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Old June 10th, 2010, 11:26 AM
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Question Food recommendation for urinary health after blockage?

My cat was in the hospital for 3 days with a urinary blockage. Smuckers is now home and is doing well. Seems to be peeing, we've been checking and scooping the litter box regularly - a little difficult to monitor sometimes as we have 2 cats.

After his urinary blockage, the vet sent us home with the Prescription canned food as well as a moist kibble for urinary problems. Smuckers hates both of them; he's been used to dry kibble up until now and I know how important it is to get him switched to a quality canned food specifically for urinary health.

So....anyone have any food recommendations that I can buy from Global or somewhere? I've heard a bit about Wellness brand but don't know much about it. Thanks for any suggestions.
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My furbabies:
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Smuckers - black & white long-haired (bn June 06)
Magic - black mixed Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Malteze, Bichon (bn Feb 19/08)
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Old June 10th, 2010, 12:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
My cat was in the hospital for 3 days with a urinary blockage.
Yikes! Sorry to hear that. Having gone through the whole blockage thing with one of my cats, I know how scary it is.

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Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
After his urinary blockage, the vet sent us home with the Prescription canned food as well as a moist kibble for urinary problems.
Which one? Never heard of a moist kibble before, what's that?

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Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
Smuckers hates both of them; he's been used to dry kibble up until now
What was he eating before?

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and I know how important it is to get him switched to a quality canned food specifically for urinary health.
Some tips for transitioning kibble-addicts over to wet food: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_

And some info on food as it relates to urinary tract health: http://www.catinfo.org/feline_urinary_tract_health.htm

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Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
So....anyone have any food recommendations that I can buy from Global or somewhere? I've heard a bit about Wellness brand but don't know much about it. Thanks for any suggestions.
Wellness is good, as is Nature's Variety, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Precise, ZiwiPeak, By Nature, Innova (if you don't mind the fact that they were bought by Proctor and Gamble)..... What you want to look for is little to no grains, quality named muscle meat (as opposed to unspecified by-products), and I would stay away from predominantly fish-based food. Fish can excacerbate bladder and urinary tract issues. More info on picking out a good canned food: http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To...gredient_Label
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Old June 10th, 2010, 12:47 PM
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Hi SCM, thanks for your quick reply.

Here is the actual kibble food from my vet:
http://www.hillspet.com/products/pre...eline-dry.html
It's not as hard and crumbly as the usual store-type kibble

and this is the canned food:
http://www.hillspet.com/products/pre...ne-canned.html

I am ashamed to say he's been eating Whiskas up until now I know, I know - no need to commence lecture
Sometimes it takes a real crisis for people to "see the light", kwim?

My hubby is going by Global today to check out those brands - do you know if they have foods specific for bladder/urinary health?

Thanks for all your help!
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My furbabies:
Bruno - grey short-haired domestic (bn Aug. 04)
Smuckers - black & white long-haired (bn June 06)
Magic - black mixed Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Malteze, Bichon (bn Feb 19/08)
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Old June 10th, 2010, 01:41 PM
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So sorry to hear about your kitty

There is a canned that cats seem to really love, but is NOT nutritionally complete, but may get your kitty to eat a better quality canned if you mix it in.

It is called Almo. It comes in a small can and is made of real meat with lots of liquid. I buy it at Kingston's Global so hopefully it will be available where you are.

I use it for Puddles when she has a furball and won't eat, or to give to Rose with her meds
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

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Old June 10th, 2010, 02:51 PM
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Thanks Love4H. I'll see how my hubby makes out at Global today.

Just wondering if anyone knows if my vet would take back the $34.00!!!! bag of food that my cat won't eat?

I would assume they'd take back unopened canned food though, don't you think?
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My furbabies:
Bruno - grey short-haired domestic (bn Aug. 04)
Smuckers - black & white long-haired (bn June 06)
Magic - black mixed Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Malteze, Bichon (bn Feb 19/08)
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Old June 10th, 2010, 04:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
Here is the actual kibble food from my vet:
http://www.hillspet.com/products/pre...eline-dry.html
It's not as hard and crumbly as the usual store-type kibble
Ahh, but it's still kibble, with only around 10% moisture. One of the most important aspects to treating and preventing urinary tract issues is by feeding foods with a water content close to what cats eat in "nature", such as rodents, birds, lizards, etc (typically around 60-80% moisture). Canned foods fit the bill, dry foods do not.

