Which Vet is Right

Owner Needs to Know Which Vet is Right

Hello,

I have a mature adult male cat that has experienced urinary crystals and difficulty urinating in the past. He spent a few days at my vet's office, and the vet sent him home with a prescription of Megestrol Acetate five mg to take twice a week. He then decreased it to once a week, and advised that kitty stay on this drug indefinately for preventative measures.

The vet prescribed this once a week dosage to keep my cat from developing the urinary problems, and as long as he takes the preventative dose he does not seem to have any urinary problems at all. Well, my fiancee that lives in a different state has been caring for the cat for the past year until I am able to move with them.

My fiancee ran out of medication and my cat developed a urinary problem and was having difficulty urinating. He took kitty to a vet in his state and the vet said that Megastrol Acetate is a very dangerous drug with many side effects, and she suggested we discontinue the use of the drug because of the potential of harming the kitty's kidneys.

Well, kitty is not taking any kind of preventative medication now for his urinary tract problems, and I am very worried since I cannot be there to watch him and make sure he isn't experiencing crystal blockage.

So, can you please advise me on what to do since this has caused a huge problem? My fiancee refuses to give the kitty the medication on the advice if his vet, although my vet that has treated the cat for several years says it is the right treatment.

Thank you so much~~ Deb

Expert Reply

Hi Deb,

I'm not a vet, so I had to do some research on megestrol acetate and here's what I found.

The over-the-counter name for this drug is Ovaban, and it is used to prevent or delay dogs and cats from coming into heat. It has also been used to treat behavioral problems and skin infections. I could find no evidence to support it's use in treating/preventing urinary tract crystals, but vets sometimes use drugs as off label medications, meaning they use them to treat conditions not listed on the label.

The drug can produce side effects, including the onset of transient diabetes mellitus. This causes me a bit of concern.

That said, I tend to lean in favor of your fiancee's vet. However, when caught between two vets with opposite opinions, it's wise to get a third opinion. I think this will give you a good indication of which vet's advice to follow, and also give you another opportunity to discuss ways of controlling the formation of urinary crystals. Many vets choose to do this by providing your cat with a prescription diet designed to keep urine acidity up so the crystals don't have the opportunity to form. It's something to consider.

I hope this advice puts you on track for a solution.

~~ Kelly