I have a cat who is about 7 years old, 25 pounds and keeps getting the crystals back in his urine. I have him on the WD right now, but the vet said we needed to take him in to have X-rays to make sure he doesn't have stones. He has been going through test after test during the past 6 months and it is really putting a strain on our wallet. The vet said that the only thing we could do if he does have stones is put him through surgery that would cost quite a bit. I am pretty definite that my husband would not allow us to go through with it. Is there anything we can do to get rid of these instead of the surgery. I love my kitty so much and I couldn't bear to lose him. PLEASE HELP?

Hello,

The best thing to help disolve stones without surgery is Hill's Prescription Diet S/D.  Your cat should only be on this for ONE MONTH!  S/D is not a mainstream diet and should only be used to help disolve the crystals.

Unfortunately, if the crystals have formed stones, the S/D will not help.  The stones are too large and hard to disolve at that point and surgery is necessary to remove them.

You cat should, ideally, be on C/D to help prevent further stones instead of W/D.  Problem is, C/D is high in calories and would only exacerbate the weight problem.

After using the S/D, try switching to M/D which is the Low-Carb diet for cats.  It's the best thing for weight loss.  Make sure you measure the food correctly.  For weight loss the cat should only have 3/4 cup PER DAY of M/D.

What you might try to do is, every other month or so, mix a 4# bag of S/D with the M/D to help discourage any crystal formation.

That is what I do with my cats.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Hi. What are C/D M/D S/D standing for please? Thanks, leslie

Hello,

C/D, M/D, and S/D are specially formulated precription diet foods for cats and dogs by Hill's Science Diet.

C/D is for cats/dogs with Struvite Crystals

M/D is a low-carb diet for overweight cats/dogs

S/D is used on a limited basis for disolving small crystals in the bladder

Hope this clears things up! ;)

If this has been a reacurrent problem I would def opt for the x-rays. It may well be stones that will need removing. I recently saw the same problem with a cat a work who came in for x-rays last week. 4 very large oxalate stones were removed and she is now dong great! I know the cost can be an issue, would it be possible to come to some sort of payment arrangement with your vet?