Is your cat aching? On the lower urinary tract symptoms of cats (Urinary tract obstruction)

Have you had some coffee? Did you not have access to the toilet? It is definitely uncomfortable to have a complete bladder and to empty it. Cats with cat lower urinary tract disease are painful. If this condition is not treated, it will be lethal.

Symptoms of urinary obstruction:

• Tense to urinate
• Frequent trip to litter boxes where success or small amount of urine is being produced
• Licking the reproductive area
• Leave a small amount of urine in a strange place in a house like a bathtub
• Discomfort and lethargy
• Some cats will walk very patiently due to bladder pain
• Many cats cheer for pain

Urinary tract obstruction is a condition of a male cat. (It is rare that female cats have this problem). Male cats urinate through the urethra. Partial or complete obstruction may occur if fragments such as crystals or flaky cells are present in the urethra.

Cause of FLUTD

The exact cause is not always known at all times. In the past we were blaming "high ash food" due to this condition. There are some truths in this, but in reality there are several factors that contribute to urinary tract obstruction.

High ash?

High ash content means that a large amount of minerals such as calcium and magnesium are present in food. Manufacturing food with low quality meat will increase ash. However, recent research has shown that what we are really worried about is not the content of ash, but rather it is called urine pH and relative supersaturation.

Urinary pH

If the pH of the cat's urine is high, this is Stillbite Crystals are formed. There are several causes for high pH, ​​including the following.

• Cats with poor quality food
• Urinary tract bacteria
• Give your cat a specific diet that causes an increase in urine pH like milk

Stravit crystal:

Some Statbite crystals in the urine do not cause problems. However, a large amount of crystals can cause inflammation, which can cause pain, bleeding, and infection. The crystals clump together and form a small stone that can lodge in the urethra. Alternatively, inflammation can cause the accumulation of "debris" forming clogs in the urethra.

How serious is that?

Urinary tract obstruction (or partial obstruction) is a serious life-threatening emergency. If you think there is a possibility that your cat is clogged, it is important that he be seen soon even if it means a visit to an emergency clinic.

When the urethra is occluded, pressure builds up in the bladder and the pressure of the kidneys rises. When this happens, the cat may quickly become kidney failure. We will also see an increase in potassium. If potassium is increased too much, heart failure may occur.

Do not try to treat this at home. I ask myself whether they can give antibiotics as their cats feel urinary tract infections. UTI is actually rare in cats. Antibiotics alone do not cure the obstruction of the urethra.

What will your veterinarian do?

Your veterinarian,

• Physical examination including palpation of the bladder. Very big bladder tells us that cats are actually blocked.
• Urinalysis. They can get a urine sample by inserting a small needle into the bladder.
• Blood tests to determine if there is kidney disease and to determine how life is being threatened,
• If there is a partial clogging and the cat is stable, the veterinarian will try a medical procedure including a medicine that helps relieve a special diet that helps dissolve analgesics and crystals as well as the urethra I will.
• Most cats need to place a urethral catheter. In most cases, this should be done under anesthesia.
• Your cat will stay in the vein to help support and shed kidneys and bladder for several days.
• After 1 - 3 days, your veterinarian will pull the urethral catheter and evaluate what your cat can urinate on your own.

How much is the cost?

The cost depends on whether your cat needs anesthesia, whether a hospital stay is needed or not. In my practice, hospitalization for a blocked cat is usually between $ 700 and $ 1,500.

Will this happen again? Some cats are predisposed to urinary tract obstruction and can be blocked several days, weeks or months after surgery. In order to prevent this from happening, it is important that your cat prescribe prescriptions prescribed by your cat and prescribed medicine prescribed. Your veterinarian recommends that you re-examine your cat's urine several times a year to see if the problem is being brewed. If we can catch urological problems before complete occlusion occurs, we can treat it many times with medication rather than expensive hospitalization.

In some cats, surgery called perineural urethral fistula is possible. This is an operation to open the urethra so that the opening is like a female cat.