Urinary Tract Infection test

[goopsy123]

I saw a few posts in the past about the Pawcheck home test, has anyone used it yet? My cat had UTI once, and now that she is diabetic, she's even more at risk to get it again. I also want to try some holistic treatments, with Cranberry supplements.

 

[catsharing]

The Pawcheck test is very easy to use, although there are other home tests that are a little cheaper. I did start testing my cat at home, the urine collection is still a little challenging though.

 

[BJM]

You might find this a useful resource.
The Merck Manual for Pet Health

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Per
http://www.pet-health-care-gazette.com/ ... ving-home/
PawChecks checks for
The PawCheck Diabetes Test checks for glucose (sugar) in your pet’s urine, a common finding in diabetic pets.
The PawCheck Kidney Failure Test looks for protein in the urine that can be an indication of kidney disease.
The PawCheck Urinary Tract Infection Test screens for blood, white blood cells and nitrites in urine, substances that can be indicative of infection.
The glucose test is valid
The protein check in good but not definitive for kidney problems.
The test for blood (I assume then mean red blood cells) is good.
The test for white blood cells is worthless since in cats, you get a false positive reading 99% of the time
The test for nitrates is really not meaningful.

 

[goopsy123]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback resources.
Dr Lorie Huston, who blogs on The Pet Healthcare Gazette, also offers a lot of other info about UTI and Diabetes.

 

[Deb & Wink]

One of the best things I did for my UTI prone sugardude Wink, was to get him off the dry food and eating wet food only with added water. Since he's been switched, he hasn't had a UTI in almost 11 months now. Before, he used to get a UTI every month. All that water in his diet has really helped to keep his urinary tract system flushed out.

You may be interested in this vet's (DR. Lisa Pierson) article on Urinary Tract Health and the importance of water in a cat's diet.