Other alternatives to Hills prescription s/d?
 

Our female cat recently had emergency cystotomy surgery for bladder stones
or crystals. The crystals were evidently of the Struvite variety and Hills
prescription s/d was recommended. We have both cans and dry food of this
variety.
Here is our problem. We have two other adult cats besides Ripley, our
surgery kitty.
Can all three cats eat this s/d on a daily basis? Our vet seemed to indicate
that they could, but that leads to our second problem.
*None* of the cats (Ripley included) will eat the canned s/d. They will not
even be so much as in the same room with this food. They all will more or
less pick at the dry s/d, but I fear they will never change their attitudes
toward the canned. One of these cats is a senior and on the thin side so I
don't need him going on any kind of hunger strike. It would also be
extremely difficult to feed them seperately.
So is there another more commercially made canned cat food that would have a
similar formula to the s/d but that they might all find a bit more to their
liking? I'm not talking necessarily about a cheap supermarket brand. We have
several pet shops that carry a wide variety of more 'natural' type brands.

Any other suggestions to help this kitty with her life of hopefully
remaining bladder stone free?

Thanks,

Phil

in article et, Phil at
wrote on 3/9/05 7:15 PM:

Our female cat recently had emergency cystotomy surgery for bladder stones
or crystals. The crystals were evidently of the Struvite variety and Hills
prescription s/d was recommended. We have both cans and dry food of this
variety.
Here is our problem. We have two other adult cats besides Ripley, our
surgery kitty.
Can all three cats eat this s/d on a daily basis? Our vet seemed to indicate
that they could, but that leads to our second problem.
*None* of the cats (Ripley included) will eat the canned s/d. They will not
even be so much as in the same room with this food. They all will more or
less pick at the dry s/d, but I fear they will never change their attitudes
toward the canned. One of these cats is a senior and on the thin side so I
don't need him going on any kind of hunger strike. It would also be
extremely difficult to feed them seperately.
So is there another more commercially made canned cat food that would have a
similar formula to the s/d but that they might all find a bit more to their
liking? I'm not talking necessarily about a cheap supermarket brand. We have
several pet shops that carry a wide variety of more 'natural' type brands.

Any other suggestions to help this kitty with her life of hopefully
remaining bladder stone free?

Thanks,

Phil


I know there are at least two other versions. One by Eukanuba, one by
Walthams, oh and I think there is one by IVD. All available through vets.
Maybe your vet could arrange a sampling of each?

"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article et, Phil at
wrote on 3/9/05 7:15 PM:

Our female cat recently had emergency cystotomy surgery for bladder
stones
or crystals. The crystals were evidently of the Struvite variety and
Hills
prescription s/d was recommended. We have both cans and dry food of this
variety.
Here is our problem. We have two other adult cats besides Ripley, our
surgery kitty.
Can all three cats eat this s/d on a daily basis? Our vet seemed to
indicate
that they could, but that leads to our second problem.
*None* of the cats (Ripley included) will eat the canned s/d. They will
not
even be so much as in the same room with this food. They all will more
or
less pick at the dry s/d, but I fear they will never change their
attitudes
toward the canned. One of these cats is a senior and on the thin side so
I
don't need him going on any kind of hunger strike. It would also be
extremely difficult to feed them seperately.
So is there another more commercially made canned cat food that would
have a
similar formula to the s/d but that they might all find a bit more to
their
liking? I'm not talking necessarily about a cheap supermarket brand. We
have
several pet shops that carry a wide variety of more 'natural' type
brands.

Any other suggestions to help this kitty with her life of hopefully
remaining bladder stone free?

Thanks,

Phil


I know there are at least two other versions. One by Eukanuba, one by
Walthams, oh and I think there is one by IVD. All available through vets.
Maybe your vet could arrange a sampling of each?


Thanks, I'll inquire about those.

