FELINE LOWER URINARY TRACT DISEASE

  A true medical emergency 

One of the most common problems we encounter with our feline patients is about their urine output. When all of the sudden you saw blood with the urine and out of the box and urinating in different places, or much worse is when you observe your cats go to the box frequently and straining.  The unproductive visit to the litter box is a sign for every fur parent should investigate. 

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is a syndrome that can affect cats of any age.  Environmental factors play a role as well like changes in routine. Having a multi-cat household and a kitty that is picky on soiled boxes increases the risks of FLUTD. The exact cause is unknown. The presence of ascending bacterial infection, trauma, neoplasia and anatomic disorders of the urinary bladder are the possible reasons for this condition in cats. There may be more than one single cause that has changed your pet's urine pH and concentration. The formation of urinary stones, blood clots, and urethral plugs can eventually lead to urethral obstruction.

 

Bladder stones after cystotomy procedure in a cat

    

Palpation of a painful, thick-walled bladder the size and hardness of a large lemon and having unproductive urine output is diagnostic.

Treatment aims to relieve your cat of the urine that accumulated inside bladder.  This is usually achieved by insertion of sterile urinary catheter when the patient is under general anesthesia.  

    If crystals have accumulated at the urethral region, retrograde hydropropulsion or simply forcing water to push the blockage back to the urinary bladder, is performed.  

The next goal is to determine the possible cause of the obstruction.  Blood clots, mucoid plugs, and crystals/stones are the usual suspects. 

                             

Digital radiographs and in-house lab work are usually requested  to check the presence of stones and infection respectively. The goal of therapy is to prevent re-occurrence of this condition. If uroliths are detected in bladder as show on the radiograph above, surgical approach recommended especially if size is greater than 3.0mm.  

Conservative approach through dissolution diets can be recommended to cases wherein crystals/sands were detected.  These diets are fed life long to help prevent re-occurrences. There are a lot of products available like from Royal Canin Urinary diet and Hill's Prescription diet c/d equivalent.

The right diagnosis, treatment and home care plan including change in diet in this case, can lead to a happy life for feline friends.  See your veterinarian regarding this medical issue.

SOURCE

Mazzafero, EM, DVM, PhD 2010. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care. Blackwell Five Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion. Wiley-Blackwell