Struvite Crystals And Wet Diets

[1 bruce 1]

I even saw a comment recently that cats are not pets like dogs because they don't serve any real purpose.. What????

That comment you saw comes out of the mouths of ignorant people who beat and bully their dogs, and the dog forgives them, but a cat won't have none of it.

 

[slamina2]

Right now he's on Purina ProPlan UTI wet and Purina one UTI dry mixed morning and night. I still have cans of wet food my neighbor gives me (they're all grain-free wet from Chewy). Can I still give my cat wet food even though it does not speficially say UTI on the food label? I want to get him off dry food entirely but uh yeah is it ok if I feed him wet and not have it be UTI specific?

We have a 5 yr. old male who was found with struvites over a year ago and since then I've researched the nutrition. I've read and been told by veterinarians that the low ash, low magnesium and phosphorus is critical to their diets. Izzy has been eating Hills CD canned and dry. It is expensive but our vet has coupons that help a little. We are lower income so it's tough with feeding 6 others. But if you want to keep your kitty healthy and free of struvites, you should change foods. No commercial food is going to be specifically made for cats prone to struvites. A UTI food is for urinary tract infection which is a totally different disease! For cats that don't like wet, try grinding up his dry and sprinkle it on his canned. It's the smell of dry kibble not so much taste that cats crave. Also always add some warm water. A couple good choices that are low in ash, mag. and phos. is "BFF tuna & chicken 4EVA" and "Chicken frick a zee" both are made by Weruva. The BFF is much cheaper and only has 2% (max) ash. I don't want to make you feel bad for the way you are feeding your kitty or talk foods way beyond affordability but these are the facts. It's a choice we need to make. I wish they made better foods less costly but they just don't. If you could get your kitty on a total low ash canned and maybe just buy the dry Hills CD and grind up to add alittle to the canned with added water, I think you'd be doing a great diet. I want to add that there are different reasons for struvites. I would ask your vet what causing his and read up. Now I'm getting myself confused again. This may help you and myself to read again Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

Hi. I don't see why not, since you can switch off and on between them. Also, after those cans are gone if you want to have different UTI wet food options, you can try Hill's C/D and Royal Canin SO. I feed these to Feeby. She had bladder stone surgery 8 years ago, and has been on these foods since (both wet and dry).

 

[badw0lf]

We have a 5 yr. old male who was found with struvites over a year ago and since then I've researched the nutrition. I've read and been told by veterinarians that the low ash, low magnesium and phosphorus is critical to their diets. Izzy has been eating Hills CD canned and dry. It is expensive but our vet has coupons that help a little. We are lower income so it's tough with feeding 6 others. But if you want to keep your kitty healthy and free of struvites, you should change foods. No commercial food is going to be specifically made for cats prone to struvites. A UTI food is for urinary tract infection which is a totally different disease! For cats that don't like wet, try grinding up his dry and sprinkle it on his canned. It's the smell of dry kibble not so much taste that cats crave. Also always add some warm water. A couple good choices that are low in ash, mag. and phos. is "BFF tuna & chicken 4EVA" and "Chicken frick a zee" both are made by Weruva. The BFF is much cheaper and only has 2% (max) ash. I don't want to make you feel bad for the way you are feeding your kitty or talk foods way beyond affordability but these are the facts. It's a choice we need to make. I wish they made better foods less costly but they just don't. If you could get your kitty on a total low ash canned and maybe just buy the dry Hills CD and grind up to add alittle to the canned with added water, I think you'd be doing a great diet. I want to add that there are different reasons for struvites. I would ask your vet what causing his and read up. Now I'm getting myself confused again. This may help you and myself to read again Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

I told my vet what food I got and because she knows I'm on a fixed income, she said those specific foods (Purina ProPlan UTI / Purina One UTI) were better than regular food. She compared it amongst Royal Canin and Hills, what she wrote a Rx for. I have a case of ProPlan and Hills Hairball&Urinary Care (arriving monday) - bought some Tiny Tiger Pate since it was on sale for Black Friday.

