I know nothing about the whole pH balance and minerals and whatever else is related to bladder crystals.
I do know that I like the ingredients in Wellness better. Hills has too many grain stuffs in it for my liking... Paizly can't tolerate corn-anything, and Hills has corn gluten meal, which made her throw it up every time. I can't afford Wellness, but I was getting something similar, and she cleared up.

Another thing that might help is distilled water. Not "Drinking" water, as that has added minerals (even if it doesn't say so). I think Spring water might also have minerals of some kind, too. The best to get would be RO/DI distilled. It's about 85cents per gallon at the grocery store (in Utah, anyway), and if you re-use bottles and fill it at the big water station, then it's only about 30cents per gallon. Ever since I have her drinking that, no problems at all!
I also put it in the fountain, which she seems to like to drink out of for the simple sake it's running water, and so will drink more often.

 

Look for foods that are low in magnesium and ash.. these are usually the things that cause urinary crystals and blockages, especially in males.

 

Did he have crystals when he blocked this time? I had a FLUTD cat that completely resolved when I put him on a 100% Wellness canned food diet. But, not all cats are created equal. Your vet will have all the information about what specifically happened with your cat both times. It sounds like she/he is well versed in nutrition. I think I would follow her recommendation, at least on a trial basis. Urinary blockages are costly and dangerous, not something to take lightly. But I understand your concern, I'm NOT a hills fan at all, but some of their diets do actually work. Its possible that he just needs to be on it a few months to get his system back in balance then he can transistion back to the wellness canned (but no dry ever again).

Good luck!

 

Does anyone know if Hills c/d really does offer any benefits over Wellness Chicken moist for cats with this type of blockage?

Yes.

Blockages are very serious and not something you want to mess with. Hills c/d might have yucky ingredients, but remember, your cat does not have to be on it for life. However, a blockage can Kill a cat.
Put him on the c/d until the vet certifies he is 100% unblocked and crystal free. Then you can switch him back to a wet food.

 

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Midas did have crystals the second time. Both times he's been in for blockages the pH of his urine was 7.5.

Right now he's taking Phenoxybenzamine twice a day, Baytril twice a day, and I have a few doses of Buprenorphine to give him for pain.

I decided to go with the canned Hills c/d chicken. They also gave me Methigel paste to give him twice a day with meals to make his urine more acidic.

He goes back Friday for another urinalysis.

 

I sure hope Midas problem is resolved soon. I understand what you are going through.

My 1.5 year old male had three blocks from Struvite crystals. The first was July 14th. After 3 days of treatment he was put on Urinary SO dry and I tried a lot of things to get him to eat wet with no success. I bought water fountains and started to feed spring water as our city water is very high in magnesium and calcium. Spring water suppliers have to test their water and if you call they should be able to tell you how high or low their magnesium levels are. Mineral levels will depend on where they collect their water from.

My cat blocked a month later and into the vets he went for two more days. The second time his PH was 6..5. There were no bacterial or kidney issues with either block. He always unblocked very easily. The third morning he blocked again and I took him to another vet to perform a perineal urethrostomy. His urthea was so badly damaged that he could not complete the surgery or even fix the damage. He would wake from the failed surgery in pain and discomfort and possibly continue to block. At that point the most humane option was to euthanize before he woke from his general aesthetic.

In the end, two vets confirmed that he had a very narrow urethra to begin with They said it was a combination of a congenital defect and damage from crystal build up as well as treatment. The whole process of catheterizing really irritates the urthra. In my experience and I dealt with several vets, not once did they tell me catheterizing could cause uretha damage nor did anyone prescribe urine acidifiers or urethra relaxants. I found that out through my own research and after the fact. I am also very certain that stress was a trigger with my male so try to keep your cat's stress levels down, especially after treatment. Some people on this forum have suggested a spray, I forget what it's called but it may be worth a shot.

Be careful with what the vets tell you and ask tons of questions. If your cat eats wet food, I'd go 100% wet. My cat wouldn't touch it so I was far worse off then you. The whole idea is to make sure his urine keeps flowing and does not clog up, a high moisture diet will help keep it liquefied and flowing reducing the risk of blockages.

If you are considering surgery and you have the money, go with a specialist. The vet I went with has done the surgery many many times but when he encountered the problem, he was not experienced enough to fix it or work around it. If a specialist isn't an option, call around and talk to vets that are familiar with the surgery and go from there.

How is Midas now? How was his last urinalysis?