Is a vet checkup needed for my cat's urinary crystal food refill?

An over the counter urinary care diet should be fine to give if you have concerns. I would also recommend regular yearly rechecks of urine with your vet as this is the best way to monitor Mushu for any changes that may need treatment or a switch back to a prescription medication again. If you do notice him having any issues again, a vet visit more quickly for treatment is best.

Poor girl. Crystals in the urine don't come from stress typically. This is a metabolic issue that is causing her to not break down her food properly, which causes crystals to form in the bladder. Stress in cats only causes hematuria (bloody urine) without infection or stones. This is called Stress cystitis. Therefore, if your pets "symptoms" have returned, I would be best to have Kiki rechecked. In particular, I would consider getting her bladder checked for urinary stones by having an x-ray done. She also could have developed a UTI, so a urinalysis should be done first. Adding water is good, but it does not help resolve any of these possible issues. She needs to be seen unfortunately to get to the bottom of things, since this is a bit complex in nature. I hope that your pet Kiki has some resolve to her urinary issues soon! Best wishes and take care.

I'm sorry Rose is having problems with urinary crystals! Unfortunately because it is a prescription food, that is how you are going to have to get it. The good news is that the urine test should only be once a year, so if you save $10 or $20 from each paycheck, by the time the urine test comes up, you can have saved enough to afford it.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Speedy. If his veterinarian has recommended a prescription diet, then he should stay on one. Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Urinary SO, Hills Veterinary Diet C/D or Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets U/R are all great choices to help prevent crystals in his urine. I hope this information helps!

Hello. I am so sorry for your concerns about Sofia. The RC Urinary s/o is an excellent diet, but sometimes we see a difference in the various manufacturers of these diets. The first thing to do, & this is a good time to do so, is recheck her urine. After about two weeks on a specialty diet, there should not be any ( or at least very few ) crystals in the urine. If there are still a substantial number of crystals, & depending on if they are struvite or oxylate crystals, you may need to try another diet, such as the Hills or the Purina lines of prescription urinary diets. Another thing to consider is switching to a wet/canned diet. The substantial amount of extra water a cat consumes with the wet diet helps to significantly dilute the urine thus helping to flush out existing crystals & preventing the formation of new ones. Best of luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

As long as he is urinating within his usual frequency and volume and does not have any discomfort or blood with the urine I would not be immediately concerned with regards to an emergency visit unless anything changes. I would recommend submitting a urine sample to your vets office for analysis - you can use special urine collection litter in order to collect this from his litter tray. Your vet team can then assess concentration, pH and presence of microscopic crystals which can help to evaluate urinary health. A wet diet, or a dry diet specifically formulated to reduce crystal formation can be used to lower risk also.

I would strongly advise against this. I would keep him on some form of food labelled for urinary crystal prevention. Urinary blockages can be a fatal emergency. Royal Canin, Hills, and Purina ProPlan are the three foods that use the most science in their nutrition. I have never heard of young again. Any of their foods that are labelled "S/O" are meant to prevent the formation of urinary crystals. Many urinary diets do have an increased caloric amount, and I sympathize that can be a struggle, but it is related to what keeps their urinary tracts healthy. You can try feeding canned food that is watered down to lower some calories. The extra water and hydration is great for the urinary tract as well. Feeding the food out of toys and feeders, instead of bowls in meals, to encourage their working for food and hunting behaviors can also help with their food intake.