Shadow's UTI Progress. Urinalysis Update. Things are Improving.

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Sev

Sev

Member Since 2011
For anybody that has not been following. Shadow experienced a urinary blockage. It has been my suspicion that is was the dry food Wellness Core and now the Wellness wet food in general that I have been feeding him that has been the cause of the problem.

Seems removing the dry food from his diet has been enough to bring his PH down and stop the production of the struvite crystals.
There are a couple of elevated numbers on the most recent urinalysis. However it was only 7 days since the catheters were removed and I brought him home.

At the time the most recent urinalysis was taken I was still feeding him Wellness Signature Selects. Which now has been replaced by Hills c/d. It appears to be lower in carbs than the Wellness but still unacceptably high.
I am also still giving him UTI Strength chews and supplementing the Hills c/d with fresh giblets, heart and liver. It appears both my boys find it acceptable if I let the meats set in water for a bit to create its own flavored juices.

My feeling is at the moment that I will be able to discontinue the c/d food based on what I am seeing.
Shadow is scheduled for another urinalysis in 2 weeks. I'll continue with the c/d till the next test.

My main worry at the moment is the level of microalbuminuria. Its an indication of damage to the kidneys.
Hopefully its just temporary and just due to the pressure caused by the blockage.


The first is from 12-19 when the blockage occurred.

ShadowUrinalisisIII12-19-2014_zps9232e7b4.png


This one is the latest from 12-30 . He came home from the vet on 12-23.

ShadowUrineAnalysisIII_zps3a66938f.jpg
 
I'm glad Shadow is doing better!

If you take him of the C/D food make sure the food you place him on is designed for kitties with crystal issues, or is 100% wet food diet. Some cats if they go off diet for a couple of kibbles and they'll end up blocked again. For example my moms cat can't even get more then two or three treats before causing issues, but my kitty can cheat on occasion with no issues. I'd personally give him a good month at least on the diet to make sure he's doing okay and give his bladder a chance to adjust before changing his diet again. Plus you don't want to switch around diets to often and cause tummy issues.

I would really watch the microalbuminuria levels too. It can be due to his blockage but I would expect the numbers to be lower not higher a week later. I'd say as long as you can, do another urine test in a month to make sure those numbers have gone normal. The sooner kidney troubles are caught the sooner the easier it is to fix them.
 
ReiKitty said:
I'm glad Shadow is doing better!

If you take him of the C/D food make sure the food you place him on is designed for kitties with crystal issues, or is 100% wet food diet. Some cats if they go off diet for a couple of kibbles and they'll end up blocked again. For example my moms cat can't even get more then two or three treats before causing issues, but my kitty can cheat on occasion with no issues. I'd personally give him a good month at least on the diet to make sure he's doing okay and give his bladder a chance to adjust before changing his diet again. Plus you don't want to switch around diets to often and cause tummy issues.

I would really watch the microalbuminuria levels too. It can be due to his blockage but I would expect the numbers to be lower not higher a week later. I'd say as long as you can, do another urine test in a month to make sure those numbers have gone normal. The sooner kidney troubles are caught the sooner the easier it is to fix them.
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Thanks Rei.

Keep in mind the crystals disappeared before I put him on the c/d.
I removed the Wellness Original kibble. And now the Wellness wet. I was also treating holistically as well.
I am also trying to supplement with organ meat. Which will work naturally to keep his pH low. Actually I just ground some up. Shadow stuck his nose up at it. I am sure he will come back to it once is sits in water for a while. :)

I agree. 2 more weeks will be a month on the c/d.

I am concerned about the microalbuminuria, protein and blood in the urine. However his specific gravity has gone back into a normal range. So that is a good sign.
Also I would imagine he was probably still pretty stressed after being at the vets for 3 days. So hopefully some of the elevated levels are due to that.

As far as switching diets I have been doing some reading that suggests that keeping felines on a single food for a life time poses its own hazards concerning disease. Diversity over time appears to be a more healthy course for the long term.
 
My Patches girl was just diagnosed with the same crystals. She was given Orbax and put on Hills s/d - and she likes it. It is very expensive, so not sure what I am going to do.
 
Sev said:
Friskiest special diet has been recommended. I checked it out. It meets the requirements. Low carb and low phosphorus on a couple of them.
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm
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You can also give UTI Strength to keep the urine more acidic.

You can also look into UTI Free.
http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/products/uti-free-cat-dog-urinary-tract-irritation.html

I am feeding Curcumin to help with inflammation. Reducing stress will help.

I am looking into other homeopathic approaches as well.
 
ceil99 said:
My Patches girl was just diagnosed with the same crystals. She was given Orbax and put on Hills s/d - and she likes it. It is very expensive, so not sure what I am going to do.
Click to expand...
Also if you dont mind slicing up fresh chicken/turkey giblets, heart and liver to supplement that will help keep the pH normal. Plus you are returning patches back towards what a cats diet is supposed to be.
The organ meats are pretty cheap as compared to the c/d.
 
Good news that Shadow is improving! I have one diabetic cat and one with urinary issues and I feed them the same food. If you look at http://www.catinfo.org/ there is a page on food for urinary issues. Low carb and low phosphorus wet canned or raw food are good for both, as well as cats with kidney issues. And I add water. Also try for something with high quality protein. With the microalbuminuria or proteinuria (which Neko has), have you had Shadow's blood pressure checked? Adding Omega-3 (fish oil) is also good.
 
I have been adding water as well Wendy.
Actually Mercola has an Omega out that is supposed to be very good for cats. I believe its krill rather than fish.
The protien is one of the reason I am making a run at supplementing with the organ meats. Plus it is cheaper than many of the cat foods pound for pound. Also it believe its the liver where taurine can be found. Which is vital for cats.

I will check with the vet on the BP today.
 
Taurine is in the heart. That's one of the reasons my crew sometimes get freeze dried heart (chicken, turkey, duck) as snacks.
 
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