FLUTD/FIS Cat, Advice needed & Questions on Cantharis

cocoa13

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Hello everyone,

                            My cat Geppetto has been through quite a bit ever since I returned from a 1 week vacation, he ended up blocking in the middle of November, was catheterized, and then on the day after Thanksgiving the same thing happened and was catheterized again. Since then he has ate high quality Weruva canned food 2x a day with added distilled water. I also have been giving him, 250mg Vit C 2x/day, 100 IU Vit E per day along with some additional Glucosamine. I tried Animal Essential's Tinkle Tonic and that helped for awhile, and still continue to give him that 3x a day for 5 days and then I give him a 2 day break.

He hasn't improved much. His mood is great, his coat is soft. Appetite is great but he struggles to pee. He goes frequently in spurts, sometimes outside the box, but for the most part in the box, but obviously I want him to go in the box everytime! He has 2 different boxes with 2 different kinds of litter in 2 different rooms as well.

The urine typically drips out, after he pees this is sometimes followed by the licking of the genital area. No howling/hissing. Doesn't like if I try to touch his bladder area but he never has cared for that even prior to his blockages.

I recently have tried Cantharis 30C, and I have read great things about it. I am sort of unsure how the dosage should work. He is a 14LB cat, not overweight just long and large.  From what I read I should give a pill every 15 minutes, for a total of 3 pills in 30 minutes, and then wait for 4 hours.

I followed this as close as I could last night as I wasn't home for awhile, but he got his Cantharis at 4:00/4:15/4:30 and then 10:45/11:00/11:15 and then I woke up at 2:45/3:00/3:15 and after 3 "treatments" I read to give him a 24 hour break.

From what I saw, not much improved. He did have 1 larger pee but I wasn't home to see if it dripped out or flowed smoothly. Should I up the dosage or the way I am giving this to him? And how long should I use this for before I should give up.

He is going to see a Holistic Vet on Jan 30th, it has been a very long waiting list! I am trying my best to minimize his discomfort in the meantime, any advice is appreciated!

- Ryan & Geppetto
 

cat-tech

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Homeopathy is just water (or a sugar pill with nothing in it) - so this isn't going to do a thing for your cat.

What did your vet recommend for treatment?  I'm assuming he wanted Gepetto on a prescription diet to dissolve and eliminate crystals causing the blockages - remember that the pH balance needs to be appropriate in any food you feed.

Bladder wall thickening, scar tissue and specific bacterial infection can also cause frequent blockages, so ask the vet to rule that out.  Your kitty would benefit far more with conventional medicine rather than holistic, since those herbs aren't researched for safety or efficacy - also, vitamin C and Vitamin E are not treatments for feline FLUTD and are excreted in the urine so are likely not doing a thing for him. 

The issue is that you do not want him suffering repeated urinary tract infections and/or blockages because this can cause scar tissue making this an issue for a lengthy time if not for life - some cats even have to undergo a perineal urethrostomy (surgical procedure that shortens the urethra) to prevent repeated blockages.

Please, see a qualified vet and get Gepetto on a proper treatment - you are most likely prolonging his condition by using herbal alternatives, and again, the homeopathy is not doing anything for him.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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What kind of crystals did he have...Struvite or Oxalate?  If Oxalate, then the Vitamin C could actually exacerbate this issue.  Are you monitoring his PH now?  That's probably one of the most important things you can do, especially since you aren't feeding him a prescription food right now. 

WHY are you giving him those vitamins?  Were you advised to by your Vet?  My Vet had my give my little one Just one or two drops of 100 IU Vitamin E once a day, but that was for her LIVER issues, nothing related to FLUTD.

From what I can learn on the Cantharis, it's more for encouraging a cat to want to pee.  I'm wondering if it would really be beneficial or not, because it doesn't seem like your guy has any issues in WANTING to urinate, just has trouble emptying his bladder. 

I, for one, am all for using eastern medicine, BTW.  I definitely think it has it's place.  Wish more of our Docs and Vets would practice it.  Think chiropractics, accupuncture, etc. 
 
 
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cocoa13

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Thanks for both responses, to be quite honest based on vet experiences in my life I am sort of against conventional medicine and firmly believe a ideally raw diet close to what a cat would have in the wild (especially considering Geppetto was a stray for 2 years) is enough to keep them healthy, what I am trying to do is get Geppetto to that point.

Both vets he went to said no crystals or very little showed up in his urine so they don't have a record f what kind he had which I find hard to believe, I assume struvite because this all triggered after I left for a week and he was in a different house with a different family and a whole new cat, obviously I wouldn't of done this if I knew what I knew now.

Stress typically causes struvite hence why I came to that conclusion. As for the vitamins, I am going off recommendations in dr pitcarins book, vitamin e boosts immune system and vitamin c is a natural anti inflammatory and like mentioned helps make his urine more acidic in combination with a high protein diet.

More importantly they don't do any harm, so I don't see a problem in giving him extra for a period of time which according to the book is a month.

