I apologize in advance for this long post. About 3 years ago, I adopted a Maine Coon mix and named him Brady. When I adopted him, I was told he had a history of crystals but I really didn't know what that meant at the time or how severe it could be. Fast forward to last January when he showed his first signs of "FLUTD" as the ER vet called it which lasted about 5 days. From that point on and up until last June, he blocked and passed a few mucous plugs which prompted trips to the ER vet because it would always happen during the weekend or middle of the night. The last time in June was the worst and he was showing no signs of passing this blockage; I brought him to his regular vet, who I love him and credit him for saving Brady's life, who said he was blocked and needed to be cathed and flushed out. They had a terrible time trying to cath him and at that point his bladder was so "weak and sick" according to the vet that his bladder ruptured which prompted him to have emergency bladder surgery. He made it through that surgery and the vet was afraid of him blocking again once he took out the cath. We decided it would be best for him to have the PU surgery which he had a week after the first surgery. The PU surgery was the last thing I wanted to put him through but after weighing all the options and with that being like 5-6th time he blocked in 4 months, I felt I had no other option. Brady is a chunky cat and the only issue he has had since that surgery was keeping that area clean. He has gotten an ecoli infection around the outside of the "new" opening which has been treated and for maintenance I wipe him with medicated wipes once or twice a day which has been keeping him somewhat under control down there.
Which brings me to my question and I'm hoping someone has some advice. Since the surgeries, he has had tummy troubles. After the surgeries, he was on several antibiotics and things like that but it's now almost January and he's still experiencing these issues. He does one decent poop a day but after that he's in and out of his box doing smaller, softer poops every time he eats and that'll last a few hours. Sometimes, he even digs like he has to poop and nothing comes out; I know he's not straining to pee because he holds his tail and makes a different face when he has to poop. Once he goes through that "spell" he'll be fine until the next day and the cycle repeats itself. The only med he takes is 10mg of amitriptyline in a pill pocket each day because he suffers from stress and anxiety which he has been taking since June. I also put Proviable DC in his breakfast so he's getting a probiotic; I tried FortiFlora but he won't eat it. He's on an all canned food diet and no dry food; I've made changes and tried eliminating certain things thinking he was allergic to chicken, turkey and he still has issues. The only canned prescription food he gets is the Purina UR Salmon every morning cause he seems to like it, the rest of the canned food is mainly grain free. He never had this issue prior to the surgeries when he was eating Fancy Feast and things like that. The vet even had him try B12 shots thinking he was maybe deficient but that didn't help and it adds more stress to him since the shots are weekly. The PU surgical site is close to his bum and I am constantly worried about keeping him clean since his poop is soft sometimes- I'm always afraid of it getting in and causing more of an infection. Does anybody have any suggestions? I feel like I have tried everything and spent a fortune on food trying to figure this out. I just feel so bad for him because I think he gets cramps in his tummy because he'll cry before he poops. Any suggestions are welcome!
Which brings me to my question and I'm hoping someone has some advice. Since the surgeries, he has had tummy troubles. After the surgeries, he was on several antibiotics and things like that but it's now almost January and he's still experiencing these issues. He does one decent poop a day but after that he's in and out of his box doing smaller, softer poops every time he eats and that'll last a few hours. Sometimes, he even digs like he has to poop and nothing comes out; I know he's not straining to pee because he holds his tail and makes a different face when he has to poop. Once he goes through that "spell" he'll be fine until the next day and the cycle repeats itself. The only med he takes is 10mg of amitriptyline in a pill pocket each day because he suffers from stress and anxiety which he has been taking since June. I also put Proviable DC in his breakfast so he's getting a probiotic; I tried FortiFlora but he won't eat it. He's on an all canned food diet and no dry food; I've made changes and tried eliminating certain things thinking he was allergic to chicken, turkey and he still has issues. The only canned prescription food he gets is the Purina UR Salmon every morning cause he seems to like it, the rest of the canned food is mainly grain free. He never had this issue prior to the surgeries when he was eating Fancy Feast and things like that. The vet even had him try B12 shots thinking he was maybe deficient but that didn't help and it adds more stress to him since the shots are weekly. The PU surgical site is close to his bum and I am constantly worried about keeping him clean since his poop is soft sometimes- I'm always afraid of it getting in and causing more of an infection. Does anybody have any suggestions? I feel like I have tried everything and spent a fortune on food trying to figure this out. I just feel so bad for him because I think he gets cramps in his tummy because he'll cry before he poops. Any suggestions are welcome!
