Pet Haven

Some pets with urinary tract infections produce crystals which form in their urine. Sometimes, the crystals form before the infections starts, and sometimes, after the infection have already set in. The crystals are like fine sand and irritate the bladder like rough sandpaper. They can develop into much larger bladder stones as well. In male cats, the crystals may plug the urethra, the tube that leads from the bladder, through the penis, to the outside of the cat. This is a life-threatening condition, since the cat is then be unable to urinate.

The two most common crystals are struvite and oxalate. Struvite crystals are more likely to form in urine that has an alkaline pH. If struvite crystals are a problem, special diets are available to make the urine more acid. There are diets available, that are lower in the minerals that make up the crystals such as magnesium and phosphorous. The diets are available through your veterinarian. Some of these diets are used to treat existing problems and are given for several months only. Others are used to prevent the condition from occurring in the future and can be fed for the lifetime of the animal.

Oxalate crystals are more likely to form if the pH of the urine is acidic. Special diets are available which make the urine more alkaline. These diets are lower in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and sodium.

Therefore, depending on the type of crystals seen in your pet's urine, a different diet may help prevent the recurrence of the problem.

• Urine Marking - Spraying
• Cats and Constipation
• Litter-box Training your Kitten
• Fight Wound Infections
• What is Feline Leukemia (FELV)

Comments are closed.