Will switching to wet cat food be enough to prevent struvite crystals?

Charline

Im having a really hard time deciding what to feed my cat. He has had 2 incidences of struvite crystals - one with complete blockage over the past couple of years. He has always eaten dry food. Im torn between feeding the Urinary SO my vet recommends and trying him on an all wet food diet. A raw food diet is not an option. Id like advice from people who have been in this situation, and what your results have been.



Colette

Hi there, We switched our neutered male cat who had a couple of bouts with Struvite crystals to all moist food, no dry food at all. We fed a moist grainless cat food with had no by products. We switched to Wellness turkey or chicken. Our results were excellent. There were no more episodes of crystals, and he actually digested the food far easier than food with grain. So switching him to an all meat, grainless moist food will help tremendously. Moist food additionally, of course has more liquid, and cats with these bladder and urinary conditions need more fluid in their diet. Cats generally dont drink enough water, so feeding dry only aggravates the problem. Here is an excellent article about the benefits of feeding grainless moist food and to help prevent crystals. http://www. acreaturecomfort. com/cathealt…Hope this helps and good luck with your kitty. TroublesnifferOwned by cats for over 40 yearsMember: Cat Writers Association



Dionne

Usually switching to a high quality wet food will solve the problem. Never feed Science Diet or any other vet recommended diet until you check the label. Many of those foods arent good quality. Merrick canned foods are great and cats love them. Theyre a bit more expensive than what you can buy at a grocery store, but itll save you lots on vet bills.



Bernardine

I agree with Proud Owner, so the reason I am writing is to tell you I like your name and picture. Very cute!



Johna

Merricks Before Grain and their other entrees are a great choice. Its grainless. Theres no by-products, fillers, artificial flavoring, or harmful ingredients like soy, wheat, and corn. Theyve also got low glycemic dishes. I feed my cats Merricks and they love it. Before grain:http://www. merrickpetcare. com/store/bg_c…Other entrees by Merrick:http://www. merrickpetcare. com/store/cann…You could also look into Felidae, Wellness, Blue Buffalo, and Innova. Those are other great choices. Water hardness and the mineral content in it can also contribute to Urinary Tract Infections. So, give them only distilled water which will help prevent crystals. Another thing, a water fountain will also help. Fill it with the distilled water. Cat water fountains are more stimulating and also help your cat to drink more.



Cordia

Im shocked! You have gotten great answers. Did you read the links I gave you before? http://www. catinfo. org/#Common_Feline_He…http://www. catinfo. org/



Lyndsey

Diet plays a crucial role in peventing struvite crystals. Feeding a high quality protein, grainless canned food certainly could benefit your cat. In my experience, the only way to absolutely prevent the formation of struvite crystals is to feed a dissolution diet like S/O or C/D. Unfortunately when feeding S/O you can not combine the canned with the dry. Its either you feed the dry S/O or the canned S/O. Cats with crystals need the additional moisture that canned food offers. Honestly the cats tend not to enjoy the S/O canned but will lap up the dry. The S/O dry doesnt add a ridiculous amount of salt in order to increase thirst as C/D does. The decision is ultimately yours! You can try a high quality protein diet which is limited in ash and moniter him closely for signs of discomfort. You may even pick up pH strips at CVS to moniter the acidity of his urine. Or you can feed a versoin of S/O or C/D feeling pretty confident it will work. ADD: Frank ask your vet to call Royal Canin and confirm that it is ok to feed both dry and canned. You will be doing him a favor because S/O dry and S/O canned are two different formulas and should not be combined! Teach your vet something new!



Aja

My vet today just told me I could mix a dry SO with a wet SO food. Dry food is better for their teeth, but I agree, the wet food is probably better for the crystals. I was suggested this food: http://www. wysong. net/products/uretic-he… And have heard great things about it, but they arent available in a wet form.