- Joined
- Dec 11, 2012
- Messages
- 19
- Purraise
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With apologies for the length of this, here is the situation:
About 6 months ago my kitty suffered from a complete urinary blockage (which I fortunately caught right away), and he ended up having a PU surgery when the doctors discovered that he had abnormal anatomy that made conventional urinary blockage treatments not a viable option. The surgery went well, although the recovery process was a nightmare, and everything seemed to be going great, until...
...3 days ago, when I found him laying on the floor, shaking, and not responding to food/toys/etc. I rushed him in to the emergency vet, and the found he had a fever of 104.6. The vets immediately suspected a UTI, which I was warned would be much more likely after his surgery. The initial urinalysis results came back and he had a very high pH (8.5) and protein in the sample (both strong signs of a UTI), but he also had a high USG (1.046), which is supposed to be a hostile environment for the development of bacteria, and the UA found no sediment in his urine, including bacteria. He was kept overnight and given fluids and IV antibiotics, and within 24 hours his temperature returned to normal, he started eating again, and they sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics although they still thought that it was very unlikely he had a UTI given that they didn't find any bacteria during the UA (confirmatory culture still pending).
So, with all that background, I'm left with a million questions. I don't understand how his urine pH could be so high if he doesn't have UTI, especially since post-surgery he has been exclusively eating Weruva canned food (Paw Lickin' Chicken and Mideast Feast varieties), both of which are grain free, very low carb, and very low phosphorus. And if he doesn't have a UTI, where did this fever come from? And why did it seem to respond so well to antibiotics? He didn't have any injuries or wounds that could have been infected, and he's strictly an indoor kitty. I know that high urine pH is not good for a cat's' urinary health, but short of feeding him the prescription diets, which he hates and which have a bunch of ingredients I don't like either, I don't know how to bring it down. Maybe that isn't even necessary since the UA showed no crystals in his urine? I'm really at a loss about what to do going forward. I have read everything I can find on the subject (including reading catinfo.org cover to cover, so to speak) and I just don't see anything that would explain what is going on with him or what I should do about it.
Any ideas or suggestions are most welcome!
Edit: Just after I posted this I heard from the vet that the culture confirmed that there was no bacteria in the urine.
About 6 months ago my kitty suffered from a complete urinary blockage (which I fortunately caught right away), and he ended up having a PU surgery when the doctors discovered that he had abnormal anatomy that made conventional urinary blockage treatments not a viable option. The surgery went well, although the recovery process was a nightmare, and everything seemed to be going great, until...
...3 days ago, when I found him laying on the floor, shaking, and not responding to food/toys/etc. I rushed him in to the emergency vet, and the found he had a fever of 104.6. The vets immediately suspected a UTI, which I was warned would be much more likely after his surgery. The initial urinalysis results came back and he had a very high pH (8.5) and protein in the sample (both strong signs of a UTI), but he also had a high USG (1.046), which is supposed to be a hostile environment for the development of bacteria, and the UA found no sediment in his urine, including bacteria. He was kept overnight and given fluids and IV antibiotics, and within 24 hours his temperature returned to normal, he started eating again, and they sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics although they still thought that it was very unlikely he had a UTI given that they didn't find any bacteria during the UA (confirmatory culture still pending).
So, with all that background, I'm left with a million questions. I don't understand how his urine pH could be so high if he doesn't have UTI, especially since post-surgery he has been exclusively eating Weruva canned food (Paw Lickin' Chicken and Mideast Feast varieties), both of which are grain free, very low carb, and very low phosphorus. And if he doesn't have a UTI, where did this fever come from? And why did it seem to respond so well to antibiotics? He didn't have any injuries or wounds that could have been infected, and he's strictly an indoor kitty. I know that high urine pH is not good for a cat's' urinary health, but short of feeding him the prescription diets, which he hates and which have a bunch of ingredients I don't like either, I don't know how to bring it down. Maybe that isn't even necessary since the UA showed no crystals in his urine? I'm really at a loss about what to do going forward. I have read everything I can find on the subject (including reading catinfo.org cover to cover, so to speak) and I just don't see anything that would explain what is going on with him or what I should do about it.
Any ideas or suggestions are most welcome!
Edit: Just after I posted this I heard from the vet that the culture confirmed that there was no bacteria in the urine.
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