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Avatar universal

My cat has crystals

I had my cat to his regular vet on tuesday of this past week, they took urine and said he has crystals and gave me some antibiotics clavamox and food called prescription diet s/d. I went to work that day and came home around 9pm to find he had not urinated all day. I took him to the pet emergency where they kept him, put in a catheter and i.v because he was blocked. The next morning i picked him up, he still had the catheter and i.v line and took him to his vet they kept him for 2 nights and yesterday (saturday) i picked him up around 6 pm and he has gone in his box and does pass urine but only like the size of a quarter i see the wet spot, he keeps going in and out of litter box and still doing the same little spots. The vet said this is all normal, his bladder is small they say and as long as urine is coming out that it will be ok. Does anyone have any input they can give me on this? My bill in total is already up to $600.00 that i have spent this week. HELP
23 Responses
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874521 tn?1424116797
Apple, the Vetlife food is a dry food...right? you would save alot of money and be helping Loreena alot more by feeding her a WET canned cat food, doesn't have to be 'for urinary crystals'.....that food is all dehydrated, that what causes struvite crystals in the first place LACK OF MOISTURE in their food. my Nemo had same thing a few years ago....my Vet told me NO more dry food...only canned food!!!!
this is much cheaper than the Vet food you are buying now, and much better for her!!!
Helpful - 0
740516 tn?1360942486
My girl Loreena had Crystals last year .In the bladder, a big one -surgical case.
From that date til today she keeps using Urinary Struvite from Vetlife - Farmina foods. Price is similar but that one I could get a sampler previously to be sure she will accept it.
Not sure if its good keep on using for a long, however...
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
glad to hear that all is now well, I would not feed any dry food whatsever, even if it claims to be 'urinary tract food'....impossible, dry food is exactly what causes crystals to begin with....I will give you a link to a Vet with lots of great advice.

http://catinfo.org/
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went through this.  I use nine lives wet food because it was the only food my cat would eat.  However I use Purinia One dry cat food Urinary Tract.  I have tried every cat food out this and this combination is the only thing that has worked.  I will tell  you my cat was at the vets for 4 days and when it was over he still had problems.  They said is bladder was stretch out from not draining.  After they gave him something for it he started to go.  I had to switch out the litter box and the litter because he associated it with pain according to my vet.  Now all is well as long as I keep him on this food.
Helpful - 0
1644117 tn?1300974833
My cat's have had crystals before. Struvite Crystals as they're known. I never knew about such a thing until one night, a few years ago one of my cats died in my arms and a necropsy afterward told the tale. He was an outdoor cat and he'd go on paw trips sometimes and be gone for days. I found him in the garage laying down, breathing heavy and when he passed he was looking at me and purring. He knew his mommy was there and he wasn't alone.

After that I made sure I knew what I was dealing with. Struvite crystals can block the male cat's urethra and he can't pass urine. So his kidneys back up and he literally drowns in his own fluids. Which is what happened to my little boy.

Struvite Crystals are very common in neutered male cats. Rare in females, but they can occur. Ph balance is vital in a cats diet, so as to help prevent Struvite crystals from developing.
The superior cat food I've found is Prescription and not cheap, however it comes in wet and dry formulas and if you use this the chance of recurrence in your little boy is lessened tremendously.

Royal Canin Urinary SO http://products.royalcanin.us/products/veterinary/feline/urinary-so.aspx

The thing is, you have to keep your little boy cat on this formula so that the Ph in his urine remains consistent. If you switch him to a regular cheaper commercial grade, the Ph will be altered and the Struvite crystals will come back. RCU SO is for life, but if you love your cat it's the best investment you'll ever make in warding off killer crystals.

Many blessings to you and your precious purr.
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
Ah, sorry. I must have read it wrong. well... the only thing I can thing is ask your vet if there are other options/types of food for kitty. After all, nothing is worse than a kitty who feels culinarily denied. :)

Good luck, and let us know how kitty does.
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Avatar universal
Im a little confused on your last post savas? My cat was not having any problems taking his meds thank god.. What I am having a problem with is him eating the food the vet wants him to eat now that all the crystals are gone in his urine. I keep such a close eye on him everytime he comes out of his litter box to make sure he is going. I want to thank everyone for all of there help with teddy. Thanks again!!!
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
Are these pills in caplets or are they solid? I try to get a liquid form if possible with difficult vets.

