Follow up tests for Cat

[hurricanegirl]

We (cat and I) have been up since 4 am.

I bring him to the Vet today for xray and blood work. It has been about 7 weeks since he was diagnosed with kidney stones, and put on Vet food and medicine (potassium citrate), for same.

I am very apprehensive as surgery (if required) is very extensive and has a high morbidity rate

He will need anesthesia for the tests, so no food since 8pm last night and this morning has been horrid, the cat keeps looking at me like "are you forgetting about me?"

Has anyone had experience with male cat kidney stones? If so would love to hear your story

I understand lithotripsy cannot be done for male cats (told to me by Tufts Veterinary)

[TheOtherMe]

My first cat had the same surgery as described by the above poster. He did well with it and lived to the age of 16 before he had to be put down due to totally unrelated issues.

It totally depends on the cat. My cat and I had probably 12 more years together, but there was no guarantee when I decided to go ahead with the surgery.

Good luck today.

[The Captain]

Let us know what happens...

[bean29]

Recently went through similar issues with my Dog. Good Luck. I ran up $1,000 in just a couple visits. They wanted to do more, but I said no. My baby seems to be doing just fine now.

If I would have said yes to the extras it would have cost more than my family deductible on my health insurance for the whole family.

[hurricanegirl]

Jellybeam - I am well over $1,000.00 but so far it has been TOTALLY WORTH IT....................

X rays show that the stones are shrinking, and some have even passed, so we stay the course with meds and vet food for anpother 3 months, and then another follow up x ray and blood work.

Thanks to all who took the time to read and reply and thanks for your heartfelt compassion..............

The surgery (If it becomes necessary) would not be the one you all described,,,,they would remove the kidney stones,,, or possibly the whole kidney.......

But we are not thinking that way at this partticular moment. I have to keep my eyes on him of course, but so far we took a giant step in the ight direction.

Cat is home, has eaten, has peed (in case anyone cares) and is napping

Thanks again to all and anyone else who might have undergone something similar, I still welcome (and hope for) your experiences

[shanendoah]

glad to know things are going in the right direction, hurricanegirl.

Our foster dog just started prescription food for possible bladder stones. Got to get him healthy if we want to get him adopted.

[The Captain]

What wonderful news!

[Peace Of Mind]

I'm glad your cat is doing better, hurricanegirl! I do hope he doesn't need the surgery. I had a cat years ago who had those problems and had the surgery at a young age. It was new at the time and he lived a nice long life. We just had to watch him carefully and make sure he drank plenty of water to keep the crystals flushed out of his system. His own body made them. We would drain tuna water on to a plate for him (which he loved) to get him to drink more when I didn't think he was drinking enough water.

I hope this is just a one time incident! They are worth every penny, IMO. I have 5 now.

[hurricanegirl]

Captain - I believe it was you who told me a wonderful story about a cat whose meds you gave subcutaneously ( through his IV???) I cried when I read how much you must have loved that cat

shenandoah - Good luck. Potassium Citrate ( might be worth asking your vet about - as far as I am concerned it is a miracle drug) What age is your foster dog? Lithotripsy? Based on the fact that you "Foster", I am sure that your knowledge is a lot more extensive than mine, but I am fairly knowledgeable about animal procedures and was not aware that lithotripsy had moved from the world of humans into the world of animals. Tufts veterinary is one of few countrywide who has this equipment, and I did call them as I am about 70 miles away from them, but unfortunately they tell me the procedure is not recommended for Male cat, female cats are ok as are dogs if over 12 pounds



And again, thanks to all for your Positive energy - It sure helps

[movingforward]

I am so glad your cat is better. I don't have any experience with the kidney stones but my cat had crohn's disease and I really don't know how much money I ended up spending on him all together but it was a lot, but he lived an additional 4 years and I wouldn't change anything I did. I got him when he was just a kitten and he was with me for 16 yrs. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

[shanendoah]

Our foster dog is ~12 years old (we foster through an organization called Old Dog Haven) and has a heart murmur. We are therefore feeding him an extra special Rx diet because normally you increase sodium in dogs with bladder stones to get them to drink more water, but that's a bad plan with heart problems.
I do not get to make any official determinations about his health care as the rescue is his owner. I simply run him to the vets (and pay for the food, though technically, I don't have to do that). Given his age, I doubt any drastic measures, like surgery, will be taken. If the bladder stones get worse, or if for any reason he is deemed unadoptable, he will simply stay with us for as long as he is happy.

[weltschmerz]

X rays show that the stones are shrinking, and some have even passed, so we stay the course with meds and vet food for anpother 3 months, and then another follow up x ray and blood work.
--------------------
Oh, what wonderful news! I know you were so worried.

[TheOtherMe]

That is good news for you and kitty.

[taz157]

Great news for you and your Kitty!