Need diet advice for Calcium Oxolate stones

[rjesak]

I had started another thread about Oscar's trip to the ER last night but he just got home from the vet and they say that because the stones were Calcium Oxolate stones, he'll need to go on a special diet. Because they're a vet's office (and this seems to be a trend), they recommend Hill's c/d.

Currently Oscar is on an all canned diet of Fancy Feast (varieties with no wheat products).

So, since I really don't want to use Hill's, what kind of diet exactly am I looking for here? Apparently it needs to lower the acidity of the urine but I've no clue how to do that. I don't know that I have the wherewithall to do a raw diet (even if that's the solution). It looks like it's a whole lot of work to prepare. I occasionally give them cooked chicken (Oscar's asthma is bad enough that I don't want to risk giving him uncooked food) but dealing with grinding bones and all... And I don't live in a place where I can easily get my hands on the supplements.

I'd like to do this without spending a fortune (I'll do whatever it takes, of course) but I really need some guidance!

[Love4himies]

Calcium oxalate stones form when the urine ph is too acidic. The best way to prevent these stones, of course is lots of fluids, and a species appropriate diet that allows organs to function as they should.

While Fancy Feast is not the worst food, perhaps a better canned food may be better for your cat. My favourite is Nature's Variety Instinct and second is Wellness, grain free.

I actually add a bit of water to all my cat's food to ensure they are getting enough fluids so you can try that.

Is the vet going to do a followup checking on urine ph, blood calcium levels, etc.?

[rjesak]

I can switch to Wellness but since it's just an all canned diet, why is my vet recommending "a special diet"? To be honest, this is through my mom who took Oscar to the vet today so I may be missing some pieces of the puzzle...

Yes, she wants him to come back in 2 weeks and in a month to check the urine levels. Of course, she has NEVER successfully gotten urine from this cat. He pees once a day - usually around 4 A.M. The odd thing is he has a pretty strong thirst drive - he drinks water all the time! In fact, when I first took him in a couple of months ago, I thought he was going to be diagnosed with Diabetes.

Either way, whatever I do will probably be good for all the cats... I read somewhere that switching to meals can help. I currently put out six cans of food in the morning and then in the evening, if any is left, I toss it and put out six new cans. It ends up being a sort of combined meal/buffet system. It works especially well for Oscar who eats very small amounts at any given time. In fact, I don't think I could do "meal times" right now because he's still over a pound down from his ideal weight.

[Love4himies]

Your cat peeing only once a day is indicative of being dehyrdrated. My cats pee on average 3-4 times a day. Yes, it means a lot of litter box cleaning , but I know they are getting their systems flushed

[rjesak]

I thought so too but my vet said it's not unusual at all for cats to pee only once or twice a day. She also said he doesn't appear at all dehydrated. My smaller cats pee more often than he does... Maybe he's just got a big bladder? Really, he drinks ALL the time!

[Love4himies]

Could be, I know Jasper must have a huge bladder, his pees are so big. He is the only cat who I see drink water too.

Have you been looking at the website: catnutrition.org or catinfo.org

http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php

http://catinfo.org/