Cat is not normal after Urinary Tract Infection

[Traci]

Thank you for the update! I'm so glad to hear he seems to be on the mend.

As for the food, sometimes cats in the clinic will eat what you least expect them to, so tempting with both canned and dry is good. As his kidney levels improve, so should his appetite. I suspect that although he is on an IV, he still may be nauseated or have excess acid in his stomach so the pepcid could be helpful. Please do address that with the vet first thing in the morning.

Also discuss the possibility he may do better at home in his own environment, cats do tend to do better at home once a clinical crisis is residing (as far as eating better, recovering quicker etc). Of course we want kitty to be stable and those levels dropping to a more normal range before release from the hospital, but do talk to the vet and get her opinion on how soon he could be released - it's important he is stable and his vitals are good, and bloodwork improving. I would also strongly suggest a new urinalysis before release, as you want to know that his urine pH, specific gravity, WBC's etc are normalizing. Ask the vet to be certain infection and/or urinary crystals are completely ruled out. If he has had a history of urinary tract infections or any other urinary blockage, he could be further predisposed to them in the future, in which, you want to get him regularly monitored by your vet. In fact, once kitty is released, she will want him back for a recheck within a week or two, possibly yet another urinalysis to ensure recovery. Be prepared that she may also want him on a prescription diet from this point on, but finding mucous initially in the blockage without crystals does not always necessitate a prescription diet, just be sure to discuss that with the vet.
I can't stress enough that crystals need to be ruled out without a doubt. Be sure to tell the vet what you've been feeding kitty at home in case that diet should be re-evaluated or changed. There could also be some bladder wall thickening or scar tissue, ask her to explain that to you and talk about regular checkups to ensure his urinary tract, bladder and kidney health.

Hang in there, post updates when you can, and give kitty a big hug for us, we're pulling for him to recover and be able to be home soon!

[k9Karen]

I am so glad he is so much improved!!!! I hope the recovery continues and he is back to normal and home soom.

[Tina B and crew]

I am so glad to here he is doing much better....keeping positive thoughts coming your way!

[ugurcan]

Thanks for everyone's support in this forum. We got Ugurcan's blood work results back last night and the kidney levels were back to normal. And we brought him back home yesterday . I am going to try to attach his lab report with this posting.

He lost a lot of weight and he still does not have much of an appetite and he only eats a little bit himself so we're force feeding him.

Other than that he seems fine. He goes to the litter box and he is mobile. Not like he used to but I think it is because he still does not have his full strength yet.

He is not able to meow as he used to. He was always a very vocal cat and now he tries to meow but you can hardly hear him. I guess he is not going to be able to wake me up 5 in the morning anymore. Oh well..

I will collect his urine tonight and take it to the vet for final analysis to determine what was the extent of the damage to his kidneys if any.

I'll keep you posted. Again thanks for everyone's help and support!

You can see the final kidney values at this link,

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5372 ... values.pdf

[Traci]

YAY!!!

However, you really have to address his appetite. Ask the vet for pepcid, or an appetite enhancer med if she feels is necessary.
It's not uncommon for cats to lose weight while being hospitalized for several days, plus not eating sufficiently did contribute. But, now that he is home, you have to be diligent in getting him to eat.

Ask the vet for the A/D or if she feels necessary, a renal-related diet, you can get a few cans from the vet, most cats like them and they are a good food to jump-start the appetite.

Syringe feeding isn't ideal in a cat for long term, so anything that you can do to encourage his appetite is ideal. Call your vet and ask about the food, and possible meds, and go from there. Provide fresh water for him and maybe put an additional dish of water elsewhere in the house near where he likes to lounge. Maybe try putting a small amount of tuna (in spring water, NOT oil) on top of or mixed in his food to encourage him.

He can't afford to lose any more weight, he needs to start eating on his own. Hopefully, with your encouragement, his being home now, and the tips noted above, he'll be eating on his own and more sufficiently within a day or two. Please keep us updated!!

[ugurcan]

Here is the latest updates from Ugur:
Urine specific gravity
1.032 when he was blocked
1.014 when he was on IV
1.019 yesterday

His vet made that note : Concern there is kidney damage or it could still be healing???
They are going to review his urine and chemistry 2 weeks later.

He had a fever on Wednesday when he was released and vet thought he might have some kind of an infection so prescribed ORBAX once a day (1.2 ml. for ten days)

We mentioned our concerns about his apetite she prescribed Pepcid (twice a day less than half tablet) also Carafate (3 times a day 1/2 tablet) Since his kidney is weak I hope Orbax wouldn't have bad effect on him

His physical condition is OK not strong enough but he started to groom himself he drinks water (not excesive) still no interest in food. He licks his food, tastes a little but that is it. He eats a little dry food himself. We are still force feeding him. We started to feed him more frequently with less amount of food. I hope it would help with his stomach /acid problems. If he starts to eat himself I am going to be very relived.

