What's considered "normal" after a urinary block?

[shadowsrescue]

Please call back and ask to speak to the vet or vet tech. This is very serious. If he is bleeding, he could have another infection which can lead to a blockage. Call back and plead your case. I do not think this can wait until tomorrow.

 

[melonie]

i called back and asked but she said they were in surgery right now. she seemed pretty offended that i asked to talk to a tech in the first place, which kinda frustrated me. i'll try to call back on my lunch break or when i get home. Do you think theres anything i can do for him in the meantime? thank you so much for even taking the time out to give me advice on this, i can't even express how much i appreciate it.

 

[shadowsrescue]

A possible urinary blockage is a BIG deal. I would keep being a pest. If not then try to find another vet. If he is in the process of blocking again, he will need immediate attention.

This is such a trying time and I am here to help. I have been through this twice and it is so hard. Yet you really have to advocate for your cat. If this vet practice will not help, find someone who can. Keep at it. You really need some answers.

I know you are in a financial bind, here is a link that might help.

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – Cat Articles

Financial Aid for Pets

 

[melonie]

thank you so much for the resources,

i was able to finally get the receptionist to talk to a vet tech before my shift started. she said that the tech said as long as he was peeing that was good, and that since crystals were what started it it was likely that there were still some left over. but she'd still like to see him so I'm gonna have my mom take him tomorrow while im at work.

my mom called and said that he DID pee, so im glad for that. the checkups are only around 50-70 dollars so im just praying that i get paid today and that the treatments they do (if any) aren't gonna wrack up over 1000 again. I don't think they will, but i don't want to jinx it. The bulk of the payments was anesthesia and staying overnight and x-rays but if it's just checking him out i don't think it'll be too bad. i don't know how much a urinalysis is but they might do that, I'd assume they would do something like that

 

[shadowsrescue]

I am glad that he has peed and your Mom can take him tomorrow. A urinalysis usually runs about $35-40. That is for the simple inhouse dip stick. If they send it away for culture, then it can be around $100. It's good to have the vet check his bladder and also see what is going on with the blood.

Is he still on the prescription wet food that helps to dissolve crystals? That should be helping and usually works fairly quickly.

Keep me posted.

 

[melonie]

unfortunately i didn't get paid today. but i should have money by Monday, which is a day I have off and the day my mom rescheduled the appointment to.

he's still on his prescription, my mom picked up 10 more cans for 17 bucks today so he's good for another week. I'm gonna start feeding him a can a day like he should be having.

I stopped by Walgreens on my way home from work and they have all of the stuff everyone recommended to me, but it's only purchasable online. Im gonna scrounge up a couple bucks and see if i can buy some cornsilk at least!!

 

[melonie]

just got home and he seems to be okay, he's still peeing and the clumps are about the size of a quarter. he's eating and he's really hyper and the area around his urethra looks much more normal now -- not as blood red as this morning. his blanket doesn't seem to have anymore blood spots on it except the one from this morning so im praying it was just a one off incident of crystals passing through his urethra like the tech said it might be.

still gonna take him in on Monday but for now I'm glad he's okay and i hope he keeps improving, especially with the food we're gonna give him. a full can a day should help him out a lot and make him less cranky. still gonna try and get my hands on some cornsilk!!

 

[shadowsrescue]

How frequently is he peeing? As long as he's peeing that's a good sign. Yet, many pees are a sign the bladder is still having spasms. How often does he get the buprenex? Do you have a GNC vitamin store near you? They sell cornsilk. Also check health food stores in your area. Just be sure it's alcohol free.

The food will definitely help with the crystals. Also getting him as much liquids as possible. You really want to flush them out of his system.

