Kidney Crystals from Blue Buffalo

[dappled]

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;8694043]
OP, do you have any information on the composition of the crystals your cat had?

They’re not necessarily struvite…[/QUOTE]

I do not. This is the first experience I’ve ever had with crystals so I didn’t even realize there were different classifications. It’s possible the vet told me when she diagnosed her but I don’t remember. I can ask when I follow up with her.

[Horsegal984]

I would ask a couple questions during follow up, one being about the long term diet options. I personally would either stay on C/D or look into Royal Canin, as they’ve added the S/O index (the anti-crystal compound) to all of their feline diets now, so you could do a Royal Canin over the counter canned. I would stick with at least canned + dry, if not just all canned.

The prescription diet S/D is not a long term diet, it’s a short term and then C/D is he long term.

And find out what kind of crystals they were, as that can influence the diet recommendations and such. Struvites are most common but not the only type.

[jen-s]

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;8694043]
OP, do you have any information on the composition of the crystals your cat had?

They’re not necessarily struvite…[/QUOTE]

@Horsegal984;8694442

And find out what kind of crystals they were, as that can influence the diet recommendations and such. Struvites are most common but not the only type.

Thanks for posting this. I work in (human) Urology and we always analyze for composition. I realize that this isn’t always possible in veterinary medicine, but at least for humans, treatment/prevention varies quite a bit depending on type of stone. I’m not sure how well human medicine translates to vet medicine with regards to this though.

[dappled]

[QUOTE=Horsegal984;8694442]
I would ask a couple questions during follow up, one being about the long term diet options. I personally would either stay on C/D or look into Royal Canin, as they’ve added the S/O index (the anti-crystal compound) to all of their feline diets now, so you could do a Royal Canin over the counter canned. I would stick with at least canned + dry, if not just all canned.

The prescription diet S/D is not a long term diet, it’s a short term and then C/D is he long term.

And find out what kind of crystals they were, as that can influence the diet recommendations and such. Struvites are most common but not the only type.[/QUOTE]

See, I thought it was the other way around. And my vet put her on C/D as the short term… ah, I’m so confused.

Will call today.

[Horsegal984]

You can use C/D immediately if you’re only worried about crystals. If you need to try and dissolve bladder stones you need S/D. Most of our cats with crystals are just started on C/D, because most have crystals and not stones.

[o0rxkxrox0o]

Initial post:

@dappled

So anyway, she’s on Science Diet now, as my vet claims that this is the only food not only proven to keep crystals at bay for cats who are prone to them. She seems to be eating it well. It did take her a couple days to start keeping it down (she has a sensitive tummy and eats too fast…), but is doing better now. I haven’t seen her excessively hanging out in the litter box anymore so I’m assuming she’s feeling better and it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.

@dappled;8691551

I didn’t realize that everyone here was more knowledgeable than a licensed veterinarian. If you think it’s such garbage, what do you feed your pets?

[QUOTE=dappled;8693827]
If the consensus was that my vet was 100% wrong and that I should do my own research, there was probably a way to say that other than the way it was said. [/QUOTE]

You literally came out of the gate with snark on your first reply after naming the wrong food, without taking the time to realize that at least ONE of the people posting (at that point) is a licensed vet.

How do you expect people to react when you ask for experiences (opinions generally are formulated based on experiences), they give them, and you fly right back at them with a passive aggressive attitude?

I’m glad that the negativity seems to have been cleared up and now it’s being constructively discussed (on pages 3 and 4), but geez. And I’m glad your cat is feeling better and the regimen your vet recommended seems to be helping.

[Burbank]

didn’t read all the posts but I do work as a receptionist at a vet office, as such I do get to see several of our cat patients staying on the c/d either wet or dry due to the fact that when they get off it we then need to see them due to a relapse

so in summary, yes for some cats it works very well

[HenryisBlaisin]

I had a cat who fully blocked on BB. He was on Royal Canin for a while, now just gets regular canned with a tablespoon or two of water added. He has never had crystals since (knock on wood, of course).

IMO, based on extensive research, dry food is the worst thing you can feed a cat. Any dry food. And after having one rushed to the e-vet and surgery for a blockage and another developing diabetes, which required daily blood tests and insulin injections, I will never feed another cat dry food again. Unlike dogs (which can certainly also have issues), cats are obligate carnivores and are designed to eat a very low-carb diet. Like less than 7% of total calories from carbs-far less than any dry food can deliver. Since switching to an all-wet diet, my cats (ranging in age from 7 to 15) are in better weight, have shinier coats, and are more active than they were on any dry kibble.

Here is a well-written website, by a veterinarian who specializes in feline nutrition. It’s a good read, easy to follow and addresses cats who have had crystals and/or blockages. It’s definitely worth checking out.

[PonyPenny]

The best IMO is Urinary SO by Royal Canin. You need a script for it, but if your pet is prone to crystals and/or stones, it works really well.

[dappled]

I’m back with an update.

So first of all, there was a miscommunication between my vet and I about this whole thing. I think because Hill’s makes Science Diet and also the Prescription Diet, I didn’t realize they were two separate things. Hence, me saying in my original post that Science Diet was the only thing proven to treat crystals. When my vet said that, she was talking about the Prescription Diet (C/D and S/D). It doesn’t help to clear things up that it’s called S/D when the initials for Science Diet are SD! Really, I want to contact Hills and tell them that this is confusing. Even the packaging on the two foods look alike; it’s an easy mistake to make.

So anyway, this is why I was feeding her Science Diet wet in addition to the Prescriptive Diet dry. I thought it was okay. So after talking with you guys and reviewing it with my vet, I understand the difference. So now she’s on the Prescription Diet S/D for the remainder of this bag, and then will switch to the C/D for maintenance. She’s eating a dry and canned (the right canned this time!) combination.

I apologize for all that misunderstanding. I sort of had the right idea! :lol: I was just confused because of the Hills mixup.