We started pepcid and carafate last night I hope this would brings his appetite back.

Behavioral wise he is fine he likes to be around us and has interest what is going around him.
Thanks again for your great support and help!

[Traci]

The orbax should help, and side effects are generally not noted unless the dose is high.

It generally is not productive to use orbax with both the carafate and pepcid because using the latter two could hinder absorption of the orbax. That said, call the vet and talk to her about that, she may recommend giving the orbax first, then the other two at least two or so hours AFTER the orbax has been given.

If Ugur isn't feeling better, making improvement within a couple days, call the vet back and discuss getting a potential new xray done to ensure there are no crystals/stones making their way through the urethra etc. Chances are, the infection is prohibiting his appetite, but he REALLY NEEDS TO EAT, and MORE SUFFICIENTLY.

What are you feeding him? (brand please). Did the vet recommend to get him on Hill's Rx A/D at least until he ups his calorie intake and starts eating on his own? As I stated earlier, Ugur cannot afford to lose any more weight.

Did the vet check his oral health? Sometimes a bad tooth or oral problem can make eating painful and difficult.

The forced feeding should not be continuing this long, he really needs to get started eating on his own. Ideally, he needs more calories in his food at this point, and eating on his own, did you discuss this with the vet (at least about the A/D)?

Hopefully the carafate and pepcid will help with any nausea/excess acid, and the orbax will take care of infection, but if he isn't eating on his own by Monday morning, call the vet back and tell her these concerns. There might be yet another problem unaddressed like oral health. Not saying he has a diseased tooth, but it should be ruled out. Cats typically do not go off food for this long after treatment or hospitalization. Don't undermine the situation, his food/calorie intake is important!

I'm keeping Ugur in my thoughts and prayers, hang in there, and ideally, call the vet on Monday morning about his food intake, etc, or sooner if he relapses.

[ugurcan]

Last updates from Ugur:
He started to eat his own last saturday (right after our conversation) Dr prescribed Purina veterinary diet (urinary) which he hates it. We still did not cut dry food. When he completely recovers and his full appetite comes back he'll be on that diet forever. Also we ordered Hills RX for him.
Physically he is doing very good. He eats more every day.
Maybe infection has been cured or pepcid/carafate helped I don't know but he seems better every day.
I have two questions you seen the last urine gravity resulst was it bad?
Also Ugur likes other type of can food (purina fancy feast etc.) Is it Ok to give him occasionally?
I hope his next urine analysis results comes good. Thank you for your help and support.

[Traci]

I'm assuming his next urinalysis is this coming Monday, so let's wait for those results. As for the last urine specific gravity, it seems in normal range. It would be interesting to know what the rest of the urinalysis results were. Again, do you know if sediment, crystals, stones, glucose, WBC's were ever found in the urinalysis after catheterization?

If Ugur doesn't like the Purina veterinary, ask the vet for another veterinary equivalent brand - I assume you ordered the Hill's Rx urinary formula as well, it's possible he may like that better. There is also Royal Canin veterinary if your vet carries it. It's important the cat likes the food! Try both canned and dry versions, cats will surprise their owners sometimes and will sometimes prefer one or both.

Depending on Ugur's urinary tract health history, his predisposition to infection, crystals or stones, would depend on whether you should feed anything outside of the veterinary diet. Most of the time with these cases, it is better NOT to feed anything except the veterinary diet, since they are formulated for prevention and maintenance of urinary tract health (they are acidifying, keeping the urine pH within normal range, etc). Cats with crystals or bladder stone histories are much better off with a prescription diet to help prevent them from forming again.

I'm thrilled to hear he is eating on his own, he needs his nutrition and needs to be eating a sufficient amount to gain back his optimal weight (although you don't want him to be overweight, since this sometimes predisposes male cats to urinary tract problems).

Please talk to your vet in more detail next week about the various veterinary brands, and ask for samples if possible. Most vets will give you samples of a couple different types to try at home. Or, if you have to buy a bag or cans of the prescription diet and if the cat doesn't like/eat it, then you can most often return it for an equivalent (the vet can get a credit for it from the manufacturer, even if a bag has been opened by the client)

Hang in there , keep us updated and give Ugur a big hug for us, he is such a trooper!!

[Cleo]

So happy to hear Ugur is doing better and I pray for his continued improvement!