A question about treatment of kittens

I have posted about the abandoned kittens I found a couple weeks ago.
Neither of them made it the smaller sicker looking girl didnt make it through the first night but the stronger girl (they were calicos) made it through 4 days. I dont really know how old they were but the larger one weighed 4 oz at the vets office and they didnt have their eyes open but they were clawing their ways aound very well.

The vet said they had upper repiratory infections. I left the strong at the vets for 8 hours they wanted to try and get her eating better because she was completely uninterested and was aspirating some formula for me at home.
When I picked her up he said he had put a drop of advantage on her for her fleas and he also gave me antibiotics for her upper respiratory infection. He also gave me a syringe witha tiny tube on it that I had to tube feed her with because she was aspirating from a syringe or eyedropper and not even trying to suckle from a bottle. at any rate I had to force her to swallow that tube every two hours. which she hollared at me for until the food started filling her belly.


after giving her the tiny dose of antibiotics I noticed she seemed to have less energy but her nose was a lot clearer and she wasnt wheazing. however with the next dose she seemed to lose her voice ( she would look like she was meowing but nothing would come out. then she became way less active. she wasnt digging her way through making little tunnels in her towels anymore and she just wasnt right. I was to giver her the antibiotics 2 times a day but she lived long enough to have three doses.

I guess what I am asking is did my vet kill this baby? Unfortunately I hadn't seen this site yet. I found it just hours before she died I didnt even have time to register as a user yet. These babies were obviously I know that by reading threads on here and looking at pictures of other newborns on this site. But I am having a really hard time dealing with this. and i just need to know cause my heart is telling me to do this again cause I loved those babies.

Thank you
Kristen

I guess what I am asking is did my vet kill this baby? Unfortunately I hadn't seen this site yet. I found it just hours before she died I didnt even have time to register as a user yet. These babies were obviously I know that by reading threads on here and looking at pictures of other newborns on this site. But I am having a really hard time dealing with this. and i just need to know cause my heart is telling me to do this again cause I loved those babies.

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Kristen...she could have died from her illness. Don't blame yourself...you did what you could to save this little one.

Katie

this thread has had 40 views and only one reply.
I know there are people on here who have fostered orphans for a long time I want to know whether or not a kitten that young can recieve any types of treatment for illness or fleas the vet also gave her a wormer.

How sad for you!
When I brought Smeagol to the vet, he had fleas (still does since he gets them at the babysitter's every weekend) and eye infections. The vet told me she COULD NOT treat him for the fleas and no antibiotics because of how young he was. He was also 4 ounces, with eyes and ears closed. I estimated he was about 5 days old when I took him to the vet.
I am no vet, but that is what she told me. That it wasn't safe to treat him for those. The only "med" she gave me was some eye goop (which I think is like neosporin type stuff).
It could be that the vet was so concerned about their survival that he decided to take the risk to try to save them.
I'm so sorry to hear about the babies.

Oh, how sad. I think it is always difficult to foster newborns without the Mom...their survival rate just isn't good. I have never done that, but I did have a litter of 5, with a very attentive experienced mother cat, and we still lost 3 of the kittens!

I would guess that the kitten losing her voice was from the tube irritating her throat. Yet if she couldn't nurse without aspirating, that was the only way to feed her.

As for giving flea treatment that young, I don't think it is usually done. However, fleas will drain a weak kitten and can kill them, so maybe the vet thought one drop of advantage was better than the fleas draining her. I do not think the vet killed this kitten.

Some vets are more experienced with newborn kittens than others. Maybe you can call a local rescue, and ask if they have any foster homes that specialize in bottle babies. Then if you talked to that person, they could give you additional info about which vets in the area are good with newborns.

I am so sorry for your loss. They truly become our children when we bottle feed them, don't they?

You should find comfort in the fact that although the kittens didn't survive, their last hours were in a warm home, with a full belly. They were truly loved, and that is more than many cats get in a long lifetime.

There is another forum here called the Rainbow Bridge forum, for posting about losses of beloved pets. Maybe you could post about your babies there. I'm sure you will find comfort in the responses.

i have looked at this thread but didn't know what to put as i havn't been in this situation with the womer my vet would not worm my kitten's untill they was at least 3 week's but i waited till they was 6 week's the flee stuff they said i could do from 2 day's old frontline spray that didn't effect them but with all the other stuff i really wouldn't know my vet wouldn't give me any help when lilly had her c section he just told me to waite and see and that was that he lasted only 4 day's on the 3rd day i took him down to the vet's they told me they wouldn't do anything for him i think vet's do what they think is best at the time it must be hard 2 option's do nothing for the kitten and it die's or try and do something and hope for the best i don't think it was your vet's fault atall he done what he thought was best , i'm ever so sorry you lost them most of us on this site know how your feeling

I only had the small one for a few hours but the sweet girl I had for 4 days and I loved her so much and I still think about her all the time and wish that there was something I would have or could have done to save her. I just can't believe that I could ever love anything as much as I came to love her in such a short amount of time



Kristen

Originally Posted by junglebutterfly

I only had the small one for a few hours but the sweet girl I had for 4 days and I loved her so much and I still think about her all the time and wish that there was something I would have or could have done to save her. I just can't believe that I could ever love anything as much as I came to love her in such a short amount of time

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It is kind of a miracle, isn't it?!? And knowing her was a blessing to you, even though it hurts so bad now. Although the relationship only lasted 4 days, you are enriched by having known her.

I'm sorry you lost both little girls.You mentioned she had fleas,did they check for worms?Worms can take a kitten down REALLY quick.
Don't beat yourself up over this.She knew love.You did the best that you could!!!

I truly believe that things happen in our lives for a reason. I believe this kitten was meant to be with you for those 4 days and that it was preparing you for something in your future, whether it be another orphaned and needy kitten or a kitten that needs a good home and is going to be with you. God works in mysterious ways and he sent this kitty to you for reasons only He knows.

You did the best you could for that little baby - so don't feel sad, feel good that you made it's short life one of love and caring.

My dear ... you have a good heart, that much I can tell from the emotion in your words. I know you are hurting right now and I know that nothing is ever going to make that go away but you should know that what Yosemite says about things happening for a reason is so very, very true. This may sound crazy, but we are all friends here, so I feel real comfortable telling you that I believe that certain cats (and yes, even 4 day-old kittens) come to us as teachers of a sort. They are there to help us learn what to do and feel confident enough to do it when the time comes sometime in the future. I've had a lot of these "teacher" kitties over my time and it never ceases to amaze me how very patient and gentle they are with our bumbling care of them.

If this was complicated for you before, please let me make it easier for you ... you gave of yourself to ensure this kitten had 4 very special, very loved days he probably would not have had otherwise. He knew your gentle touch and was warmed by your care of him. Go away from this experience with sad fondness rather than grief and take that experience to another needy kitty - there ~is~ one out there, you know ... just waiting for you to find him. And you will. *hugs* You are going to be OK, I promise. And I know about these things. *grin* Now let us all hear you smile, OK?