Anyone Experience Struvite Crystals On Raw Food?

[fordfairlane]

I noticed my sweet orange tabby straining to urinate. I brought him to the emergency vet, fearing a blockage. Thankfully he wasn’t blocked, so I scheduled him for our regular vet to determine what the issue was, and it was determined that he is seriously constipated and has struvite crystals. I’m confused, I put my cats on a raw diet to prevent these very issues and here we are. Does anyone have experience with a cat developing struvite crystals while on a raw diet? And if so, where do I go from here? What can I safely feed him to keep this from happening again. The vet is against raw feeding and basically recommending a lifetime of feeding Hills Urinary health.

 

[Tobermory]

One of my raw-fed cats developed struvite crystals, caused by stress, after I adopted a third cat. My vet had me switch her to canned Royal Canin Urinary SO temporarily until the crystals cleared up. He knows I feed homemade, and while he’s not a big fan, he’s okay with it.

I deal with the constipation by putting a very small amount of Miralax in their twice-daily meals—less than 1/8 tsp. each meal. That seems to work for my three. Some people use pumpkin or psyllium husk powder.

 

[Azazel]

I recommend reading this page: Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

There may be too much bone in the raw food you’re feeding causing constipation.

 

[fordfairlane]

Every vet I speak to seems to be adamantly against raw feeding. I’m willing to feed my cats whatever they need to make them healthy, I just always thought raw was the healthiest. Everything I google about struvite crystals recommends a raw or canned diet, which I already do. I feel like asking a vet is pointless, they will just recommend Science Diet.

 

[Tobermory]

I think many vets are against raw for several reasons.

1. When they’re in vet school, students have to learn about many animals, and species are all so very different. Unless they specialize, they’re generalists. They learn even less about nutrition, much less feline nutrition.
2. Vets make money from selling prescription diets. I’m not suggesting they don’t believe they’re effective: They were taught in school to prescribe these foods for certain health issues so that’s what they do. It’s the “We’ve always done it this way” syndrome. But they also make money from doing so.
3. Some vets have a legitimate concern that people won’t make food correctly. I completely understand that. I worry about that, too. That was my vet’s concern, that and he cautioned me about safe handling of raw meat. But he reviewed my recipe (from catinfo.org) and was okay with it.

There are probably more reasons, but that’s just off the top of my head! I also use a holistic vet occasionally, and he’s a huge fan of raw feeding and feeds his cats raw. He used to be a traditional vet before he switched to a holistic practice.

 

[mschauer]

One of my cats developing struvite crystals was my primary motivation for switching to a raw diet. In Jeta's case the raw did the trick. I fed her a prescription diet until the existing crystals were dissolved and then fed her a raw diet for 8 years then an all wet (canned) diet for 2 years. She remained crystal free for those 10 years until her death last summer.

But I've read accounts from others who, like you, who say their cat still developed crystals even when exclusively on a raw diet. Same goes for feeding an all wet diet.

It could just be that feeding a raw diet or an all wet diet is all that is needed to prevent the crystals in some, maybe most, cats but not in all cats.

I don't have any doubt that my cats have benefited from a raw, home-made, diet. I do think some on-line sources grossly overstate that benefit though. We have to remember and take into consideration that most accounts and opinions we read on-line are just one persons experience. Reading about those experiences can be valuable but truly understanding the risks and benefits of any diet requires controlled, long term studies not just individual experiences.

What raw and canned foods do you feed? I always fed foods that contained only animal ingredients. No veggies or grains at all.

There are vets that are OK with a raw diet. My vet recommended a raw diet for my IBD kitty, Zara. She developed IBD during the 2 year all wet diet period and was my motivation for switching back to an all raw diet 2 years ago. She had a very difficult time with the IBD for the first few months but is doing great now.

 

[fordfairlane]

Orangey eats Small Batch a local commercial raw food. I had another cat who has constipation issues on this food, but Orangey has always been fine with it. I really wish I could have Rad Cat back, that was just the perfect food for my kitties and I miss it every day. From what I understand, I need to switch to a low phosphorus food.

 

[Tobermory]

I fed the girls Small Batch for awhile. I emailed the company about the meat/bone/organ ratio, and they replied that it was 90/10/10. But the girls were having constipation issues, and when I squished the Small Batch through my fingers, it felt bone-y. (I can’t remember which protein.)

Stella & Chewy’s has come out with a new boneless frozen raw called Selects. They’re using calcium carbonate. But I don’t have any info on the phosphorus. My cats liked it, though.

 

[Azazel]

I fed the girls Small Batch for awhile. I emailed the company about the meat/bone/organ ratio, and they replied that it was 90/10/10. But the girls were having constipation issues, and when I squished the Small Batch through my fingers, it felt bone-y. (I can’t remember which protein.)

