Cat medical question.

[MISSDem]

About a year and a half ago one of my cats came down with a bladder problem (inappropriate elimination/bloody urine, etc) and the vet wanted her on Science Diet and antibiotics. This was during the scare of Chinese produced pet food and I researched and finally got my animals all on Evo, an exemplary pet food. Well the cat did have bladder stones and the vet surgically removed them and again wanted her to be on Science Diet and antibiotics. Well I do no agree to giving the animals food that contains animal by-products and also is probably made in China so I did not. She is now having a recurrence of the problem and the vet again wants her on Science Diet and antibiotics. Should I do it? I'm not a doctor but I know these pet food companies (Science Diet, etc.) support the vetinary schools so have a lot of sway with vets, but I just do not know what to do. He said there was no guarantee that the food will cure her but that is the only treatment he has.

[TZ]

1. Vets recommend what they think is BEST

They don't get kickbacks (and I don't think you should suggest that to any vet or you will probably be asked to go elsewhere).
And yes, many vets believe science diet is pretty good. And YES a cat with a bladder problem needs special food.
I have a friend that has a cat on this food for bladder infections and it helps.
I would try the food. BTW..I have very healthy cats that eat Fancy Feast. So cats CAN do well on foods with animal by products.
Most Science Diet is NOT made in China btw. I would try it because this can be a FATAL condition for cats

[musette_sf]

9. Purina also makes a prescription diet for this

and my cats think the Purina tastes better than the Science Diet.

i just had an urinary tract episode with one of my kids last weekend. he spent 2 days at the vet, and vet says we got him there just in time.

i am against feeding them animal by-products too, but will stick with the Purina program for now. i'm trying to research alternatives that are better. what i am learning is that the bottom line is, they need more fluid, and dry food does cause the problem in some cats.

turtlensue, you are correct that vets don't get kickbacks from Hills and Purina. but what they **do** get is a high profit center for their practice, and these companies also donate a pile of dough to veterinary schools, so there is a good amount of quid pro quo going on.

and while i am on my urinary health cat food rant, may i state that the problems SEEM to be caused by food, and the individual proclivity of the animal. the urinary prescription diets the vets sold less than 10 years ago were very successful at dissolving struvite crystals... but they also contributed to the NEW urinary problem, which is oxalic crystals. before the urinary diets came out, cats were usually diagnosed with struvite crystals, and the oxalic crystals were not seen. now it's a 50-50 mix.

the problem with the new urinary foods are, they are extremely low in magnesium, and this can lead to a magnesium deficiency. so i am on the hunt for a new feeding program to get rid of the vet-prescribed urinary food. but i will stick with it for awhile just to make sure Georgie does not block up again.

[flvegan]

2. Use the specific Science Diet the vet recommends.

That kind alters the urine to keep stones from forming.

I don't care for Science Diet, but I learned this same thing from my vet.

[mike_c]

3. for pete's sake stop being so dogmatic and do the right thing for your cat!

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it sounds pretty likely that the cat has recurring feline urologic syndrome (FUS) which is painful and debilitating at best, and fatal at worst-- and a bad way to die. Don't mess around with it. Follow your vet's advice. If you don't trust your vet to give good advice, get another vet, but unless you've completed vet school and done a few years in practice, don't consider yourself more knowledgable about your cat's physiology and health than a qualified DVM. Not when your cat is suffering while you dither about whether the vet is on the take from some pet food company.

Did you ask WHY he/she made that particular diet recommendation? Did he/she have a good reason? Did you pay attention, or did you just substitute the words "I get a kick-back from Chinese pet killers?"

Now, if you're still reading, check this link: http://maxshouse.com/feline_urological_syndrome_fus.htm


Disclaimer: I'm usually a pretty charming guy, but I CANNOT STAND to hear about people allowing cats to suffer. I like cats more than I like most people, and I'll bet you don't have any trouble believing that the feeling is reciprocated. Ignore and Alert are your friends when mike_c gets on about cats.

[MISSDem]

4. I'm still reading and I needed to hear this. You are right and I

am going tomorrow to get the food. Of course, all of the cats (I have 5) will have to be on it but the vet says it won't hurt them. It will just be a little expensive. But I don't know how to feed them seperately. I don't have to time to make a big to do of feeding time. Anyway, think you for preaching to me - I needed it.

[moriah]

5. I hope someone has already convinced you, but ...

I very recently nearly lost my cat to bladder stones.

When we first adopted him, he'd had inappropriate toileting. He'd never had a urine test confirming crystals, but due to the fact he had inappropriate toileting issues, our vet recommended Prescription Diet c/d. It is expensive, but he did well.