An easy alternative to feeding an acidified prescription food is to feed
*canned* Wellness brand cat food and have the vet prescribe Methioform
tabs, which is a urinary acidifier in pill form. Wellness promotes a
urine ph very similar to Science Diet c/d and the Methioform tabs will
send the ph into the more acid range which is what s/d would do. It
would not be wise to feed the other cats the precription diet as it is
designed to dissolve struvite crystals and would be too acid for a
healthy cat, putting them at risk for developing calcium oxalate
crystals or stones. All your cats could eat the Wellness with the one
cat getting the Methioform tablets (which a lot of cats really like the
taste of.) The main flavors I feed my own cats are chicken, turkey,
chicken and herring, and turkey and salmon. For future reference,
feeding scheduled meals of a high quality canned diet and eliminating
dry food will help avoid situations such as the one you're dealing with.
HTH.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Very dangerous advice. Talk to your vet before doing anything. The
suggestion to use any Wellness product with added urinary acidifiers is
just plain dangerous. Urine pH is NOT the only issue here, it is much
more complicated than that.

On Wed 09 Mar 2005 10:29:44p, Steve Crane wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
roups.com):

Very dangerous advice. Talk to your vet before doing anything.
The suggestion to use any Wellness product with added urinary
acidifiers is just plain dangerous. Urine pH is NOT the only
issue here, it is much more complicated than that.


Please elaborate for us Steve.

--
Cheryl

"Steve Crane" wrote in message
oups.com...
Very dangerous advice. Talk to your vet before doing anything. The
suggestion to use any Wellness product with added urinary acidifiers is
just plain dangerous. Urine pH is NOT the only issue here, it is much
more complicated than that.


Just curious what Phil has to say.

"Phil" wrote in message
ink.net...
Our female cat recently had emergency cystotomy surgery for bladder stones
or crystals.

In my "Hey Phil" reply to this I am summoning ANOTHER Phil who
has been helpful in the past. It seems ridiculous to me to choose a food
(like Wellness) that you have to supplement.

As my vet explained it, the SciDi S/D is a temporary diet meant to
*reduce* struvite crystals. SciDi C/D is a maintenance diet to be used
to *prevent* more crystals from forming.

I think it's okay for any cat to eat the C/D but not necessarily the S/D.

My cat hates both. We switched her to Waltham's/Royal Canin version
(also prescription) and she loves it.

Pretty much everything I've read, and I've read a LOT, indicates that
once a cat has had a UTI, you should not feed them dry food again. Also
you shouldn't free-feed these cats.

There's tons of info about feline UTIs on the 'net.

Good luck, and hope she's doing better now.
Irene


Phil wrote:
Our female cat recently had emergency cystotomy surgery for bladder stones
or crystals. The crystals were evidently of the Struvite variety and Hills
prescription s/d was recommended. We have both cans and dry food of this
variety.
Here is our problem. We have two other adult cats besides Ripley, our
surgery kitty.
Can all three cats eat this s/d on a daily basis? Our vet seemed to indicate
that they could, but that leads to our second problem.
*None* of the cats (Ripley included) will eat the canned s/d. They will not
even be so much as in the same room with this food. They all will more or
less pick at the dry s/d, but I fear they will never change their attitudes
toward the canned. One of these cats is a senior and on the thin side so I
don't need him going on any kind of hunger strike. It would also be
extremely difficult to feed them seperately.
So is there another more commercially made canned cat food that would have a
similar formula to the s/d but that they might all find a bit more to their
liking? I'm not talking necessarily about a cheap supermarket brand. We have
several pet shops that carry a wide variety of more 'natural' type brands.

Any other suggestions to help this kitty with her life of hopefully
remaining bladder stone free?

Thanks,

Phil

Steve Crane the HILLS COMPANY REP wrote:
Very dangerous advice. Talk to your vet
before doing anything. The suggestion to
use any Wellness product with added
urinary acidifiers is just plain dangerous.

OH BS. I see you cry "dangerous" but you don't elaborate. Typical. I
have a rescue cat that lives with a friend of mine that is prone to
struvite crystals and had several urinary tract problems and blockage.
With the vet's approval we put him on Wellness canned and Methioform
tablets. He has been managed this way without incident now for a few
*years* and has no struvite or oxalate crystals or stones.

Megan.



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray