Sick Kitten

Hey Eveyone,
It has been a while since I was on, but I'm back!

On Tuesday I adopted a kitten from my local Shelter. I kept him away from my 3 other cats and got him to the vet on Thursday,

They said he was under weight, not weaned, sick. Things I already knew....
They did a fecal test and he has round worms and ciccidiosis. He is 4 1/2 wks old... and has diarrehea like a made. It is to the point now of being a liquid with color.

He is on albon for the coccidiosis..The vet said to get him on solids asap, but I can't even get him to eat milk soaked/softed food...let along the dry or soft kitten.

He won't eat from a bottle, just a syringe. At that it is about 30-36cc every two hrs.

I hand fed my cat Rain last year..from two weeks and up and I have experience with puppies...BUT this kitten has me worried.

I have him on KMR formula,with chicken baby food / oat cereal and probiotic.The milk alone was not enough....

His little but is raw and red...I can't even cleaned him up with it hurting him...but it gets cleaned.

I worry about him dehydrating...

The vet did not seem overly concerned about him, but I also felt like she thought he didn't matter and to me he does.

Any help would be awesome! If I am feeding him wrong, then tell me what to give...

Thank You,
Hilary

I am not real sure of the causes of the runny stools, but I do know that dehydration is very dangerous a kitten. It sounds like its headed that way if not there already. IMO I would find a better vet because I think her lack of concern is scarey. You are in the weekend now and lots of vets are open at least 1/2 a day today. I would hate to see this little one wait until Monday at the earliest to be seen by someone else. If it was my kitten, I would have him to a vet somewhere this am. He is too little to take too much.

The vet I took him to is the second vet. The first wouldn't even test for anything because they said he was to young... The second vet is new out of med school, and new to the area.

I also had to have an emergency surgery on my older cat (Calie) , that happened on Thursday, and I got her back yesterday. That all cost me $300, I don't have credit cards, so it was all out of pocket. I also took Milo to two different vets, paid office fees, and then the Albon and wormer, plus the testing fecal fee. I'm kinda tapped out at this point....

I'm giving him pedialyte (sp?), and feeding him. I'm worried though becuse its like he isn't diagesting it correctly, his belly is just getting rounder. The diarrehea is still bad....

I didn't know if someone on here has had this problem or not, but...I really don't know. The has gone to two different vets though...they just haven't helped.

-Hilly

Originally Posted by Hillybean

I'm giving him pedialyte (sp?), and feeding him.

Click to expand...

Good you give him pedialyte as extra fluid and not extra common water. Extra common water would dilute him. Diarrhea not only takes away the water, it also takes away the electrolytes. Ie the salts.

You may perhaps even try to give yet more salts?

The big weapon against cholera is simply - pedialyte. Ie a mixture of salts and dextrose ("grape sugar". This simple remedicum alone caused the death ratio to drop from devastating 80% to perhaps 5-10%. Or something like that.
Pedialyte gives the electrolytes, and also works somewhat as a stopper.

IF you do this try. The common kitchen salt is almost pure NaCl. Here in Sweden we do have also an alternative salts with lesser inhald of Na, but instead containing also K and Mg (kalium and magnesium salts)... I presume you have such a salt in your country too.
I would salt in a little extra of such salt into the fluids you give him. I dont see it can hurt, but it can help.


Another tip. You write his behind is sore, you have difficult to wipe it.
Sometimes it is easier to shower off the behind. Perhaps worth a try.
But look out he doesnt get cold from this nor afterwards.


Do you possibly have the liquid soap Lactacyd in your country? This soap is very good at washing sore behinds! Soothing them also. I know this from the time I was riding and in the beginning get my behind sound sore and deeply skineless...

Last. Your funds and your vets are at an end.
Do you perhaps have a friendly medical doctor, or even an experienced nurse? Perhaps they can come with an useful advice too.... If you can ask them and they dont charge for the answer that is... It MAY work. The question is essentially mild but working stoppers.


Good luck!

Originally Posted by StefanZ

IF you do this try. The common kitchen salt is almost pure NaCl. Here in Sweden we do have also an alternative salts with lesser inhald of Na, but instead containing also K and Mg (kalium and magnesium salts)... I presume you have such a salt in your country too.
I would salt in a little extra of such salt into the fluids you give him. I dont see it can hurt, but it can help.

Click to expand...

(Do you mean K for Potassium?)
Please do be careful. Pedyalite is completely balanced already - Do not add any more salt into it. There is a recipe for home made pedialyte, but since you have access to store bought, please continue to use it. You need to be very precise with these recipes, because any more salt you can actually make the problem worst -the salt/sugar concentration needs to be pretty exact.
Do you have a petsmart close to you? if not a feedstore you could inquire about Bene-bac? IMO bene-bac could be excellent for him.

I think I agree with you CarolinaLima, you dont need to improve a ready made pedialyte. The KMR itself is probably also balanced.
My suggestion was more if you Hillybean add some water to the KMR-milk, feeling a full KMR may be too much to a sensitive stomach.
So IF you dilute, do dilute with the bought pedialyte, or with home made pedialyte....
To be sure there is no loss of electroytes.


Yes, K, kalium in some languages, is also known as potassium in english. Tx!


You can perhaps find advices on the Health-forum??

The tip of Bene-bac I suspect is useful too.

Am I blind??

Above the forums there is an add: Ask cat veterinar online.
As I understand they are free. Ask them too. Look after if they have a FAQ, and thus, already made answers about runny kittens...


This way you could get a sort of third opinion after the two vet you already did consulted.