Bladder Stones

[Candycane]

Thanks LisaLisa. My cats aren't free fed so I don't anticipate that I will have that problem. Max is on lite food because he's a bit overweight.

My vet just called and apparently there was a mix-up...her's are struvite crystals. The urinalysis was done by my vet's colleague and when they spoke about it over the phone, he thought he heard "oxalate" but in reality, it was "phosphate". So...I am going to look around for foods. For the present time, we are going to go with Medi-Cal, which I will pick up tomorrow from the vet. I know that diets for struvite crystals are more readily available. My vet is getting an estimate for the surgery in the morning (from the other vet) but I am thinking it may be less of a rush. From what I've read, struvite are much easier to dissolve so we think that we will give the food a shot.

[LisaLisa]

Candycane, if guess if a cat is to have crystals, the struvite ones are best.. It sounds like you don't need to be on food patrol....wasn't a fun task for me at all.

I hope all goes well that Sydney, poor girl. She has been one uncomfortable little furgirl.

Plase keep us posted on how things progress.

BTW--Traci and Jason gave you some great advice

[Candycane]

Food patrol is no fun, I agree. I *tried* to free feed when Syd was a kitten but for some reason, the other cat's food always tastes better. I'm glad that I found this board (and Traci and Jason)...although I frequent several pet boards (and even have my own), each one is slightly different. I like this one because it has good medical advice.

[Candycane]

I am picking up the Medi-Cal canned tonight. I also inquired about feeding the Medi-Cal dry. How much wet vs. dry should she get? She actually prefers dry food but I know that a completely dry diet can be harmful, especially in her situation.

[Traci]

First, let me say I'm sooooooooo glad you confirmed the type of crystals, this is definately a new game plan!

As for the amount, I beleive there are feeding guidelines on the packaging, if not, just ask your vet based on her history, weight, general health status. If you want added moisture, feed her an appropriate amount of canned food first, use it as a trial basis. If she takes to it well, I'd stick with canned only until her next urinalysis/recheck. You always have the option of using both when she is on management. You can also feed her the canned and use the dry as treats (sometimes kitties switched to an Rx diet have a tendency to beg their owners for more or for treats, using the same variety of the Rx type still allows you to maintain urinary health while not jeopardizing the diet by feeding other things outside of it...hence, the dry can be used for treats)

For what it's worth, and there are other posts like this in the forum, but there is no 100% clinical proof that feeding dry food causes these problems, nor is there proof that a dry Rx diet is less effective than canned in managing FLUTD. If an owner chooses dry, they simply need to ensure kitty is drinking normally, producing normal amounts of urine on a daily basis, and followup on recheck urinalysis. Some cats do benefit from a canned only diet due to the extra moisture content, but this is not written in stone for every cat's individual condition. Again, palatability plays a large role, it is important the kitty is eating the diet regardless of the type, drinking sufficiently, and that the owner is compliant with rechecks.

[Candycane]

Well, I went to the office yesterday to get my food and I didn't think it was the right stuff. My vet wasn't in so I confirmed with the receptionist that this was in fact the right food. The labelling didn't look right from what I had seen on the web. So I went home and looked up the Medi-Cal site and sure enough, it was the wrong food. She gave me the preventative forumula (which is better than nothing) instead of the dissolution formula (for cats that already have stones). So I called back and I have to pick it up tonight. The good news is, Sydney really likes the food. I doubt that the other formula will be a problem. I also ordered a small bag of dry food to try. Apparently, when you add water to the dry food it makes a sort of gravy. Yum!

[Traci]

I don't recommend adding water to dry food, mostly because it swells and could really reak havoc on stomach and intestines (excess gas in intestine, too much bulk and too much transit time to move through colon, possibility for constipation problems). Not to mention, she would be eating less of it and you don't want to mess with nutrient availability.

[Candycane]

That is interesting Traci. Medi-Cal actually advertises the gravy as a feature of the food.

So far, Syd is really liking her food. She likes the dry more than the wet but I'm not surprised by that. Her urination hasn't improved but I have read that it takes about 10 weeks for the stones to dissolve. She is also on Cefa-drops for the infection.