Re: 9/30 Muffin pmps 243 Crystals
Anne
Well, this is a subject I know a little about as it has been the bain of Gracie's existence and what got us here in the first place. Please note that any urine sample that has sat in a frig for a while can form crystals...I don't know how long it sat around the lab but it's a possibility. We've had that happen but it doesn't necessarily mean it happened to Muffin...she may actually have crystals. If she does, in fact, have crystals, they can be painful so the bupe probably helps. In the FLUTD yahoo group, they have a lot of good suggestions inc LOTS of water (do you have a fountain and do you add extra water to her food?), grain free food, no dry food; Gracie has been on cosequin and duralactin capsules which mix in her food nicely; Sienne already told you the cosequin helps to line the bladder but it takes time. The duralactin is an anti-inflammatory. The blood indicates inflammation. When this happened to Gracie, we put her on steroids, and voila...we are here. But you are in a different situation since Muffin is already dealing with FD. When Gracie had the outbreaks of her interstitial cystitis (no bacteria, no crystals), she would run to the box alot and pee small amounts that eventually had blood in them. After the steroid fiasco, I finally found a vet who does Nutrition Response Testing and found that Gracie had HIGH levels of aluminum. She has been detoxing Gracie who has not had a bladder episode since May (knock on wood) and she was having them every two weeks. When she had them, I would immediately start the bupe and also Rescue Remedy. But because ECID, that's just what was going on with Gracie. There are also herbal remedies which help with crystals but you need a holistic vet for that.
Poor little Muffin....Gracie knows how bad you can feel if your bladder isn't well. We hope you feel better soon.