- Joined
- Mar 24, 2022
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Hi All, in need of some help. We have had cats all our lives but are experiencing our first case of calcium oxalate bladder stones. We recently rescued a 4 year old bengal who had been neglected by his previous owner. It was so bad for this amazing man but to keep relevant to our discussion... apparently prior to joining our family his diet was restricted to only the cheapest food available to his previous owner. It was also only dry with no wet. The 1st night we rescued him we knew something was wrong and (long story short) the next day took him for emergency bladder surgery. He had a large calcium oxalate bladder stone (and the most inflamed bladder the vet had ever operated on). He also had a large stone in his kidney that apparently there is nothing we can do about at this point. As his bladder stone was calcium they believe the kidney stone is as well.
We're transitioning him to wet food (no easy feat!) but he still requires a kernel or two of dry on top before he tucks in to the wet. We have tried every prescription diet available to us currently: Purina UR Urinary St/Ox, Royal Canin Urinary SO, Hills Urinary Care c\d, and Blue Buffalo W+U. Our concern is with the ingredients of these options. For the past 15+ years we have fed our animals as natural/grain-free/real meat and protein a diet as we could find (usually wellness, Best friend, Waruva, etc.) from our local pet store. With the exception of the Blue Buffalo the other brands look to have awful first ingredients. Most have animal by-products as their first ingredients or have high amounts of corn or soy. Also it isn't clear whether or not some are appropriate given they seem to be going after struvite not calcium stones. The more reading we do the more concerned we are that food made to address struvite stones can actually make calcium stones worse. Information out there is sparse and sometimes can be conflicting. Our best/only grain free option, the Blue Buffalo's weight management, is now being rejected by our baby for some unknown reason (he also doesn't need weight management as he's a skinny minny) and we are at a total loss of where to go. Does anyone know a good option that addresses calcium oxalate stones and isn't filled with by-product and grain/soy fillers? We are at a total loss and desperate for help!
Thank you!
We're transitioning him to wet food (no easy feat!) but he still requires a kernel or two of dry on top before he tucks in to the wet. We have tried every prescription diet available to us currently: Purina UR Urinary St/Ox, Royal Canin Urinary SO, Hills Urinary Care c\d, and Blue Buffalo W+U. Our concern is with the ingredients of these options. For the past 15+ years we have fed our animals as natural/grain-free/real meat and protein a diet as we could find (usually wellness, Best friend, Waruva, etc.) from our local pet store. With the exception of the Blue Buffalo the other brands look to have awful first ingredients. Most have animal by-products as their first ingredients or have high amounts of corn or soy. Also it isn't clear whether or not some are appropriate given they seem to be going after struvite not calcium stones. The more reading we do the more concerned we are that food made to address struvite stones can actually make calcium stones worse. Information out there is sparse and sometimes can be conflicting. Our best/only grain free option, the Blue Buffalo's weight management, is now being rejected by our baby for some unknown reason (he also doesn't need weight management as he's a skinny minny) and we are at a total loss of where to go. Does anyone know a good option that addresses calcium oxalate stones and isn't filled with by-product and grain/soy fillers? We are at a total loss and desperate for help!
Thank you!