Cat With Urinary Blockage And Complications

[shadowsrescue]

Has he peed today?

\
Whew! He peed last night and it was a lot. Yet, he still seems uncomfortable and how has a small blood clot hanging off. He had one before and it fell off. I am keeping an eye on it.
Now we have to see if he will poop. I think he may still be having some pain. He is just not his perky self. But he is eating and did urinate.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Cisco had another bout of loose stool. Not complete diarrhea, but still not normal. It smelled so bad. He has been off the clavamox since Saturday. I now wonder if it's the gabapentin? When he was in the litter box, I had stepped out of his room for a bit. When I came back, I could smell it while running up the stairs. He had gotten the cone off again too. It was in the litter box.

I took some pictures of his back side and emailed the surgeon with the pictures as well as asking what to do about the diarrhea if anything. He just does not seem himself. Right after the bowel movement, he was completely wiped out. We are on day 7 post surgery. I had so hoped he would be feeling better by now. He just seems so depressed.

 

[Columbine]

Poor little boy I'm so sorry he's having such a rough time. It looks like gabapentin could well be the cause of his diarrhoea Gabapentin uses and side effects. He just can't catch a break

Mega that things get easier for him (and you ) very soon You're both in my thoughts

 

[shadowsrescue]

I heard back from the surgeon last night. She said to stop the Gabapentin. If I think he might be in pain, I can add in some Buprenex. She said that Gabapentin rarely causes diarrhea on it's own, but possibly combined with all of the other meds was just too much. If things don't clear up today, I will add in a probiotic to help.

Good news is that when he had diarrhea yesterday, it cleared alot of the stuff that was stuck to his back end. I was then able to get a really good picture. He is healing nicely. The surgeon was really happy with the picture and the way it looks.

So now I just need to get him feeling better. Possibly being out of a drugged stupor will help. I also just have to be sure he doesn't get that cone off.

 

[pushylady]

Glad he's healing well, and hopefully his tummy will settle without the Gabapentin. Poor little dude! I was wondering if you're giving him probiotics. I agree that it's a good idea; sounds like his gut needs all the help it can get right now.

 

[lalagimp]

Hoping he'll be ok without the meds. The hospital didn't send us home with any to administer. The antibiotic injection Covenia was supposed to last 2 weeks. I requested an injection of Cerenia so the car ride home from Virginia would be easier on him since he gets car sick. Then they also gave him an injection of Buprenex that was supposed to last for 3 days.
We did give him a 1 day oral dose of buprenex we had left over from the ER visit later on when his dad messed with one of his clots that was hanging on by a thread, but it was enough to leave a small tear so paid meds, it is.

 

[cat nap]

Glad to hear your Cisco is healing, from his surgery, shadowsrescue .
You mentioned that he hates his cone, and Cisco does sound like a rather fiesty cat, but I did read in one of the Cat Site Articles, about @katachtig using a harness to keep her cat's cone on. (Unfortunately some of the photos no longer show up in this Article, since they were from previous platforms, but the ideas in the articles and threads are still useful.)
The Cat Cone: A Complete Owner's Guide

(I don't know if Cisco, would even be okay with wearing a harness, to hold his cone in place, since it might cause him further irritation, or stress, and he might roll around more, and flip and flop,...but I just thought I would mention it.)
Continued health vibes for Cisco, for a full recovery.

(also total health vibes for your Tommy, lalagimp , ...that he also recovers well.)

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you so much cat nap for the articles. I purchased one of the soft blow up Kong e collars and he could still get to the incision. He is adjusting to this one so I will just keep moving forward. I have been giving him time each day without the collar and allow him to groom everywhere except near the incision.

Yesterday was the first good day we have had. He is still quite sleepy and does seem depressed, but overall he seemed better.

I am looking forward to his recheck on Friday. I am hopeful he can get out of his room. His two brothers do not like to come into the room and visit. One does and the other is so freaked out by the cone!

 

[cat nap]

How is your Cisco doing today, shadowsrescue ?

I would think that seeing Cisco groom himself would indicate that he is feeling better every day.
And perhaps his sleepiness is just his body needing more energy to recover and heal.

