The kidneys are a filtering organ that passes through itself the substances formed during metabolism. If metabolic disorders or inflammation of the urogenital system of a pet occurs, some mineral components that have a low level of solubility can accumulate, forming crystalline sand. Over time, grains form large formations in the kidneys of cats - stones.
Disease Description
Urolithiasis (urolithiasis) and nephrolithiasis (deposits in the kidneys) are the result of damage to the urinary tract. The mechanism for the development of the disease is quite simple: deposits in the form of sand accumulate in the kidneys and bladder, then urinary stones of various sizes form. They block the renal pelvis and canals, accumulate in the urethra. The causes and symptoms of cat kidney stones, discussed in this article, will give animal owners an understanding of the disease and how to treat it.
The pathological process, as a rule, is accompanied by pain during urination (dysuria) and noticeable disturbances in the secretion of fluid from the body. The latter is expressed in frequent urges. The movement of salts and stones can cause pain due to scratches created by the movement, as a result of which blood impurities appear in the urine. The contact of blood and urine is fraught with severe intoxication, therefore, with such symptoms, the pet urgently needs to be shown to the doctor. In severe cases, the lumen of the urethra becomes clogged, and after three to four days, kidney stones in cats can cause death.
Who is affected, what is the disease dangerous
Not every animal from the cat family is ill with such an ailment.
The following categories of pets are most susceptible to urolithiasis:
- males, as they have an anatomically narrow lumen of the urethra;
- unsterilized cats;
- long-haired breeds (Siberian, Persian, “exotics”);
- overweight animals;
- neutered males;
- pets from two to six years old.
Many owners are interested in the question: "If there are kidney stones in cats, do cats have them?" Yes, they do, and unsterilized cats have a twice the risk of developing the disease than males.
The danger of the pathological process is that an increase in the number of kidney deposits and stones in cats can lead to the development of kidney failure. This is fraught with a violation of the processes of digestibility of food and metabolism. As a result, kidney removal may be required . In severe cases, renal failure leads to the death of the animal.
Often, nephrolithiasis provokes the development of urolithiasis, when stones form in the ureter and bladder, making it difficult to urinate freely. Violation of the balance of fluid in the body and the process of urination leads to dehydration and extensive intoxication, which is dangerous for the life of the pet.
The reasons for the formation of stones
Objective factors leading to sedimentation include the following:
- Climatic conditions. In a hot climate in animals, urine concentration increases due to a deterioration in the filtration process.
- Geochemical conditions. The health status of a cat is influenced by the composition of air, soil and water. The presence of a significant amount of calcareous salts causes a decrease in the pH of urine, which then provokes the accumulation of excess calcium salts. This is one of the main causes of kidney stones in cats.
- Food. A mixed diet (dry feed and cooked food), as well as a high protein content in food increases the concentration of urea.
- Vitamin deficiency. An unbalanced diet negatively affects the cells and the genitourinary system.
Internal factors provoking the formation of kidney stones in cats are:
- Disruption of the hormonal background. Parathyroid dysfunction causes an increase in calcium levels in urine and blood.
- Anatomical structure of a cat. Sometimes cats have an atypical structure of the urethral canal, which causes accumulation, as well as inhibition of urine output.
- In males, the width of the urinary canal is three times less than in females.
- Gastrointestinal tract diseases. A malfunction in the digestive system leads to a violation of the pH balance in the body, while calcium is concentrated in the intestine with the formation of stones.
- Hereditary factors.
- Streptococcal, staphylococcal infections.
As a result of various reasons, different types of kidney stones are formed in a cat, the treatment of which is also carried out differently:
- oxalates (calcium salts with oxalic acid) are characteristic of older pets;
- struvites (phosphates) occur in eighty percent of cases in animals of any age.
Symptoms of the disease
Experts warn that it is difficult to notice the disease in the early stages, often animal owners sound the alarm in the later stages of urolithiasis. When the situation becomes critical, urgent help is needed.
In order to timely identify signs of kidney stones in cats, you need to monitor the appearance of such symptoms:
- obsessive licking of the area under the tail;
- long (later painful) and frequent urination;
- the presence of blood in the urine;
- painful cry of an animal when urinating;
- promiscuous pet toilet;
- refusal of food;
- pet behavior change;
- weight loss.
The critical symptoms of cat kidney stones are:
- vomiting
- cramps and trembling;
- an increase in the abdomen in size;
- loss of consciousness;
- increase in body temperature;
- lack of urination.
With the emergence of critical signs at a late stage, the disease becomes life threatening to the pet.
Diagnosis of the disease
At the first appearance of symptoms of kidney stones in a cat, the following laboratory tests and studies should be performed:
- in order to determine the presence of inflamed foci - a general clinical blood test;
- in order to determine the parameters of the kidneys and diagnose the balance of electrolytes, they pass a biochemical blood test;
- in order to identify blood impurities and to analyze the composition - a general analysis of urine;
- in order to determine the type of infection - bacteriological culture of urine.
In addition, a radiography of the abdomen of the pet and an ultrasound examination of the kidneys are prescribed to obtain information about their structure, type, size and number of stones.
Diet for cat
If in the early stages the presence of kidney stones in cats is determined, treatment at home is considered appropriate. It mainly consists in observing dietary nutrition, which, in turn, depends on the type of deposits.
Experts advise to comply with the following recommendations:
- Feeding a sick animal should be carried out three times a day, food debris must be removed twenty minutes after feeding. In between meals, the pet should not have access to food. Strict adherence to the dose is required, otherwise, when it is exceeded, the volume of mineral salts in the urine increases.