As for the cantharis I guess that's why I'm here. I am going to see that vet on the 30th but just was looking to see if anyone in here knew something I could do in the meantime.

I firmly believe he just has a lot of scars in his urethra from the catheters one of the vets told me he had a small penis so it was difficult for a catheter to pass and he had 3 in him... just feel like there's a lot of damage from that because he litterally is 100% like himself other than his urine habits and my heart just breaks for him.

Obviously if he blocked again I would take him to a vet because I don't want him to suffer but In General I am trying to stay as natural and holistic as possible because I believe that is what's best for him, obviously some people won't agree with that and that's fine! It's just my opinion from my personal experiences and research
 
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cocoa13

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I did the prescriptions diets for the first month after geppetto came home and that is during the time he reblocked and just seemed 10x worse than he is now, and statistics show that despite that food potentially fixing crystal problems that they cause kidney problems down the road which is what led me to this more holistic approach. I want to treat the whole problem and not just symptoms if that makes sense to anyone.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Makes absolute sense.  And Weruva is a great choice (as is raw IMHO when you can switch him over).  I just think it's a good idea to monitor his PH along the way, justin case.  You can use human PH strips,  just try to catch him "in the act" every now and then


I also agree that it was probably the stress that caused his blockage,so if it even was crystals, probably was Struvite, so the Vit C shouldn't be an issue.  I can't tell you how many cats re-block soon after catheters are removed.  I don't think it has to do with food when that happens, I think it may be the stress of what they have just been thru


Plenty of water, good food, no stress (if possible) and he should be on his way to recovery.  I'll be anxious to hear for the holistic vet has to say
 

monica horn

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This is an obvious late response to the OP but here goes...
in 2004 I posted on another thread here about my success with Cantharis when my cats had difficulty urinating. The cat I first used it on lived to be almost 18 but passed 4 yrs ago. I now have 4 more neutered male cats, 2 of wch are prone to urinary problems. I have used Cantharis since 2004 on my cats as soon as I see them straining to pee. It has never ceased to result in an improvement (more urine volume pee'd, less straining). I know, I know.... I've read all the "homeopathy couldn't possibly work, it's too dilute, it's just water" stuff on the net. I don't know how it works, but for me it just does. As recently as 2 weeks ago my 9 yr old male was not able to pee. I locked him in a bathroom with an empty litterbox lined with white paper towels (my MO when a cat has urinary issues). I watched as he squatted here and there and here and there in the box. Nothing came out. At all. Not a drop. uh oh! Get the Cantaris. Gave him 1 dose. Left the room. Came back 1/2 hr later. FULL amount of urine in the box. Full pee. 1 hr earlier nothing was coming. Did it hurt him to try the Cantaris. Nope! If it didn't work would I take him to the vet. For sure! I have done this so many times since 2004 with the same results that I am convinced. Results is all I care about. How it works, or someone telling me it's not anything but water, so how could it work doesn't change the fact that I'VE SEEN IT WORK.
 

monica horn

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I'd like to add to my above post that I have also recommended the Cantharis to 2 friends for their cats. The results were the same. The feedback I get is, "That stuff is amazing!" "I won't ever be without it" In fact..... since 2004 I have only had to take 1 cat to the vet for urinary problems. That was when I had no Cantharis in the house bc I had given mine away to one of the friends mentioned. The cat was not pee'ing. Middle of the night. No Cantharis. Next morning off to the vet and guess what? $1100 vet bill followed! You bet I've never gone without it since!
Since 2004 I've had a lot of experience with FLUTD in cats. Whether it be crystals or UTI or just urethral irritation or a combo of any of these, I recognize the initial symptoms. I put the cat in a room where I can observe. OK scant amounts of urine. Blood in urine. (white paper towels make this easy to see) Straining. Bingo! I test the urine with pool ph test strips. I look for sediment in the urine (you can actually see tiny glittery crystals if you use a magnifying glass) I know how to palpate their bladder for overdistention.
I have fine-tuned my regime. I keep all this in a basket and drag it out during acute phases: Cantharis. D-Mannose (this is the sugar that is the active ingredient in Cranberry Juice- prevents bacteria from clinging to bladder wall). Glucosamine. Vet's Best Urinary Support. Natural Pet Urinary Tract Irritations. and Uva Ursi. This is a urinary astringent. Must be careful using it. I only sprinkle about 1/5 of a capsule on the cats food once a day. Cannot be used long-term!
All of the above, used together, worked to cure what THREE rounds of antibiotics from the vet did not!
Natural/Herbal products when used responsibly (put in the time to research thoroughly and educate yourself as to mode of action, dosing, etc) can absolutely be effective! To anyone who doubts or poo-poos natural/herbal remedies (mind you, this is seperate from Homeopathy) I say this: Many, many of the prescription meds used by your Dr originated in a natural source. Aspirin-Willow Bark. Digitalis- Fox Glove Plant. Statin drugs- Red Rice Yeast. and so on and so on......
That is the very reason to use herbs and the like with knowledge and caution. Not willy-nilly.
With homeopathy, you really can't overdose. It is after all, "just water" right?
 
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