Kitten Diarrhea, HELP

Will someone please give me some advice???

I recently found 3 stray abandoned kittens in my garage and I am taking care of them. The day I found them, they were starving so I gave them evaporated milk with a syringe. Of course I looked up proper care for kittens and within a day, I got them drinking formula from a bottle. The problem is that soon after they started having diarrhea. We estimated their age at about 7-8 days old and I'm worried about their health, but I cant afford the vet. I heard that adding some cooked and pureed sweet potato to their formula might help them release the rest of the milk that is probably be upsetting them. Does that sound smart to do? or would I be hurting them in some way? If so how much puree should I add to the formula?

I'm also worried that they aren't having diarrhea because of the milk and its because I changed their diet abruptly and they are having a reaction to that. Therefore me putting sweet potato in their formula would do a whole lot of bad.

Someone also told me that it might be just because they are still small and only eating formula. Liquid food, therefore liquid poop... Im not sure though... its coming out brownish yellow.

Im kinda freaking out because I don't want to add killing innocent little kittens to my list of wonderful things that happened in crappy 2013...

hope you can help and I understand if you cant.

I'd still call a vets office and let them know they are strays and that you are caring for them, just ask them what is safe to try. I know that older kittens can handle a bit of pureed pumpkin but I'm not sure for kittens at this age.

I'd also call rescue groups in your area and ask them what to do. I hope someone here can give you a recipe to help, it could just be adjusting to a new formula. Good luck, I hope they get better.

Firstly, do you know what happened to mom and have you seen her around? 

Regarding diarrhea:

Are they having liquid diarrhea? Kittens drinking milk will have soft but formed stool (sort of similar to toothpaste) but if it is watery that is NOT normal. You could try one or more of the following- I would do all of these if it were myself.:

o giving them each a LITTLE plain canned pumpkin- you can add a little to their bottle if it won't clog the nipple

o add more water to their formula so that it is not as rich until their systems have adjusted to it. I wouldn't double the formula, if the formula directions say to mix 1 table spoon formula with 2 tablespoons water I would mix 3 tablespoons water in for a couple of days.

o You can also add the appropriate amount of probiotics for their size to their bottle if you can buy even benebac from your local pet store. Benebac is carried by most pet stores like Petco, Petsmart and Pet Supplies Plus. There are other kinds Benebac is just readily available locally.

o diarrhea will cause dehydration which will add to the problem and can put their lives at risk. You can tell if they are dehydrated by pinching the skin on their shoulders and it should pop right back down right away, not slowly. You can also feel their gums with your finger and if they feel "sticky" and dry they are probably dehydrated. You can start giving them a little plain pedialyte with a syringe once or twice a day to help keep their fluids up which will help as well, or mixing some with their bottle in place of part of the water it calls for.

o I usually try the first things first for a few days to see if they resolve the issue, but if the kittens deteriorate in anyway or are becoming dehydrated, I will start adding Kao Pectin immediately. I just give each kitten 1-2 drops and I am SURE I measure it in a tiny syringe so that they don't get too much. I will only do this for a few days normally and then will skip a few doses to see if stools are back to normal after adding probiotics and more water to their formula.

o another important thing is a scale that will weigh in grams or at least ounces. If you have any way of getting one to weigh them daily it can help you judge if the kittens are getting enough or if anyone is going downhill. Some stores will have plastic ones meant for food which are cheap. You may also be able to get one cheap online depending on how long it will take to ship.

o be sure that you are keeping them warm and that you are washing your hands before and after you handle them since they are very susceptible to illness with their weak immune systems at this age. Keep them separate in a separate room from other pets. Also wanted to be sure you were stimulating them every time you feed them.

I personally would have switched as you did rather than slowly transition them from evaporated milk, so don't feel bad about that. What Milk Replacer are you using? There are lots of different kinds and I've only heard truly bad things about Hartz brand. 

And I agree with above statement, you should call a vet office because they might treat them since they are strays. I'd also be SURE mom is gone because their best chances are with her of course, whether you could keep her and the babies in your bathroom or call a local rescue about mom and babies.

renegadesoftbal said:

Will someone please give me some advice???

I recently found 3 stray abandoned kittens in my garage and I am taking care of them. The day I found them, they were starving so I gave them evaporated milk with a syringe. Of course I looked up proper care for kittens and within a day, I got them drinking formula from a bottle. The problem is that soon after they started having diarrhea. We estimated their age at about 7-8 days old and I'm worried about their health, but I cant afford the vet. I heard that adding some cooked and pureed sweet potato to their formula might help them release the rest of the milk that is probably be upsetting them. Does that sound smart to do? or would I be hurting them in some way? If so how much puree should I add to the formula?

I'm also worried that they aren't having diarrhea because of the milk and its because I changed their diet abruptly and they are having a reaction to that. Therefore me putting sweet potato in their formula would do a whole lot of bad.

Someone also told me that it might be just because they are still small and only eating formula. Liquid food, therefore liquid poop... Im not sure though... its coming out brownish yellow.

Im kinda freaking out because I don't want to add killing innocent little kittens to my list of wonderful things that happened in crappy 2013...

hope you can help and I understand if you cant.

Click to expand...

Is there a shelter nearby that you could phone to ask? They would offer advice for free? Just a suggestion.

LaurasOrphans has given some really good advice, and the point is valid that they would have soft stool since they eat a liquid diet. I recently went through the same situation - found a rescue kitten and panicked about what to feed him, about his bloated tummy etc - so hopefully you can take some reassurance from my experience.

He was about 3-4 weeks old when we found him, and for the first two weeks after that, he had constant diarrhoea. I live in a place with very little access to cat supplies (cats aren't even considered house pets here), so there was a lot of difficulty before I found even kitten formula. We took him to the vet the next day, who dewormed him and prescribed kitten vitamins.

No matter what we did, his diarrhoea would not stop (not to mention some pretty stinky flatulence). I came here for inspiration just like you, and got a lot of sage advice - pureed pumpkin, rice water (water that rice has been cooked in), fresh yoghurt or probiotics and pedialyte were the top ones. But in spite of all this, and I tried them all, he still had runny stools and kept going about once every hour, which made it really difficult since he wasn't toilet trained at all.

The common consensus was that his tummy had not made the adjustment from starving to eating rich foods and milk replacer, however it was a big struggle and sleepless nights for us.

Went back to the vet again, who prescribed anti-biotics for 3 days, which again did nothing.

Then a vet tech recommended these herbal drops for better digestion and bowel movement, Himalaya Digyton. We're all big on herbal and homeopathic treatments at my house so we were on to this quickly.

Please understand, this is in no way an endorsement or sell ploy - these drops were the only thing that helped in my case, and I just wanted to put this out there. Also don't know if they would be available where you live, but it's worth a google search, atleast. The brand does have a US website (http://www.himalayausa.com) but it doesn't list these drops, so I don't know, maybe you could try calling them? Here is the Indian website link: http://store.himalayahealthcare.com/animalhealth/digyton-drops.htm.

Since I live in India, this was extremely cheap and easily available. Within 3 days of dropper-feeding the stuff, his bowel movement was more regulated, and the consistency firmer (sort of like toothpaste). After a week, his stools were normal - firm, yet soft, brownish-mustard in colour. I still give him the drops (he's been with us 4 weeks now), since it doesn't hurt him at all. He has an enormous appetite, and enormous energy, and has been steadily gaining weight.

The important thing now is watch them carefully, their condition can change dramatically in a few hours, and to make sure they are not dehydrated - that said, I think it is probably nothing to worry about.

All the best with your little kitties and God bless for helping them, I'm sure they will grow up to be safe and happy with you.