By: Tatiana De Oliveira, DVM — Coral Springs Animal Hospital Emergency & Urgent Care Clinician
Feline urethral obstruction is a common
emergency frequently
encountered in our service.
Although
life
threatening, this is a
treatable
emergency
with an excellent survival rate. Unfortunately short-term recurrence of obstruction is
a complication we often face, making the
management of these
cases costly and frustrating for clients as well as attending doctors. Sadly, re-obstruction is also a complication
that time and again leads to the euthanasia of young
and otherwise healthy cats.
This serious feline condition is recognized widely and
several recent studies have evaluated hospital treatments that may influence short-term recurrence of obstruction. Interestingly, a number of factors have been
identified including indwelling urinary catheter size,
choice of antispasmodic agent, and duration of initial
catheterization, all of which have been shown to influence recurrence rates. Recent literature revealed that
the use of an indwelling 3.5F catheter was associated
with a significantly lower rate of recurrent obstruction
in first 24 hours after catheter removal, compared with
using a 5F catheter. The use of the antispasmodic
agent prazosin was also associated with significantly
lower re