Bladder Crystals - Food Question

[forcryinoutloud]

So one of my female cats ended up with a bladder infection that the vet believes was caused by crystals that were caused by the food she is on. She was eating Go! grain free kibble, and Performatrin Ultra Turkey Pate (also grain free) wet food - she has since been switched to almost exclusively wet with just maybe 20 pieces of the kibble a day at night with some crushed up freeze dried rabbit (not much) on top of the wet food.

The vet mentioned that maybe I should switch her to a diet specifically for urinary issues (which is what Daniel was on for most of his life - they told me the kibble he was on was the best he could be on, and I still feel like that contributed to him dying at a relatively young age - I believed the vet, that the kibble was good for him, for all of them, and now I know better) and I do NOT want to put her on a vet diet that is nothing but corn and by-product when she's currently on a diet that is turkey and chicken and rabbit.

So my question is this - does anyone know of a commercially available, grain free, wet food that is good for a cat that is apparently developing crystals from it?

She had a round of antibiotics for two weeks, and it stopped the bleeding that was happening, but she's not peeing as much as she normally was before. I've recently started giving her diluted ACV as I know that that helps with both any possible bacteria, and with getting the PH levels where they should be. She has started peeing a bit better since I started the ACV and I plan to continue to use it for the next week or so until she is back to her usual self - but if it really is the food causing the issues, then I need to find something to replace what I am giving her that is not a corn and other grain filled food (aside from the fact that the vet food is ridiculously expensive per can as well).

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, from what I understand, you might just need a food that is a little lower in Magnesium, so maybe you can check around to see if you can find wet foods with less than .03% magnesium. My guess is that it's the sweet potato, carrots, and red bell peppers in the Performatrin that are contributing to the magnesium level in her food. All of those are brightly colored and higher in Magnesium. Off of the top of my head you might check Instinct, Merrick, Hounds and Gatos, Daves Turkey and Giblets (they also make one that is LOW Magnesium (.01%), but it's pork flavor), Nutro, Whole Earth, Redbarn.

Your best bet, too, would be to stop the Go! altogether, if you could. Dry food isn't too good for cats with urinary issues of any kind.

 

[duckpond]

I dont know if it would prevent crystals, but Weruva has some all meat, lower magnesium foods. and if you look on their site they do give a lot of good information about their foods, including magnesium count. My cats eat quite a bit of the paw lickin chicken, and chicken frick a zee. when they need a fish fix they like Goldie lox

I dont know if its fact or fiction, but in my mind Spinach in cat food is a problem. People who have a problem with kidney or bladder stones are to stay away with spinach. so i try never to feed a food with spinach, i think that was in both of the foods you were feeding? I know they put it in a LOT of cat food these days. And i may be wrong, its just one of those ingredients, along with Carrageenan and agar-agar that i stay away from.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I would talk to the vet before continuing to give her apple cider vinegar.

 

[cheeser]

If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you check out the dietary recommendations at catinfo.org.

Our cat kept having relapses every three months like clockwork, and the prescription food didn't seem to be doing him a bit of good. Then after reading Dr. Pierson's website, we eliminated all dry food and fish products from Buddy's diet (except for fish oils), reduced his carb intake, and he's been blissfully symptom free for the past 2-3 years.

 

[xcourtney3]

You need to find out what kind of crystals she has before acidifying her urine

 

[DreamerRose]

Mingo had a crystals episode, too. I feed him now Purina One for Urinary Tract Health and Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. The Gravy Lovers isn't the most nutritious, but it's low in ash, which usually is the cause of the crystals. Here's a chart from CatInfo that tells you all the breakdowns on ingredients. http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf