Bladder Stone in Cat

Question
I have a 10 year old cat that was diagnosed as having a stone in her bladder.  The vet said the stone looked too big for her to pass.  He recommended a dissolution food to try to break up the stone.  He also prescribed Baytril for the infection to her bladder.  We started using both at the same time and she became sick so we didn't know which, the food or the medicine, made her sick.  We took her off both and then when she felt better tried the dissolution food again.  She doesn't like it and it seems to make her sick.  I haven't tried the Baytril again yet.  She took a whole tablet once a day for three days.  I read somewhere that Baytril may cause blindness in cats.  So now I'm concened about trying it again.  
The vet said that if she didn't eat the food the only option was surgery to remove the stone.  He said it was major surgery and there was no guarantees that she would live through it.  He first wanted to do some bloodwork to make sure she didn't have any other problems.  What has your experience been with a stone in the bladder?  

Answer
Hi Betty!  I can completely understand your concern.  Is she on Science diet C/D or U/D formula?  I am very familiar with this brand of food.  This food does excellently in disolving urinary crystals and/or very small bladder stones, but it doesn't do so well in disolving larger bladder stones.
Now, this is an invasive surgery, and there are never guarentees when anyone...human or animal, is put under anesthesia, but at this point, surgery would probably be a healthy decision.
I have seen this surgery done recently on a Shetland Sheepdog.  The x-rays showed that the ENTIRE bladder was literally FILLED with HUGE stones.  This was the absolute worse case I had ever seen.  The dog did extremely well and is healthy and fully recovered after a short period.  If this stone is causing your cat discomfort and urinary problems, the surgery truly may be beneficial.  If this veterinarian seems uncomfortable with doing this surgery, perhaps taking your cat to another veterinarian for a second opinion (bringing all x-rays and paperwork from the original veterinarian) to see what they have to say.  Bloodwork is definitely a must in this situation, especially if you are going to do the surgery, as presurgical blood work is very beneficial.  The anesthesia is flushed from the system through the kidneys and the liver.  If these organs are not functioning properly, surgery may not be in the best interest of your kitty.
Taking a shot in the dark, I would think that maybe she had gotten sick from the Baytril and the prescription food because she may not have been eating much (you mentioned that she did not like the food) and given the antibiotic on a near empty stomach would cause illness (upset stomach).  Baytril is a very powerful antibiotic and should only be given on a full tummy.
I can't tell you what to do in this situation, but I can tell you what I would do if this were my cat.  I would have another veterinarian look at the x-rays to get an opinion on whether or not surgery is the only option at this point.  I would also have some bloodwork done to decifer the condition of the rest of her.
I wish I could be of more help.
Please let me know how she does,
Hilary