- If it is established that the type of formations in the kidneys is struvite, then the animal's diet should be filled with products that acidify urine. Dairy and lactic acid products, eggs and foods high in calcium are prohibited. If the cat agrees to use acidified water, a small amount of freshly squeezed redcurrant juice, lemon or cranberry is added to it.
- If the kidney stones are oxalates, then it is forbidden to feed the animal with eggs, fish, boiled meat, liver and foods rich in calcium.
- A sick pet should have free access to plenty of clean, fresh water. If he does not drink enough liquid, then he needs to give soaked food and drink from a syringe without a needle or spoon.
- It is forbidden to give the animal dry food of any kind, except for therapeutic.
With such pathologies, lean beef and veal, fish, cereals and vegetables are allowed. The diet menu must be agreed with the attending veterinarian, strictly adhere to the regimen and adhere to the norms of feeding.
Drug treatment
At the beginning of the disease, conservative treatment can be used. Using a diet, urine acidity changes, struvite, urate and cystine deposits dissolve.
Before prescribing drugs, the doctor prescribes an examination, based on which he concludes what to give the cat from kidney stones.
In parallel with the diet, the following medicines are given to the animal:
- A number of antibiotics. If the disease is associated with an infection, the animal is prescribed "Lincomycin", "Kefzol" or "Ceparin." These funds must be given to the pet for five to seven days, 0.2 g twice a day.
- Means for restoring water balance such as Rehydron. In case of severe dehydration, the medicine is poured into cats' mouths often, but in small doses.
- Uroseptics. A group of antibacterial drugs that affect the genitourinary system. Kota is prescribed "5-NOC", "Palin", "Furagin". These tablets from kidney stones for cats give one fourth tablet two to three times a day for a week.
- Homeopathic medicines, for example, Kantaren. The drug is administered intravenously or intramuscularly one to two milliliters three times a day for seven to ten days. These drugs have anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects.
- General strengthening drugs to enhance immunity.
Such therapy is aimed at dissolving deposits, restoring the size of the urethral channel and the functioning of the body.
In the event that conservative methods of treatment do not give a result, the doctor decides to conduct surgery.
Alternative methods of treatment
For the treatment of urolithiasis and nephrolithiasis, cats have an effective folk remedy - a decoction of corn stigmas. Dried raw materials for preparing a drink are sold in a pharmacy without a prescription.
The recipe for the preparation of the broth is as follows:
- dry corn stigmas must be crushed;
- pour the resulting powder with boiling water in a ratio of two tablespoons to two hundred and fifty milliliters of water;
- leave the dishes in a water bath for twenty minutes;
- then remove the broth from the heat, cover with a napkin and leave to insist in heat for at least one hour;
- After filtering the broth through a thick layer of gauze, squeeze the remaining;
- in the resulting broth, add boiled water to the original amount.
The prepared product should be given to the cat three to four times a day, three teaspoons at a time. Pour the decoction into the mouth from a spoon or from a syringe without a needle. Therapy should be continued for one month. Then they take a break for twenty days and repeat the course again.
Catheterization
Accumulating deposits in the kidneys and urinary tract clog the urethral canal over time.
If the animal cannot fulfill the need to go to the toilet for a sufficiently long time, despite taking medication, the doctor then decides how to treat the kidney stones in the cat. As a rule, the result is catheterization.
The procedure consists in the fact that a special tube is inserted into the urethral canal, which ensures the drainage of fluid. If the urinary canal has severe swelling, and the stones are large, the tube is left in the urethra for several days.
After catheterization, therapy is prescribed to eliminate intoxication, as the body received poisoning during the period of urine accumulation. To eliminate these consequences, an animal is prescribed a dropper.
Surgical intervention
The doctor makes a decision on how to remove kidney stones from a cat on the basis of indicators of the development of the disease.
Surgery is prescribed in the following cases:
- there are stones of a sufficiently large size;
- in the presence of oxalate (insoluble) deposits;
- the animal urethra is clogged.
In modern medicine, two types of operations are used:
- Urethrostomy. The operation consists in making a hole in the urinary canal, through which formations are then removed. Until the patient's condition stabilizes, the hole remains open.
- Cystotomy. It is a radical method used in the transition of the disease to a severe stage. The pet opens the bladder and the stones are removed. The operation is performed in cases where large formations cannot be removed in any other way.
Contraindications to the operation are diseases of the liver, heart, blood vessels or respiratory organs.
In the first seven days after surgery to remove kidney stones in cats, the animal is systematically shown to a doctor, who then adjusts the therapy.
Disease prevention
There are pets who suffer urolithiasis once, but most animals are prone to relapse. Those cats that have recovered or have not yet been ill need preventive measures aimed at restoring normal acidity of urine:
- upon reaching the age of one year should regularly (twice a year) take a urine test;
- feed the pet should be in fractional portions up to five times a day;
- to ensure that the pet always has clean fresh water for drinking;
- make sure that the pet meets his needs in a small way at least twice a day;
- protect from the occurrence of infectious diseases;
- to control the physical activity of the cat, the animal should move more.
The treatment of kidney stones in a cat is a long and expensive affair involving animal suffering. Therefore, a set of preventive measures must be strictly observed so as not to bring the matter to unpleasant consequences.
In addition, a correction of the content regime is necessary. Sick animals do not tolerate heat well, therefore, in the room where they are the longest, a comfortable temperature should be maintained (without overheating, hypothermia and drafts). After swimming, the animal should not freeze.
In order to avoid the occurrence of urolithiasis, kidney disease or their relapses, at the first suspicion of a disease, animals are recommended to undergo mandatory medical examination. During the stay in clinical conditions, the pet has a minimal number of risks of pathologies, and the examination will not be superfluous. Care must be taken to monitor pets.