Struvite Crystals In Cats Diet

Struvite stones are one of the most common bladder stones in dogs and cats.

Struvite crystals in cats diet.

Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. 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. 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. Struvite crystals are one type of urinary blockage that pet cats can develop.

However according to veterinarians at the marva vista animal clinic in los angeles struvite crystals require an alkaline ph in order to form. In some cats struvite bladder stones form as a result of a urinary tract infection. But certain fluids may make the environment in your urinary tract more inhospitable to stone growth. They typically form because of urinary changes that happen when bladder infections occur.

Diet has played an important role in struvite dissolution and prevention for over 3 5 years. Around half of all urinary stones in cats are struvite crystals. Struvite bladder stones are one of the most common bladder stones in cats. The most common types of stones are struvite calcium oxalate and urate stones.

The crystals themselves can be perfectly normal but become problematic when they combine to form grit or stones of varying shapes and sizes. If your cat is having urinary issues your veterinarian will first recommend a urinalysis. 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. You presume that whatever led to it in the first place has not been resolved. Struvite crystals are the most common form of mineral crystals that form in a cats urinary tract. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium ammonium and phosphate.

Signs of bladder stones typically include frequent urination straining to urinate blood in the urine and urinating outside of the litterbox. 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. 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. They cannot form in acidic urine.

Dry and canned therapeutic foods are 100 effective in dissolving feline struvite uroliths in about 1 to 3 weeks.