Felix Has Crystals - Is a Raw Diet Possible?

I called the vet back a few hours ago to get the results of Felix's urine test and she told me that he has "tons and tons" of crystals. There is also a high level of bacteria in his urine. She said he is prone to develop crystals which means he will need regular checks and treatment for the rest of his life. She only advised that I give him the special Urinary SO food but I felt uncomfortable giving him dry food again. So, I told her that I have been doing a lot of research on dry food being bad and raw food being good. Also how dry food can lead to urinary tract issues. She said, "I have to be honest, dry food isn't the best but I don't know how raw will work for Felix". The vet also admitted that she sees a high number of cats in her clinic who come in with urinary tract issues and the cause is most likely dry food. She said that raw would be too risky but she has doesn't have a lot of knowledge on raw food. Felix's food has to have a low pH and low mineral to prevent the formation of crystals.

I just wanted to know if a raw diet is still possible for Felix. The vet couldn't tell me herself because of her lack of knowledge on raw food so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me.

The vet said Felix has to stay on this dry food for the next 6 weeks and I have to take him in for another urine sample after that.

What was he eating when he developed crystals? I would probably just feed a boneless diet to try and keep the phos levels low. I would make sure to add extra water, and possibly look at giving him additional supplements like d-mannose or slippery elm. Something like Rad Cat, if you're looking for a pre-made, or homemade using alnutrin or EZcomplete. You could even make homecooked if you wanted to start there. 

missmimz said:

What was he eating when he developed crystals? I would probably just feed a boneless diet to try and keep the phos levels low. I would make sure to add extra water, and possibly look at giving him additional supplements like d-mannose or slippery elm. Something like Rad Cat, if you're looking for a pre-made, or homemade using alnutrin or EZcomplete. You could even make homecooked if you wanted to start there. 

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Unfortunately, Felix went back on a dry diet after several attempts to convince my mother that a raw diet is better. After their raw finished, she went out and bought a bag of dry food. Now that he has this problem, she is more open to the idea of raw food so I'd like to try it again since it did such good for him.

missmimz said:

 
What was he eating when he developed crystals? I would probably just feed a boneless diet to try and keep the phos levels low. I would make sure to add extra water, and possibly look at giving him additional supplements like d-mannose or slippery elm. Something like Rad Cat, if you're looking for a pre-made, or homemade using alnutrin or EZcomplete. You could even make homecooked if you wanted to start there. 

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Homemade cooked food might be the ideal solution: our cats love their cooked food made with EZcomplete and the vet loves its ingredients. (They are healthy young cats who do not have crystals.) It truly is easy to make the food and any boneless meat will work.

Edit: Also, many raw foods are processed (HPP) to remove bacteria. Rad Cat poultry recipes are among those foods.

Raw food is great! There are many different types out there. Rad Cat being one of them. They use crushed eggshell instead of bone, which could help with the crystals. My cats were on it for a while, but because they don't eat it all right away a lot of it went to waste. So, I switched to wet food and add supplements to the food for the cat that has problems with her urinary tract.

I live in Toronto, Ontario so getting Rad Cat is very difficult for me. As for home cooked meals, I'd have to source the meat myself and I've had bad experiences doing that so I'm not sure how to go about it.

The vet said he's healthy otherwise, it's just those crystals I have to worry about. And I rather give just raw unless there is a reason why it needs to be cooked. Also, I'll have to ask the vet about all of this.

Graceful-Lily said:

I live in Toronto, Ontario so getting Rad Cat is very difficult for me. As for home cooked meals, I'd have to source the meat myself and I've had bad experiences doing that so I'm not sure how to go about it.

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I completely understand this, it was my biggest concern, too, which is why I only make cooked food, not raw: I just buy boneless cuts of meat at the grocery store and mix and match them in various combinations for the cats. They get turkey, chicken, and pork. I just cook up the meat and then shred it by hand but it can also be sliced, chopped, diced, or mushed in a food processor. One of our cats just especially likes shreds...

College has also taken up a lot of my time so I rather buy raw meat without phosphorous or anything to cause crystals and feed it to him directly.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a raw food brand for Felix or anymore advice? I'd really like to ask the vet sooner rather than later. The only thing special about that dry food is that it has a lot of calories, it's low in minerals that cause crystals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, etc.), and helps to break them down some how. I'm sure I can recreate that diet with raw but I just need a little help.

Just remembered, the pH in his bladder or urine needs to be leveled to prevent the formation of more crystals.

