Donna asks…
My vet put my cat on Science diet after crystals blocked him, Is Iams just as good?
he hates the food,, he burys it,
vti answers:
From my blog:
CATS AND URINARY ISSUES
This is not my area of expertise, but this has been my experience: As a kitten, Poppy developed both a weight problem and a UTI. My vet told me to start feeding her special food which he happily sold me *gulp*. Poppy refused to eat it. Back then I was less aware of how to get cats to eat new foods, so I just said the hell with it and bought Purina One’s urinary health food, mixed with weight management. She ate that from then until she was 2 years old. She never had another UTI. Does this mean that this food is as good as the overpriced prescription food, or did I just get lucky? I don’t know the answer, although I suspect the former statement is probably true.
For various reasons, I soon thereafter began researching cat nutrition. I learned about the benefits of wet food, and found that in many cases, that’s all that’s required to prevent future UTI’s. Even the crappy brands like Friskies would be better than dry food!
I don’t claim to be a vet, vet tech, vet student or anything like that. But I know how to research and examine results. I’ve read a bit on this topic which is how I’ve reached the conclusions I have.
At the very least, were I to have another cat with urinary problems, I’d sooner try them on a GOOD QUALITY canned food before shelling out the dough for a “prescription” dry food (or even their canned varieties). That’s because I believe that good nutrition and species appropriate food is much more likely to keep a cat healthy than inferior ingredients which have been tweaked to change their chemical composition.
What should YOU do? If your vet recommends a prescription diet, I can safely recommend that at the very least you get the canned version of that food. That way your cat will get the extra hydration it needs. And don’t feel bad about giving your cat this food – temporarily. It will do what it’s designed to do, so you can be sure that your cat will do well while you do more research. And I would encourage you to do so. Don’t take my word for it – read up on these things for yourself. Stabilize your cat with the prescription food while you look for something better. If canned food (or raw) alone is not helping enough, there are other supplements you could research. I have not done so, but I know that Wysong makes a supplement for urinary issues. “Biotic pH- is designed for cats or dogs needing assistance generating and maintaining an acidic urine to help prevent struvite crystal formulation.”
I can’t endorse this particular product, but know that it’s out there. And if it is, there are sure to be others. Again, I would sooner feed good food, with a supplement such as this, than the crappy prescription foods.
UPDATE: I wanted to quote some info I ran across this morning (3.8.08). This info is taken from discussions in WholeCatHealth. While in and of itself it may not answer any questions, it can at least demonstrate that this group would be an excellent resource for anyone whose cat has a urinary problem.
“S/D and C/D are acidifying diets – meant for short-term use to bring down the urinary pH. There are risks associated with long-term use of these diets…..” (see the last paragraph for more info on this).
“Feeding a high-quality, low-carbohydrate, meat-based, high-moisture diet reduces risk of urinary problems, incl crystals. Meat proteins provide the amino acids that naturally keep the urine slightly acidic (desirable for cats is 6.0-6.5 pH)…and the moisture (about 78%
for canned and 68% for the premade raw) helps promote urine volume and pee
frequency, which reduces risk of crystal formation. But some cats, even on a species-appropriate diet, can’t maintain pH…so it’s important to monitor the urine, which you can do at home with pH paper or urine dipsticks. If the pH consistently stays about 7.0, then you can add an acidifier such as L-methionine or ammonium chloride to the meat-based
food…and then still monitor to see how the pH is doing.”
This last bit is from http://vetsites.vin.com/Kidney/FLUTD.doc:
“Chronic use of acidifying diets leads to metabolic acidosis, which can lead
to decreased bone formation and detrimental effects on calcium, phosphorus,
potassium, and magnesium balance. Potassium depletion, hypokalemia, and chronic
renal failure can result from feeding acidifying diets which have a marginal
potassium content. The use of acidifying diets is also contraindicated in cats
with chronic renal failure as these animals are often already acidotic. The
use of diets high in NaCl should also be avoided in animals with congestive
cardiac failure. Finally, as indicated above, the use of diets designed to
dissolve struvite may lead to a higher risk of calcium oxalate urolithiasis.”
Sandra asks…
Health risks when using a computer?
I know there’s RSI and eye strain but are there anymore? It’s for my ICT coursework so any help would be great,
thanks
vti answers:
Sitting at the computer all day can pose some serious health risks. If you think that sitting doesn’t involve a lot of work think again. Although it requires less muscular effort, the muscles are required to hold the trunk, the neck and shoulders in a fixed position.
Here are 5 reasons why sitting at the computer can be a health risk and tips to help correct these problems.
1. Poor posture. Poor alignment of the head, neck, shoulder and back causes stress and pain which affects every part of your body from head to toe and it can have lasting health problems.
Support your back. The backrest should fit the natural curve of your lower back. Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor or comfortably on a footrest. Keep a comfortable shoulder and arm posture. Avoid slouching. Keep your wrists straight and avoid any up, down or side way movements.
2. Eye strain. Constantly staring at the monitor can cause dry or watery eyes, sore, burning or itchy eyes, blurred or double vision and headaches all contribute to eye strain. Although there is no long-term consequences, it’s rather unpleasant.