 

[lalagimp]

It is expensive but our vet has coupons that help a little. We are lower income so it's tough with feeding 6 others.

If you're in the states compare your pricing against Chewy.com on autoship.
Even with my coupons I was using at the vet, Chewy came out more affordable at that time. Tommy was on Hill's prescription Metabolic. It was $83 at the vet or $67 at Chewy.

 

[badw0lf]

Hi guys. Black Friday cyber Monday got the best of me and now I have 108 cans of wet food. Most of them are UTI specific.

 

[misty8723]

If you're in the states compare your pricing against Chewy.com on autoship.
Even with my coupons I was using at the vet, Chewy came out more affordable at that time. Tommy was on Hill's prescription Metabolic. It was $83 at the vet or $67 at Chewy.

I just checked Chewy vs Vet store SO 5.8 oz cans. For a case of 24, Chewy is $42.74 and Vet store (Vets First Choice) is $45.01. Both autoship, both free shipping. If I buy them at the vet, 24 cans would be $48.24. Chewy is almost always cheaper.

 

[badw0lf]

I bought American Journey as well because it had a very low magnesium/ash content something like 0.02 magnesium and 1.2. Also it was BOGO. I need to cut myself off from Chewy now.

 

[badw0lf]

Black Friday haul ok I went insane I’m sorry

 

[Name9335]

Honestly, I would really recommend getting rid of the dry, especially for known urinary issues. Any wet food is going to be better. If you can, check into feeding raw, that is the most biologically appropriate for them.

 

[dan32]

I inherited a 10yo boy cat (from a friend who died) with a long history of crystals. He was extremely overwieght, had been free-fed kibble his whole life, and came with a bag of prescription diet (dry) which he was refusing to eat.

He is my big overeater and raids all dishes, so having prescription diet for him only just wasn't going to work out with two others who didn't need it. Plus, he didn't like his prescription kibble anyway - he wanted what the others were getting.

Everybody had to eat the same thing for him to be in the family. I've been feeding him a raw/canned diet with scant amounts of kibble that I dole out through the day (he would eat buckets of dry food if it were out for him). In total, he gets maybe 1/8 cup of kibble daily - he loves crunchy stuff - even begs for crackers or cookies - a true carb addict..

Anyway, I got this impression that there is a strong relationship between kibble addicts and crystals. I was watching an episode of Dr. Jeff on Animal Planet and he advising a patient with similar advice. That if you wanted to resolve the crystal problem, cut way back on the kibble.

Not to congratulate myself, but I've had him 4 years and no problems with crystals, even not on any prescription diet..

 

[badw0lf]

I inherited a 10yo boy cat (from a friend who died) with a long history of crystals. He was extremely overwieght, had been free-fed kibble his whole life, and came with a bag of prescription diet (dry) which he was refusing to eat.

He is my big overeater and raids all dishes, so having prescription diet for him only just wasn't going to work out with two others who didn't need it. Plus, he didn't like his prescription kibble anyway - he wanted what the others were getting.

Everybody had to eat the same thing for him to be in the family. I've been feeding him a raw/canned diet with scant amounts of kibble that I dole out through the day (he would eat buckets of dry food if it were out for him). In total, he gets maybe 1/8 cup of kibble daily - he loves crunchy stuff - even begs for crackers or cookies - a true carb addict..

Anyway, I got this impression that there is a strong relationship between kibble addicts and crystals. I was watching an episode of Dr. Jeff on Animal Planet and he advising a patient with similar advice. That if you wanted to resolve the crystal problem, cut way back on the kibble.

Not to congratulate myself, but I've had him 4 years and no problems with crystals, even not on any prescription diet..

Just came back from the vet again and she’s REALLY pushing even dry Rx on me when I literally have 100+ cans of wet food. I really don’t want to get rid of it because it wasn’t the cheap variety or anything and it doesn’t have grains. I’m so torn about this.