Does he have struvite or oxalate crystals? One is easier to manage than the other from what I understand. I had a cat with oxalate crystals and he had to eat a special diet, which still caused the crystals to recur. I was told to avoid too much calcium for him, including not giving him any fish type foods. This was over a decade ago though.

If you are in Toronto, I believe you have access to a few types of frozen raw, most are likely too high in bone though (for a cat with crystals). I use Big Country Raw, which has a cat formula that I find too high in bone (10% bone) for my kitties, so I add in chunks of meat for them to chew (according a bone dilution calculator I think I got through site) to bring it down to 7%. They have other formulas, their pures and blends have no fruit or veggies but are much higher in bone. They sell through retailers but also have home delivery.

Bold raw is another I have heard is good, but it's not near me so I haven't been able to try it. It seems to be ground meat, bones & liver in various flavours, but I couldn't find the % breakdown.

Your other options are the supplements that are added to raw meat, there are two I have found that are made in BC so purchased in CAD which can make a big difference in budget Or the freeze dried raw like Stella & Chewys or Primal. I haven't tried them yet, I have ordered the samples for my cats to try of the supplements (I like to have options for them). You would have to source meat for the supplements though. For myself, I do use what I can buy from the grocery store, however I understand not everyone is comfortable with that. I haven't tried the freeze dried yet, I want to get some for when I travel as my pet sitter (my sister) doesn't like feeding the raw.

I forgot the name of the type of crystals but she said it's one of the easiest to treat and the Uninary SO will clear it up. I'll have to research some more about different companies because some use organic meat which I'd love but there is too much bone.

Found this article: http://feline-nutrition.org/health/crystals-raw-diets-and-water

I'm really concerned because it states that adjusting the pH is not the final step. Something about another type of crystal forming if the pH is too low or something like that. Any thoughts?

Graceful-Lily said:

Found this article: http://feline-nutrition.org/health/crystals-raw-diets-and-water

I'm really concerned because it states that adjusting the pH is not the final step. Something about another type of crystal forming if the pH is too low or something like that. Any thoughts?

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It sounds like your cat had struvite crystals which can be treated just by feeding a food like Urinary SO. Eating that food and others like it will lower the pH of your cats urine and dissolve the crystals. Struvite crystals form when urine pH is too high. The other type of crystal is oxalate. They form when urine pH is too low. So when treating struvite crystals it is important to make sure the urine pH isn't lowered by too much because then there is an increased risk of oxalate crystals. Oxalate crystals can't be dissolved. They have to be surgically removed. 

Feeding the prescription foods, like Urinary SO, is a proven way to prevent struvite crystals. Such foods are formulated to keep the urine pH neither too high nor too low as long as it is the only food the cat eats.

Many people have reported that they have successfully prevented struvite crystals by switching to an all wet, grain and vegetable free diet.

Feeding a raw diet has also been found by many to prevent struvite crystals. A raw meat diet keeps the urine pH low enough to prevent struvite without lowering it so much to make oxalate crystals a concern. When my cat developed struvite crystals I switched her to a raw diet. She was crystal free for 7 years on a 100% raw diet. About 2 years ago, I switched her to a 100% canned diet and she has still remained crystal free.

mschauer said:

It sounds like your cat had struvite crystals which can be treated just by feeding a food like Urinary SO. Eating that food and others like it will lower the pH of your cats urine and dissolve the crystals. Struvite crystals form when urine pH is too high. The other type of crystal is oxalate. They form when urine pH is too low. So when treating struvite crystals it is important to make sure the urine pH isn't lowered by too much because then there is an increased risk of oxalate crystals. Oxalate crystals can't be dissolved. They have to be surgically removed. 

Feeding the prescription foods, like Urinary SO, is a proven way to prevent struvite crystals. Such foods are formulated to keep the urine pH neither too high nor too low as long as it is the only food the cat eats.

Many people have reported that they have successfully prevented struvite crystals by switching to an all wet, grain and vegetable free diet.

Feeding a raw diet has also been found by many to prevent struvite crystals. A raw meat diet keeps the urine pH low enough to prevent struvite without lowering it so much to make oxalate crystals a concern. When my cat developed struvite crystals I switched her to a raw diet. She was crystal free for 7 years on a 100% raw diet. About 2 years ago, I switched her to a 100% canned diet and she has still remained crystal free.

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Could you tell me how you prepared the raw meat? I want to buy some tomorrow but I'm not sure.