 

[melonie]

he's peeing pretty often it seems like, always in the litter box. he doesn't seem to be straining nearly as much, he takes on a normal position and then strains once or twice. Last night he had some pretty aggressive bleeding from his urethra that scared me half to death but it seemed to stop after a minute or so... then it was business as usual. it's really strange and I'm hoping that the tech was right when she said he probably has some leftover crystals that could be causing some extra bleeding. poor thing

we do actually have a gnc! i had no idea. it's not too terribly far from where i work -- i get tips from my job so I'll walk there on my way home and get him some cornsilk. thank you so much for suggesting that, i really had no clue where to begin looking that wasn't online.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Hopefully the GNC will carry it. If not they might be able to order it for you since it's on their website. Here it is

Cornsilk

I am a bit worried about the bleeding. A few drops of blood are ok, but aggressive bleeding concerns me. I wonder if something happened when he was cathetered. This can happen. I would definitely ask about this. Also if he is still on an antibiotic, you want to be sure that the it's the right antibiotic for the bacteria.

Watch him carefully until Monday. Things can change very very quickly. Get as much water into him as possible.

If you get the cornsilk, start him on it 3x a day. 7 drops. My cat does fine with it mixed into his wet food. Keep him on it 3x a day for awhile. At least a month.

 

[melonie]

well, when he was cathetered he DID end up ripping it out on his own overnight. i don't think they reinserted it, they were planning on taking it out that morning but he did it for them, haha. it had been in for maybe a little longer that 2 days at that point. i can't imagine it was very gentle, but he hasn't shown any bleeding like that until now. at least, i hadn't seen him bleed until now.

I'll give gnc a call when i get to work since I'll be there early and they don't open until 10. if they don't have it, im HOPING i get paid today. ill order it online if that's the case! my mom is home all day, I'll have her keep a close eye on him until we can get him seen

 

[melonie]

just called -- she said they don't have cornsilk but they do have d mannose but it's only in cranberry and not by itself. do you know if that would work too or should i opt for the cornsilk? i don't know if that would be okay for cats. i've heard of people using unsweetened cranberry juice for their cats though but i don't want to get him something that's not safe for him

 

[shadowsrescue]

The D mannose is good for when you suspect an infection and it's also good for keep infections at bay. But you don't want the cranberry. Just plain D mannose. You can ask if they will order if for you.
Iherb has it too. They have $1 shipping.

Nature's Answer, Cornsilk, Alcohol-Free, 2,000 mg, 1 fl oz (30 ml)

 

[melonie]

got the d mannose! they said the nutrition shop next door would have regular d mannose and they did! 180 capsules or something like that. do i just mix a capsule a day into his food? i saw that for the tablets it's a half a tablet for "dogs under 20lbs", so I'm assuming that would be the dose for a cat. should i still try and get him some cornsilk too?

 

[melonie]

an update, we're not taking him in Monday. the receptionist said they'd want to x-ray him and that that would be 120 dollars by itself and i didn't get paid nearly enough to be able to afford that so my mom cancelled it.

I'm really really worried. i don't know what i should do at this point. he seems okay now but i just don't know what I should be like...doing for him, especially now that he isn't going to be seen.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Yes, do try to get the cornsilk. The D mannose is to keep infections away. The cornsilk will help to strengthen the bladder and is more important going forward.

For D mannose, here is the recommended dosage

Normal dose: 250mg/day
ALSO can be given at higher dose if needed: 500-1,000 mg/day==approx.)
Can be used for urinary tract inflammation, mucous plugs & a couple UTI bacteria (E. Coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa)

 

[shadowsrescue]

Can you try to find another vet? What about looking into Care Credit or some of the resources I posted. He really really needs to be seen by a vet if he is still bleeding and peeing such small amounts frequently.

 

[melonie]

i can't do care credit unfortunately -- i have no credit history so they denied me. I've heard of some cheaper vets in the area so i think i can try one of those but as far as the resources go, it doesn't seem like any of the ones in my state give assistance for things other than spay/neuter, and the one that does you need to physically pick up an application at a place that's way far out of town, unless I'm reading wrong

 

[shadowsrescue]

Is there any family or friends that could help you out? What about GoFundMe?

 

[melonie]

no family/family friends, i might be able to try gofundme! but i don't know how much i need in the first place + i don't think my mom trusts that stuff very much so it would take a lot of arguing