Urethral Obstruction and Urinary Tract Infection

[barncat]

I just went through this a few weeks ago with my male cat and it cost $1,000. It looks like he is having another occurrence. Has anyone had any experience with this? I don't have another grand to spend on this and I was hoping there might be another option. What will the vet do if I take him in and he is diagnosed with a blockage but I refuse to pay for the medical bill? Will they put him to sleep or treat him and find him a home?

 

[cattitude]

Many years ago, we lost two of our family cats to this. The third had a urethrostomy and lived a long time.

I'd advise you to read up on it.

Why would you refuse to treat him? If he's blocked and not treated he will die. The key is to prevent the blockages..there are meds and better foods that will do this.

I can't say what your vet will do.

 

[barncat]

I a quick reading at http://www.thecatconnection.com/care/urinary.htm and it describes the signs he showed last time and pretty much went over what the vet told me.

Issue is $, I don't have another grand to spend on this. It's awful and I admit it makes me sick to my stomach to admit, but I don't have the money. I know something needs to be done, I'm not going to let him suffer and die. I guess I will call the vet's office and discuss options. I took him to an emergency clinic a little over two weeks ago for this, not his normal vet, so maybe they have some options.

 

[cattitude]

I a quick reading at http://www.thecatconnection.com/care/urinary.htm and it describes the signs he showed last time and pretty much went over what the vet told me.

Issue is $, I don't have another grand to spend on this. It's awful and I admit it makes me sick to my stomach to admit, but I don't have the money. I know something needs to be done, I'm not going to let him suffer and die. I guess I will call the vet's office and discuss options. I took him to an emergency clinic a little over two weeks ago for this, not his normal vet, so maybe they have some options.

If he's blocked, there aren't many options. Surgery depends on the severity of the blockage. Sometimes meds can clear it up. Don't wait, it will only get worse. If you have a good relationship with the vet and are a regular client, vets usually offer payment plans (through a company they work with).

He may just have an infection and that won't be so pricey and then with a good diet and some meds, he should do fine.

 

[Finofan]

I had one of my nice breeding whole males do this a few years ago...$850 and then I put him on Feline CD I gave him some canned food 2 X week (Friskies) and he plogged again...I took him back $250 Tidewater gave me a break as he was just in there...They told me to NEVER give him canned so now years later he gets Feline CD only and is doing fine...I dont regret putting the $1100 into him as I could not replace a nice brown tabby CPC ES for that...he is a nice boy...


If you dont plan to treat him take him in for one last vet bill and have him put down..they are really painful..

Is he plogged now or just peeing blood..if passing urine you could put him on antibiotics even the sulfa tabs we use on the horses..if he is plogged only a vet can help..good luck...


I also had a male that had pollups (?) in his bladder and he has to have reconstrution surgery as it covered the opening out..one surgery $1300 but it did the trick for many years till he passed an old man..

 

[barncat]

I had one of my nice breeding whole males do this a few years ago...$850 and then I put him on Feline CD I gave him some canned food 2 X week (Friskies) and he plogged again...I took him back $250 Tidewater gave me a break as he was just in there...They told me to NEVER give him canned so now years later he gets Feline CD only and is doing fine...I dont regret putting the $1100 into him as I could not replace a nice brown tabby CPC ES for that...he is a nice boy...


If you dont plan to treat him take him in for one last vet bill and have him put down..they are really painful..

Is he plogged now or just peeing blood..if passing urine you could put him on antibiotics even the sulfa tabs we use on the horses..if he is plogged only a vet can help..good luck...


I also had a male that had pollups (?) in his bladder and he has to have reconstrution surgery as it covered the opening out..one surgery $1300 but it did the trick for many years till he passed an old man..

My husband cleans his litter box daily and he said he is peeing normally. I specifically asked the vet if I needed to make any dietary changes and he said no. He has free choice food. Right when we were leaving for work this morning I caught him with his penis out and licking it, not a normal behavior for this cat. I called the vet and they said to watch him, make sure he is urinating normally and if he gets worse to bring him in. I asked about doing antibiotics as a precautionary measure and they said if I can get a urine sample they would be able to see if he needs them or not. How do you get a urine sample from a cat?

They did say my bill was high because it was an emergency clinic but I still don't think I will see a big difference in dollars if he has to have another plug removed. And then what happens if in a few weeks it happens again?

 

[PrepH4U]

My husband cleans his litter box daily and he said he is peeing normally. I specifically asked the vet if I needed to make any dietary changes and he said no. He has free choice food. Right when we were leaving for work this morning I caught him with his penis out and licking it, not a normal behavior for this cat. I called the vet and they said to watch him, make sure he is urinating normally and if he gets worse to bring him in. I asked about doing antibiotics as a precautionary measure and they said if I can get a urine sample they would be able to see if he needs them or not. How do you get a urine sample from a cat?

They did say my bill was high because it was an emergency clinic but I still don't think I will see a big difference in dollars if he has to have another plug removed. And then what happens if in a few weeks it happens again?[/QUOTE]

Sounds like you have answered your own question, now your choice is take him in to end his suffering or fork out the dollars.

 

[cattitude]

My husband cleans his litter box daily and he said he is peeing normally. I specifically asked the vet if I needed to make any dietary changes and he said no. He has free choice food. Right when we were leaving for work this morning I caught him with his penis out and licking it, not a normal behavior for this cat. I called the vet and they said to watch him, make sure he is urinating normally and if he gets worse to bring him in. I asked about doing antibiotics as a precautionary measure and they said if I can get a urine sample they would be able to see if he needs them or not. How do you get a urine sample from a cat?