Take frequent breaks. Give your eyes a rest by focusing on something other than the monitor. You can also sit back and close your eyes for a few minutes or complete other tasks. Blinking lubricates the eye, so blink more often.
Place the monitor at least at arm’s length. Make sure the top of the screen is at eye level so you’re not straining to look up or down. Reduce unnecessary glare and check your lighting. The worst problems comes from overhead lighting or from behind. Dust on the monitor may contribute to glare and reflection problems. Lastly, adjust the contrast and brightness on the monitor that is comfortable for you.
3. Poor circulation. Prolonged sitting can cause fatigue in your limbs, painful leg cramps or blood clots. Get up and move around, go for a 30 minute walk, do some light exercises or stretches for your arms, shoulders, neck, back and legs. Take a few deep breaths by inhaling slowly through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
4. Forgetting to eat. Many people forget to eat while working on the computer. I can see why. Time just flies. Don’t skip those important meals because they give you energy and will carry you out throughout the day. If you have a daily planner, make sure you schedule a lunch break away from the computer. Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated.
5. Eating too much. And some people can’t stop eating. It’s like watching TV and you need something to munch on. You end up eating a lot more than necessary and thus adding extra unwanted pounds to your waistline. Eat your meals away from the computer and if you snack, make sure it’s healthy foods — raw veggies, low-fat yogurt and fruits.
S McIntyre owns Work At Home Space, a free work at home resource offering telecommuting jobs, daily job leads, articles, business resources and other work at home related issues. You can also visit her blog Healthy Perspectives, featuring an array of health topics, nutrition, fitness and recipes for maintaining a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S_McIntyre
New health risk linked to computer use
By Deborah Condon
Eye strain and repetitive strain injury are two of the more well-known health risks associated with sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. However it now appears that people are also at risk from blood clots, similar to those experienced by long-haul air travellers.
A 32-year-old New Zealand man, who spent up to 12 hours every day on his computer, almost died after developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is a serious condition in which a blood clot forms within the deep vein system, often in the legs. It can become life-threatening if the clot travels to the lungs.
Because the risk of developing DVT is greatest in people subjected to prolonged sitting or immobilisation, in recent years, the condition has been increasingly linked to long-haul air travel, even earning the nickname ‘economy class syndrome’.
However in the case of the New Zealand man, no other risk factors for DVT were found. The doctors concluded that he had developed the condition due to prolonged periods sitting in front of a computer, often going for hours without taking a break or even just standing up.
The doctors have warned of the ‘potential burden’ of this condition in view of the widespread use of computers in all facets of life.
They have dubbed it ‘e-thrombosis’.
Details of this case are published in the ‘European Respiratory Journal’.
Carol asks…
Blog help some one anyone ?
ok so my teacher wants me to make a blog i dont how to or what to say or do it has to do with one of these things plz help me out its half my grade in class
- Fashion
- Music
- Food & Drink
- Health & Beauty
- Lifestyle
- Celebrity
vti answers:
Setting up a free blog is a piece of cake. Go to blogger.com and sign in with your free google email address and then follow the steps 1,2,3.
For blog content or ideas go to lifehacker.com and peruse some of the previous posts. One of the nifty features of lifehacker.com is that they frequently list websites they found of interest that week.
There is bound to be something that will peak your interest. Take a look at it and then go to your own blog that you just created at Blogger and write a post. A couple of paragraphs will do.
Sandy asks…
What do you think about this blog title according to its content?
I want to create a blog about food, health, cuisine, sports and also sometimes politics, computer, gadgets.
I have chosen the name : your-concerns.blogspot.
What do you think please?
vti answers:
I think that is a decent name, but I think you should make it more specific because I don’t think people would know right away what the blog might be about.
Mandy asks…
Good name for a health blog?
I’m a 24 year old female suffering from Diabetes and PCOS, also high blood pressure. I have chosen to get ultra serious this next year and kick these diseases in the ass! My husband will be in Afghanistan for the next 1-2 years and I can’t think of a better distraction. However my brain is not giving me any nice sounding, sharp/witty names for a blog. So far all I’ve got is Fighting for Fitness (not a fan of this one). Anyone that suffers from these or knows someone that does know what an absolute battle it is to get the upperhand. So help a lady out….what do you got for me?
vti answers:
Blog Name: Finding A Healthy Life
I beat high blood pressure by following a strict, low-oil, low-sodium plant based diet. Today, my blood pressure is a steady 120/80 within a few points. I was pre-diabetic and this diet also allowed my blood work including cholesterol to fall to a very healthy range. According to Dr. Neal Barnard and others, people with Type II diabetes can often reduce their need for insulin (possibly eliminate it with your physician’s supervision) by following a strict diet and a healthy lifestyle.
The key is to learn about a whole plant based diet. You feel so good on the diet, that you won’t want to change back. Read Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., Dr. T. Colin Campbell for details. A moderate level of exercise is also helpful.
As you learn to eat healthy and avoid processed foods, you must consult with your physician, because drug dosages (especially cholesterol lowering drugs) must be adjusted downward as you become healthier. I found that a water fast was very helpful. Please read the link below for information about peer reviewed research on the benefit of a water fast on blood pressure. It’s an amazing result, but it will require that you find a medical provider who is able to supervise this.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers