FLUTD diagnosis and new problems with wet food

[Tvitti]

Sorry, this turned out to be a long post:

I've been on a roller-coaster all month with my sweet Zane, who was diagnosed with FLUTD on the 11th. He was going to the litter box frequently, crying when using it, and producing only small amounts of urine. He was hospitalized at the vet and cathed for 24 hours. She sent him home with Prazosin, Onsior, and the Hills c/d food. Since then, it has been up and down. He'll do well in the litter box while on the Onsior, but 2-3 days after we stop it, he's back to frequent trips with small output and we have to do another round of Onsior. I'm concerned with how much he's had this month since everything I've read says Onsior should be limited to 3 days.

He is eating and drinking well, but his personality seems to have completely changed since this started. He used to be happy-go-lucky, insanely affectionate, and high energy. Now he doesn't want me to pet him and is constantly checking over his shoulder like he thinks something is going to sneak up on him and attack him. He has been more playful over the last couple of days, but it comes in limited spurts and he's only interested in the toy and wants nothing to do with me.

An even bigger mystery is that he has suddenly developed an intolerance for wet food. He has been eating both wet and dry food his whole life (he's just shy of 2 years old), and ate several cans of the c/d, no problems. Then on Monday, he threw up all of his c/d about 10 minutes after eating it. I offered dry food and it stayed down. The same thing happened again Monday night, so I stopped the wet food. I got a different flavor c/d from the vet Wednesday, gave him just a teaspoon as a test, and again he threw it up shortly after eating it. I am at a loss as to what is going on. Stress treats, medicine, dry food, water - they all stay down fine. One teaspoon of wet food has him violently emptying his stomach for the next half hour, and this happened literally overnight one night.

I am sad, frustrated, scared. I want my sweet boy back and I'll do whatever it takes to make him happy and healthy again. There have been no changes in my household in a long time - I don't know what he is stressed about. I am afraid that he is going to relapse again in a couple of days since today was his last Onsior pill. And I'm really confused as to what is going on with the wet food. Any advice, suggestions, tips - anything would be appreciated.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The ONLY thing I can think of, given what you've described, is that there is some ingredient in the Hills OTHER THAN the protein that he is violently sensitive to. Several companies make a kidney diet, Royal Canine is one that is said to be good. If you are in the USA, go to Chewy.com and search in cat foods for kidney diet. They actually carry several. I did try to do a search for you, but I'm working with a slowly dying computer, here, and it just takes so long...I waited 5 minutes for the basic search to open, where I spotted the Chewy selections.

Vets get sold on the SD brand because the reps bring it to them, and hard-sell. There are better options out there.

 

[Tvitti]

The ONLY thing I can think of, given what you've described, is that there is some ingredient in the Hills OTHER THAN the protein that he is violently sensitive to. Several companies make a kidney diet, Royal Canine is one that is said to be good. If you are in the USA, go to Chewy.com and search in cat foods for kidney diet. They actually carry several. I did try to do a search for you, but I'm working with a slowly dying computer, here, and it just takes so long...I waited 5 minutes for the basic search to open, where I spotted the Chewy selections.

Vets get sold on the SD brand because the reps bring it to them, and hard-sell. There are better options out there.

I have thought about the allergy angle, the only thing that stopped me was that he ate about 8 cans of the c/d before he started vomiting it. I'll do an ingredient comparison tomorrow to see if there's something different in the canned versus dry.

The problem with the urinary diets is that they are prescription and I'd have to have my vet authorize. Has anyone had luck with any non-prescription formulas? Does it really matter? The thought of food being "prescription" has always bothered me.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, they have had luck with different formulas, but I can't remember who or what to save me, and...dying computer, I can't do a decent search. HOWEVER...they generally look for threads like this, so I'm hopeful that one of them will spot this soon. Meanwhile, I will continue to fight the cyberbattle to get some information for you!

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried cornsilk or D-Mannose to help with the inflammation and possible infection? There are TONS of novel protein foods out there for kitties with no fillers or additives. Have you tried venison or duck?

 

[Tvitti]

Have you tried cornsilk or D-Mannose to help with the inflammation and possible infection? There are TONS of novel protein foods out there for kitties with no fillers or additives. Have you tried venison or duck?

I haven't tried cornsilk or D-Mannose yet, but I've read a lot about them over the last couple of days. They are definitely going on my shopping list.

What brands for food? He was actually eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness duck for the last six months before all this started.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I think that Blue Buffalo may have a non-prescription kidney diet. Worth looking on their website!

 

[BlackCatOp]

Did the vet explain the cause of his FLUTD? Was he actually blocked or has he been diagnosed as having idiopathic cystitis (FIC), something else? The underlying cause of his urinary issues affects how I would proceed.

 

[Tvitti]

Did the vet explain the cause of his FLUTD? Was he actually blocked or has he been diagnosed as having idiopathic cystitis (FIC), something else? The underlying cause of his urinary issues affects how I would proceed.

He wasn't blocked, but she did say there was "slight resistance" when she cathed him. Is that a partial blockage? Inflammation? All she has said was FLUTD and that his bladder was empty, so that was good because that meant he could still urinate completely. Everything I've read, it seems to me that he's textbook FIC, but the vet didn't get that specific.

 

[BlackCatOp]

The treatment for blockage vs FIC differs so I would maybe clarify with you vet.

FIC is largely an anxiety disorder where predisposing factors (weight, diet, litter box maintenance/preferences, stressful events, etc) cause destruction of the protective layer of the bladder. Urine is highly irritating and results in bladder inflammation and clinical signs. Environmental modifications are very important in long term managing of FIC.

Blockages can be caused by either stones or mucus plugs and are treated differently than FIC even though their signs are similar.

 

[Tvitti]

Update: Official diagnosis from vet is FIC, not FLUTD. Also found the problem with the wet food: pork allergy.

Litter box behavior has been ok the last few days but anxiety is still problematic. I watched him freak out and hide for absolutely no reason last night. I don't understand what is stressing him out.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Could be anything, including (I know this first hand) construction 3 blocks over. Or a strange cat or other animal outside (Hek used to know, even when we lived in an upstairs apartment). For anxiety, if you can syringe medications, you could try 1-3 teaspoonfuls of chamomile tea (tablespoonfuls for cats over 11 pounds) up to three times a day. It is gently calming, without being sedating. Simply buy plain, unblended chamomile tea bags from the grocery store. Brew a cup, chill it in the fridge, and administer via syringe. DO buy the plain tea bags unless you are a real expert on herbs. German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats, is what is used in tea bags. The English variety, which grows in many gardens, is useless AND toxic to cats! They look very much alike.