Dodged a $500.00 Vet Bill

[danno]

*Rant On*
Damn pet food companies are so full of crap. I don't feed any of that garbage to my animals.

I give them real food, and I never have to take them to a vet. My Oldest Dane went 12 years, and never was sick.

That is 5 years longer than the american Average. He was done in by venomous bite, so who knows how long he would have lived. He was as agile as could be.
1. Consider this, animals in the wild do not get ash blockages.
2. Some of these breed, dogs and cats, are ancient. No kibble back then, and comparitively a blip in time.
The idea that you can't feed them human food is a huge lie.
The little bit you spend on a proper, balanced, human food diet will more than pay for itself when you don't have to spend a fortune on weird allergies, infections, skin problems, ear problems, etc.
*Rant Off*
I'm glad your Cat is doing better.

 

[martiniman]

+1danno, I hope my danes last so long. I was spending $50-$60 on natural dog food that had all the ingredients that we eat. Duck, chicken, salmon, veggies....no grains.

Now 50% of their diet is from our table. Would be more but they just eat too much.

Their favorite - pure pumpkin over dog food.
the miracle of vinegar and cranberry,,,,,,,,,,just kind of makes sense.

 

[danno]

Check out Linda Arndt, greatdanelady.com. She is one of the leading authorities on animal nutrition. I think she can go a little bit overboard, but she knows her stuff.
She might even have some information for felines.

 

[martiniman]

I've been to her site several times. She has some great info but if you look at the dates, most are old. We also thought our girl was coming down with arthritis and it seemed like she was a paid sponsor for her recommendations. after a vet visit is turned out the be a slight case of Lyme disease. We dont normally give them advantix over the winter but this winter was so warm in Pa. i think we got had....

 

[barkar]

@nsfisher
Vet says widening of Uretea prob. won't help him. How many CC's are in a teaspoon?
4.9cc in 1tsp USA

 

[romeowood]

Vet says widening of Uretea prob. won't help him. How many CC's are in a teaspoon?

Yes, 5 cc--ask the vet for a small syringe (minus the needle); it makes it super easy to open their maw and inject the vinegar down their throats. Sounds barbaric, but it's much easier than letting them taste it.
I'm confused that your vet says opening the urethra is a problem; from what you've said it sounds like a buildup of struvite crystals that is causing the blockage. Just like with people, a second opinion is worth the effort and another initial visit charge.

And for what it's worth, not that I want to shill for a particular brand, but my guy's been on Royal Canin Urinary S/O and he's been the most stable since the whole thing started a couple years ago. I also go out of my way to keep him unstressed and well-loved, which it looks like you don't have a problem with :D

 

[nsfisher]

Both my cats are on the Vet. food. Nothing but the best! Yes he gets the Sty. crystals and that is the prob. Even the special food doesn't keep them from forming, that is why the ACV is so great. And this is the 3rd Vet. Oh yes indeed, we do everything possible for our boys. We already use the syringe, just wasn't sure of the cc relation to ml. Now I know 1 cc = 1 ml. Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.