Bladder stones again.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm so sorry that you and your cat are going through this. Stone issues in cats are extremely frustrating. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. There are some cats that are just much more prone to bladder stone issues than others.

It will be hard to answer your questions without knowing what kind of stones Kitty has.

There are two main kinds of stones we deal with in cats - struvite and oxalate.

Struvite form in a high pH urine and oxalate like a low pH urine.

I'm guessing that these will turn out to be oxalate. If a cat with struvite stones is on a prescription food for urinary tract disease (such as Royal Canin s/o) then often this food will dissolve the stones. But, if they are calcium oxalate then nothing will dissolve the stones.

I'm going to get on a soapbox for a moment here because products like what Pet Alive are selling really make me mad. Companies like this are taking advantage of people who are desperate for solutions for their pets' medical problems. I just checked the website and they don't list the ingredients for this product. They have testimonials, but anyone can write a testimonial for a product...this doesn't mean that it is true. There is absolutely no scientific evidence shown.

So, I can think of a few things that this product could be. First of all, it may be nothing. It could be a mix of harmless ingredients that have the sole effect of making owners feel that they are doing something. Many urinary tract issues in cats, such as interstitial cystitis can come and go, so if someone gives their cat Pet Alive UTI remedy and two days later the cat is better, they think it was the medicine that did it but really it wasn't!

The second, is more serious. It may be that they are selling a product that is a urinary acidifier. If this is the case, then a urinary acidifier will dissolve struvite stones. However, it will create an acidic environment which will cause the creation of calcium oxalate stones.

Nothing dissolves calcium oxalate stones. If there was a product that did, then I would be selling it!

OK...sorry about my rant.

Back to your questions about Kitty...

Should he have surgery? Unfortunately, I would say yes. If he is not actively blocked then it may not be urgent to get it done today, but I definitely would do it. The stones are causing irritation in the bladder. The irritation predisposes him to infection. And he will feel so much better with these stones out.

Also, removing the stones is the best way to find out what they are and what the best treatment is. Your vet will send them away and the lab will determine what they are. They may actually be a mixture of two or more types of stones.

Regarding "pulse therapy"...I'm wondering if you are talking about pulse therapy of antibiotics to treat recurring infections? There really is no pulse therapy for stone treatment.

Cats do really well with surgeries. He will be back on his feet in no time.

I really hope everything goes ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

I'm glad to hear he is urinating ok again! Regarding the surgery, really this is a decision that you need to make on your vet's guidance. They will talk to you about monitoring the stones (maybe by repeated xrays). I do think repeated UTI's could be a factor. Really, how he responds is going to dictate how seriously he needs surgery. But, again, if your vet thinks these are oxalate stones, then I would advise surgery regardless.

The PU site can still get plugged with a stone, but it is much less likely than in a regular cat.

Thanks for those ingredients! I will check them out later.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome! I'm glad your Pet Alive stuff was backordered. LOL!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'd definitely recommend having your vet repeat a urinalysis on him. They may also want to get a sterile urine sample and culture it. It's possible that he has a UTI that's resistant to the antibiotic he is on.

My guess is that this is not a behavioral issue but rather still a medical one!