I am so confused....good food for bladder stones

AriRio

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I am beside myself with guilt. My not even 2 year old female will be having surgery in a week to remove 4 or 5 large bladder stones.

I am so confused about what i should be feeding my babies. My male had a crystal issue back in march and since then both cats have been on Farmina Urinary (my male cant have chicken). For wet food its a mix of tiki cat and fancy feast. I know fancy feast is maybe not tje best, i was just trying to maintain a budget.

We are not sure what kind of stones and they will be sent for analysis once removed. For now i will put both cats on the Rayne vet urinary fodd because it is pork based and my female will go on a urinary wet food since she can have chicken.

What do i look for?? Low calcium? Low salt? No carb? Low phosphorus? Vets push the vet food and make me feel like a bad cat mom. This vet immediately blamed the food (not my usual vet, but same office).

PleSe dont judge my choices. They were made with the best of intentions.
 

silent meowlook

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Hi. Nobody is going to judge you here!! We all do the best we can for our cats. I think it is great you are having the surgery done. Many people wouldn’t do that.

On the diet, you have to wait for the stone analysis to come back before you know what diet to use. Your vet will honestly be the best to guide you. Just make sure the diet is canned ( if your cat will eat it) always best they eat, even the wrong thing, as opposed to not eating at all. Make sure to encourage water consumption as it always helps to try to keep the urine dilute so stones don’t form. Your vet may want you doing subcutaneous fluids at home to help with this.

Keep us posted. And please don’t worry, you won’t be judged here!
 
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AriRio

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I guess where i'm really confused is because i don't know what kind of stones it is. And if it is calcium them the urinary food i have them on might be to blame. I'm scared that this is going to happen again. And my other cat is gonna have a hard time without his sister for a week.

I have been through so much with these cats....evwry few months theres something. Im very tired....
 

Furballsmom

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Hi, I'm wondering if a nutritionist might be able to help once you get the results back about the stones?

HOME - American College of Veterinary nutrionists

And my other cat is gonna have a hard time without his sister for a week.
Be sure and have her sleep on a blanket or towel and place that in his favorite napping spot while she's gone, unless they typically nap together anyway. Also, a purr toy, heartbeat toy and maybe a selfwarming bed might help him.

Also, keep in mind that since she is going to smell like the vet and totally unlike herself to him, you may need to utilize this for when she comes home;

either with vanilla or raw coconut (which still has fragrance) ;

From valanhb
You put a dab of vanilla extract under the chins, at the base of their neck (by the spine) and at the base of the tail (again, on the spine not the underside of the tail!) of all of the cats to make them smell the same. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if that kitty smells the same as "me", the he must be a friend. Kitty logic at it's finest.

This trick works when introducing cats into the household as well, or during a reintroduction after a redirected aggression event.
 
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FeebysOwner

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My cat had oxalate stones that had to be surgically removed at the age of 5. I am kind of surprised that your vet hasn't speculated on the type of stones. My vet said he was pretty sure they were oxalate stones based on their size. Urine PH varies as well, based on stone type, which is part of the urinalysis. The lower the value, the more likely for oxalate stones; the higher the value can lend to struvite stones. The normal pH range of cat urine is approximately 6.0 to 6.5.

Feeby was put on Hill's urinary care food, which is supposed to not only help dissolve struvite stones but also to help regulate urine PH, which can also attribute to the formulation of both kinds of stones. It was dry food as I didn't know any better then. I added the canned food version later and after that she stopped eating the dry altogether. It has been several years now, and she is not on any urinary care food, but all of her food is canned, and I add water to it, which is her preference anyway. She has numerous water dishes placed around the house, and she visits all of them often - as she passes by them. Bottom line for me: she is now 18+ yo, and never had a recurrence with the stones (I still knock-on wood whenever I say that). Whether or not that had anything to do with the urinary care foods, I don't know given at least half the time since her surgery she has been eating anything besides urinary care foods.

I hope whatever stones your girl has ends up being a one-time incident like Feeby's was. I do have routine urinalyses done just to be on the safe side, as the sediment found in the urine can also give a clue as to whether stones are forming.
 
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AriRio

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The vet just called with tjeburinw results. There were struvite crystals in her urine so hopefully thats what the stones are. I will just bw happy once she is settled and we ca put this behind us.
 

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Do either of your cats squat in the litterbox to the point that their bottoms touch the litter, and maybe pick up bacteria that way?

Are they stressed? Cat Music and calming products can help going forward.

