Urethral Obstruction and Urinary Tract Infection
- Thread starter barncat
- Start date
DoxieLuver
New Member
Recently lost my beloved kitty to this. We spent the $1000, but unfortunately his bladder was full of crystals and the blockage won't clear, the only option was surgery up the road (basically, they internally turn them into a female) for another $1800. We just didn't have another $1800 for it. Just two years prior our dachshund developed back problems and we spend $3000 for surgery and ended up having to put her down two days later. I was crushed. One for losing my beloved pet and second for spending all of that money only to be devastated once again. Couldn't do that again.
huntr1
.
OK. I am just saying that it is possible that a diet change can maybe fix the problem (kinda like others were saying) and to give it another shot with the vet before getting the cat put down (better to put it down than to let it die a slow painful death).cattitude said:
We feed the boy cat the same food, so hopefully we won't have any problems with him either.
barncat
New Member
huntr1 said:
I'm starting to think that this is not caused by diet since he does not have any crystals, but maybe a stress situation. I could be totally wrong, and I will discuss with the vet once we get the urinalysis back. I'd really like to find out what is wrong and treat instead of putting the cat down, but I can't go the route of spending another grand and hope it doesn't happen again. It's not an excuse, but I have a young family and bills and $1,000 extra to spend isn't something we have sitting around every few weeks.
If it is stressed induced by being an indoor cat I will have to explore finding him a home where he can be an indoor/outdoor cat like he is accustomed to. If I could get a handle on the ticks I'd love to let him out, he's much happier when he is allowed out, but I can't have him in the house with ticks on him and it isn't healthy for him to have ticks on him either.
I
Inkpen
Guest
barncat said:
Flea and tick stuff..cheap...can get revolution from vet or donated by cat person here ..see Karma..
Medical..there are other places to get meds ( antiboitics ) a wee bit cheaper than your vet if you know the right people..
What vet might do is insert a cathater into cat, and flush bladder, and can also take urine sample and spin it down and look for crystals under the microscope.
Can be treated and an indoor cat does fine with some toys, cat trees, etc.
PM if you need more help.....
dawn
Well-Known Member
One of my male cats had this problem too. The vet suggested that we change his food (he was eating deli cat dry and friskies can) we changed his food to Purina One chicken and rice or salmon and rice and his can food is iams. It has been 1 year this past july with out a trip to the vet for the problem.
Good luck.
Good luck.
dawn
Well-Known Member
barncat said:
It happened a total of three times before the vet suggested we change his food -- the option they always offered was surgery. two of the three times, he also did not have any crystals.
Also Frontline is good for fleas and ticks and most vets will price match sites like 1 800 pet meds, just print out the page with the price and most will match it (at least mine does).
barncat
New Member
Well I got home last night, checked Oscar's bladder and it didn't feel full and proceeded to check his litter where he had one good pee and three small pees. Saw Oscar eating and drinking and thought maybe it's not so bad, just a UTI 
Took a shower, played with baby and then heard Oscar growling...yep, he couldn't pee and was very uncomfortable. Off to the emergency clinic. Upon initial exam they found the same thing I did, his bladder wasn't full so they didn't think it was a blockage. The vet did a scan and came back and said there was a blockage 
. Long story short after many tears and phones call on what to do, I'm the proud owner of a transvestite cat. 
I know the surgery is pretty invasive, but if I had him un-plugged again there was no guarantee that he wouldn't have a blockage again, and besides, the surgery was only $500 more and what's $500 when you are looking at a total in 3 weeks time of $2,000
I went to a different emergency clinic this time and was very pleased with the vet and staff's knowledge of his condition. I was also upset that the previous vet did not make suggestions to change his diet, the vet last night basically told me we cleared his blockage to just take him home, feed him the same stuff and create another blockage. And this vet found crystals, so I definately feel it is diet induced. Otherwise there is really no other explanation, besides some cats are more prediposed to this condition then others.
Took a shower, played with baby and then heard Oscar growling...yep, he couldn't pee and was very uncomfortable. Off to the emergency clinic. Upon initial exam they found the same thing I did, his bladder wasn't full so they didn't think it was a blockage. The vet did a scan and came back and said there was a blockage . Long story short after many tears and phones call on what to do, I'm the proud owner of a transvestite cat. I know the surgery is pretty invasive, but if I had him un-plugged again there was no guarantee that he wouldn't have a blockage again, and besides, the surgery was only $500 more and what's $500 when you are looking at a total in 3 weeks time of $2,000
I went to a different emergency clinic this time and was very pleased with the vet and staff's knowledge of his condition. I was also upset that the previous vet did not make suggestions to change his diet, the vet last night basically told me we cleared his blockage to just take him home, feed him the same stuff and create another blockage. And this vet found crystals, so I definately feel it is diet induced. Otherwise there is really no other explanation, besides some cats are more prediposed to this condition then others.
barncat
New Member
cattitude said:
I went to SoMD Vet Referral Center in Waldorf. He actually hasn't had the procedure done yet, it's happening this morning. I'm not exactly sure which vet there is doing the procedure, and I can't even remember the name of the vet last night. I was upset, stressed and unfortunately I am most allergic to my cat out of all things and did not take any allergy medicine so was feeling pretty bad on top of everything else. I'm going to call later this morning and check on him.
