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#1
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
We had to take Max into the veterinarian today for a recheck. This was
strictly a recheck for a seemingly minor bladder/urinary tract infection. Upon the original visit he showed what seemed like rather minor excessive red and white blood cells in his urine indicating an infection. As some of you may recall, we haven't had Max for all that long. Almost as soon as we took him into our household he was showing signs of a urinary blockage. He has had that awful surgery already... the surgery that removes most of the penis. This was done partially because we (my husband and I) have been bringing Max into the vet on average of every three weeks, sometimes more, since we took him into our home. Since he has had the surgery, the visits to the vet have been no less frequent. With all that said, today the veterinarian recommended giving Max 125 mg of glucosamine chondroitin per day for bladder inflamation. Seeing how at my last visit to the vet, they seemed to think that the reason he needed to be on anti-biotics AGAIN was because perhaps he hadn't been on antibiotics long enough after the surgery - although, it sure seemed like it should have been - I am not an expert. They seemed to feel at the time that some infection had been left over and finally grew to become enough of a problem to cause Max discomfort. So now, they give me this stuff I can get to help with Maxes issues... I am wondering if we are proceeding willy nilly here. I am leaning towards waiting to see if the urine sample comes out clean. If so, then we can proceed from there. If the infection was a residual infection and the problem has cleared up, then lets see what happens. If more problems follow, then lets go with the glucosamine. I am wondering if there are others here who know more about glucosamine chondroitin? Has anyone had experience with it? Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone might have. Melissa |
#2
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
"mc" wrote in message ... We had to take Max into the veterinarian today for a recheck. This was strictly a recheck for a seemingly minor bladder/urinary tract infection. Upon the original visit he showed what seemed like rather minor excessive red and white blood cells in his urine indicating an infection. As some of you may recall, we haven't had Max for all that long. Almost as soon as we took him into our household he was showing signs of a urinary blockage. He has had that awful surgery already... the surgery that removes most of the penis. This was done partially because we (my husband and I) have been bringing Max into the vet on average of every three weeks, sometimes more, since we took him into our home. Since he has had the surgery, the visits to the vet have been no less frequent. With all that said, today the veterinarian recommended giving Max 125 mg of glucosamine chondroitin per day for bladder inflamation. Seeing how at my last visit to the vet, they seemed to think that the reason he needed to be on anti-biotics AGAIN was because perhaps he hadn't been on antibiotics long enough after the surgery - although, it sure seemed like it should have been - I am not an expert. They seemed to feel at the time that some infection had been left over and finally grew to become enough of a problem to cause Max discomfort. So now, they give me this stuff I can get to help with Maxes issues... I am wondering if we are proceeding willy nilly here. I am leaning towards waiting to see if the urine sample comes out clean. If so, then we can proceed from there. If the infection was a residual infection and the problem has cleared up, then lets see what happens. If more problems follow, then lets go with the glucosamine. I am wondering if there are others here who know more about glucosamine chondroitin? Has anyone had experience with it? Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone might have. Melissa Hi Melissa, You might want to ping Phil P.--he's addressed this topic several times. I was going to try and find a link but my computer is acting up. It can take several weeks of antibiotic treatment to take care of the infection. The glucosamine chondroitin is supposed to help repair the lining of the bladder. I don't remember what else--I think he also suggests amitriptyline only for easily stressed cats (it's an antidepressant and has some analgesic activity). Good luck, Bonnie |
#3
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
Suddenly, without warning, mc exclaimed (4/8/2008 9:36 AM):
