Struvite Crystals In Cats Diet

Some male cats can develop blockages in their urethras the tube through which urine travels out of the bladder from the tiny crystals or full blown stones can develop in a cat s urinary tract.

Struvite crystals in cats diet.

Struvite crystals are one type of urinary blockage that pet cats can develop. Cats that are routinely fed a diet of dry food are particularly at risk for struvite crystals. In some cats struvite bladder stones form as a result of a urinary tract infection. Diet has played an important role in struvite dissolution and prevention for over 3 5 years.

However according to veterinarians at the marva vista animal clinic in los angeles struvite crystals require an alkaline ph in order to form. Dry and canned therapeutic foods are 100 effective in dissolving feline struvite uroliths in about 1 to 3 weeks. Signs of bladder stones typically include frequent urination straining to urinate blood in the urine and urinating outside of the litterbox. They typically form because of urinary changes that happen when bladder infections occur.

The most common types of stones are struvite calcium oxalate and urate stones. If your cat is having urinary issues your veterinarian will first recommend a urinalysis. Struvite crystals are the most common form of mineral crystals that form in a cats urinary tract. Kornreich notes owners of cats who develop struvite stones may need to control their pets weight through diet and exercise in addition to feeding a struvite prevention diet.

They cannot form in acidic urine. You presume that whatever led to it in the first place has not been resolved. Dissolving feline struvite stones struvite is the most common feline stone analyzed by the minnesota urolith center. But certain fluids may make the environment in your urinary tract more inhospitable to stone growth.

Around half of all urinary stones in cats are struvite crystals. The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. When cats develop struvite risk of recurrence is reasonably high dr. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate.

Cat crystals do not tend to appear in a more acidic environment a low ph and where the urine is more. You may be alerted to this problem when you see your cat straining to urinate urinating outside the litter box urinating frequently has an increased thirst and or has cloudy or. Diet may not be effective at preventing struvite stones because they re caused by infections. Dry cat food provides very little moisture in their diet can make their urine too concentrated making it difficult for them to pass the crystals.

While struvite stones are usually caused by infection in dogs the rest of the stones are caused by metabolic abnormalities such as liver disease or high blood calcium nutrient imbalances from diet or supplements or genetic conditions that the dog or cat.