| Abstract: | A diet providing less than 20 mg of magnesium per 100 kcal that maintains urine pH near 6.0 3 to 5 hours after eating, or a diet providing this amount fo magnesium (see Table 2) with 1 gm of ammonium chloride or 1.5 gm of dl-methionine added daily, should be fed for 1 to 3 months to dissolve struvite uroliths (see Fig. 1). The low-magnesium diet should be fed indefinitely to prevent recurrence, because struvite urolithiasis and all of its effects (hematuria, pollakiuria, and/or complete to partial obstruction to urinary excretion) recurs repeatedly in cats that have previously experienced the condition if they are returned to regular cat food. In contrast, if a diet low in magnesium is fed, recurrence is uncommon. For cats that have never been affected, feeding a low-magnesium ration is unnecessary. For all cats, the following measures are recommended: encourage exercise, allow frequent urination, prevent obesity, decrease confinement, keep the litter box clean, and always have palatable water readily available. |
