Well, darn. Just got back from another vet visit for Newt’s little wizzer. Not a mucous plug this time; instead we definitely had a blockage.
::sigh::
We’ve been soooo lucky as far as his shunt goes. In spite of his challenges, he remains relatively stable for the overwhelming majority of the time, and we have, so far, managed to escape the urinary blockage issues that plague several of the other liver shunt (feline PSS) cats.
Until recently.
His December visit was “just” a mucous plug, and some inflammation and irritation, and he’s been fine, bladder-wise, since then. Until this morning.
Caught him perched in the pee position in his litter before breakfast. Uh oh. No pee. Moved him, and he wandered off to nibble a bit of breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning lounging comfortably in sun puddles.
Lunch time – same thing. Perched in the box, unproductive, and then he began straining when he moved out of the box. Uh oh, this is NOT good. Phone call to the vet ASAP.
Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE Newt’s vet care team?
We were instructed to bring him straight in, and they already had an action plan in place before we ever even walked in the door. In less than two minutes of arrival, he was whisked into the back and being prepared for the procedure.
I’d barely made it home when I got the call that he was coming round, and the doctor would be calling later. We’ll have lab results soon, and the whole clinic bragged on what a good little boy he was. He was still pretty loopy from the pain meds, and his pupils were quite dilated, with the copper definitely much darker than usual. I’m pretty sure it was the pain meds, as they knocked him for six after his neutering, too.
So now, we’re going to be re-thinking some of his protocols. I’m trying very hard not to panic, but urinary health for some of the liver shunt kitties can be a bit … challenging. And medical management of a liver shunt cat is pretty uncharted territory. I desperately hope this is an anomaly, and not a new pattern we are seeing with his shunt.
We had already taken him back to the basics, diet-wise, trying to avert another winter merry-go-round like last year. For the last two weeks, he’s been getting no snacks outside of meals, unless they are dosed in Lactulose, and his meals have been minimized back to the basics.
Now we need to see what else we can tweak to try and protect his little pecker. We’re going to switch from his clay litter to a non-clumping, add Cosequin as a supplement (and hope he will EAT it), and are discussing getting a fountain. He usually drinks quite a bit anyway, but if a fountain will help, why not? Have already been adding extra water and goo to his meals, since December, but he’s so fussy. Too soupy and he won’t eat. Need to find the perfect amount, and actually measure it instead of estimating it.
Change is SCARY. Yes, that’s true. But blockages are scarier. And a stone can throw little Newt into a big crisis, so we’re open to any and all suggestions you may have for ideas on what we can do to help support his urinary health.
Would a raw diet help? My ladies are all doing very well on raw, and Lovey is almost trim. The fountain is good — I add a small amount of colloidal silver to keep the water cleaner. A probiotic may also help. Lovey takes one with FOS for her colitis.
Good luck.
Karen, hadn’t considered the CS; will definitely discuss with his vet. Raw is tricky for him – all his veggies are raw, but his meat is roasted or steamed. Want to double check with his vet about raw chicken bones though, am still preoccupied with preventative dental health for him – or at least I was until this incident 😉
We’re going to be closely evaluating every aspect of his care – again. So, thanks bunches for the insight and woohoo on Lovey! You’ll have to email me a pic; such a sweet sweet girl.