His two brothers sound like they don't like seeing him sick at all.
(And for the one, it's bad enough that his brother went to the Vet, had surgery, and now has to wear a huge head contraption, which does not look right, at all. That would be a little scary.)

Hoping that Cisco's recheck on Friday, tomorrow, goes very smoothly.

 

[pet mom]

Tom was given Prazosin for spasms. I switched him off kibble and he went through three different changes the first month. He moved to canned, then commercial raw, then homemade raw. When he blocked with crystals they said his pH was 8. I was watching his records they updated every 2 hours or so from the ER and he ate every time they offered it to him. When he came home he was trickling on himself and the floor and within the first 12 hrs he seemed pretty much back to normal except for the widened eyes from his pain relief. He got oral buprenex.
Things went well from December to February and I think it was Valentine's Day he blocked again. He had been diagnosed with FLUTD. His pH at that time was a 7 and the vet said his catheter went in with little resistance and she didn't believe it was an issue with crystals. Well someone screwed up his catheter and scraped his bladder wall and he was bleeding. They sent him home and said the bleeding would go away and it didn't and the hemorrhagic tissue blocked his urethra again.
So we was blocked twice in 48 hrs. We were in a panic. I broke down. I can't afford to keep unblocking him, whether it's his diet or his biology and we scraped the money together for surgery and he ended up getting his urethra reassigned.
We never really considered prescription diets because we want to feed him a pure diet and those formulas are full of crap ingredients and chemically change the pH, and can change a situation from having struvite crystals to end up having calcium oxalate stones. We have him on a maintenance of Cranberry Relief with his raw food even after surgery. I want to try to keep his bladder healthy.
He pees like a grown man. He gets loads of water and occasional bone broth in his raw and he'll still drink from the fountain. He's got tons of energy and next month he's getting his teeth cleaned. I've put it off the last six months because he's been to facility to facility to facility. He freaked out getting ready for his last followup to the surgeon so we didn't use the carrier and instead put him in his harness.
He'd been on dry his whole life at age 7 when this started. Every time he had to go back to the ER or the hospital in Virginia, he's never taken this situation with a grudge and has been social with everyone.
I've read catinfo.org several times and wondered why this happened more than once to Tommy. He's been hydrated up the wazoo when I changed his diet back in December.

 

[pet mom]

I wasn't going to do the surgery because of the expense and the trauma but my boyfriend said Tom's good for it and that even if it only gives us a few more months before another emergency, that it was money well spent. 3 blockages and a surgery in the DC area ran us up to $10,000.
There is always the risk of stricture after the surgery so we knew that it may not 100% resolve this ongoing issue so you've got a road to go down with worrying about his condition during the blockages, the surgery, the recovery and then just trying to get back on with life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't listen to Tom pee and end up smiling, but every day I see him in there I will always listen to Tom pee. It's my job.
I haven't made my own broth but the boys will use this one Ever since Tom got this diagnosis we've got both our males on the same stuff together. He's now 8 and the other guy is 5 and I hope he never has to go through this. I don't want anyone to have to go through this. I didn't even know this was a thing until December. They don't warn you about this in kitten school.

This night Mirror is just started for us, they took Mowgli's cath out tonight,praying ...
if he don't block over night then he will come home, im so worried cause week end and Mondays a holiday.
my vet say's she is pretty sure he will, and she told me many problems with operation so im freaking out !
I live way up in Mi U P so I have to drive to next town for a vet.

 

[pet mom]

OOP'S sorry haven't learned how to use sight yet !
I will remove this when I do.

 

[lalagimp]

I am looking forward to his recheck on Friday. I am hopeful he can get out of his room. His two brothers do not like to come into the room and visit. One does and the other is so freaked out by the cone!

Yeah Tom's little sister was freaked out by his cone but was otherwise concerned for him. Tomorrow is the day!
We got the stitches out at 2 weeks but left the cone on for another two weeks because he had a little open wound under his new urethra that needed a bit more time to close up.
I'm hoping things go uneventful if not positive for you.

