Press Release
For cats with lower urinary tract signs, changing their food can change their world Hill’s® Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet® c/d®
Multicare is the only clinically tested food that dissolves struvite stones in as little as 7 days and reduces the rate of recurrent episodes of feline idiopathic cystitis signs by 89 percent
TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 14, 2013) – Signs of feline lower urinary tract disease are frequently encountered by veterinary health care teams. Now there is a single nutritional solution that has been clinically tested to dissolve struvite stones in as little as seven days and also reduce the rate of recurrent episodes of feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) signs by 89 percent.
New research published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association establishes Hill’s® Prescription Diet® c/d® Multicare as the only food clinically tested to dissolve struvite uroliths in as little as seven days (average 28 days in vivo study in urolith forming cats).1 Additional research has proven the effectiveness of c/d® Multicare for decreasing the rate of recurrent episodes of FIC signs during a 1-year clinical study.2 And, feeding c/d® Multicare results in the production of urine that is undersaturated for calcium oxalate and struvite, which decreases the risk for recurrence of the two most common urolith types in cats.3
Results of the first controlled clinical trial to determine if dry therapeutic foods can dissolve struvite uroliths indicate that c/d® Multicare can reduce urolith size by 50 percent in as little as five days and, in some cases, completely dissolve the stones in as little as seven days.
“Nutritional dissolution with c/d® Multicare has been shown to be rapid, safe and effective,” said Jody Lulich, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, of the Minnesota Urolith Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, and lead author of the study.
In some cases, surgery may be necessary, but the majority of cats with disorders affecting the lower urinary tract can be managed with a multimodal approach consisting of therapeutic nutritional changes and steps to reduce stress, including environmental enrichment.
"Nutritional dissolution is the compassionate choice for managing struvite uroliths,” Lulich said. “Some veterinarians prefer to remove uroliths surgically due to the perception that surgical management is more effective, but that is not always the case. Medical dissolution of sterile struvite uroliths is more effective than surgery, and is not associated with increased discomfort or urethral obstruction.”
Beyond dissolution, c/d® Multicare can be used as a maintenance food that has been clinically tested to reduce the rate of recurrent episodes of FIC signs and is appropriate for healthy cats in multi-cat households. In a separate, 12-month clinical study, consistent feeding of c/d® Multicare to cats with FIC reduced the rate of recurrence of episodes of FIC signs by 89 percent.
Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d® Multicare is the Single Solution for Urinary Health
“Before now, no treatment had been demonstrated to be consistently effective for management and prevention of FIC signs. This study definitively shows that the nutritional profiles of food impact the expression of acute FIC signs in cats,” said John Kruger DVM, PhD, ACVIM, director of the Center for Feline Health and Well-Being at Michigan State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and lead author of the study.
For more information on c/d® Multicare, veterinary health care teams may visit HillsVet.com/cdMulticare.
Diagnosing FLUTD: Watch the Signs
If a feline patient exhibits signs of FLUTD, a veterinarian should evaluate the cat and perform a urinalysis and diagnostic imaging when appropriate. Based on the result, c/d® Multicare can then be used to eliminate struvite uroliths in the case of struvite urolithiasis and to aid long-term prevention of recurrence in the case of FIC and struvite and calcium oxalate stones.
Health care team members may also send uroliths to the University of Minnesota Urolith Center for quantitative analysis. After analysis, it is essential to monitor the cat’s progress and emphasize the importance of continuing nutritional management with c/d Multicare.
For more information, visit www.cvm.umn.edu/depts/minnesotaurolithcenter.
About Hill's® Pet Nutrition
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. manufactures Hill's® Prescription Diet® brand pet foods, therapeutic pet foods available only through veterinarians, Hill's® Science Diet® and the new Hill's® Ideal Balance™ brand pet foods sold through veterinarians and finer pet specialty stores. Founded more than 60 years ago with a unique commitment to pet nutrition and well-being, Hill's® is committed to its mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill's® produces high-quality, great-tasting pet foods owners can trust and give to their canine and feline companions as part of a veterinary health care team recommendation. For more information about Hill's® Pet Nutrition, Inc., and Hill's® Evidence-Based Clinical Nutrition™ visit HillsPet.com, or visit us on Facebook, keywords "Hill's Pet Nutrition" or follow us on Twitter at @HillsVet.
1 Lulich JP, Kruger JM, MacLeay JM, et al. Efficacy of two commercially available,low-magnesium, urine-acidifying dry foods for the dissolution of struvite uroliths in cats J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013; 23: 1147-1153
2 Kruger JM, Lulich JP, Merrils J, et al. A year-long prospective, randomized, double-masked study of nutrition on feline idiopathic cystitis Proceedings. ACVIM Forum 2013 (abstr).
3 Gluhek T, Bartges JW, Callens A, et al. Evaluation of 3 struvite-oxalate preventative diets in healthy cats. J Vet Intern Med 2012;26:801 (abstr).
Contact:
Edisa Chacin
785-368-5946
Edisa_Chacin@hillspet.com
Adam Lee
RedFuse for Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc.
816-812-6764
adam.lee@redfuse.com
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