heard about it, and I'm not really sure if it would help or not. Apparently it's supposed to detect the pH levels of the cat's urine? 

Thanks so much for your consideration!
 

Columbine

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Definitely go all wet...its by far the best thing you can do. You can even consider adding water to his wet food to boost the fluid intake further. It's generally a good idea to avoid fish too, or at least keep it for special treats.

If you use clumping litter it's easy to spot warning signs: if all the clumps are big, there's no problem. If you start seeing lots of little clumps, then he's having issues.

One of the best sites for information on UTI is http://www.catinfo.org

This article should help too
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd
 

mwallace056

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Definitely go all wet...its by far the best thing you can do. You can even consider adding water to his wet food to boost the fluid intake further. It's generally a good idea to avoid fish too, or at least keep it for special treats.

If you use clumping litter it's easy to spot warning signs: if all the clumps are big, there's no problem. If you start seeing lots of little clumps, then he's having issues.

One of the best sites for information on UTI is http://www.catinfo.org

This article should help too
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd
:yeah: going all wet is the best thing you can do if you can afford it
 
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bijouandrocky

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Definitely go all wet...its by far the best thing you can do. You can even consider adding water to his wet food to boost the fluid intake further. It's generally a good idea to avoid fish too, or at least keep it for special treats.

If you use clumping litter it's easy to spot warning signs: if all the clumps are big, there's no problem. If you start seeing lots of little clumps, then he's having issues.

One of the best sites for information on UTI is http://www.catinfo.org

This article should help too
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-lower-urinary-tract-disease-flutd
I will definitely be switching him over to an all wet food diet. Thanks so much for the helpful tips! What still mystifies me though is this whole thing about pH in their diet.. I checked out http://www.catinfo.org  and I found it very informative. I will find out tomorrow morning from the vet which food they want to prescribe for Rocky, but I am a tad worried after reading this: "I do not use use 'prescription' diets except in rare cases as noted below.  They are expensive and contain low quality, species-inappropriate ingredients, and are not necessary in most cases of feline urinary tract disease.  I only consider thetemporary  use of Hill's canned  s/d if I know the patient has urinary tract stones ("uroliths") - or a large amount of crystal/mucus/inflammatory cells 'sludge' (especially when the patient is male) - with a high index of suspicion for them being struvite versus calcium oxalate (CaO)." Should I go with the vet on this or not? I feel obliged to go with the vet's recommendation though.. after all they have the training and knowledge.
 

mwallace056

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I will definitely be switching him over to an all wet food diet. Thanks so much for the helpful tips! What still mystifies me though is this whole thing about pH in their diet.. I checked out http://www.catinfo.org and I found it very informative. I will find out tomorrow morning from the vet which food they want to prescribe for Rocky, but I am a tad worried after reading this: "I do not use use 'prescription' diets except in rare cases as noted below.  They are expensive and contain low quality, species-inappropriate ingredients, and are not necessary in most cases of feline urinary tract disease.  I only consider thetemporary use of Hill's canned s/d if I know the patient has urinary tract stones ("uroliths") - or a large amount of crystal/mucus/inflammatory cells 'sludge' (especially when the patient is male) - with a high index of suspicion for them being struvite versus calcium oxalate (CaO)." Should I go with the vet on this or not? I feel obliged to go with the vet's recommendation though.. after all they have the training and knowledge.
yeah some vet schools teaches what the big food companies like hills wants them to teach
 

Columbine

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I might suggest a compromise. Go with the wet version of the prescription diet, use it for a short time and then gradually transition onto non fish low carb, high meat wet food (if you can afford the high meat foods that is - if not, any wet is better than dry).

I did something similar recently - my new rescue had a bad stomach upset (due to not having enough food for some time). The vet wanted me to use royal canin gastrointestinal veterinary diet. I used it until Asha was stable, then transitioned onto a food I was happy to feed.

In your case, the wet urinary diet won't hurt, and a gradual transition will let you pick up quickly if there's a problem with a food of your choosing. It's all about personal choice and what works for you and your cat. I would never suggest you disregard a vets advice (particularly if it's a vet you trust). Starting with the prescription food will let things settle and give some healing time. Bear in mind Lisa Pierson is a qualified vet, and as such will easily pick up the slightest sign a diet isn't working for a uti cat, and can give almost instant intervention if needed. You don't have that luxury, so be more cautious.

My old boy had a uti flare years ago - bad enough that his bladder was close to rupture. He came home with royal canin s/o wet and dry (I didn't know then what I know now). He stayed on both for a while, then refused to touch the wet version. We switched him back to his favoured brands of wet cat food (sadly all at the lower end of the market...and he's now too set in his ways to change), but kept a low level of the s/o dry in his diet (roughly 80%wet to 20%dry in terms of energy sources). He's never had another flare. Hope some of that helps. Sorry this is so long.
 
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Columbine

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One last thought: chicken water (poach chicken in plain water, give the cat the water and fight over the chicken ;) ) or tuna water (again, remove the tuna before serving) are great ways to get your cat drinking more...makes the water too yummy to resist.
 
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bijouandrocky

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I might suggest a compromise. Go with the wet version of the prescription diet, use it for a short time and then gradually transition onto non fish low carb, high meat wet food (if you can afford the high meat foods that is - if not, any wet is better than dry).