We had to take Max into the veterinarian today for a recheck. This was strictly a recheck for a seemingly minor bladder/urinary tract infection. Upon the original visit he showed what seemed like rather minor excessive red and white blood cells in his urine indicating an infection. With all that said, today the veterinarian recommended giving Max 125 mg of glucosamine chondroitin per day for bladder inflamation. I am wondering if there are others here who know more about glucosamine chondroitin? Has anyone had experience with it? Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone might have. Melissa Meep gets glucosamine condroitin daily for her cystitis. I'm using, with the vet's approval, Drs Fosters and Smith Joint Care 2. Yup, a glucosamine formulation for arthritis. Same stuff, different use, and cheaper than the glucosamine supp vets will usually sell you, and it comes in a great big jar of powder for long-term use. It has helped her a lot. She has gone nearly two years without a serious attack; she had one recently but it wasn't a crystals problem as before (poor thing could only pee dime-sized blood spots!). This time it was the kind of attack where she keeps feeling like she has to pee, but doesn't actually. If she's gotta have cystitis I prefer this sort of problem to the painful crystals! And, since she's an older cat, the glucosamine helps her joints too. Has no side effects either; I've started taking it for my aging joints as well. I just add it to her wet food but apparently she likes the taste, I've coated her dry with it and she still mops it up Here's the link to Meep's supplement: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=14402 jmc |
#4
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
Suddenly, without warning, 22brix exclaimed (4/8/2008 12:54 PM):
"mc" wrote in message ... We had to take Max into the veterinarian today for a recheck. This was strictly a recheck for a seemingly minor bladder/urinary tract infection. Upon the original visit he showed what seemed like rather minor excessive red and white blood cells in his urine indicating an infection. As some of you may recall, we haven't had Max for all that long. Almost as soon as we took him into our household he was showing signs of a urinary blockage. Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone might have. Melissa Hi Melissa, You might want to ping Phil P.--he's addressed this topic several times. I was going to try and find a link but my computer is acting up. It can take several weeks of antibiotic treatment to take care of the infection. The glucosamine chondroitin is supposed to help repair the lining of the bladder. I don't remember what else--I think he also suggests amitriptyline only for easily stressed cats (it's an antidepressant and has some analgesic activity). Good luck, Bonnie Glucosamine protects the bladder lining as well, I'm told. And Meep the cystitis kitty will be on amitryptyline as soon as the vet gets the stuff - it's been really hard for her to chase down a source, but I asked her to persevere and she did - a compounding pharmacy is making us up some pills. Here they use clomicalm instead but it's contraindicated with my kitty since it seems to be causing some urinary retention (a known side effect). jmc |
#5
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
I am wondering if there are others here who know more about glucosamine chondroitin? Has anyone had experience with it? Hi Melissa, Using the glucosamine certainly won't hurt him and it could very well help. There is also another supplement called curcumin (sp?) that is supposed to reduce inflammation. It's a derivative of the spice tumeric. I have a friend who is using this on one of her cats with great success. There's some info he http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin Rene |
#6
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
"mc" wrote in message ... We had to take Max into the veterinarian today for a recheck. This was strictly a recheck for a seemingly minor bladder/urinary tract infection. Upon the original visit he showed what seemed like rather minor excessive red and white blood cells in his urine indicating an infection. As some of you may recall, we haven't had Max for all that long. Almost as soon as we took him into our household he was showing signs of a urinary blockage. He has had that awful surgery already... the surgery that removes most of the penis. This was done partially because we (my husband and I) have been bringing Max into the vet on average of every three weeks, sometimes more, since we took him into our home. Since he has had the surgery, the visits to the vet have been no less frequent. With all that said, today the veterinarian recommended giving Max 125 mg of glucosamine chondroitin per day for bladder inflamation. Seeing how at my last visit to the vet, they seemed to think that the reason he needed to be on anti-biotics AGAIN was because perhaps he hadn't been on antibiotics long enough after the surgery - although, it sure seemed like it should have been - I am not an expert. They seemed to feel at the time that some infection had been left over and finally grew to become enough of a problem to cause Max discomfort. So now, they give me this stuff I can get to help with Maxes issues... I am wondering if we are proceeding willy nilly here. I am leaning towards waiting to see if the urine sample comes out clean. If so, then we can proceed from there. If the infection was a residual infection and the problem has cleared up, then lets see what happens. If more problems follow, then lets go with the glucosamine. I am wondering if there are others here who know more about glucosamine chondroitin? Has anyone had experience with it? Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone might have. Melissa Hi Melissa, Max will probably be more susceptible to UTIs for awhile. Perineal urethrostomies wreak havoc on the protective defenses of the lower urinary tract in male cats. First of all, his urethral opening is now a lot larger, and second, the muscles that close the urethra won't be able to generate the maximum urethral closure pressure to keep bacteria out until they heal and become fully functional again. In the meantime, bacteria will have a poorly defended entrance into the lower urinary tract. Its very important to keep his litterbox immaculately clean for the next few months until his periurethral muscle function returns to normal. I suggest keeping the litter depth very low to reduce the chances of contact. I use empty cat food cartons with about a cup of non-clumping litter and just throw them out after use. Petsmart and Petco will be happy to give you all the empty cartons you'll ever need. If you decide to use clumping litter, scoop up the waste with a child's toy plastic flat shovel- don't sift and scoop with a regular scooper- you'll only be spreading bacteria around. Your vet probably knows he shouldn't use the same antibiotic every time Max gets a UTI- that's one of the reasons cats develop antibiotic-resistant strains. Also, make sure you complete the full course of antibiotics- even if Max seems ok after a few days. Stopping an antibiotic too soon can also lead to antibiotic-resistant strains. The glucosamine/chondroitin supplement should help. Best of luck, Phil |
#7
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
"Rene S." wrote in message ... Using the glucosamine certainly won't hurt him and it could very well help. There is also another supplement called curcumin Curcumin contains phenols. Phenols are toxic to cats. Did you know that? You might want to look at the ingredients before recommending a product. |
#8
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
On Apr 8, 9:16 am, "Rene S." wrote:
I am wondering if there are others here who know more about Well, now here is another question. I am trying to do a bit of research here as well. I brought Max home with the cosequin today and instructions to feed wet food (according to my husband) which I have been doing. They were specific about feeding him nothing but a food specifically formulated for urinary tracts. According to the urinalysis, Maxes urine was not at the PH level they would like to see. So now what? I have been feeding nothing but Wellness since all this has come up. And I will say this: When Max urinates it is a fountain. He urinates more than I do!! LOL chuckle I can never believe how much urine is in the litter box these days. Now, it is true that my vets office may not be aware of Wellness, but I thought it was specifically formulated for urinary tracts - the cans don't say so but the website makes it sound like as a part of the "natural" ingredients, they are specifically formulated for urinary tract issues. So, according to the Wellness website, it sounds to me like Wellness is naturally being formulated with urinary tract issues in mind. Are there canned foods that are better for this sort of thing than others? The veterinarian said "foods SPECIFICALLY designed for the urinary tract." Another point my veterinarian brought up to me was the evidence of the pituitary gland playing a role in all this. Last night I did a search for "feline idiopathic cystitus" and came up with this link for studies that have been done through Ohio State University: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets...at/vcna041.pdf Max is the most laid back cat I have ever owned. I mean, he is like cat in the Peanuts cartoon... the "boneless" cat. He is very social, loving, and laid back. Of the two cats I have, Butterball is the one I would say is stressed out more easily. Max just goes with the flow. He is the kind of cat you could do anything to and he would just hang out there :-) Does "stress" in cats mean something different than with people? Is it something people can pick up on if they are intently watching a cats body language? Anyway, I have to read this article from the Ohio State University again a few times... to glean what I can. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Thanks in advance... Melissa |
#9
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
On Apr 8, 6:47 pm, "Phil P." wrote:
Hi Phil, thanks for the feedback. I just posted another post before I saw your two posts here... What about the Wellness? Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate the feedback ;-) Thanks, Melissa |
#10
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Feline Bladder Inflamation
On Apr 8, 7:12 pm, mc wrote:
On Apr 8, 6:47 pm, "Phil P." wrote: Phil what you have posted here sure makes a lot of sense. I feel much better :-) Still wondering about the best diet... Thank you, thank you, thank you ;-) |
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