Question: Do you know of any herbal supplements I could try (and the
dosages) for FUTD?
Background: I have a cat with chronic urinary tract problems. He became
blocked a couple of years ago, and had the surgery. Since then, he has had
X-rays, urinalysis, thyroid test, blood work and no crystals were ever
found. In fact, nothing was found. I have spent over $1,000 trying to help
him, and I cannot afford to keep doing this. He has these infections almost
once a month. Baytril is the only thing that works, and I would hate for him
to become immune to it.
Any advice you could give would be appreciated. No one seems to have any
explanations for FUTD.
Thank you!
The reason no one can thoroughly explain FLUTD is because no one knows the cause.
1. It is not an infection, although they may APPEAR to respond to antibiotics.
2. Canned food is indicated.
3. Glucosamine may help.
4. Stress is a risk factor. Anxiety meds may help
5. Drinking water is #1AAAAAA most important thing. Get a recirculating water bowl.
Philip McHugh, DVM
Park Veterinary Hospital
Durham, NC
From a veterinarian: FLUTD is difficult because it is not really a single disease–there are multiple diagnoses within that category. Most of them do NOT include infection, and most of them fluctuate. A common situation is that when the cat becomes symptomatic, antibiotics are started and the cat gets better and the antibiotic gets the credit, even though most of them would get better even without the antibiotic.
An animal does not become “immune to” an antibiotic. What can happen is that if a bacterial infection is present and is not fully eliminated, the bacteria can become resistant to that antibiotic. It is likely that no infection is involved–it would be wise to have a urine culture done next time the problem flares up. While waiting for the result (3-5 days), simply increase the cat’s fluid intake by feeding canned food, watering down the dry food, leaving a faucet dripping or getting a cat water fountain.
If the culture does not grow, it is likely there is no actual infection and you might as well stop giving antibiotics. If the culture does grow, it will identify the bacteria and test it against a panel of antibiotics in the lab and give a list of all the things that work. Use an appropriate antibiotic long enough (usually 2-3 weeks if it is in the bladder only, and 2-3 months if it is up in the kidneys), then be sure to re-culture about a week after the antibiotic is gone to be sure the infection is truly gone.
If it is not an infection, then other tests can help figure out exactly what is wrong. It sounds like you’ve had a good veterinarian doing a fairly extensive workup so far, which is good because it checks for the various possibilities and either finds them or rules them out. If nothing has yet been found, the workup is not useless–it has shown what this problem is NOT. You do not mention a contrast study–if that hasn’t been done yet, it would be very helpful. It checks for bladder stones that may not show on plain x-rays, bladder wall tumors or deformities including ulcers, pelvic bladder, and may show bladder spasms which can signify Feline Idiopathic (or Interstitial) Cystitis (FIC.)
FIC is a common diagnosis. The good news is that once you find out that is the diagnosis, you really don’t need to do further diagnostic testing because you have the answer to what is wrong. The bad news is, there is no single treatment that works for every cat. Some of the things that have been known to help include prescription foods (especially canned types because they include extra fluid), amitriptyline, gabapentin, NSAIDs (especially piroxicam or metacam), Prednisone (not at the same time as an NSAID), butorphanol or tramadol for pain, weekly injections of Adequan, glucosamine supplements, Fluoxetine (Prozac), or Paxil. Sometimes more than one of these things are needed and work well together, such as a combination of amitriptyline, gabapentin and prednisone, or amitriptyline and tramadol, or fluoxetine and glucosamine. It may take some trial and error to find the best treatment, but at least the diagnosis is then known.
Stress is often a factor. One recent study showed that cats with FIC often had smaller adrenal glands than cats without the problem, so it is suspected that they have poorer ability to handle stress. Avoid changes in the household environment that a cat might find stressful, such as moving furniture, new furniture, changes in people’s schedules, new animals or people in the household, and changes in diet. Also limit the cat’s ability to look out windows and see other cats and birds and squirrels that they are then frustrated not to be able to do anything about. If it is a multi-cat household, be sure there are at least as many litter boxes as there are cats and they are not all in one place, such as a basement–friction between cats causes stresses we humans don’t realize.
Melinda R. Burgwardt, DVM
Lancaster, NY