As a second option, caplets can be broken open and the powder mixed in a small amount of water to inject into the mouth with a feeding syringe. The solid pills can be tricky, as they don't always do well in water. You can try taking a bowl, placing the pill in it, and then using a table spoon to grind it up (mortar and pestle concept).

Do you have a feeding syringe? If not, a pet store should sell them. If you try to decide to do this, and have any questions about using it, let me know.
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Avatar universal
We finally got some urine from him and it all came out good the vet said. There is no more crystals in it and she had me stop any meds he is taking which was only the methegel because he would not eat the food they wanted him to eat he was eating his regular diet and taking methagel. The sent me home with prescription hills c/d which he will not eat nor did he eat the s/d they wanted him to. I have mixed some of his own and he picks them out...i do not know what to do. Thanks for all your help
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
It sounds like kitty is doing good. I will warn you, getting a urine/stool sample from a cat can be difficult. It's not like with people, where you can just tell them to "Wait until you get to the doctor!" :)

If you have another "miss", ask the vet if there's some way you can get a sample for him. If your quick with a shallow bowl, that could do the trick...maybe!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Need some more advice. I have been back and forth to the vet with my cat because of the crystals he has. He has been on different meds that seem to work then its like a down fall for him. We had an appt today and for the last week or 2 he has been doing really good going on a regular basis all the time large amounts of urine so today when we go to have his urine checked they cant get any from him because the bladder is empty and she even checked with ultrasound to make sure it was ok so i made another appt to go back tomorrow and hopefully get some urine from him  this was at 9 this morning i went to work and he was home all day probably sleeping and did not go all day so i called the vet back and she said this is ok and she would check him tomorrow when i come in with him, does this sound ok to anyone? please let me know thanks
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
It does sound like he's right. It is frustrating waiting for the healing process to take place... but you should see some small signs of improvemen (moving about more, clearer eyes, etc)t. I would say see what happens at the next visit...but from the sound of it, your vet seems to be one of the good ones. Let us know what happens...I hope it's a positive message next time that kitty is doing MUCH better! :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have not gotton any other opinion on this. The vet i have been taking him to has been very good with me as far as payments go she works with me, if i feel there is something wrong with him she will say bring him in and let me check his bladder and never charges me.  The total since all this has started with him back on April 2nd has cost me 700.00 and 350.00 of that was just from the emergency vet at night that i had to take him to when this first started. My vet kept him for 3 days with the catheter and i.v and only charged me 150.00 for that and the rest comes from different times we went in, urinalysis office visits and food. We go back next friday and have his urine checked again and see what that shows and then if nothing has changed i am going to look into a second opinion like you say. My vet was telling me that this type of situation could take a while to get better because the bladder was so infected and inflamed do you think the same? Thanks
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
It could be what you said (blockage moving).

Have you tried getting another opinion? It sounds like he's very thorough, but it' good to get a second opinion on recurring problems. Sometimes a different view can bring something to light.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
ok i need some more advice on this cats and crystals thing, this has  been going of for almost 3 weeks now. he has been back and forth to the vet, the last time his urine was checked last week on thursday they said he had pieces of crystals in his urine and the phlevel had come down he had been urinating on a regular basis. they have him on an antibiotic as well as phenobenzamine not to sure on the spelling he is eating his kit and kaboodel which he had always been on because he wont eat any of the prescribed food so the vet gave me methagel for him to take and she said as long as he gets that he is good with his own food.  today this morning he was going in and out of his box, sitting in there for a while straining himself to go and all that came out was a drop, i called the vet they told me to bring him in which i did and they said the reason he is not going because his bladder is empty its real small they said and they even looked with an ultrasound to make sure and sent me home. today at home he did a couple of drops earlier in the day and they seem to be getting a little big bigger than a drop, i also found some urine on a chair he sits on.do you think maybe he had a crystal that had to come out or something why all of a sudden this would happen to him??? helpppp thanks
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
Hmmm...well, you could try giving him chicken or fish (it's actually cheaper, just the trouble of going to the butcher's for cheap cuts, and cooking it (not totally necessary, though). You may want to try play therapy as well. Getting an overweight cat to exercise is crucial to health. Just a half an hour of "chase string" can do wonders for kitty's weight and health.

