UTI

[PFF]

I have a 12 year old female that is an indoor cat that we have had for about 7 years. She had a UTI about 5 years ago, but it cleared up with Antibiotics within a week and she has been the picture of health since. We noticed her going in and out of her litter box and struggling to pee and leaving very little in the box about 12 days ago and got her into the ER vet. She was given a shot of Covenia along with a steroid and pain shot. We noticed improvement in about 4-5 days and thought she was on her way to getting better. Then within 9 days of her initial treatment it came back with a vengeance. We had her back at the vet and he did X-rays and found no blockage and did blood work and showed no signs of kidney issues. He gave her another shot of Covenia and put her on an additional antibiotic pill called Zenquin. She has 2 more days of pills and it has been 5 days and not seeing any improvement. I welcome any input or thoughts from anyone that has experienced this or can help

 

[stephanietx]

Did the vet do a urinalysis via needle biopsy or a culture? Could be that you're dealing with something that the meds don't treat, though Zenequin is pretty powerful. What is she eating? Wet or dry or combo? Has anything changed in your home? Stress often brings on UTIs.

You can give D-Mannose, the human supplement, to help and corn silk helps with inflammation.

Also, you might consider a second opinion from a different vet.

 

[PFF]

No neither the ER vet or our regular vet did a urinalysis, but from what I am reading that probably should have been done and something I will request if there is not improvement in the next 48 hours. We have tried every type of wet food that we could, but our cat will only eat dry. We keep 3-4 bowls of bottled spring water throughout the house and change it each morning….and she has always been good about drinking a good deal of water.
As far as changes in the home, we did inherit a new dog about 3 months ago, but they both seem to get along pretty well. We had a Lab for about 8 years that passed away last year and the dog and cat got long great for a long time, so I don’t think the new dog has been an issue.

The biggest stress issue right now is us having to give our poor girl a pill each day. She won’t take it in a pill pocket or any kind of food and it can be a struggle getting her to take it.

 

[verna davies]

It could be stress related UTI. As stephanietx mentioned above, try d mannose and Cornsilk, both are natural and can be given with other meds. If you need dosage, let me know. As for not eating wet food, try mixing a little wet with the dry and gradually increase wet, decrease dry.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The urinalysis will also show if there is sediment in her urine, which would be indicative of stones or crystals which can cause bladder inflammation which may or may not lead to an infection. Antibiotics won't really do much for the inflammation. So, she might need an anti-inflammatory to help with that aspect. An x-ray can confirm the presence of stone/crystals, while it would likely take an ultrasound to detect the inflammation. And, as said above, the urine culture will determine the type of bacteria that would be causing the infection and the antibiotics that are the most effective for that kind.

Have you tried using lickable treats or baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) as a medium for her pills? It works especially well if the pills can be crushed and mixed with the either, but some cats will lap up the pill right along with the treats or baby food.

 

[PFF]

The urinalysis will also show if there is sediment in her urine, which would be indicative of stones or crystals which can cause bladder inflammation which may or may not lead to an infection. Antibiotics won't really do much for the inflammation. So, she might need an anti-inflammatory to help with that aspect. An x-ray can confirm the presence of stone/crystals, while it would likely take an ultrasound to detect the inflammation. And, as said above, the urine culture will determine the type of bacteria that would be causing the infection and the antibiotics that are the most effective for that kind.

Have you tried using lickable treats or baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) as a medium for her pills? It works especially well if the pills can be crushed and mixed with the either, but some cats will lap up the pill right along with the treats or baby food.

Thanks, we got her last Zenquin pill down today and we have seen some improvement. Going to watch her closely over the next few days to look for more positive changes