Yes, I know this is the dog section and I am asking about a cat, but I have never participated in the cat section and feel more comfortable asking and hoping to get answers from a few participants in the dog section that I feel are knowledgeable.
My three year old male cat showed symptoms of a urinary blockage yesterday, which was confirmed by the vet shortly after I observed him straining to urinate.
The vet removed the blockage and the cat stayed overnight on fluids.
My vet is open to healthy, even raw, nutrition options for dogs and cats but admits herself that she doesn't know much about the subject.
She recommended decreasing the amount of dry food he gets (he eats Wellness Core) and increasing the wet food and changing it to Prescription Science Diet c/d. I generally loathe prescription foods because it's so expensive for a can of pork-by-product (#1 ingredient in this variety) but bought a few because she claims the acidity of the food will break up the crystals.
What alternatives are out there? Is there a healthy prescription food geared toward urinary health that I could substitute for Science Diet? If you don't know of a food, are there are forums, or websites that actually contain good advice and information on this subject?
I would much rather adjust his diet to prevent another blockage, as I don't want to spend $300 every time this happens and the whole ordeal is just unnecessary stress on the cat.
Please let your contacts know about this question, I am really hoping to get a good lead on figuring this out.
It is surprising to me that this cat developed this issue as he normally drinks a lot of water for a cat. I have purchased a fountain already and it is available to him. I have always had water bowls all over my house for the cat and the dog.
Also...looking online I am reading a lot of suggestions to go raw to solve this issue. Anyone have experience with that being successful for this issue?
Thanks.
My three year old male cat showed symptoms of a urinary blockage yesterday, which was confirmed by the vet shortly after I observed him straining to urinate.
The vet removed the blockage and the cat stayed overnight on fluids.
My vet is open to healthy, even raw, nutrition options for dogs and cats but admits herself that she doesn't know much about the subject.
She recommended decreasing the amount of dry food he gets (he eats Wellness Core) and increasing the wet food and changing it to Prescription Science Diet c/d. I generally loathe prescription foods because it's so expensive for a can of pork-by-product (#1 ingredient in this variety) but bought a few because she claims the acidity of the food will break up the crystals.
What alternatives are out there? Is there a healthy prescription food geared toward urinary health that I could substitute for Science Diet? If you don't know of a food, are there are forums, or websites that actually contain good advice and information on this subject?
I would much rather adjust his diet to prevent another blockage, as I don't want to spend $300 every time this happens and the whole ordeal is just unnecessary stress on the cat.
Please let your contacts know about this question, I am really hoping to get a good lead on figuring this out.
It is surprising to me that this cat developed this issue as he normally drinks a lot of water for a cat. I have purchased a fountain already and it is available to him. I have always had water bowls all over my house for the cat and the dog.
Also...looking online I am reading a lot of suggestions to go raw to solve this issue. Anyone have experience with that being successful for this issue?
Thanks.