Please tell me about FLUTD

**jazzcat** · 01-08-2009, 04:06 PM

Poor Decker has it and he's not getting better. He no longer has blood in his urine but he's constantly going to the litterbox to urinate small amounts. I counted today and he went 6 times in a 15 minute period. He's been on a special diet and Cosequin (the vet said it sometimes helps) for three weeks and although it seemed to help the first week he's gotten worse.

I talked to the vet today by phone and we are going to start him on a lose dose of Valium tomorrow in hopes it him relax and not feel the urge to go so frequently.

To complicate matters more since I had to take him to the vet three weeks ago and leave him overnight so they could catch some urine for testing Decker has become much more feral. He doesn't trust us, runs when he get ready to go out (guess he thinks we are going to take him to the vet) and hides under the bed a lot now. I've even had to feed him there a few times. The vet said the stress from that is making the FLUTD worse so hopefully the Valium will help him chill out.

Please, tell me your experiences with this and anything that might help poor Decker.

**catmandu** · 01-08-2009, 04:09 PM

We have nothing in the way of rael advice, just Our Paryers for Dear Decker , that his White Coat can help him.
I am a diabetic , and I know going to the bathroom that many times is no fun at all

All the best to your Best Friend.

**jazzcat** · 01-08-2009, 04:12 PM

Thank you Gary. Prayers are needed and very helpful.

**Medusa** · 01-08-2009, 08:42 PM

Same here; no experience w/FLUTD, sorry, but prayers are going up for Decker just the same.

**lv4dogs** · 01-08-2009, 09:22 PM

My friends cat has chronic flutd and she gives him this:
http://www.nativeremedies.com/petali...=350&kbid=2562

She has to give it to her cat almost all of the time. She says they went back & forth to multiple vets for years trying all sorts of things they prescribed. Nothing seemed to work... at least long term. She heard about this product, tried it & it works. A couple months ago she went out of town on vacation & the pet sitter forgot to give it to him for more than a week & sure enough the uti came back again. She started giving him his regular dose of this stuff the night she came home & by their vet visit the next morning he was starting to get better already. Her vet now recommends it to their clients.
I don't know if that will help you but that's all I really know about it. If there's something specific you want me to ask her for you I can just let me know. Good luck.

**catfamily** · 01-08-2009, 10:39 PM

lori-that site that lv4dogs gave you/us looks promising...and i may even try to convince mike we may need it for our home someday.

poor decker/poor you....how awful it must be.
i've tried cosequin but it didn't seem to do a thing! And the vets swear by it

they have also a zanex for cats that are nervous nellys that seem to work...a 25 milligram tablet cut in half every 12 or 24 hours depending how the cat does at first try every 24 hours.
ask your vet about it.

good luck lori

**Barbara** · 01-09-2009, 06:59 AM

Tigris had a FLUTD about 3 years ago (over Christmas of course). It came back after some months and never after that. So it's worrth just trying to get it fixed. If it is gone there is a good chance it won't re-appear.
All my best wishes for Decker.

**columbine** · 01-09-2009, 07:44 AM

There are lots of over-the-counter remedies for FLUTD that might be worth trying. You could also try Cosequin, a joint supplement that also strengthens the lining of the urinary tract, but it's a supplement, so it takes a while to start working. But it also prevents arthritis.

This is a pretty good page about FLUTD. Basically, FLUTD isn't just one condition, but a catch-all name for a group of conditions that are treated differently.

**jazzcat** · 01-09-2009, 12:06 PM

Thanks for the input, links and good wishes.

Decker is already on Cosequin and we will start the valium today. I pray it works to relax him and lets him heal and return to being my happy little guy.

**krazyaboutkatz** · 01-11-2009, 02:10 AM

Lori, I'm so sorry to hear that Decker is still having problems.

Sunny had this several years ago but luckily it never came back. His was also due to stress and wearing a collar caused it so he can't ever wear one.

At first Sunny was put on antibiotics which did nothing for him. Then he took some liquid medicine that was for people with back problems if I remember correctly. He only had to take it for 3 days and it relaxed him enough to work. Hopefully the valium will do the trick. Good luck.

**jazzcat** · 01-11-2009, 11:26 AM

Thanks Tracey.

So far the valium seems to be helping but it's just day two. Within hours of taking it yesterday he was following me around talking up a storm like he used to. He didn't run from us and he was playing with toys too. It was great to have my Deckie boy back. When I cleaned the litter boxes last night it looked like there were fewer pee drops so I hope that means it's working for him. I'll know better today when I clean them but it seems like he isn't constantly running to the box.

The vet only gave us enough for a week. I hope that is all that is needed.

**Moesha** · 01-11-2009, 02:39 PM

I am glad to hear that Decker seems to be feeling more like his old self. Please continue to keep us posted as you and Decker are in our thoughts.

**catlover4ever** · 01-11-2009, 03:18 PM

Hi Lori, I'm so sorry to hear about Decker and the FLUTD. Smokey suffers from this but has been doing well for the past several years. Smokey was so bad with this I decided to have surgery done and the urethera was made larger (actually they make the males into females). I consulted with my vet only after having had Smokey suffer so much and I have to say that if given the chance to do surgery or go with alternate methods such as diet and medicine....I would have the surgery for him again.

Smokey had the surgery well over 8 years and has only suffered one blockage since that time. The surgery was and is major. I will never forget coming into the vets office to visit with Smoke and crying when I saw just how invasive it was, but again I would do the surgery all over again.

If surgery is not an option for Decker or for your finances, please ask your vet about Methio-Form. It is a small, crushable tablet that can be put into the food that helps to break down the crystals/stones that Decker has. I swear by this product!!! I can tell when Smokey is getting a small infection and when I notice it I immediately crush up the tablets for a few days and within no time Smokey is back to his old, grouchy self.

1800 PET MEDS sells the Methio-Form...here is a link
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Methio+Form-prod10486.html

I hope this info helps, and please fell free to PM me anytime with any questions you have. --- Meg