Cat bladder stones are a sclerotic structure formed in the cat's bladder, mainly composed of minerals and proteins. The formation of these stones is usually related to factors such as excessive mineral concentration in the urine, insufficient drinking water, and improper diet.
Symptoms of cat bladder stones
1. Frequent urination and urgency: Cat bladder stones can cause difficulty in excreting urine, making cats feel frequent urination and urgency.
2. Hematuria: Stones stimulate the bladder wall and may cause blood in the urine, which is an obvious symptom.
3. Pain: Cats may experience painful symptoms when urinating, such as painful screams, mouth licking, etc.
4. Urinary tract obstruction: In severe cases, stones may block the urethra, causing the urine to not be discharged normally. This is an emergency and requires immediate medical attention.
5. Change urination habits: Cats may avoid using litter boxes, look for other places to urinate, or show abnormal postures when urinating.
Diagnosis of bladder stones
1. Physical examination: The veterinarian will make preliminary judgments by observing the cat's behavior, sensing the bladder area, and examining the abdomen.
2. Urine analysis: By analyzing the components in the urine, it can be detected whether there are any abnormalities such as crystals, bacteria or blood.
3.X-ray or ultrasound examination: These imaging tests can help determine whether stones are present in the bladder and determine their number and size. Treatment of
Bladder stones in cats The main types of bladder stones are struvite (52%) and calcium oxalate stones (35%), which means that more than 85% of bladder stones are these two types. Strulotite can be dissolved without surgery. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved and need to be removed surgically. Therefore, the first thing to do when treating bladder stones is to distinguish whether it is strulotite or calcium oxalate stones.
How to distinguish between struvite and calcium oxalate stone?
(1) Urine test, but the specificity is poor. There are not necessarily stones with crystals. There are not necessarily crystals with stones. There are not necessarily crystals with ammonium phosphate crystals. There are not necessarily struvite crystals with calcium oxalate crystals. There are not necessarily calcium oxalate stones with calcium oxalate crystals.
X-ray has higher specificity
struvite is flat and has a low density. It is not that bright on X-ray;
calcium oxalate stones are rounder and have a higher density, which is similar to bone density. On X-ray, it is brighter and whiter;
(3) Sentences are sent for inspection for stone analysis, which is the most accurate, but the stones must be removed before they can be done. Treatment of struvitae
(1) Eat canned prescriptions of Hilth C/D or prescription food;
(2) If you are suspected of infection (common in kittens or elderly cats), you must undergo antibacterial treatment (otherwise the stones will not dissolve easily), and you can undergo urinary bacterial culture, and then choose appropriate antibiotics to treat until the stones dissolve and use them for two weeks;
(3) Drink more water
(4) Re-examine the X-ray once every two weeks. Treatment of
Calcium oxalate stones
(1) Small stones can be passed through the urethra, which can be used to remove them by stone basket or excretion water flushing, but these two methods are only for female cats, and the urethra of male cats is too thin to operate;
(2) Stones that cannot pass through the urethra are recommended for laser lithotripsy or percutaneous cysttomy, but cysttomy is not recommended, as the side effects are greater.
Prevention of calcium oxalate stones
(1) Increase the amount of water to keep the cat drinking enough water to help dilute urine and reduce the formation of stones. Cats can be encouraged to drink water by using wet food, providing multiple water sources, and changing water regularly.
(2) If there is high calcium, actively treat it
(3) When recurrence is common: Thiazide diuretics (such as hydrochlorothiazide) should be considered, and potassium citrate should be used in combination with potassium citrate
(4) to avoid acidifying urine, urinary tract prescription food, and various acidifying urine drugs should not be used
(5) to avoid excessive intake of proteins