Then we switched vets. A year later, the new vet said that since he'd never had a confirmed urinalysis indicating crystals, it would save money as well as be better for him to eat regular cat food. We put him on Eukanuba.

Three months later, he told me the problem -- by trying to pee right beside me on the couch, trying being the operative word.

It was nearly operative, actually. He had a stone lodged in his urethra. They couldn't get a catheter in for several days, and had to drain his bladder with a needle four times a day. We had to take him to a special vet just to get the catheter in. He was in the vet's office for two weeks. He had to be on antibiotics for over a month. It cost us over $1,500.00 to get him back to health.

Prescription Diet may not be the best food in that it doesn't use the most quality of proteins. But it IS pH-balanced, which is the key thing with preventing bladder stones. If the pH is off, they will develop either styruvate crystals or oxalate crystals. Fortunately he had the styruvite kind, which can be dissolved with diet. Many of the diets with quality protein do not promote the best urine pH.

With your cat already having had surgery, I can't understand why you WOULDN'T pay for the preventative medication (and we all know diet is a preventative, one of the best ones.) Maybe you have the money to throw away on more surgeries. I don't. Yes, the food is expensive, but it is still cheaper than hospitalization and surgery. You may not like to pill your cat, but if they will eat Pill Pockets, it's a lot easier.

And that's the completely pragmatic view that doesn't take into account the fact your cat is in pain and is suffering.

[Guava Jelly]

6. I would go ahead and feed your cat Science Diet but not as much

Don't leave it down all of the time.
I would add more wet food to the cats diet like fancy feast.
The wet food shouldn't contain the ash that is in most dry food.
I'm no vet but I have been feeding my cats science diet for over a decade with zero problems.
You should read this article
http://cat-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/ash_content_in_cat_food
"Why is there ash in cat food? Because meat that is prepared for cat food is cooked at a high temperature, it leaves a residue of ash. Within the ash, there is calcium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and other trace minerals. Therefore; food with a higher proportion of meat content will contain more ash. However, better quality meat will produce less ash. Cats require a certain amount of ash in their diets so it cannot be eliminated completely.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease

Over the years, cat owners were told to avoid buying cat food with high ash content because it was one of the major causes of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). Ash was responsible for the cultivation of crystals in cat urine, thus blocking the urinary tract." end snip

[Dem_4_Life]

7. Science Diet is safe

My cat had urinary problems for years and he was actually on the prescription diet that you can only buy at the vet for years until he got so sick of it that he refused to ever eat it again. Once he refused I had to find other ways of helping him not get sick again. What really helped was getting some of those cranberry/urinary tract supplements that you can buy at Petsmart or Petco that you can put in the food and water. Also, it was recommended by my vet and it really helps to give them only filtered water (it makes a huge difference). I also personally only feed my cats the food from the Drs.foster and smith website, all of their food is natural and does not contain any of that stuff that was being recalled. On the Drs foster and smith website you can read articles by vets to help you with tips and medical advice that is helpful. But all vets are people and some are good and some are bad so as long as you find a vet that you trust and that really cares about the animals they will give you good advice and you should be safe listening to what they have to say. I hope this helps and good luck.

http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?p=Q&lbc=drsfostersmith&uid=629996014&w=urinary&af=cat1:cats%20type:product&isort=score&method=and&ts=results

[applegrove]

8. I remember reading somewhere that british bulldogs (I think it is that breed) have

to have caesarians to deliver pups because the pups heads are always too big to get out of the vagina. How sick is that? What happens if no vet is available at the time?

[BrklynLiberal]

12. I just heard that same thing today, in fact...

They also have terrible breathing problems due to the very short snout.

[applegrove]

13. Some breeds are sicker than othes. I guess it depends on demand. But I love

a tall bouvier so who am I to talk. I'm sure a pure-bred bouvier has issues too.

[kaiden]

10. All 9 of our cats are on Science Diet. No problems.

[KamaAina]

11. Nine?!

I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!!

[montanto]

14. Should I do it?

Only if you want your cat to live. Urinary problems can be deadly.
When the Vet. says you've got a better chance that way, you should
take it. And yes, my cat has always eaten science diet, even during
the "scare."

[MissMillie]

15. I recommend that you do what is best for your cat

I have a cat who is allergic to a lot of things. The one food I can afford to give her is Iams.

Now I have heard stories about the animal testing Iams does and I feel badly about that, but this is what my cat can eat and what I can afford to give her.

End of story.