 

[Tobermory]

Just came back from the vet again and she’s REALLY pushing even dry Rx on me when I literally have 100+ cans of wet food. I really don’t want to get rid of it because it wasn’t the cheap variety or anything and it doesn’t have grains. I’m so torn about this.

I apologize if someone has shared this with you before, but I found this page on the catinfo.org website incredibly informative and helpful when one of my girls had struvite crystals. The site owner is a veterinarian who specializes in feline nutrition. Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

 

[badw0lf]

This was one of the first pages I went to. Soooo what everyone has already been saying “any wet food is better than even prescription dry food” *crosses fingers*

 

[LTS3]

Just came back from the vet again and she’s REALLY pushing even dry Rx on me when I literally have 100+ cans of wet food.

It's ok to disagree with the vet on food Just be firm and tell her that no you are not feeding the prescription food. The vet can't force you to feed prescription food. It's YOUR cat and YOU make the decision on what to feed.

 

[badw0lf]

Good!!! I have nothing against people who dry feed (except meow mix) I still have to mix a little because he’s been a little wet-paté- avoidant but thank god because I notice him peeing a lot more. This morning I gave him a little dry and when I came back, I gave him wet again and he just peed like 20 minutes ago. He didn’t pee until 20 minutes ago so I would like to think the wet food is doing more good than harm.

 

[dan32]

Maybe split the difference and feed out an increasing amount of the canned you have in reserve, while also feeding smaller amounts of the prescription kibble. At the time I was looking into it, I remember finding that there was some acidic chemical that they added to the prescription kibble that differentiated it from regular old kibble. ie. they were trying to acidify the urine which was too alkaline.

I did feed my crystal kibble-addict all of the prescription kibble that he came to me with - it was a huge bag. He hated it, so it was more of a punishment than a reward. Like "if you really must eat kibble, then you can eat THIS kibble". He quickly acclimated to a canned/raw diet - but would still dine on kibble only if I let him.

One other note: have your vet show you how to tell if your cat is blocked - I had mine show me how to tell if his bladder was full or not so that I could stop worrying.

 

[badw0lf]

Maybe split the difference and feed out an increasing amount of the canned you have in reserve, while also feeding smaller amounts of the prescription kibble. At the time I was looking into it, I remember finding that there was some acidic chemical that they added to the prescription kibble that differentiated it from regular old kibble. ie. they were trying to acidify the urine which was too alkaline.

I did feed my crystal kibble-addict all of the prescription kibble that he came to me with - it was a huge bag. He hated it, so it was more of a punishment than a reward. Like "if you really must eat kibble, then you can eat THIS kibble". He quickly acclimated to a canned/raw diet - but would still dine on kibble only if I let him.

One other note: have your vet show you how to tell if your cat is blocked - I had mine show me how to tell if his bladder was full or not so that I could stop worrying.

No she didn't tell me. I watched a video but that's not the same as doing it in person. I have like... regular kibble too. Like a 3lb bag of grain free purina. SHould I throw it out?

 

[Tobermory]

Ah, dan32 reminded me...I did feed the Royal Canin Urinary SO canned food that the vet gave me but after that, it was back to her regular canned food diet. My vet is not a fan of dried food at all—he won’t feed dry to his own cats—and he’s very comfortable with the raw food diet I’m currently feeding the girls.

 

[Tobermory]

No she didn't tell me. I watched a video but that's not the same as doing it in person. I have like... regular kibble too. Like a 3lb bag of grain free purina. SHould I throw it out?

Don’t throw it out!!! If you aren’t going to use it, see if a local shelter or humane society can use it.

 

[badw0lf]

Don’t throw it out!!! If you aren’t going to use it, see if a local shelter or humane society can use it.

true ok. i also have an unopen bag of purina one uti and it was only because he had an episode of walking away from wet food -_-

also have wet samples of hills c/d