They did say my bill was high because it was an emergency clinic but I still don't think I will see a big difference in dollars if he has to have another plug removed. And then what happens if in a few weeks it happens again?

Strange that they said not to feed wet food. Water is important..flushes the system. Dry food generally isn't the best. Look up FUS or FLUTD. Stress can also cause them to get an infection. Here's a good article that I had saved some time ago.

http://www.holisticat.com/FusFaq.htm

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I Googled and found this: http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/uo.html

 

[virgovictoria]

Strange that they said not to feed wet food. Water is important..flushes the system. Dry food generally isn't the best. Look up FUS or FLUTD. Stress can also cause them to get an infection. Here's a good article that I had saved some time ago.

http://www.holisticat.com/FusFaq.htm

Not a cat person, just found the subject matter interesting..

From my understanding, dry food creates an environment in a mammal's mouth causing the need to seek water. Water = homeostatic balance. Dry food is also beneficial for aiding in the breakdown of tarter & plaque. Build up of those substances can cause infection that, once in the blood, can cause a systemic problem. Wet food, on the other hand can contribute to build up in and around the teeth as it adheres to the tiny spaces and locks with its moisture.

Carry on.

 

[cattitude]

Not a cat person, just found the subject matter interesting..

From my understanding, dry food creates an environment in a mammal's mouth causing the need to seek water. Water = homeostatic balance. Dry food is also beneficial for aiding in the breakdown of tarter & plaque. Build up of those substances can cause infection that, once in the blood, can cause a systemic problem. Wet food, on the other hand can contribute to build up in and around the teeth as it adheres to the tiny spaces and locks with its moisture.

Carry on.

That is true regarding the teeth. But in a cat with FUS, dry food is not recommended. Sometimes, however, it's not always the food but more how the cat's own system handles the formation of crystals in the urine, etc. It's a balancing act when you own a cat that is prone to FUS.

 

[barncat]

Strange that they said not to feed wet food. Water is important..flushes the system. Dry food generally isn't the best. Look up FUS or FLUTD. Stress can also cause them to get an infection. Here's a good article that I had saved some time ago.

http://www.holisticat.com/FusFaq.htm

Interesting that your article and the article I read earlier completely contradict each other in the feeding category. Just shows that there are plenty of different treatments that work.

He did not have any crystals which the vet told me was a good thing, just a plug.

He drinks plenty of water so that's why I'm confused as to why he has a bladder problem at all. The biggest change that has happened in the last few months is he became an indoor cat when we moved into the new house because of the tick problem. He kept coming inside with ticks on him and I tried a few treatments but didn't see a change so we decided to keep him inside, which has probably increased his stress level.

 

[cattitude]

Interesting that your article and the article I read earlier completely contradict each other in the feeding category. Just shows that there are plenty of different treatments that work.

He did not have any crystals which the vet told me was a good thing, just a plug.

He drinks plenty of water so that's why I'm confused as to why he has a bladder problem at all. The biggest change that has happened in the last few months is he became an indoor cat when we moved into the new house because of the tick problem. He kept coming inside with ticks on him and I tried a few treatments but didn't see a change so we decided to keep him inside, which has probably increased his stress level.

Used to be that food was the main concentration in the cause..but that has proven not to be the case. The last cat I had with FUS (lost him to cancer a few years ago) only blocked minimally one time but always had issues..infections, etc. I did a lot of research and found out that, like people, stress/nervousness can cause urinary problems. I printed out the information that I found and discussed this with my vet. We put him on amitriptyline, which is an anti-anxiety med. I was amazed at how his condition improved to the point that he never had an issue once he was "FUS symptom free" for a good 6 months, and he didn't need the meds any longer. I just made sure I fed him a low ash (canned) food..no fish flavors and a good quality dry food. He lived to be 14.

Anyway, my point is that perhaps the change in keeping him in is stressing him a bit. I'd talk to your vet about the "happy" pills.

 

[Cowgirl]

. How do you get a urine sample from a cat?

When I had to get a urine sample from my cat, the vet gave me a little container of plastic pellets to use as litter in his litter box. Lock the cat up in the bathroom with a clean litter box, and only use the plastic pellets as litter. They don't absorb the urine, so you can pour the urine and pellets right back into the little container. Refridgerate the sample until you can get it back to the vet (the sooner the better).

 

[barncat]

When I had to get a urine sample from my cat, the vet gave me a little container of plastic pellets to use as litter in his litter box. Lock the cat up in the bathroom with a clean litter box, and only use the plastic pellets as litter. They don't absorb the urine, so you can pour the urine and pellets right back into the little container. Refridgerate the sample until you can get it back to the vet (the sooner the better).

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to think of something I can buy off the shelf that could replace the pellets since I can't get to the vet's office before they close. Any ideas?

 

[Cowgirl]

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to think of something I can buy off the shelf that could replace the pellets since I can't get to the vet's office before they close. Any ideas?

You know those craft things kids make? Little plastic beads....they go on a plate with little spikes. Let me see if I can find a picture. I know walmart sells them. They'd work.

Ah, here it is...perler beads.

 

[cattitude]

you can use the rocks for fish tanks.

 

[huntr1]

Our old lady cat had an issue with magnesium crystals in the urine. She started peeing everywhere EXCEPT her litter box. Gave her the meds and changed her to a low ash dry food and she's been fine ever since.

 

[nightowl]

Also, if you do decide to take him to the vet and it's just meds and a food change, you can go online to several of the online pet places and get the food way cheaper than buying it through the vet.

 

[barncat]

Thanks Catt and Cowgirl, both of those ideas will work and I can at least get a urine sample to the vet to find out if it's an infection and start treatment.