Stella & Chewy’s has come out with a new boneless frozen raw called Selects. They’re using calcium carbonate. But I don’t have any info on the phosphorus. My cats liked it, though.

I think I emailed S&C about the phos value and it was something like 1.07.

 

[Talien]

Stress can easily be a cause of struvites, my Fresca was suddenly loaded with struvites after Callie decided she didn't want to take Fresca's crap anymore and started kicking her ass all over the house every time she came anywhere near her.

I think many vets are against raw for several reasons.

1. When they’re in vet school, students have to learn about many animals, and species are all so very different. Unless they specialize, they’re generalists. They learn even less about nutrition, much less feline nutrition.
2. Vets make money from selling prescription diets. I’m not suggesting they don’t believe they’re effective: They were taught in school to prescribe these foods for certain health issues so that’s what they do. It’s the “We’ve always done it this way” syndrome. But they also make money from doing so.
3. Some vets have a legitimate concern that people won’t make food correctly. I completely understand that. I worry about that, too. That was my vet’s concern, that and he cautioned me about safe handling of raw meat. But he reviewed my recipe (from catinfo.org) and was okay with it.

There are probably more reasons, but that’s just off the top of my head! I also use a holistic vet occasionally, and he’s a huge fan of raw feeding and feeds his cats raw. He used to be a traditional vet before he switched to a holistic practice.

#2 seems to be the main issue vets have with anything other than commercial diets. It's what's drilled into their heads all through school, and it's what is reinforced by the nutritional studies, which are commissioned and funded by the major pet food producers. My vet wanted me to put Fresca on hill's c/d and I took one look at the ingredients and said no way, it was junk comparable to Friskies. The thing is my vet knew I fed my Cats raw, and had even said she couldn't figure out why there were so many struvites because raw food raises urine PH and that should prevent them from forming. The hill's c/d label stated the exact same thing, it raises urine PH to keep crystals from forming and dissolve existing crystals. I asked my vet what I could possibly gain by feeding Fresca an overpriced low quality food that does the same thing as her current diet as far as crystals go and the response was something along the lines of "ingredients aren't important, it's the nutrients that matter." I was about floored. Don't get me wrong, my vet is great with everything else and I wouldn't want to take my Cats anywhere else, but like most vets is very much against a raw diet.

The other concern I've heard is the risk of salmonella and other bacterial contamination. But that happens with commercial dry foods too, and when it does happen it's massive nationwide recalls of entire batches and lots across different brands because they are often made in the same facilities.

The thing is the commercial and prescription foods are "nutritionally complete" according to AAFCO guidelines but as I'm fond of saying, "If you ate nothing but white bread your entire life with nutritional supplements added to make up for any nutrients not naturally found in white bread, how healthy would you be?"

 

[fordfairlane]

Stress can easily be a cause of struvites, my Fresca was suddenly loaded with struvites after Callie decided she didn't want to take Fresca's crap anymore and started kicking her ass all over the house every time she came anywhere near her.



#2 seems to be the main issue vets have with anything other than commercial diets. It's what's drilled into their heads all through school, and it's what is reinforced by the nutritional studies, which are commissioned and funded by the major pet food producers. My vet wanted me to put Fresca on hill's c/d and I took one look at the ingredients and said no way, it was junk comparable to Friskies. The thing is my vet knew I fed my Cats raw, and had even said she couldn't figure out why there were so many struvites because raw food raises urine PH and that should prevent them from forming. The hill's c/d label stated the exact same thing, it raises urine PH to keep crystals from forming and dissolve existing crystals. I asked my vet what I could possibly gain by feeding Fresca an overpriced low quality food that does the same thing as her current diet as far as crystals go and the response was something along the lines of "ingredients aren't important, it's the nutrients that matter." I was about floored. Don't get me wrong, my vet is great with everything else and I wouldn't want to take my Cats anywhere else, but like most vets is very much against a raw diet.

The other concern I've heard is the risk of salmonella and other bacterial contamination. But that happens with commercial dry foods too, and when it does happen it's massive nationwide recalls of entire batches and lots across different brands because they are often made in the same facilities.

The thing is the commercial and prescription foods are "nutritionally complete" according to AAFCO guidelines but as I'm fond of saying, "If you ate nothing but white bread your entire life with nutritional supplements added to make up for any nutrients not naturally found in white bread, how healthy would you be?"

Stress is probably the biggest issue here. We live in a small space and my old lady cat hates Orangey and has been really on his case lately. I’ve put her on cbd oil to try to calm her down a little, as well as using some feliway diffusers and spray. It has improved a little bit but we have had some serious fights in the last few weeks.