• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
Veterinary Heroes
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Journal Scan: Are feline struvite urolith dissolution diets a good first-line therapy?

April 30, 2014
Jennifer L. Garcia, DVM, DACVIM

A study evaluates the efficacy of two commercially available low-magnesium, urine-acidifying diets for the dissolution of sterile struvite uroliths in cats.

Why they did it

Despite the availability of calculoytic diets that effectively promote struvite dissolution in cats, struvite urolithiasis continues to be a concern in our feline patients. The authors of this study evaluated the efficacy of two commercially available low-magnesium, urine-acidifying diets for the dissolution of sterile struvite uroliths in cats.

What they did

Between April 2009 and January 2011, researchers enrolled 37 client-owned cats with presumed struvite urolithiasis. All cats underwent weekly physical examinations, urinalyses, and abdominal radiographic examinations throughout the study period. Cats with uroliths in areas other than the bladder, evidence of systemic disease, or a recent history of medications or nutritional supplements were excluded from the study. Cats were randomly assigned to be fed one of the two diets:

• Food A, a diet specifically intended for struvite dissolution and formulated to achieve a urine pH of 5.9 to 6.2

• Food B, a maintenance diet intended for dissolution and prevention of struvite uroliths and formulated to achieve a pH of 6.2 to 6.4.

What they found

Advertisement

About 86% of cats (32/37) had complete dissolution of their uroliths, and in the five cats with no dissolution, uroliths were subsequently found to be 100% ammonium urate (n=4) or calcium oxalate (n=1). For cats fed food A, the mean time to a 50% reduction is urolith size was roughly five days, with complete dissolution noted at a mean of 13 days. These values were about 12 days and 27 days for cats fed food B. None of the cats developed urethral obstruction during the study period, but the authors note that 78% of the enrolled cats were female and, thus, perhaps at decreased risk for this complication. No diet-related adverse effects were noted.

Take-home message

Nutritional management should be considered in cats with sterile struvite urolithiasis before more invasive extraction measures are used. Both diets in this study resulted in complete dissolution of the struvite uroliths, but success will depend on the accurate prediction of urolith composition based on shape and radiopacity. It is important to note that while the presence of struvite crystals and urine pH can be helpful in predicting composition, only 19% and 40.6% of the cats in this study had struvite crystalluria and a urine pH > 6.5, respectively.

Lullich JP, Kruger JM, MacLeay, et al. Efficacy of two commercially available, low-magnesium, urine-acidifying diet dry foods for the dissolution of struvite uroliths in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013;243(8):1147-1153.

Link to article: http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.243.8.1147

Jennifer L. Garcia, DVM, DACVIM, is a veterinary internal medicine specialist at Sugarland Veterinary Specialists in Houston, Texas.

Related Content:

Urology/NephrologyFeline Medicine
dvm360® is seeking nominations for the 2023 Veterinary Heroes Awards
dvm360® is seeking nominations for the 2023 Veterinary Heroes Awards
Medicine to ease the feline mind
Medicine to ease the feline mind
Morris Animal Foundation funds 6 new feline studies
Morris Animal Foundation funds 6 new feline studies

Advertisement

Latest News

What's new with the "Dentistry Lane" across the veterinary profession?

Meet the BlackDVM Network

Study finds certain canine breeds should be screened for cancer at young ages

AVMA releases 2 videos informing pet parents on pet dental care

View More Latest News
Advertisement