Ask your vet whether Hydra Care would be worthwhile. It's formulated for cats with FLUTD stones, et al.

Hydration for cats is always of value and with that thought let me post this too, just in case it is helpful;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

This is from todaysveterinarynurse .com the ins and outs of managing feline chronic kidney disease

Water intake is of utmost importance in all kidney patients. Making sure all water bowls are cleaned daily may encourage water consumption. Circulating water fountains can be provided for cats that like to drink running or dripping water, and multiple water bowls should be offered throughout the home. Also, the size and depth of water bowls may need to be considered, and different types of water (e.g., distilled, warm, cold) may need to be tried. Canned diets are preferred because of their water content. When further diluting diets to increase water consumption, it must be taken into consideration that the calorie:volume ratio is also being diluted, and pets may need to consume a greater volume of food to maintain body weight.
 

Alldara

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This site is super helpful with prevention.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) | International Cat Care

For Structure crystals, you want lower phorporus and magnesium and a food that contains either cranberry, blueberry or Citric acid.

Since they removed the crystals already, you may be able to use an "over the counter" urinary food.

Whatever yet food you decide, add extra water to it. Any treats, even home made treats (there are lots of recipes online and you can substitute another meat for chicken), ensure that they have cranberries or something as well.

I also recommend not using clay or pine litters for cats with urinary issues. I personally use paper or walnut shell based litters.
 

Alldara

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I wanted to put this in a separate post but as mentioned above, the biggest prevention is more water. Also you want to ensure that your cats aren't "holding" their pee too long which can allow bacteria to build up.

This likely means adding an extra litter box. (Even if you already have 1 per cat plus one!)

I also want to say above that I've gotten the hang of a very interesting way to switch cat litter. I fill one of the boxes completely with the new litter and leave the others alone. Then, see how long they take to use it. I can also learn which types of litter my cats prefer from this method.
 
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AriRio

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Funny enough its my male cat who somtimes squats low, but my female seems ok that way. Both cats are good drinkers, although my male doesnt like a lot if wet food. I do add water to their wet food, making it like a soup. Theyve been on farmina urinary dry since march and my female eats more wet food then my male. I will note that all of their wet food is fish which ive read can be high in phosphorus. The stones will be removed on tuesday and we should know more
 
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AriRio

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I should also add that my female tends to hold her pee....not because there arent enough boxes ots just what she does.
 

Alldara

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I should also add that my female tends to hold her pee....not because there arent enough boxes ots just what she does.
That's normal with bladder issues. If it hurts to go why would you want to? The extra boxes and keeping the boxes clean will encourage more frequent usage.
 

FeebysOwner

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I should also add that my female tends to hold her pee....not because there arent enough boxes ots just what she does.
It doesn't do anything to help with your initial question, but oddly enough Feeby (who had the oxalate stones removed) also held her pee all the time at that age, and long beyond stone removal. She would go once a day, almost like clockwork. That only changed after she got much older.

You might consider trying some non-fish foods too, just so they are not eating fish only.
 
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AriRio

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Now i get to try to research foods and as much as i hate to say it my babies are probably gonna go on hills prescription.

Maybe they will go on something later on, but theyve been on Farmina urinary since march and this is where i am now. *sigh* also gotta look at wet foods.
 

FeebysOwner

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You haven't yet had the stones removed, correct? So, what is prompting you to start researching other foods? Something the vet said?

Hill's has wet food for urinary care, as does Royal Canin, Purina, and Wysong.
 
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AriRio

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Vet said the farmina isnt working. My baby has 4 or 5 large stones. Wont know what kind until they come out.
 

FeebysOwner

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Odds are that for that many large stones, they were formulating long before you started Farmina. There may not have been any food that would have resolved that. Even if these are struvite stones, there is only so much any urinary care food can do to dissolve them, once they can grow to a 'large' size.

I think given your cats young age, and the degree of stones she has, once you find the results of the stone analysis, you might want to consult with a vet urologist specialist for a more intense assessment of her 'possible' issues.
 

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I used to feed vet food till i realized they're made with compete crap. Vets are not given any real time in school to learn proper nutrition. And what they do learn is taught (peddled) by those Rx food companies.:/
Anyhow, I had one on Diamond Urinary dry food that had to have kidney stones removed. They had a formula that her clear till I had realized her IBD was food related and had to find her something else. But now most of my cats are on Young Again Mature Zero. I originally bought it for my diabetic cat but have missy on it now. Their numbers are real good.
 

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