Urinary blockages

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Kelly,

I can't explain it, and my Vets can't either, but over the last 50 years
I've had four males with the problem, and the same Rx fixed them all.

Half a strip of fried bacon everyday. Several vets have thought it maybe
was because it is an other-mineral-rich source of salt, and thus increased
water consumption. Ohters though it might be the balance of minerals. One
though it was probably the sulfur, which he said most cats are probably
deficient in.

In the case of the last two guys, after the bacon took care of the
problem, I discontinued it and put a small amount of Sea Salt in their
water (1/8 tsp per cup). They loved it, and didn't have the problem again.

Stones are all about the relative balance of several different minerals.
Sea Salt has the same balance of minerals as does seawater and blood (if
you take mammalian blood and filter-out all the solids in it, what you are
left-with has the same mineral composition as seawater). Cats in the wild
eat a lot of blood, but prepared foods have very little of it in them.

I put Sea Salt in all my cats water. And, of course, all the salt used in
this house is Sea Salt. It's saltier and you use less, and it has other
minerals besides just sodium [1].

It's good for you, and good for them.

I hope this helps.

Allan

[1] Besides oxygen and hydrogen and salt (NaCl), sewater contains:

Magnesium, Sulfur, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, and even a little
elemental carbon.


I just bought some for my husband and myself! :-))) I'll add a pinch to
their food each day. You don't think the magnesium would cause a problem in
time or does the extra urine take care of that? My sea salt is iodized?
Would it still be OK? I can get the one not iodized.

"dgk" wrote in message
...

That's interesting. I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I start
cooking bacon daily. Perhaps sea salt is the better option.


I'm afraid of all the chemical preservatives in bacon. It's hard to find
fresh bacon without them.

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...

Try putting down two bowls of water, one tapwater, one distilled water,
and see which one gets consumed. Most cats will prefer the distilled. And,
of course, change the water and clean the bowl daily.


I think I'll try rainwater. I collect it for my clothes iron and humidifier.
:-) Our tap water here smells like a pool from chlorine and is loaded with
calcium. It's gross and tastes like Seltzer.

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
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"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
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Are you feeding them canned or dry foods? A mix? Mine also nibble
table food and love that salty oily C. Saunders fried chicken.


Yes. - To all of the above.....they hop up on the table while we eat and
nibble on anything that takes their fancy......We even let them lick the
butter, ........

Mine love butter (lightly salted) also! :-) I melt it and mix it into
their food.

because someone told us it was good for their hairballs, and one of
them had an $800 hair ball operation a couple of years ago.

OMG! That poor cat. Is she/he a long or medium haired kitty?

They pretty well
eat whatever they want. B-K lived on dry food for about 4 years, but now
he seems to be getting into people food again. - He wouldn't touch it
after living in a Burger King parking lot for ? months.

LOL!!!! He became a fast food junkie! ;-)
Our new boy Spirit will eat anything I put in his bowl after he realized
there wont be any free-feeding or dry kibble available. He figured the
moist mix of "Wellness" and canned meat cat food was *it* - or nothing.
What was a growing boy to do? So he ate it. We feed them 3 times a day.
He missed lunch today. He was a little upset from his trip to the vet this
morning. He must be hiding under the bed again. I'm sure he'll show up for
kitty dinnertime tonight.

Meggie has long, and very fine hair, but she doesn't seem to shed.....She
developed this lump in her abdomen, and it grew and grew, so we called the
vet. They scheduled her for an operation, and since Meggie had stopped
eating, it was very soon. They told us that if it was contained, they would
remove it, but if it had metastasized, they would just put her to sleep on
the operating table. We were very worried, and waited by the telephone to
find out how it went....When we got the call, they said that her stomach was
huge, and had filled up her entire abdominal cavity, so they opened it up,
and found.......A huge hairball!! So they removed it, and she would be fine.
That was two years ago, and she hasn't had any problems since, but at $800 a
whack, we would a lot sooner put up with her eating butter out of the butter
dish.....:^)

Kelly,

I'd not use rainwater, unelss it is very fresh, or unless you boil it first.
Collected rainwater quickly fits the definition of "stagnant water", and
there are a variety of protozoans and other cirtters that can thrive in
stagnant water. While not harmful to plants and steam irons, they can cause
animals, and us, much greif in the digestive system.

That applies to humidifiers as well, if they are the ultrasonic type.
Anything in the water is expelled in the atomized water droplets into the
room, and can wind up in the lungs. The older steam type aren't as risky,
because they heat the water to boiling to create the steam, thereby
sterilizing it.

There are several compositions of stones that develop in the feline urinary
system, due to a rather complex chemistry. Of the ones originating in a
non-infected kidney, studies show over 90% of them are calcium oxylate
monohydrate. Stones originating in the bladder are typically uric acid. Two
minerals are of concern, struvite (calcium-based), an apatite
(magnesium-based). The calcium-based structures are the most common, as
magnesium-based apatite is usally the result of an active infection.

Like all carnivores, the metabolism aggressively conserves water, and as a
result they drink relatively little water, and thus heavily concentrate
their urine. It is the concentration that is problematic, as crystals begin
to form. It isn't so much the calcium, since in the wild, cats eat quite a
bit of bone, and have a relatively calcium-rich diet. In fact, it's not just
about any one component, its about the total chemistry, including oxylates
and phosphates.

The body easily deals with excess sodium by either excreting it in sweat, or
by eliminating it in the urine. Since cats don't sweat, the urinary path is
the primary one. Anything that promotes more frequent urination is useful,
as the formation of urine is increased, and the concentration of minerals
thus lowered, reducing crystallization and resulting in smaller crystals
that pass out of the body without causing harm.