 

[shadowsrescue]

How is your Cisco doing today, shadowsrescue ?

I would think that seeing Cisco groom himself would indicate that he is feeling better every day.
And perhaps his sleepiness is just his body needing more energy to recover and heal.

His two brothers sound like they don't like seeing him sick at all.
(And for the one, it's bad enough that his brother went to the Vet, had surgery, and now has to wear a huge head contraption, which does not look right, at all. That would be a little scary.)

Hoping that Cisco's recheck on Friday, tomorrow, goes very smoothly.

Yesterday and Wednesday were much better days. I allowed him some time out of his room and that made a huge difference to him. His brothers quickly got used to him with his cone. He is still so sad though.

We also allowed him to sleep in our bedroom with the door closed. He did well, but still didn't perk him up.

I try to give him some time without the cone, but after a few minutes he goes right for the incision. I have a feeling he will still need to wear the cone after the recheck today.

 

[shadowsrescue]

The recheck went well. All but one of his sutures have dissolved. He needs another 2-3 days with the cone and then we can monitor him. They don't want him licking the area too much.

He is allowed to resume all normal activity. Yet he has no interest in playing even when I take the cone off.

Now the trick becomes how to tell who is using the litter boxes. With 3 indoor kitties and 4 boxes, it will be hard to know that Cisco is regularly using the box.

 

[cat nap]

Does Cisco still have to take the buprenorphine/buprenex for pain? Sometimes that pain medication either makes a cat relaxed and sleepy, or wired and hyper? So hard to predict its effect. And also causes constipation, in some cats.
I think Cisco's interest in playing will come back, as he starts to feel better, and more healed.

...Now the trick becomes how to tell who is using the litter boxes. With 3 indoor kitties and 4 boxes, it will be hard to know that Cisco is regularly using the box.

Determining when Cisco is regularly using his litter box is difficult.
You mentioned IP cameras, before,...can you set it up to record? Though I guess, you still need to have more than one camera, and monitor which cat is going where.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Cisco has been off all meds since Tuesday. I am pretty sure it is just the cone. He is much happier when it is off.

I had thought of the ip cameras, but not sure I can hook up 4 of them!! For now I am following him around!

I talked with my regular vet the other day. She really wants him on prescription cat food. I am not in favor of that at all right now. The surgeon said it was not necessary unless he starts to develop UTI's. I am in the process of removing all dry food as well as adding more water to the wet food.

 

[cat nap]

...I talked with my regular vet the other day. She really wants him on prescription cat food. I am not in favor of that at all right now. The surgeon said it was not necessary unless he starts to develop UTI's. I am in the process of removing all dry food as well as adding more water to the wet food.

That is a hard decision, regarding the prescription cat food. (the only one I have ever used was Hill's for CKD, and at the time I do think it helped my 14 year old CKD cat, but now, looking back,...I do wonder if it would have been better to use phos. binders and other foods with better ingredients.)

The tough thing is not knowing how the food affects the PH levels in the urine.
With the prescription food, I would think that it would improve them, and help to stave off crystal formation,...but again... I have not read enough about them.

With the wet food that you will be giving him, is it still a urinary wet food, to help with his bladder?
Did any Vet mention getting PH test strips and monitoring urine PH, in the future?

 

[shadowsrescue]

Right now the prescription food would only be preventative. The surgeon said as long as he is eating mostly wet food with some added water, he should do fine. He did not have any stones, just crystals.

From my reading as long as he is getting adequate water, he should be fine. I am inclined to see how he does. If he starts to develop UTI's then prescription food it will be.

I have had a dog on prescription food for crystals here entire life. I hate the stuff. She never developed crystals again, but still gets UTI"s from time to time.

I will keep researching. For now he is eating really well. His food is 95% wet food with an added tablespoon of water per meal. He is drinking from the two fountains I have.

 

[cat nap]

Thanks shadowsrescue . I didn't even know that crystals was an issue for dogs, as well.
I will have to do more reading on this topic, too.

(This is really good information, you and lalagimp are giving... for cats and PU recovery.)