I did something similar recently - my new rescue had a bad stomach upset (due to not having food for some time). The vet wanted me to use royal canin gastrointestinal veterinary diet. I used it until Asha was stable, then transitioned onto a food I was happy to feed.

In your case, the wet urinary diet won't hurt, and a gradual transition will let you pick up quickly if there's a problem with a food of your choosing. It's all about personal choice and what works for you and your cat. I would never suggest you disregard a vets advice (particularly if it's a vet you trust). Starting with the prescription food will let things settle and give some healing time. Bear in mind Lisa Pierson is a qualified vet, and as such will easily pick up the slightest sign a diet isn't working for a uti cat, and can give almost instant intervention if needed. You don't have that luxury, so be more cautious.

My old boy had a uti flare years ago - bad enough that his bladder was close to rupture. He came home with royal canin s/o wet and dry (I didn't know then what I know now). He stayed on both for a while, then refused to touch the wet version. We switched him back to his favoured brands of wet cat food (sadly all at the lower end of the market...and he's now too set in his ways to change), but kept a low level of the s/o dry in his diet (roughly 80%wet to 20%dry in terms of energy sources). He's never had another flare. Hope some of that helps. Sorry this is so long.
Our regular vet specifically recommended this emergency clinic, and I trust her recommendation. The emergency vet was really nice, and told us everything they were doing to Rocky, so I place my faith in her. I will most likely go along with the wet version of the prescription diet for a bit until Rocky heals up. Afterwards I'll investigate around to find a high quality wet food for him. Thank you so much for the detailed feedback 


The clinic actually let us come in today to visit Rocky, the poor guy has the catheter and iv stuck in him, but he's making it through. He's also on some pain meds I believe. His urine doesn't have blood anymore, so now the only thing left is for him to use the bathroom on his own at some point tonight.
 
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bijouandrocky

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One last thought: chicken water (poach chicken in plain water, give the cat the water and fight over the chicken
) or tuna water (again, remove the tuna before serving) are great ways to get your cat drinking more...makes the water too yummy to resist.
Sounds like a great idea! I'll try that and maybe look into buying some cat milk from the pet store as another treat!
 
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bijouandrocky

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UPDATE: The clinic called, and they just removed Rocky's catheter. If all goes well, and he manages to urinate on his own, we'll be able to get him home tonight. Thanks to everyone for all the helpful feedback! 
 

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Aww, I have a male cat named Rocky who has urinary problems too! He's blocked twice & had 3 instances of cystitis, poor guy. Everyone has given you really great advice. The thing is, each cat is different. So you really need to find the food/water/environment combo that will work best for your kitty. I personally feed about 30% Hills C/D canned & the rest a combo of high quality, grain free, non-fish wet food. I always add water into his food, as much as he will tolerate. I kept him isolated for 1 week in a room with his own litter box. We have 3 cats, so that was the only way to know if he was peeing. It takes time. Hopefully your vet will give you some pain meds & anti spasm meds to help him feel better, most do. 

Since you said he blocked, that most likely means he had crystals, right? Any stones? It might be a good idea to use the vet Rx food 1st, like suggested. Especially if your given Hills S/D. That is a temporary food anyway, meant to use for a month or so to break down crystals. Then usually transition to C/D to prevent. Once you get him settled, you can try other brands. We had a fountain for years & they all loved it. We just had bad luck & they kept leaking through the floor & into the roof of our downstairs neighbor...eek! So we had to get rid of them. When you speak to the vet, try to push for the wet formula of the food, regardless of brand. 
 

Columbine

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When you speak to the vet, try to push for the wet formula of the food, regardless of brand. 
A great way to achieve that without argument is to say that your cat doesn't recognise kibble as food! I said that when Asha was given a prescription diet...its true in her case - even when she was starving she barely touched the kibble...anyway, a little white lie never hurt anyone ;)
 
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bijouandrocky

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Rocky would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread as well~ the little bugger is doing great!

We agreed with the vet to keep Rocky on Hills s/d for 6 weeks to get rid of some struvite crystals he has. Rocky is also on 4 medications currently. He has to take Clavamox, Buprenorphine, Prazosin, and Dexamethasone (we have started weaning him off of the dexamethasone). 

We picked him up from the vet's around 10 PM last night, and this morning we woke up to a full litter box! I think this is the happiest I've ever been to see a full litterbox. He's going to be kept in the bathroom for a week so we can monitor his pees. 

However, when I got home from school I was presented with a nice puddle of pee on the bathroom floor.. I'm not that mad though, since I'd rather have him pee on the floor then not be able to pee at all. I cleaned it up, and so far Rocky has been sticking to using his litter box. I'm not sure why he did that though.

Also, I have discovered that Rocky enjoys ice cubes! He makes a bit of a mess, but it's worth it since it encourages him to drink more.
 

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:clap: Great that he's home :D
As to peeing outside the box - if it hurts to pee, cats sometimes pee elsewhere...they associate the box with the pain and go elsewhere in the hope that it won't hurt there. He's probably still sore despite the meds. As he heals it should sort itself out.
 

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Omg, that picture is too cute!!! Glad to hear he's home. Like you said, I'll take pee anywhere...as long as its coming out! 
 
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