Alternative treatment for crystals?

Question

My friend's 13 year old female cat has very small crystals. Clavamox has not been helpful and the vet doesn't think the cat will make it through the anaesthetic for surgery. She has been to several vet clinics who all say the same thing. Has anyone tried alternative treatment for this?

Answer 1

Crystals in the urine can stop being produced by switching the diet of the cat.
Depending on which type of crystals the cat has depends on which prescription food they would use for her.
My cat had struvite crystals and once we switched her food to a low ph formula she was fine and had not had any problems since.

Answer 2

Be careful with the holistic vets. Some of them can be pretty kooky. I know a woman who just spent thousands of dollars fixing her dog after following a holistic vet's recommendations. Additionally not all dogs respond well to raw diets. Some do- some don't- a family friend spent a lot of money fixing her dogs because they responded very poorly to a raw diet and required veterinary care as a result. Don't just take anyone's recommendations and before you try anything I would ask your vet's advice first. You don't need to FOLLOW his advice- its your dog, not his- but I would at least run it by him to get his opinion. If he isn't willing to help you feel out alternatives that you are interested in then you need a different vet. Trying to fix this isn't something you should do alone- a lot of "home remedies" can be dangerous for your pet especially since it involves crystals- crystals can turn into stones which can require a cystotomy (bladder surgery) to fix.

Answer 3

The presence of crystals in the urine is not always a problem. Treatment is required if cat has symptoms, such as straining, frequent voiding of small volumes of urine, blood in the urine, or urinating in unusual places. Crystals can irritate the lining of the bladder and urethra and this damaged lining may subsequently become infected. Crystals can also form stones (uroliths). In males cats uroliths can block the urethra, making it impossible for him to urinate. This is a life or death emergency situation. However, urethral blockage is very rare in female cats.

I'm uncertain as to the type of surgery under consideration. Male cats that chronically suffer from a blocked urethra sometimes undergo surgery to widen the urethra. The only other common surgery associated with crystals or stones is a cystotomy, which is performed in order to remove stones that are too large to pass through the urethra. If this is the type of surgery you are referring to, and your friend's cat has uroliths (not just crystals, which are tiny and can pass through the urethra), treatment will depend on the composition of the stones.

The two most common types of uroliths in cats are struvite and oxalate, although there are other less common types as well. Urinalysis can give valuable clues as to the type of stone present. If the cat's urine is acidic (below 7.0 pH), the stones are more likely to be oxalate. If the cat's urine is alkaline (above 7.0 pH), the stones are more likely to be struvite. However, if the cat has already been started on a diet or medication to alter the urine pH, you will not be able to make those assumptions. Another clue may be the presence of microscopic crystals in the urine. These can be identified visually and may be the same type as the stones in the bladder.

Struvite uroliths can often be dissolved with Hill's Prescription Diet s/d. As the name indicates, your veterinarian would have to prescribe this.

Oxalate uroliths cannot be dissolved and must be removed surgically during a cystotomy.

Older cats can succesfully undergo major surgery if they are otherwise healthy and if appropriate anesthetics and supportive care are provided. The safest commonly available anesthetic for an aged cat is Isoflurane gas. Most veterinary hospitals today have this. The cat should have a comprehensive physical exam and a blood panel to determine how risky the procedure would be. Your veterinarian may recommend additional screening tests as well. Your friend can weigh the risks of surgery vs. not performing surgery and make her own decision.

If surgery is performed, I highly recommend the placement of an IV catheter to allow fluid administration prior to and during surgery. The fluids will correct any dehydration present and help to keep the blood pressure from dropping. Having the catheter in place means that if the cat begins having complications, it will be much easier to administer life-saving medications.

I would also recommend close monitoring during anesthesia and recovery. A second person (in addition to the surgeon) should be present to monitor and to maintain the proper anesthetic level. Although some surgeons feel they can adequately monitor a patient while they do surgery, it's still better if there is someone who can devote their complete attention to this important task. The use of monitoring devices such as blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, ECGs, capnographs, temperature monitors, and esophageal stethoscopes can help this person catch complications early, while they can still be reversed.

Good nutrition and hydration during the post-surgical recovery period is very important. If the cat stops eating or has a poor appetite, be sure to inform the vet. Special diets like Hills Prescription Diet a/d can be used to stimulate appetite and provide high levels of nutrients.

Once stones are eliminated, the cat will remain at risk for developing new stones of the same type for the rest of her life. Your veterinarian will recommend a diet that will create a urine pH least likely to form the same type of uroliths. The veteerinarian may also make other recommendations, such as increasing the cat's water intake by feeding wet food only, and reducing stress levels.

The medication you mentioned, Clavamox, is an antibiotic used to treat infections that could occur in conjuntion with the presence of uroliths, crystals, or other types of urinary tract disease. (It is also commonly used to treat infections in other parts of the body.) Clavamox does not affect the stones themselves in any way.

Antibiotics are not always necessary, because sometimes uroliths are sterile. When infection is present, a microbiological test called a Culture and Sensitivity can be used to help determine the most effective drug to use.

If your friend isn't satisfied with the answers or the care she has gotten from veterinarians thus far, I would recommend that she take the cat to a veterinarian who specializes in internal medicine or feline medicine. They will have most comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge on this subject, and may be able to offer additional options. If your friend decides to have surgery performed, she can ask the specialist for a referral to a Board Certified Veterinary Surgeon.

I wish your friend and her cat the best of luck and hope they have many more years together. The cat is lucky to have found such a caring home, and your friend is fortunate to have developed such a special relationship.

Answer 4

Switch the food to nine lives plus care, my useless male cat had the surgery but still has to have the special food or will get blood in the urine. I ran up a $800 dollar bill with that bugger with 3 trips to the emergency room plus the surgery.