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...

Try putting down two bowls of water, one tapwater, one distilled water,
and see which one gets consumed. Most cats will prefer the distilled.
And, of course, change the water and clean the bowl daily.


I think I'll try rainwater. I collect it for my clothes iron and
humidifier. :-) Our tap water here smells like a pool from chlorine and
is loaded with calcium. It's gross and tastes like Seltzer.

Kelly,

I don't use bacon on a daily basis, just if there is an 'episode' of
frequent attempts to urinate and apparent pain or strain. Once the episode
passes, I reduce the frequency.

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"dgk" wrote in message
...

That's interesting. I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I start
cooking bacon daily. Perhaps sea salt is the better option.


I'm afraid of all the chemical preservatives in bacon. It's hard to find
fresh bacon without them.

Kelly,

You might also find that cats don't like their food salted. Not so much
because of the taste, but being cats, they are inherently cautious and
skeptical of anything different or of any change.

Start slowly, and let them get used to the salt. It doesn't really take much
to increase frequency of urination. If your cat urinates two or three times
in 24 hours as is typical, adding one more urination would probably be
adequate.

While there are many "urinary health" foods touting "reduced magnesium",
magnesium has not been shown to be a direct problem except in active kidney
or bladder infections. The real reason the foods can help is to produce a
more acidic urine, reducing crystal formation. Reducing magnesium is an easy
way to do that, but by the time the marketing department gets through with
the science, the resulting label package will have you believe magnesium to
be some sort of culprit. It is more correctly simply a means to get to the
endpoint of a slightly more acidic urine. However, Mg _deficiency_ can
indirectly result in stones. [1]

Most cat foods contain added iodine, as do human multi-vitamins, but a
little more is not going to hurt anything, and may be helpful in preventing
the development of hyperthriodism in older cats. The incidence of
hyperthryoidism in older cats is increasing, but I cannot find any published
studies on whether that is better diagnosis, or an iodine-related issue.

Allan

[1] - Mg is an essential nutrient, involved in over 200 processes in the
body. Symptoms of Mg deficiency include mitral valve prolapse, migraines,
attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma and allergies. When these
symptoms occur in clusters within the same indiviual, Mg deficiency should
be a primary suspect.

Excessive amounts of Mg generally produce the same symptoms as low calcium
levels, as Ca and Mg are antagonists to each other, must be maintained in
balance. An excess of one results in an apparent deficiency of the other. Mg
toxicity tends to procuce low blood pressure, heart irregularities, weak
appetite, and chronic diarrhea.

There is no evidence that excessive Mg directly causes any urinary tract
symptoms. However, a _deficiency_ of Mg may lead to excess calcium in the
urine as the body tries to rebalance the antagonists.


--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.


I just bought some for my husband and myself! :-))) I'll add a pinch to
their food each day. You don't think the magnesium would cause a problem
in time or does the extra urine take care of that? My sea salt is
iodized? Would it still be OK? I can get the one not iodized.

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Excessive amounts of Mg generally produce the same symptoms as low calcium
levels, as Ca and Mg are antagonists to each other, must be maintained in
balance. An excess of one results in an apparent deficiency of the other.
Mg toxicity tends to procuce low blood pressure, heart irregularities,
weak appetite, and chronic diarrhea.

Hummmmm.....I wonder if this is also true with Humans? I have had heartburn
all of my adult life, and have taken Mylanta for it. Mylanta is a mixture of
Aluminum and magnesium hydroxide, so I have been ingesting magnesium most of
my life, and my blood pressure is quite low.....Amazingly low for an
overweight 74 year old......Perhaps this is a result of my magnesium intake?

I also have an irregular heartbeat. (come to think of it)

Bill,

It is quite possible, as those with long histories of sustained magnesium
intake can develop the symptoms you describe.

I'd strongly encourage you to talk to a Physician to review your history of
heartburn, and your current treatment modality. There are many possibilities
for ongoing heartburn, including Helicobacter Pylorii infection, many of
which are quite amenable to new curative and/or management modalities.

Even if it isn't a disease process, there are far safer and more effective
alternatives to control chronic excess stomach acid than long-term
over-the-counter antacids. That is especially true, and especially
important, at your age. Please see a Doctor, and be detailed and
straightforward with him or her.

Best of luck to you sir,

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Excessive amounts of Mg generally produce the same symptoms as low
calcium

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Bill,

It is quite possible, as those with long histories of sustained magnesium
intake can develop the symptoms you describe.

I'd strongly encourage you to talk to a Physician to review your history
of heartburn, and your current treatment modality. There are many
possibilities for ongoing heartburn, including Helicobacter Pylorii
infection, many of which are quite amenable to new curative and/or
management modalities.

Even if it isn't a disease process, there are far safer and more effective
alternatives to control chronic excess stomach acid than long-term
over-the-counter antacids. That is especially true, and especially
important, at your age. Please see a Doctor, and be detailed and
straightforward with him or her.

Best of luck to you sir,

Allan

Thank you for your concern....My chronic heartburn kind of left me soon
after retirement, which has been around 13 years ago now, so I am not so
worried about it anymore.....It only comes back if I eat something heavy
before I go to sleep, and I have not done that for some time now. However,
over the course of the 40 years or so that I had it, I consumes gallons of
Mylanta, so it is not surprising that I might have some symptoms from all
that ingestion of Magnesium. I am lucky that I have a good health insurance
plan, and I see an endocrinologist for my diabetes on a regular basis.