C/D or FLUTD budget friendly treatments?

[sleepypil]

My long haired orange tabby has been having accidents around the house and I noticed she was peeing blood so I took her to the vet and he told me she has crystals in the urine and the only way to treat it was taking her frequently for some antibiotics and get her prescription wet food for c/d.
Due to the situation right now I don’t have a job (job hunting atm) and it’s not possible for me to take frequent trips to the vet which cost me around $80-100 each visit and I can barely afford my cat’s prescription food. I already invested money in a water fountain and another littler box for her (suggested by the vet), I am also keeping her in my room so she won’t have to walk a long distance to the litter boxes.
Is there any budget treatments or food I could give her while I find another job?

 

[Heart For Cats]

Welcome to TCS. What is your cat's name?

It looks to me like the vet is trying to get the money you don't have. Regular scheduled appointments should cost only $45. Hill's C/D is a money maker, not the best thing for a cat with bloody urine. What he needs right now Antibiotics are only useful if a bacterial infection is present and even if there is, you can give her pills at home. For all you know it may not even be either bacteria or crystals, so I would go somewhere else where the vet understands financial hardships and does not prescribe something without knowing what caused the problem first. Bring the cat's medical records with you, but ask how much it would cost to do another urinalysis.

You can save money on food by subscribing to it online for a 15% discount. That adds up to a lot of savings on food if she is willing to eat the same thing all day every day for the rest of her life.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Didn't the vet recommend an antibiotic that can be given as a shot (which can last 1-2 weeks)? As mentioned above, any reason why you can't have your vet prescribe an oral antibiotic for you to give her at home?

I take it a urinalysis was done in order for the vet to confirm crystals. The urinalysis should also have confirmed that there was bacteria in the urine to suggest an infection. Ideally a urine culture would have been done as well to determine the type of bacteria so that a proper antibiotic could be prescribed. But, a lot of vets will give a broad spectrum antibiotic without the culture because they are expensive. And, there really is no home remedy for an infection.

There are non-prescription foods for urinary health, but they don't necessarily address crystals specifically. The key is hydration (water and canned food) to help keep the bladder flushed thereby reducing crystal production. You could go to your local pet store and ask about various urinary health canned foods and see what they have on hand. Purina One Urinary Tract Health is one brand that I am sure is less expensive than the prescription food. Perhaps, you could experiment with mixing the prescription food with urinary health care foods to help with the cost. And, you can try to add just a bit of water to help with getting her to take in more liquid.

In the meantime, also ask around to friends/family/neighbors about finding another vet - especially if your current one won't either give your cat an antibiotic injection or prescribe an oral antibiotic that you can administer at home.

 

[sleepypil]

Thank you for the suggestion on foods, I will try the Purine canned food.
He gave her the antibiotic shot but told me to take her back after a week for the next one until she’s better, I did ask about oral antibiotics but he said the that oral isn’t as effective as if it is injected but I am currently in search of another, I do live in a small town so it’s kind of hard to find someone near me but I am going to check out other nearby cities.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He gave her the antibiotic shot but told me to take her back after a week for the next one until she’s better.

Tbh, most injectable antibiotics last about a couple of weeks from a therapeutic standpoint. But some of them can stay in the body at untherapeutic levels for a couple of months. I would be telling the vet that if they think more antibiotics are necessary, you would like an oral med to give her as a follow up. Also, find out the name of the antibiotic and look it up to see what you can find out about the duration at both therapeutic and non-therapeutic levels. Ditto if you can get this vet to follow up with an oral one.

 

[sleepypil]

My cat’s name is Mei!
Sadly the clinic never answers the phone so it’s impossible to make an appointment unless I make it in advance, they charge $50-60 per visit plus a $30 fee for walk ins.
I had someone suggest the HomeoPet feline UTI+ oral drops so I will try them out and see if it relieves the pain, I am also looking for a new vet and I will also consider subscribing for that 15%.

 

[maggie101]

My long haired orange tabby has been having accidents around the house and I noticed she was peeing blood so I took her to the vet and he told me she has crystals in the urine and the only way to treat it was taking her frequently for some antibiotics and get her prescription wet food for c/d.
Due to the situation right now I don’t have a job (job hunting atm) and it’s not possible for me to take frequent trips to the vet which cost me around $80-100 each visit and I can barely afford my cat’s prescription food. I already invested money in a water fountain and another littler box for her (suggested by the vet), I am also keeping her in my room so she won’t have to walk a long distance to the litter boxes.
Is there any budget treatments or food I could give her while I find another job?

Does she have uti? Is that why the vet is giving her antibiotics? When my cat had uti and on antibiotics,, she came back after 10 days. Another urinalysis,clear of uti but had struitive crystals and was on Hill's c/d then switched to rc s/o because she didn't like it. It took 2 months to be totally clear of crystals. Now she eats purina ur-didnt like royal canin either- mixed with non prescription since struitive crystals can come back. Maybe your cats situation is different. Recheck 2x a year. I would not keep her in a room. It can be stressful

 

[Heart For Cats]

Thank you for the suggestion on foods, I will try the Purine canned food.
He gave her the antibiotic shot but told me to take her back after a week for the next one until she’s better, I did ask about oral antibiotics but he said the that oral isn’t as effective as if it is injected but I am currently in search of another, I do live in a small town so it’s kind of hard to find someone near me but I am going to check out other nearby cities.

Don't rush out for Purina just because one member suggested it. Royal Canin is in the same price range and some people like it better. I would never buy something just because the word "urinary" is on the front label. It must also be good for the cat's overall health. I look at the water percentage on the Guaranteed Analysis table.

Your regular vet may not have the best oral antibiotic for her specific bacteria (if she does have an infection) or, as Feeby's Owner said, done a culture to determine which oral drug should be prescribed. This is where getting a second opinion from a different vet hospital would be helpful even if bacteria were found in the first urinalysis.

 

[LTS3]

Here's some info on urinary tract issues, diet options, and why many vets misdiagnose urinary issues: Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection