Pig 6/26 amps 179

Yesterday's

Busy days! But, good days! Lots of school and work. My little girl had eye surgery this morning and man was she mad when she woke up from it!! Poor girl. Yet, she is doing very well and just sleeping it off now.

Pig, on the other hand, is being difficult. Not really, he is just doing Pig. The other night I ran a urine test on him, mainly because he went to the bathroom and tried to pee twice before he actually was able to pee. Also, because he has been a bit constipated from the FF gravy lovers and a UTI / Bladder infection is always in the back of my mind when he gets constipated because he can't empty his bladder all the way when that happens.

Well, his urine was a bit cloudy, but there was not a noticeable pus strand or anything and the odor was not overly strong. However, it was certainly cloudy. I ran the VET-10 strips (which I find to be very accurate and a good indication of certain things) and the Blood / Hemolysis square was tinged slightly green. I could not discern a speckled appearance, but it could have dispersed. His bladder is inflamed, but super huge. It is just bigger than it should be and he is very touchy about me touching it. Also, he is mewling and talking right before LB trips... Soooo, his vet wanted to run him on a course of Amoxicillin, which I will be picking up here shortly. Expensive little medicine it is... But, I am not one to mess with UTIs or Bladder infections... So, a round of liquid Amoxicillin antibiotics for a week and hopefully that will clear it up. I will continue to run the Extra-Care probiotics on him as well. This could account for some number wonkiness, but most likely that is dose and acro working together... *sigh*

On another note... The SEB if flipping amazing stuff! Man, it is helping him to move these hair chunks that he so struggles with and that is awesome! I also think he had a tinge of nausea sometimes, especially when it got closer to feeding time. As in, he had the acid-tummies... But, he seems far more comfortable since we have started the SEB. How often can we give it? I made the mix like @LizzieInTexas suggested and also the 1 teaspoon to cup mix... Is it a 2x a day thing or as needed?

Also.... Tail ate a small bit of raw mixed in his food WITHOUT throwing up! Yaya!!

 

I hope your little girl is recovering well. Vines for Pig too, I hope the AB helps him quickly. A UTI might explain why slightly higher numbers.

More greens please Pig.

 

When I was giving it - I did it 2x/day (AM/PM preshot meal) - don't forget that it inhibits absorption of other meds so +2/-2 hours between when giving it.

Have you looked into d-mannose for UTI's? It is more of a maintenance thing and does NOT take the place of AB.

https://www.felinecrf.org/pyelonephritis_utis.htm#dmannose

I will post another link from my tablet that I have bookmarked on there. It is a discussion on a condo about it.

I always look forward to Pig updates

 

Here is the link to the d-m discussion

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/suggestions-on-urinary-health-cat-foods.146240/

I have not given it but it is in my Gizmo tool box

 

Thank you! Yes, I certainly feel like that can be contributing. He has been a bit off lately. Nothing too bad, but he is not sleeping with me as much as he normally does and that is a big indicator for me that something is up. The antibiotics she gave him cost a small fortune, so they better help!

And, Frankie (my little one) is doing quite well. It was pretty minor surgery, but its really hard to explain to a 5 year old why she can't rub her eye and has to wear a patch.. Yet, she is a trooper!!

 

Oh! This is fantastic! Thank you! I will certainly read all I can on this. I had never heard of this as an option, but a maintenance / preventative option is precisley what I have been looking for. His vet was very surprised that he even had a UTI because according to her, male cats just do not get them. Last summer it took me countless trips to her and one very expensive trip to the ER with bloody urine to prove that male cats can certainly get UTIs. I have been very cautious since then. Amazon has a slew of untested herbal crap to help prevent UTIs, but when you read the ingredients... It is all just that. Herbal crap that has not scientific test, much less evidence about their effectiveness or safety in felines. I will pass on those. The may just be exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you! Always the lifesaver!

 

What?? I always thought males were more prone. Gizmo has had 1 that was dx and one suspected (urinalysis wasn't done but BW indicated an infection) the first one was right after FD dx and I am sure he had sugar in his urine which would have contributed. But he isn't prone to them (i.e., it isn't the first thing we assume when he isn't feeling well).

 

Female kitties (just like humans) are more prone to true UTIs because of their anatomy - short, wide urethras that allow bacteria to enter more easily.

Males are more prone to urinary obstruction due to cystitis/stones also because if their anatomy. They have long, thin urethras that pass through a bone and do not allow things like small stones or mucus plugs to pass. They can get UTIs, but usually secondary to other things, like cystitis, FD (glucose in the urine = food for bacteria), etc.

 

Thank you it must have been the obstruction I had uti's confused with.

 

Yes. This is precisely it. It is not usual that a male will suffer a UTI. However, the presence of glucose in the urine can increase their susceptibility. With Pig, the idea is that he gets constipated or backed up very easily. This back up sits heavy on his urethra, which prevents him from emptying his bladder all the way. Combine that with the additional glucose and it a nasty recipe. Also, I believe the fact that he squats very low due to arthritis and cleanliness issues (he is a Manx and cannot feel fecal matter on his butt) as well all contribute to his propensity for them.

I did not expect to see another one again with lowered numbers, but his urine is certainly cloudy. My test strips give inconclusive results, but they do show 'something'. Either way, he is presenting with Hemolysis +6 (anemia - commonly found in UTI environments) and / or very small amounts of blood. Yet, again.. inconclusive. The vet wants to err on the side of caution. It is possible that this is trace from the last one and it is just so persistent and buried that it won't show on a strip. Cystocentsis and sediment draws all show negative as well as a US on 5/8 of this year.... But, this just showed up again the other night... Not sure it is a persistent one. If it is, then it is illusive for sure...

 

Sorry to hear your daughter had eye surgery. I hope it was minor, and I hope she recovers quickly. Tell her that you know an old fart, and even he has a hard time not rubbing his eyes.

That sounds like Pig is doing pretty good except for the UTI.

I see Pig is down to the 18.0-20.0 range, and with luck he will continue dropping dosage. It is amazing that 2 months have already gone by. Where did all that time go? I am not kidding you, it seems like it was only a few weeks ago.

 

I certainly will! She will get a big kick out of that. It is what her Opa calls himself... It was pretty minor, though. She has a muscle in the corner of her eye that is overly tight. We had been using dilation drops to try to strengthen the muscles of the other eye (weaken one and strengthen the other was the thought) and it helped a lot, but in the end her one eye just could never really get on the same page as the other one. So, surgery to snip that muscle. She is doing very well with it, indeed!

He is doing really well! This SEB is insane! He has been more regular in just 3 short days of use than he has in a very, very longtime. But, you are so totally right! When we first got home it seemed like it would be forever before we hit the 2 month mark, but now... Its already here??? Oh my... Where has the time gone???