Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

Dominique, my 10 year old Tonk princess, went to the vet for her regular checkup last week. Sunday the vet called & said that all her tests came back fine, except her urinalysis came back with some crystals in her urine, & we needed to bring her back for another urine test. So she went back this week, & indeedthe crystals were there. Now she is on a restricted diet, she can only eat Hills Prescription s/d, either dry or wet, until her next urine test in a two and half more weeks. Anyone ever had this before? She was very angry with us when she went back to the vet the 2nd time...did not act out or anything, just turned her back to us. She was a little mopey for a few days, but seems to be coming back to her own sweet, demanding personality this morning. Of course I am so worried about her.....
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Denise & Dominique

Did the vet put her on antibiotics? Is it a Urinary Tract Infection?

Delilah had crystals in her urine and blood...so we knew it was a UTI...I had a cat once who kept getting Kidney stones from only eating dry food and had to be put on strictly a wet diet...

sometimes there is a certain ingredient in certain foods which cause the problem...the ashe in the dry food for example with the kidney stones...

>>Did the vet put her on antibiotics? Is it a Urinary Tract Infection?
>>
>>Delilah had crystals in her urine and blood...so we knew it was a UTI...I had a cat once who kept getting Kidney stones from only eating dry food and had to be put on strictly a wet diet...
>>
>>sometimes there is a certain ingredient in certain foods which cause the problem...the ashe in the dry food for example with the kidney stones...

The vet did not put her on antibiotics, so I suspect it is not a UTI. She did say that it was too much magnesium in the food?
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Denise & Dominique

Hi Denise,

I am so sorry to hear about Dominique and hope that the special food will take care of the problem.

Emily, who is I think just about 6 months older than Dominique, gave me a big scare this weekend. When I got up Saturday she was pacing and vomiting. She didn't want me to get near her and she kept trying to hide.
I got her to the vet asap. They did blood work, hydrated her, and gave her a shot to help calm her stomach and prevent further vomiting. When I got her home she continued to pace, and she threw up at least four more times. Several hours later, just as I was about to call the vet back, she calmed down and went to sleep. She has seemed fine since then and all the blood work came back negative. The only thing the vet saw was that her liver levels were a bit high. She wants to retest for that in about three weeks.

Here's hoping that both our little princesses will be just fine.

Please keep us posted on how Dominique is doing.

PS: It's been too long since we've heard from you!

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>>>Did the vet put her on antibiotics? Is it a Urinary Tract Infection?
>>>>
>>>>Delilah had crystals in her urine and blood...so we knew it was a UTI...I had a cat once who kept getting Kidney stones from only eating dry food and had to be put on strictly a wet diet...
>>>>
>>>>sometimes there is a certain ingredient in certain foods which cause the problem...the ashe in the dry food for example with the kidney stones...
>>
>>The vet did not put her on antibiotics, so I suspect it is not a UTI. She did say that it was too much magnesium in the food?
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>> Denise & Dominique

>>Emily, who is I think just about 6 months older than Dominique, gave me a big scare this weekend.

Well, I certainly hope Emily is feeling better now. Can cats get the flu?

Dominique, behaviorally, seems better--a little bit cranky, I'd say. She does eat the dry form of the special food, but is annoyed at no treats. She eats a bit of the wet version of the the special food, but because we leave her an ample supply of the dry, it's hard to tell if she doesn't like it or is just full. Do Emily & Eddie throw up a lot? Dominique does not throw up a lot, but she does throw up....seems to be when she eats too much or too fast more than anything else.
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Denise & Dominique

They don't generally throw up a lot, either. Except for an occasional hairball or when they eat too fast. (Emily is more prone to this than Eddie.)

Glad to hear that Dominique is better, albeit cranky. (Emily sez she'd be cranky too if I took her treats away. ) Hopefully with some time she will adjust to the new food!

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>>>Emily, who is I think just about 6 months older than Dominique, gave me a big scare this weekend.
>>
>>Well, I certainly hope Emily is feeling better now. Can cats get the flu?
>>
>>Dominique, behaviorally, seems better--a little bit cranky, I'd say. She does eat the dry form of the special food, but is annoyed at no treats. She eats a bit of the wet version of the the special food, but because we leave her an ample supply of the dry, it's hard to tell if she doesn't like it or is just full. Do Emily & Eddie throw up a lot? Dominique does not throw up a lot, but she does throw up....seems to be when she eats too much or too fast more than anything else.
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>> Denise & Dominique

Hi There,

I went through something similar recently with my cat Ella. In her case the crystals were gone within a couple of weeks after the vet started her on Royal Canin S/O canned diet. This diet is similar to Hills S/D. Ideally, a cat with crystals should have canned food only, at least until the cat no longer has crystals. Even the dry prescription foods aren't as good as the canned versions.

Ella also had a bacterial infection and what appeared to be a stone was surgically removed from her bladder a couple of weeks ago. If your baby has blood in her urine, it would be a very good thing to have an x-ray done to rule out the possibility of a stone. In my Ella's case an ultrasound was done when her x-ray was negative.

This is not to scare you. Most cats with crystals do NOT have a stone, but I just wanted to share my experience.

Please update us after the next urinalysis is done.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Dominique seems to be feeling a little better, at least she is livlier than she was last week. She is eating the dry version of the Hills, & about a tablespoon of the wet Hills every day. Her water intake has gone up too. She goes back to the vet next Saturday. Will advise.
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Denise & Dominique

Dominique is finally all better from the crystals in the urine! She went back for another urinalysis at the end of June. All clear! But she has now been switched to Science Hill C/d (maintenance) to prevent recurrence, and no snacks. She seems to eat equally of the wet & dry, & has gained back the weight she lost when she was first switched over. So all is well!
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Denise & Dominique