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Mr.
Jinx is a 5 year old neutered male cat. He was
brought in last week with a complaint of going to the cat box
frequently and crying. The owner noted spots of bloody urine
dribbling around the house.
On
presentation, Mr. Jinx was somewhat depressed. His was breathing
rapidly and his heart rate was elevated. When we palpated his
belly, his bladder was large, firm and painful.
We
ran blood tests, urinalysis and radiographs of Mr.
Jinx's abdomen. The blood tests were normal. The urinalysis
revealed large amounts of blood and white blood cells along with
crystals known as struvite. X-rays showed a large bladder with
no gross evidence of stones.
We
diagnosed Mr. Jinx with urethral obstruction caused by
accumulation of crystals and debris in the penis. This is a life
threatening disease because if an animal can't urinate, the
pressure backs up into the kidney and causes them to go into
renal failure. Mr. Jinx was fortunate, in that his owners caught
the problem early before major problems occurred.
Treatment of urethral obstruction involves
attempting to pass a catheter through the urethra into the
bladder. We sedated Mr. Jinx and passed a small catheter
through some very gritty debris. Unfortunately, the urethra
plugged up as soon as we removed the catheter. This being the
case, we were forced to perform a surgery known as a perineal
urethrostomy. In this surgery, the end of the penis is
amputated and the urethra is opened up to the point where it
widens near the pelvic inlet. The urethra is then sewn to the
skin creating a larger opening which is much less subject to
obstruction.
This is a delicate surgery as you can
imagine, and the recovery requires 2 weeks of confinement with
an Elizabethan collar on the head to protect the wound. Mr.
Jinx did very well post operatively and is urinating without
problem today.
In order to help prevent future
occurrences of this problem, Mr. Jinx was placed on a special
diet by Hill's pet nutrition called C/D multicare. This diet is
formulated to reduce the chance of crystal formation.
You cat owners should take a lesson from Mr. Jinx and keep close
tabs on your kitty's urination patterns. Get to know how often
your pet visits the litter box when everything is normal so that
you can tell when things are not normal. Keep a mental note of
approximately how much urine you clean out of the box each day
so you can tell if there is less or more present. Less may mean
there is a problem urinating, or that your pet is urinating
elsewhere. More urine can be a sign of diabetes or kidney
disease and should be looked into as well.
The problem of crystal formation and
obstruction is part of a larger syndrome known as
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Click here to read more
about it. |