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The other aspect to treatment/prevention are the ingredients in the food. Carbohydrates promote an alkaline urine, whereas consuming meat protein usually results in an acidic urine (there are unusual situations where a cat is unable to maintain normal ph of 6.0-6.5, but that can be treated without having to resort to crappy prescription diets).

There is nothing magical about urinary tract diets, and in fact their development is rather devious and underhanded. Instead of acknowledging that feeding all of these moisture-depleted starchy dry food diets is the cause of urinary tract issues in cats in the first place and creating something more appropriate for a carnivore, pet food companies take the very same problematic ingredients and throw an acidifier (DL-methionine) into the mix. The acidifier is supposed to counteract the alkalinity of all that corn and rice. Here's an idea: stop feeding corn and rice!!!! But no, that would cut into their profit margin.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
I am ashamed to say he's been eating Whiskas up until now I know, I know - no need to commence lecture
Sometimes it takes a real crisis for people to "see the light", kwim?
Hey, I was in the exact spot you were and I still didn't see the light (I was feeding Iams kibble at the time). You're lucky in that Smuckers is going to be okay, and you now have a chance to make things right. Way too many cats die from blocked urinary tracts, and mine was blocked so bad he needed a perineal urethrostomy (penis removal). Still continued to feed kibble (this time Science Diet Light, cause it was *supposed* to be better ). It wasn't until my other cat developed diabetes that I finally made the connection between diet and health.



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Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
My hubby is going by Global today to check out those brands - do you know if they have foods specific for bladder/urinary health?
Nope, there is no need if you stick with meat-based wet food.

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Originally Posted by Bluecatt View Post
Just wondering if anyone knows if my vet would take back the $34.00!!!! bag of food that my cat won't eat?

I would assume they'd take back unopened canned food though, don't you think?
Absolutely take it back. Even opened, they're obliged to give you a refund.
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Old June 10th, 2010, 05:30 PM
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I fed Puddles a crappy diet of mostly kibble and didn't think anything of it until she started wasting away, her fur turned greasy and started thinning out. I took her in for bloodwork thinking she was on her last legs and she was fine except for high blood calcium. Vet advised me to change her diet.

Now she is on Raw and NV Instinct canned and her fur is WONDERFUL. She is like she was when she was a young cat.

Good luck on the food change
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old June 11th, 2010, 08:33 AM
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[/QUOTE]

There is nothing magical about urinary tract diets, and in fact their development is rather devious and underhanded. Instead of acknowledging that feeding all of these moisture-depleted starchy dry food diets is the cause of urinary tract issues in cats in the first place and creating something more appropriate for a carnivore, pet food companies take the very same problematic ingredients and throw an acidifier (DL-methionine) into the mix. The acidifier is supposed to counteract the alkalinity of all that corn and rice. Here's an idea: stop feeding corn and rice!!!! But no, that would cut into their profit margin.

[/QUOTE]

So there's no harm if we don't feed him the prescrip food from the vet's? Hubby and I thought there was some ingredient/medicine in there that helped dissolve crystals or something?
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My furbabies:
Bruno - grey short-haired domestic (bn Aug. 04)
Smuckers - black & white long-haired (bn June 06)
Magic - black mixed Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Malteze, Bichon (bn Feb 19/08)
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  #9  
Old June 11th, 2010, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
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So there's no harm if we don't feed him the prescrip food from the vet's? Hubby and I thought there was some ingredient/medicine in there that helped dissolve crystals or something?
The "special ingredient" is the acidifier, DL-methionine. Struvite crystals form in an alkaline environment, and an alkaline environment is created by eating a high carb diet. So if a cat doesn't eat a high carb diet, they shouldn't need an acidifier. What you could do if you want to be extra sure is get some ph test strips from a health food store and test Smucker's urine yourself to see if it's within normal parameters (6-6.5). If it's still too alkaline (consistently above 7), then you could always add a small amount of L-methionine (also from a health food store) to his wet food to try to achieve the correct range. You have to keep testing with the ph strips though while he's on the L-methionine to ensure his urine doesn't swing the other way and become too acidic, which may cause calcium oxalate crystals (much harder to get rid of). This is a common problem with the acidifying prescription diets. Calcium oxalate crystals were very rare until all these special diets came out, and now they're about as common as struvite. Just goes to show you what geniuses the pet food companies are .
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Old June 12th, 2010, 08:30 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
This is a common problem with the acidifying prescription diets. Calcium oxalate crystals were very rare until all these special diets came out, and now they're about as common as struvite. Just goes to show you what geniuses the pet food companies are .
And the vets trust them
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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