Main reason I decided on the urethrostomy was because I didn't want to worry about this again and it's pretty much guranteed that he won't have another blockage issue after the surgery.
Pasofever
Does my butt look big?
Glad all is working out ok..sorry you had to go through that...He shoud be fine now...NO more ploggs...I would change his food anyway..
BTW as for flea meds I pay 75 cents per dose of advantage...I sell it in the shop for $5 per dose...(month) I really like the advantage for fleas on cats..I will not dip a cat anymore..I offer the bath and advantage..
BTW as for flea meds I pay 75 cents per dose of advantage...I sell it in the shop for $5 per dose...(month) I really like the advantage for fleas on cats..I will not dip a cat anymore..I offer the bath and advantage..
barncat
New Member
Pasofever said:
Fleas weren't really a problem, it was the ticks. We have almost 4 acres of woods and he would come in with ticks on him. I tried an over the counter tick treatment and then Frontline and he still came in with ticks. A co-worker told me about Advantix(sp?) but I never tried it, have you tried it with any success?
SoftballCrazy
New Member
You can try for $$$ help if needed w/ some of these groups...Good luck w/ your kitty.barncat said:
GROUPS THAT WILL HELP U WITH VET BILLS!
Whenever you think your pet needs to see the vet but you think you can't afford to go, please take note of two things.
1. Part of the deal with pet ownership is providing medical care. Failing to provide it may actually constitute animal cruelty.
2. Instead of asking for medical advice on myspace, call your vet. It costs nothing to make a phone call. If it's after hours, call an emergency vet. Vets can help you figure out if your pet's problem is an emergency or not and if there is anything you can do at home to help your pet. Myspace people generally are not qualified to give you this kind of information.
With that in mind, here are some groups that can help you afford the vet bills:
American Animal Hospital Association
http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home /
" Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship."
Angels 4 Animals
www.Angels4Animals.org
"Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need."
Care Credit
www.carecredit.com
A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care.
"With a comprehensive range of plan options, for treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every budget."
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP) http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/
"Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion."
The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Prog ram is a nonprofit 501
(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.
God's Creatures Ministry
http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html
"This fund helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help."
Help-A-Pet
http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html
"Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor."
IMOM
http://www.imom.org
"We are dedicated to insure that no
companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged."
The Pet Fund
http://thepetfund.com/
"The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care."
United Animal Nations
http://www.uan.org/lifeline/index.html
"The m ission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. We strive to serve Good Samaritans and rescue groups who take in sick or injured animals. In certain cases, LifeLine can also assist senior citizens and low-income families pay for immediate emergency veterinary care."
UK Assistance with Veterinary Bills
http://www.petloversonline.co.uk/financial.htm
"Most of us can cope with the financial commitment involved in the day to day care of our pets. However, how many of us come out in a cold sweat when our pet is ill or injured and we know we have to take it to the vet? Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford it but, some of us who love our animals dearly cannot. Unfortunately we do not have a PDSA or a RSPCA Centre within our area, but there are a few charities who may be able to help."
Other Gr oups Who are Breed or Injury Specific:
Corgi Aid
http://www.corgiaid.org/
Dachshunds Needing IVDD surgery
http://members.rushmore.com/~dds/applyforhelp.htm
www.doberman911.org
It's for special needs and senior dobermans who need medical help.You can donate to help them, or have them put your dobie up there if you need help too!!
HandicappedPets.com
http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/help/
"From time to time, HandicappedPets.com recognizes a caretaker of handicapped pets that need some special attention, and a little extra help. There are those who are so selflessly dedicated to their animal families that they give up a little more than they can afford."
Labrador Lifeline
http://www.labradorlifeline.org/success/2005-abbey.htm
LabMed: Rx For Rescued Labs
http://www.labmed.org/aid_main.html[/QUOTE]
--
MoochCat
Mooch Cat
So happy for you and you "T" cat!!!!barncat said:Well I got home last night, checked Oscar's bladder and it didn't feel full and proceeded to check his litter where he had one good pee and three small pees. Saw Oscar eating and drinking and thought maybe it's not so bad, just a UTI
I know the surgery is pretty invasive, but if I had him un-plugged again there was no guarantee that he wouldn't have a blockage again, and besides, the surgery was only $500 more and what's $500 when you are looking at a total in 3 weeks time of $2,000
I went to a different emergency clinic this time and was very pleased with the vet and staff's knowledge of his condition. I was also upset that the previous vet did not make suggestions to change his diet, the vet last night basically told me we cleared his blockage to just take him home, feed him the same stuff and create another blockage. And this vet found crystals, so I definately feel it is diet induced. Otherwise there is really no other explanation, besides some cats are more prediposed to this condition then others.
barncat
New Member
Well Oscar did not make it. He had a reaction to his meds which caused his liver to stop operating correctly and he had toxins released. My mom's vet kept him for 2 days trying to flush his system to see if she could get rid of the toxins, but to no avail. The vet suggeted putting him to sleep because he would have a very poor quality of life if he were ever able to leave the vet. I'm very sad, I really tried to help my little guy. I don't regret doing the surgery, I just regret that his last week of life was so miserable.