Can someone help me with these symptoms?

[merlin92]

They started him on the wet diet. The CD wet diet. I want to get the cans of that brand but they are 1.50 a can. I am going to talk to the vet about when I can change his diet and if I ever can. I am in no hurry to change it though. i am just worried he will fall ill again.

 

[ldg]

I'm so glad he's doing better - and feeling back to his old self! :bigthumb: That is just FABULOUS news!!!!!!!

And on DH getting a job! Must be such a relief!!!!!

Ok, I need to interject here......
I am ALL for a raw diet and for a grain free meat based diet - HOWEVER - this kitty was just in the hospital with a blockage, with little to none chances of surviving - less than 5%.
Even Dr. Pierson, known to look down on Hills and a big proponent of the Raw diet, recommends on such cases to keep the kitty on CD for a few months and only then SLOWLY switching to a species appropriate diet.
These are the only cases that she recommends Hills - and the only prescription diet she recommends instead of Raw/ Canned Grain Free canned.
Let's no forget the seriousness of this situation. A few days ago this kitty had less than 5% of surviving.....
To the OP: Please be VERY careful in switching this diet now - please work with your vet - your kitty's situation is very critical.... IMHO it is not the time to make such changes.... In the future, yes,but for now, I would go with what the vet says. Your cat has a large kidney stone (at least had at the time it went to the hospital).... I would be extremely careful with him.....
I would advise though, to get C/D wet if at all possible, and mix water in it too - the more water he gets the better

Just get him stable and keep him that way. You can spend that few months learning about nutrition for carnivores.

Just FYI, even after we switched to a c/d diet after the boys blocked, two of the three did have to go back to the vet within a few weeks to have their bladders expressed again. It wasn't a hospital stay, just a visit. But they did continue to create crystals, which did cause them to block again. So if you see him straining in the litter box, in and out of the litter box, or squatting for any length of time, it's a good idea to get him back to the vet before it gets any worse. :nod:

HOPEFULLY the diet will work more quickly for him than it did for two of our three boys (that all had problems with blocking).

 

[sugarcatmom]

Even Dr. Pierson, known to look down on Hills and a big proponent of the Raw diet, recommends on such cases to keep the kitty on CD for a few months and only then SLOWLY switching to a species appropriate diet.

Not to nit-pick, but it's actually canned Hill's S/D that she recommends temporarily, to treat struvite-based plugs. The C/D isn't acidifying enough for emergency treatment: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth#Prescription_Diets

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 the temporary use of Hill's 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 oxylate (CaO).

Males have a long, narrow urethra and are much more apt to block than females. 

In these cases, I will consider the use of canned s/d (the most acidifying diet on the market) for a short period of time until the patient shows radiographic or ultrasound evidence of stone dissolution/'sludge' clearance.  This can take as little time as 2 weeks but may take 2-3 months for large stones.

If the stones are not showing any signs of dissolution once the patient has been on the acidifying diet for 3-4 weeks, there is a good chance that the stones are CaO and keeping them on this diet - if the stones/crystals are CaO - is only going to make matters worse. This  is why it is so important to monitor the patient with radiographs or ultrasound and urinalyses and to not just leave them on s/d.

Remember, CaO will not dissolve with diet manipulation and Hill's s/d will actually promote the formation of CaO - creating a dangerous situation.  Surgery is the only way to remove CaO stones and if they form in the kidney (more common than the easier-to-access bladder), they cannot be removed without great risk to the patient.

'Sludge', in some cases, can be handled with simply a water-rich diet (canned food with added water) to flush it out but it is possible to have small stones hiding in this mixture that could be missed on radiographs or ultrasound and which could result in urethral blockage.

If your cat has a large amount of sludge in his bladder that you are now addressing with diet (s/d or simply canned food with added water), be sure to watch him carefully for any signs of a urethral blockage. I would not want to leave a cat like this unattended for more than ~12 hours in case he blocked.

Also note that meat-based diets promote an acidic urine (but not overly acidic like Hill's s/d) and that carbohydrate-based diets promote an alkaline urine.  Keep in mind that carbohydrates have no logical place in the feline diet.

Other prescription diets such as Hill's c/d, Royal Canin SO, and Purina UR are diets that do not aggressively acidify the urine like Hill's s/d does.

Therefore, c/d, SO, and UR can be fed for life but I would not recommend it due to their cost and unhealthy ingredients.

    Hill's s/d, on the other hand, is NOT suitable for long-term feeding and should only be used temporarily.

 

[merlin92]

Thanks for the advice. This is scary stuff. I really hope it just works for him and nothing goes wrong again. I've noticed he goes to the litter box to pee more frequently now. I have water for him at all times. I have also noticed that he seems to be more trusting of us. He hasn't gotten up onto the highest place in our house anymore and he actually sits on the couch and in our laps which he wouldn't do before he went to the vet. I am glad he is warming up to us though.

 

[carolina]

Not to nit-pick, but it's actually canned Hill's S/D that she recommends temporarily, to treat struvite-based plugs. The C/D isn't acidifying enough for emergency treatment: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth#Prescription_Diets

Thanks for posting that. So it was S/D and not C/D... S/D can't be fed long term, and C/D can.... C/D works too - note that Dr. Pierson doesn't say it doesn't. What she did say, is that S/D can be dangerous for oxalate.
To the OP - please just work with your vet - you have sick sick kitty.....
And I am glad he is doing better.....
As Laurie said, watch for any signs of trouble and take him to the vet immediately if you notice anything wrong at all..... Vibes to your little man

 

[carolina]

Thanks for the advice. This is scary stuff. I really hope it just works for him and nothing goes wrong again. I've noticed he goes to the litter box to pee more frequently now. I have water for him at all times. I have also noticed that he seems to be more trusting of us. He hasn't gotten up onto the highest place in our house anymore and he actually sits on the couch and in our laps which he wouldn't do before he went to the vet. I am glad he is warming up to us though.

Is the pee normal - in size? Normal big pee clumps? If so, probably just because he is eating wet food now..... Which is great.....
Now.... if he is going pee more often, and all you see is little dime size pees, then that is trouble.....

 

[merlin92]

Well his litter is soaked with urine so I guess that is a good thing.