Chronic Bladder Inflammation, Female

2tabbies

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Lola, 6 yr old. The last few years she's had repeated UTI (strained, bloody drops of pee outside litter pan), treated with antibiotics, apparently clears completely, only to return in 4-6 weeks. I have some experience, having parented 6 other cats in my 50 years. About her - she is a normally happy relaxed social cat. She has been on canned food since I got her from a barn litter at 5 months. She really only appears anxious when she's got the infection, and I assume she's in pain from it. She will NOT take pills -her jaw is a vise and will not be pried open. Taste tabs inside of Pill Pockets are often rejected. I cannot get liquid med squirted into the side either. The one thing that works for meds is to add powdered products, liquids, or crushed pills that have mild flavor into her food.
Several vets have examined, and all recommend Rx food (Hills Urinary or Royal Canin), some forcefully. Their only other suggestion is to try Prozac. The conclusion seems to be she has inflammation that causes her to be susceptible to infection, so the infection is a by-product of an ongoing issue, and chronic bladder inflammation is could be due to anxiety. I keep trying to figure out how to deal with the source of the problem. I have been giving her Vermont Naturals Calming treats, which do have a nice effect, but no cure. Ive also tried adding Cosequin for some months to address general inflammation, but no apparent benefit - infection returned. I resist the Rx food- I'm so skeptical of them, as I have had her on good food, even some Dave's limited ingredient urinary health. It seems like the vets are totally bought in - they all have a good deal of clinic space dedicated to stocking these foods so they must be very profitable. > any thoughts on whether these Rx foods are valid? > any experience with this and Rx or natural remedies? Thank you!!
 

duckpond

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Some bacterial infections can be hard to clear up. Has the vet tested to make sure they are prescribing the correct antibiotic, and also that she is taking all of it, for long enough?

I have read that prozac can help a lot of cats with stress related issues. I would not discount trying it. Cats can stress over so many things, and stress can really do a number on them!

I also would not dismiss the RX food without giving it a try? I know a lot of people are not fond of the ingredients. However i also have read from a lot of people that it has done wonders for their cats! Chewy sells quite a bit of prescription foods, wet and dry, maybe read some of their reviews, as well as the different posts on here?

My personal opinion is that some natural remedies work, and some are totally bogus. I would try some, for mild issues, or as preventatives, but i think with a chronic condition i would want to go with what my vet recommends.

Best of luck to her! Hopefully she will get over this soon.
 
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2tabbies

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thanks for responding Yes, I should have added that several times the urine has been cultured and the finding was e-coli. She's been on several antibiotics, but the last 3 rounds were Baytril which was said to be the best match. One time we went for 3 weeks on Baytril, other times were 10 days. No apparent difference on how quick the problem returned. No abnormal amount of crystals. We've also had blood work, x-ray, and ultrasound - nothing shows up with kidneys. So I think everything knowable has been ruled out. I'm going to try the Hills C/D Stress food, just because I think I've tried everything else. I'm new to this site, and to forums, so I haven't found other posts. I'm still curious about the theory and reasoning for these food formulations, so hope to find something in-depth on that.
 

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Have you tried D-Mannose and/or cornsilk? You can also try running feliway diffusers to see if they help with decreasing stress.
 

white shadow

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Hi 2tabbies and welcome to the forum !

This has to be beyond frustrating for you.

There's a very well-respected website that's intended focus is feline kidney disease. Now, despite that focus, the basic biological and physiological 'stuff' is common to all cats, so the foundational information provided will be relevant irrespective of the cat's kidney functioning. The site is written in plain language, with references to other related/supportive info sources. I think you'll intuitively know to skip the pieces strictly related to kidney-failure-kitties, making your read more efficient.

I think the coverage of UTIs may give you some insight into the kinds of things that can occur with these infections. In particular, pay very close attention to the area of "Diagnosis Difficulties" right through to the end - that starts about 1/2 way down. It may be speaking to the very issue Lola's dealing with. And stephanietx's suggestion is addressed at the very end there.

OK - here you are: Kidney Infections and UTIs
.
 
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2tabbies

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Have you tried D-Mannose and/or cornsilk? You can also try running feliway diffusers to see if they help with decreasing stress.
Thank you - I recall D-mannose from things I've read over the years so I'll go review that and cornsilk. I have tried the diffusers before when my male cat was disturbed about other cats roaming the yard. I found that to keep enough going for all the spaces was not feasible. I use the spray when there are incidents, and for the carrier though.
 
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2tabbies

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Hi 2tabbies and welcome to the forum !

This has to be beyond frustrating for you.

There's a very well-respected website that's intended focus is feline kidney disease. Now, despite that focus, the basic biological and physiological 'stuff' is common to all cats, so the foundational information provided will be relevant irrespective of the cat's kidney functioning. The site is written in plain language, with references to other related/supportive info sources. I think you'll intuitively know to skip the pieces strictly related to kidney-failure-kitties, making your read more efficient.

I think the coverage of UTIs may give you some insight into the kinds of things that can occur with these infections. In particular, pay very close attention to the area of "Diagnosis Difficulties" right through to the end - that starts about 1/2 way down. It may be speaking to the very issue Lola's dealing with. And stephanietx's suggestion is addressed at the very end there.

OK - here you are: Kidney Infections and UTIs
.
Thank you. I've read a lot on line but will definitely check that one too- I appreciate that. It helps to get pointed to a particular part of a site for sure.
 
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