low magnesium

Question
Dear Dr. Jennifer L. Fry,
I was wondering if you think she should even be on low magnesium food.
Her latest results (without changing her diet) are okay.
I do not think it was her diet that caused the original urinary tract infection seeing her latest test results are okay.
Is it common practice to change a cats diet to low mag food after an urinary tract infection even if it was not the diet that caused it originally?
I have a hard time changing her diet when I believe it did not cause the problem
Can you helo me here?
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Followup To
Question -
Hello,
My cat had a urinary tract infection.
I brought a sample of her urine to the vet tthree weeks after she completed her antibiotics everything was back to "normal".
They said there was a few crystals in her urine,butnothing to be very concerned about.
I did not change her diet (usually Chefs Blend,Whiskas)at all.
People I work with suggested to put her on Low Magnesium food?

I have noticed that a lot of food out there does not have the magnesium amount listed in their ingredients and I wonder why.

When I do find it listed on regular and special diet for urinary tract food...I wonder just what is considered "low magnesium"
I wonder what regular food magnesium content is when it is not listed.


Can you help me understand just what is considered low magnesium and do you think she should have her diet switched to it?
Lately,Just to be safer I have been mixing her food half of her favorites (chefs Blend, Whiskas) with half of Purina One Special Care for urinary tract (she doesn't care too much for it).

Answer -
The best thing for urinary problems is to get the pH acidic (6.0-6.5).  The ASH content is what they used to refer to as reduced for urinary problems which of one thing is magnesium.  

I prefer EAGLE PACK or NATURAL BALANCE foods which are more natural and don't have the dyes, preservatives and fillers in them that grocery store foods do.  These foods are far superior to Purina or Chef Blend and your cat will have better overall health.  And I am sure she will like them.

Answer
Urinary tract infections are often times due to a high pH which allows bacteria to multiply and urinary pH is directly related to diet.  

Like I said it is not so much the magnesium but the target urine pH which is crucial.

For overall health, I would highly suggest feeding a better quality food than grocery store brands.  Many of the super premium foods such as Natural Balance, for example, will also have cranberries in to help prevent urinary tract infections.   

I always suggest and recommend clients feed a higher quality food to promote better health.  And especially when an animal has health issues, you are what you eat.