I've noticed that cats that are on mostly dry food seem to get this problem (for obvious reasons). It makes me happy I never gave in to the pressure of my wallet and insisted they eat dry only. :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks also for your response, this has been one crazy week for me with my cat. He does like to drink water so I dont think i will have to syringe feed him the water. He is probably the only cat that i know that loves to even play with water and in and out of the sinks all the time. He was so used to eating dry food all the time he never ate wet food and i even tried to warm the food up, vet suggestion and he still wont eat any, he is used to taking his dry food and droping it in his water then eats it...strange and funny cat..lol  Thanks again
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for your response. He seems to be urinating alot more than he was. He has 3 days left of his antibiotics. The vet said he has to either eat his s/d food or take that methagel they gave me. I have tried both wet and dry s/d food and he wont eat either one. he is drinking water. I had him on valium but it really knocked him out for the whole day even just a 1/4 tab.  I told the doc im gonna start to take them. lol He weighs 17lbs so I could see how big he would get with that high fat food.lol When he goes in and out of the box he is at least peeing which is a good sign. The vets goal she said is for the trips to the box to decrease and the size of the urine spots to increase.  We go back to the vet on the 17th to check his urine so i hope its gotten better. I know he is probably going to be on special food for the rest of his life, he is only 3  I am going to ask her about the Royal canine food when i go back.
Thanks again
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228686 tn?1211554707
We don't generally get this problem with our kitties anymore. Whenever we see signs that kitty isn't hydrating self, we give kitty water with a feeding syringe, three times daily (eye sheen,  texture to fur, dry mouth, etc...it's hard to describe, but you get used to seeing these things after a few times.)

We also "Rotate dry foods" every two-three days. Different brand, flavor, and specialty (UTI, Healthy bones, etc).

I would ask the vet before hand, though, if it's a chronic issue...before doing this.
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Avatar universal
Sorry the above was for you...Oh the diazepam...valium...relaxes the bladder and helps them pee...you really need to watch the behavior, in and out of the box like you say is a dangerous sign...you don't want to wait until your cat can't pass any urine at all...I wonder why your cat doesn't like the food...mine tore into the bag which was on the top of the refrigerator...they ignored their full dish of food in favor of the new high fat, junk food S/D...Remember Royal Canin Urinary S/O....many vets don't carry it, but most will sell it to you without having to see your pet....and if you get a script for the S/d or S/O you can pick it up at PetSmart...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I happen to have four cats that have chronic stones or ureteritis...Either way, if the ureters get irritated enough they swell, cats can't pass urine, just like a stone. I had my cats on S/D for sometime....but had recommended to me Royal Canin Urinary S/O. It not only decreases the chances of them developing stones...but if the urinary trouble is actually just inflammation, it is good for that as well. And, it increases their desire to drink water, which is good for kidney function as well. It works better than S/D in my opinion....One of my kitties had to stay with the vet a second round with indwelling catheter, etc...and he had been on S/D the whole time...Now I swear by S/O. The thing is that you will most likely have to keep your cat on the prescription food forever..stones and the ureteritis are recurrent. Warning! All my kitties are twenty pound bohemoths... the food is very high fat (both S/D and S/O)  Good luck...did the vet give your baby any valium?  Mine came home on 5mg dose twice daily...after I saw my bill, thought I might have to steal the cat's meds!
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your response. It has been on drained out week with my cat. He seems to be doing better I think. He just is very fussy about what to eat. All of the different foods the vet has given me to try he just wont eat. He has been on different meds this week once he came back from the vet. They had him on diazapam which really knocked him out so they took him off of that. His urine spots have gotton bigger and he goes everyday. When i asked the vet about him not eating good she said it could be because he is on the meds.  all he is looking for is his old food i used to feed him he goes crazy in the kitchen near the pantry where i keep it. I have even tried mixing his old with the prescription foods and he wont eat it. They gave me some methigel he can take and give him the old food for now.  We go back on the 17th to check his urine.  Thanks again for your response. I got some good advice from the vet on this forum also.
Helpful - 0
441382 tn?1452810569
There could be a couple of things going on.  The first could be that the bladder is irritated, and has a low "fill" point.  That's the point that the urine gets to before the bladder signals to the brain that it's full and ready to be emptied.  When this happens, the cat urinates frequently, so there's not a whole lot in there to pee out.  Another thing it could be is that sometimes after being catheterized, the muscles that the cat uses to hold back and stop the flow of urine are weak, and it takes a few days for them to start working normally again.  When this happens, the cat urinates frequently.  As long as there is something coming out, this is a good sign.  It's when the cat is straining in the pan and nothing at all is coming out that the danger of blockage is there.  Just watch him carefully to make sure he continues to go.

Ghilly
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