Vet Is Not Sure About My Kitty's Uti

[classic67]

Two days ago I noticed my Shelby was crying a little and going to the litter box and not making a puddle. So we raced her to the Emergency vet and they found blood in her urine and put her on Clavamox every 12 hours and assumed it was a UTI. After 4 doses, one of which I ended up with most of it on me, she still has blood in her urine and is still straining. Appetite is great, and all else is normal. I called the vet today and they want to do ultrasounds, X-rays, blood work, more lab work. I'll do anything in the world for my girls, but I asked if I could wait until tomorrow to see if one more dose of the antibiotics might make a difference. So they gave me more meds to help with the straining. We are up to $500.00 in two days. Two weeks ago my other kitty had an abscess and that was close to $700.00. Has anyone had a similar experience with their kitties? Any imput would be greatly appreciated! She'll be going in for all the testing tomorrow if she's not better.

 

[silkenpaw]

It does sometimes take more than just a couple of days for the blood to go away and the cat to feel better. But if you believe the antibiotic she’s getting is not taking care of the infection, you might consider just changing antibiotics. You can always do the ultrasounds, X-rays and blood work later.

This is assuming she has an infection. Do you know whether there were white cells and bacteria in the urine? That would support infection. There is also a sterile cystitis cats get. My cat got treated with a pain killer and a special food.

 

[classic67]

It does sometimes take more than just a couple of days for the blood to go away and the cat to feel better. But if you believe the antibiotic she’s getting is not taking care of the infection, you might consider just changing antibiotics. You can always do the ultrasounds, X-rays and blood work later.

This is assuming she has an infection. Do you know whether there were white cells and bacteria in the urine? That would support infection. There is also a sterile cystitis cats get. My cat got treated with a pain killer and a special food.

 

[classic67]

They did see elevated white cells in the urine, but no bacteria, but he said in 20% of the cases you don't see bacteria in kitties with a UTI. He did give me a pain killer which i'm going to give her before bed tonight. She's sleeping now and I don't want to disturb her! Isn't it amazing how much we can love these little fur babies? We have four girl kitties and they are our world! So tonight I'll say my
prayers and hopefully tomorrow she'll feel much better! Thanks for your info!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

How old is Shelby? How long were you due to give her the antibiotics? If she is on at least 10 days, the typical rule of thumb is that you need to be at least 1/2 way (5 days) through the antibiotic to start to see positive effects.

However, if there is no bacteria, I am not sure what an antibiotic will do. It sounds more like bladder inflammation - which I think would have to be treated with an anti-inflammatory. And, it also sounds like cystitis may be the possible culprit.

At a minimum, start with the x-ray - they can check her bladder for stones/crystals/sediment and it should help give them a clue as to whether she truly has inflammation in her bladder. The blood work might also help identify what type of white blood cells are elevated, and could be useful in diagnosis. I am guessing no urine culture was done (just a urinalysis)? The culture may be more accurate in terms of identifying bacteria, the results usually take 2-3 days.

 

[classic67]

How old is Shelby? How long were you due to give her the antibiotics? If she is on at least 10 days, the typical rule of thumb is that you need to be at least 1/2 way (5 days) through the antibiotic to start to see positive effects.

However, if there is no bacteria, I am not sure what an antibiotic will do. It sounds more like bladder inflammation - which I think would have to be treated with an anti-inflammatory. And, it also sounds like cystitis may be the possible culprit.

At a minimum, start with the x-ray - they can check her bladder for stones/crystals/sediment and it should help give them a clue as to whether she truly has inflammation in her bladder. The blood work might also help identify what type of white blood cells are elevated, and could be useful in diagnosis. I am guessing no urine culture was done (just a urinalysis)? The culture may be more accurate in terms of identifying bacteria, the results usually take 2-3 days.

 

[classic67]

Thank you so much for your input. Shelby is 10. I don't see much blood in the urine now but she still is straining. They didn't tell us how long to give the antibiotics to her, just gave us 2 bottles and sent us home. She's been on it 2 x a day since Sunday evening. We brought her back in yesterday for blood work and they have her scheduled for an ultrasound on Tuesday. We have been going to this vet for close to 40 years. Now they are a huge hospital with 24 hour emergency care and 19 vets on staff. I called to get an appt yesterday and not one vet could see her. I had to bring her in on an emergency basis. $$$$$ The ultrasound vets went home at 4:00pm.! I have just about had it with them. You sit in the emergency room for hours with a very unhappy kitty. We are waiting for a call back hopefully today on the blood work.

 

[FeebysOwner]

They didn't tell us how long to give the antibiotics to her, just gave us 2 bottles and sent us home. She's been on it 2 x a day since Sunday evening.

They likely want you to give her the antibiotics until they are all gone. So, based on how long she has already been on them, and how much you have left you can get a ballpark idea of how many more days she will be getting.

The ultrasound vets went home at 4:00pm.! I have just about had it with them. You sit in the emergency room for hours with a very unhappy kitty. We are waiting for a call back hopefully today on the blood work.

That's unfortunate about the ultrasound - and kind of silly that they didn't at least go ahead and do an x-ray while you were there. Had they done that, they might not have needed an ultrasound - that's just a guess on my part, but I know that is how I would feel if it were Feeby.

I also hope they ran a full senior blood panel - that includes a bit more than just generalized blood work, and is pretty standard for a cat of Shelby's age.

Keep us posted!

 

[classic67]

We got the results of the blood work back. Kidney function is fine everything looks good. Liver function numbers were a little off, but she said that could be even from mouth bacteria, and the plan is to go ahead with the ultrasound next Tuesday. But since then (noon time yesterday) she's going to the litterbox normally, no straining, no sitting there for minutes at a time. I was talking to a neighbor who had a cat who had elevated liver readings, they said the cat wouldn't make it, and now 10 years later she's still here doing fine! Which makes me think I should wait until the meds are done and then maybe do another blood test. We also had an issue with the first bottle of Clavamox not being mixed with water correctly (at the vets) so I'm wondering if that may affect the liver numbers. I'm just a wreck. We are going to call the vet back today and talk to her about our concerns. I'll keep you posted.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Things seem pretty good, actually! I wouldn't worry too much about the slightly off liver function numbers. Follow your current plan of action, it sounds solid!

 

[classic67]

Thanks again! She's acting fine, so I'm feeling a bit better. We spoke with the vet and she agrees to cancel the Ultrasound and maybe in a month when she's been off the antibiotics for a while, to retest the blood again. I just love these kitties of mine so much, that I worry too much! Such a softie! I really appreciate all your comments and support. I see you're from Fl. I hope you and Feeby stay safe with all this crazy weather coming your way.