FLUTD

[verycontrary247]

Have any of you had a cat with it? How did you deal with it?


A few weeks ago Chuchi (neutered male, Siamese, 4 years old) had to go to the E-vet for another urethral obstruction (second time in 6 months). Last time we were there they said they didn't know exactly what caused the obstruction because there were no crystals or stones present in his urine and just recommended adding more wet food to his diet. We did as they suggested and another blockage.

This time the E-vet said that he probably has FLUTD, but said it could be caused by like 20 different things! I'm a little frustrated as to how to go about treating something when we have no idea what is causing it. Have an appointment with our regular vet later this week, but in the meantime- but anyone have any advice?

[mrssavy42112]

Not sure what to say. My cat had 2 urinary obstructions & the first time they flushed almost half a test tube full of crystals from his bladder. The vet said she had never seen anything like it. Poor little guy. Since then, he's been on the c/d formula Hill's Prescription Diet food & we got them several water fountains until we found 1 that they actually like & drink from frequently. I know not everyone on here is fond of Hill's. Did any levels come up high in his blood or urine tests? That usually is a good indicator of what the issue is.

[verycontrary247]

The only abnormal thing was his kidney values, which were obviously elevated/out of whack because he hadn't peed in a day or two.

[katietornado]

We have a cat who was diagnosed with FIC (Feline Interstitial Cystitis). He presented with crystals a few years ago, and has had recurrent hematuria, dysuria, inappropriate urination, etc. ever since. We did the Hills's route, but he continued to have flareups. We decided to put him down a few months ago, because despite putting him on narcotics and sedatives, he was still uncomfortable. We started feeding him raw and figured we'd give him a good few last days with really great food. And...the symptoms went away. Feeding him raw (we feed pre-made raw called Primal nuggets) has been the best thing we've ever done for him. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[caligurl]

A high quality, grain free, exclusive wet diet would help if not resolve the problem entirely. Depending on the type of crystals he has (struvite or calcium oxylate) you either need to increase or decrease the acidity of his urine. There is a supplement you can add to his food that is a natural alternative to the medicated/prescription ingredients in a dry prescription diet which just makes a bad situation worse (the issue is most commonly caused by a moisture-deficient diet which a dry diet only exacerbates. Cats need fluids.) It is by Wysong (www.wysong.net) and you either need the Biotic- or the Biotic+ formula depending on which crystals your cat has. A holistic pet store in my area carries both and it costs about $30 for a 10oz bottle. It's a powder and you sprinkle it on their food (like 1/4 tsp each meal) so the bottle lasts a long time. It's tasteless (so they say, I wouldn't know, lol). My friend's dog had this issue and I told her about this product. She transitioned from a prescription diet to this supplement and her dog has been great ever since. Another resource on this issue is catinfo.org. Please check out these resources. Your cat will love you for it.

[caligurl]

I'm sorry, one other thing - most vets get very little education in the area of nutrition so if you ask your vet (like I did) he/she will likely be hesitant to endorse an alternative treatment other than a prescription diet (like mine was). My friend received the same response from her vet regarding her dog. Unless your vet is a holistic vet they will likely say, "oh no, prescription Hill's is the best/only solution". Please do your own research.

[verycontrary247]

Feb 2, 2013 16:16:57 GMT -5 caligurl said:

 Depending on the type of crystals he has (struvite or calcium oxylate) you either need to increase or decrease the acidity of his urine. 

He did not have any crystals in his urine, which is what led the vet to diagnose him with FLUTD. 


He already eats a high-quality, grain free diet.

[caligurl]

Feb 10, 2013 18:52:31 GMT -5 verycontrary247 said:

Feb 2, 2013 16:16:57 GMT -5 caligurl said:

 Depending on the type of crystals he has (struvite or calcium oxylate) you either need to increase or decrease the acidity of his urine. 

He did not have any crystals in his urine, which is what led the vet to diagnose him with FLUTD. 


He already eats a high-quality, grain free diet.

My cat did not have crystals either. The vet said the results showed "debris" and diagnosed him with FLUTD. I thought that was weird because I had never heard of an animal having debris in their urine but okay...my vet suggested increasing fluids and to watch it because if increased fluids didn't solve it, he would have to go on a prescription diet (which I really disagreed with due to the quality of the food) so I checked into some alternatives. Cutting out the dry kibble resolved my cat's issue completely but I learned about the Wysong product in the process and have since recommended it to a few people, both cat and dog owners, who say they have had a lot of success with it. Good luck to you and your kitty.