OK, need a little help here....

Here's the story: Tonight a fellow neighborhood trapper brought me two kittens, approximately three-four weeks old. The mother is a feral who, while pregnant, had a URI. The kittens are already well on their way to being socialized--they love being held! They eat solid food. That's the good news.

The bad news is that both have had worms (my neighbor did deworm them) but they still appear to have chronic diarrhea and are borderline dehydrated. One has an eye infection (meds have been provided, and others are on their way). I'm most concerned about:
A: Treating and clearing up the diarrhea. I have a prescription dose of Albon, and they are to receive 5 ml. daily. No problem--but my neighbor reports that they don't seem to be responding (their tails are matted despite daily bathings). Any suggestions would be helpful.
B: Preventing dehydration. They eat and drink regularly, but the diarrhea seems to be slowly dehydrating them. I'll get some clear Karo corn syrup tomorrow to bind them a bit, but I do observe that their scruffs aren't as elastic as they should be.

Our next clinic is on the 7th, and I have the 8th off so I can take them to a good vet (the previous one seriously sounded like he needed to be in a different line of work); I just need some ideas and information between now and then....

to call the Vet.

They may have a parasite, giardia or coccidia, both easily treatable. Also, what are you feeding them? They should be on mostly KMR mixed with a little bit of kibble (Royal Canin Baby Cat is what we use). The vet will need a stool sample to determine what the issue is. You can give them water. Ask for a syringe from your vet (the one with little pump at the end) and give them 1 full cc of water as often as they'll take it. Don't squirt it down, just let them take it. They need to drink.

If you are giving them wet food, THAT IS THE PROBLEM. They are too little for that. Their digestive system isn't ready. KMR is a milk replacer and you should mix it with the kibble. NO wet food for several months and even then, mix it with dry, and buy a good quality food, such as Wellness. Forget Science Diet and Iams, they are garbage.

Originally Posted by mzoricak

They may have a parasite, giardia or coccidia, both easily treatable. Also, what are you feeding them? They should be on mostly KMR mixed with a little bit of kibble (Royal Canin Baby Cat is what we use). The vet will need a stool sample to determine what the issue is. You can give them water. Ask for a syringe from your vet (the one with little pump at the end) and give them 1 full cc of water as often as they'll take it. Don't squirt it down, just let them take it. They need to drink.

If you are giving them wet food, THAT IS THE PROBLEM. They are too little for that. Their digestive system isn't ready. KMR is a milk replacer and you should mix it with the kibble. NO wet food for several months and even then, mix it with dry, and buy a good quality food, such as Wellness. Forget Science Diet and Iams, they are garbage.

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They're eating solid kitten chow now, and I got them a bag of it. All they're getting is dry at this point, and they will see a vet on Monday--at least one has blood in her stool. I'm aware of the need for stool samples, my vet calls me "Tommy Bag O' Cat Poop". They're drinking regularly; I've mixed some clear Karo corn syrup in with the water to try to bind them. As I may have mentioned earlier, the mother was a feral with a bad URI and one kitten does have what appears to be a bacterial (I'm hoping) eye infection.

Like I said, the kittens will see a vet on Monday. I'm just a "backyard mechanic", and I know when a case needs a real pro....

It's so kind of you to take care of these little kittens! Please let us know what the vet says, though the sooner you can take them the better. Kittens that young are so delicate....

Good luck!

The Karo/water treatment is for constipation--not exactly the problem here. That's been discontinued, and the kitties are responding to the Albon--the diahrrea has slowed down, but there is still evidence of blood in the stool so they still must see a vet tomorrow. Tonight I'll bathe them to remove the dried, caked-on crap--I'm sure that will make them happier. They are quite affectionate and love human contact....

Went to take the kittens to the vet this morning--there's one with good prices and walk-in hours, but she's across town. By the time I got there she was full up and no more walk-ins were being taken. By the time I got home (using public transportation), Elsa had become extremely lethargic.

I was suprised by this--of the two (Elsa and Freda), Elsa seemed like the more robust one. Ennyhoo, this time I took a taxi and took her to a different vet. I was told that she went into hypovolemic shock and was pretty much asking St. Peter for directions to the litterbox. Fortunately she was stabilized with IV fluids, but she'll be hospitalized for a day or so.

In the meantime, I'm scrounging around for my own IV fluid kit--this really could have been avoided, but I'm still not equipped to handle all such emergencies. Working on it, though.....

Freda's recovered nicely and has pretty much spent the day glued to either my lap or my shoulder--I do wish those eye meds would show up, though....

Elsa remains hospitalized; she's on a constant dextrose drip as she cannot seem to maintain her blood sugar. Freda was alright until this morning, but she too took a nosedive while I was at work. She didn't make it--she died sometime between me leaving the job and arriving home....

I am so sorry to hear that! It's so good of you to take them to the vet like that, it must be hard to do it without a car.

Many hugs to you and Elsa, I'll pray for her health! I'm sure little Freda is playing across the rainbow bridge with all the other TCS kitties. It's so nice of you to care so much.

You did so much for these kitties, whatever happens, don't blame yourself. Kittens that age, and with so many strikes against them, will just go down very quickly. And the diarrhea is extremely hard to get rid of, especially when they are so very young.

You were a saint to rescue them and to do what you could. I am saying prayers for little Elsa and hope that she makes it!!

She died overnight in the hospital. I've consulted with the vets and we're in a tentative agreement that both died from the same underlying if not immediate causes. Elsa had the full benefit of a modern hospital, but could not maintain either a blood sugar level or a stable body temperature. Freda was cared for at home, being nominally healthy and alert, but went down on the same kind of shock. An attempt was made to administer oral fluids/sugar, as we had no equipment for IV administration, and it appears that while unconscious she may have aspirated those fluids. Both the equipment and the protocols are to be upgraded this weekend....

Originally Posted by ipw533

She died overnight in the hospital. I've consulted with the vets and we're in a tentative agreement that both died from the same underlying if not immediate causes. Elsa had the full benefit of a modern hospital, but could not maintain either a blood sugar level or a stable body temperature. Freda was cared for at home, being nominally healthy and alert, but went down on the same kind of shock. An attempt was made to administer oral fluids/sugar, as we had no equipment for IV administration, and it appears that while unconscious she may have aspirated those fluids. Both the equipment and the protocols are to be upgraded this weekend....

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I'm so sorry that you lost them. You did your best. RIP sweet little ones.

You did everything you could. Thank you for trying so hard! These two sweeties knew love and caring, thats such a great thing, even though it was only for a short time. Rest in peace little ones.