Trouble Update - Re-Post

Hi guys. Sorry if I am posting too much but I love to hear what you all have
to say. It has been a month since Trouble's blockage and on Friday he went
in for a full physical. His x-ray showed an absolutely perfect bladder with
no stones and when they passed the catheter for a urinalysis, there was no
resistance whatsoever, no inflammation or infection. The vet said that if he
did not know that this cat was ever blocked he would say that he was perfect.
At the time, he actually said he was beginning to wonder if Trouble was ever
blocked at all. I spoke with the vet again today and he told me that the
urinalysis came back and showed that Trouble's ph level is 7. Not good, but
not bad. He said that we have to get that number down. There are still some
crystals in the urine, but no blood or proteins were present. Thing is,
Trouble will not eat any of the food that is recommended to bring the ph
level down. I just tried the 4th brand with no luck (I have tried Hills s/d,
Hills c/d, Purina UR and Friskies Special Diet). He is eating the cd dry
with no problem, but that is obviously not cutting it.

My questions are, is the ph level of 7 dangerous? Is he more at risk for
another blockage? Do "normal" cats have some crystals in their urine? Any
suggestions for bringing down his ph level other than using food?

Thanks in advance everyone and I look forward to hearing from you!

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"MoMo via CatKB.com" u27647@uwe wrote in message news:68fbc938f5503@uwe...

I just tried the 4th brand with no luck (I have tried Hills s/d,
Hills c/d, Purina UR and Friskies Special Diet). He is eating the cd dry
with no problem, but that is obviously not cutting it.

c/d isn't designed to dissolve struvite- only help prevent it from
developing.



My questions are, is the ph level of 7 dangerous?


It depends on the amount of time between his last feeding and his urine
test. Feeding causes postprandial alkaline tides which cause transient
alkalinization of the urine. If he nibbles all day his urine will remain
alkaline for longer periods. Meal-feeding 12 hours apart is much better.
The postprandial alkaline tides will be higher but shorter- enough time will
pass between feedings to allow his natural urine acidity to return and
dissolve any struvite that might have formed.


Is he more at risk for
another blockage?

Yes.


Do "normal" cats have some crystals in their urine?


Yes, but they're usually eliminated before they grow large enough to cause a
blockage.


Any
suggestions for bringing down his ph level other than using food?


A supplemental urine acidifier- dl-Methionine:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2002+113753

and homemade chicken broth to increase his water consumption, urine volume,
and to make him urinate more frequently.

Phil

Thank you for responding Phil. You always have the best info! He actually
did eat right before they took urine. I was going to cancel the appointment
because he seemed to be doing fine but at the last minute I decided to bring
him in. So I would say that he ate 2 to 3 hours before the urine was taken.
I am going to call the vet tomorrow and ask him about the acidifier, but he
just seems hesitant in giving it to me. He said that they like to try having
the cats eat the food over giving them this medication, but, he won't eat the
food, so hopefully I can get him on that.

They have him on Clavamox right now with Axium in it which I see is a steriod
and it has improved him dramatically. He is not urinating as frequently as
he was. He is back to a more normal 3 times a day (compared to about 10-12)
and is urinating in much larger, normal amounts with no straining. The vet
said that he is starting to think that maybe instead of a blockage he was/is
having urethra spasms which is why the shot of cortisone he had the week
before last helped, as well as this medication helping,

Again, thank you so much for responding. I always look forward to hearing
from you. If you have any time though, have you ever heard or come across a
cat with urethra spasms and if so, does that sound like what could possibly
be happening here?

Phil P. wrote:
I just tried the 4th brand with no luck (I have tried Hills s/d,
Hills c/d, Purina UR and Friskies Special Diet). He is eating the cd dry
with no problem, but that is obviously not cutting it.

c/d isn't designed to dissolve struvite- only help prevent it from
developing.

My questions are, is the ph level of 7 dangerous?

It depends on the amount of time between his last feeding and his urine
test. Feeding causes postprandial alkaline tides which cause transient
alkalinization of the urine. If he nibbles all day his urine will remain
alkaline for longer periods. Meal-feeding 12 hours apart is much better.
The postprandial alkaline tides will be higher but shorter- enough time will
pass between feedings to allow his natural urine acidity to return and
dissolve any struvite that might have formed.

Is he more at risk for
another blockage?

Yes.

Do "normal" cats have some crystals in their urine?

Yes, but they're usually eliminated before they grow large enough to cause a
blockage.

Any
suggestions for bringing down his ph level other than using food?

A supplemental urine acidifier- dl-Methionine:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2002+113753

and homemade chicken broth to increase his water consumption, urine volume,
and to make him urinate more frequently.

Phil

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200611/1

"MoMo via CatKB.com" u27647@uwe wrote in message news:690122160c950@uwe...
Thank you for responding Phil. You always have the best info! He
actually
did eat right before they took urine. I was going to cancel the
appointment
because he seemed to be doing fine but at the last minute I decided to
bring
him in. So I would say that he ate 2 to 3 hours before the urine was
taken.

pH 7 three hours after eating isn't too bad. It should drop a little more
after a few more hours. Retest his urine pH at 6 and 12 hours after eating.



I am going to call the vet tomorrow and ask him about the acidifier, but
he
just seems hesitant in giving it to me. He said that they like to try
having
the cats eat the food over giving them this medication, but, he won't eat
the
food, so hopefully I can get him on that.

He's right- urinary acidifiers should only be used if the cat won't eat any
of the prescription diets designed to increase acidity.



They have him on Clavamox right now with Axium in it which I see is a
steriod
and it has improved him dramatically. He is not urinating as frequently
as
he was. He is back to a more normal 3 times a day (compared to about
10-12)
and is urinating in much larger, normal amounts with no straining. The
vet
said that he is starting to think that maybe instead of a blockage he
was/is
having urethra spasms which is why the shot of cortisone he had the week
before last helped, as well as this medication helping,

This is starting to sound like he had Feline Interstitial Cystitis. Small
crystals could have irritated his bladder wall and caused inflammation. Or
he might have a small defect in the GAG (glycosaminoglycan) layer that coats
the bladder wall that's allowing urine to penetrate the urothelium and cause
inflammation. Maybe that's why the steroid injection brought him some
relief.

Inflammation in the bladder and urethra causes a nervous sensation in cats
that mimics the sensation of a full bladder. The nervous impulses that
control the urge to pee are being constantly stimulated so that he has the
urge to pee whether his bladder is full or empty. He could look like he's
obstructed if his bladder is empty but he's still trying to pee and nothing
comes out.


Again, thank you so much for responding. I always look forward to hearing
from you. If you have any time though, have you ever heard or come across
a
cat with urethra spasms and if so, does that sound like what could
possibly
be happening here?

Urethral spasms usually occur after an obstruction has be relieved. Sounds
to me more like he has Feline Interstitial Cystitis.

Phil