kitten advice

hi we are buying 2 kittens 1 black, 1 ginger and went to see them today. I am a bit concerned about the ginger kitten as he had black crusts around his eyes and nose. He wasnt coughing or sneezing or didnt sound like he was struggling with breathing. He was also very playful and affectionate and had a feed off mum no problem.They are 6 weeks old and will be 7 on tuesday. Im just worried that he has respiratory problems and whether it would be a good idea to still get him. I do have my heart set on them both but dont think I could go through bringing them home and then him suddenly being very ill and then me having to pay lots of vets bills for medications, as I know I would spend anything to make him better! And this maybe wishful thinking but Im hoping once I get them to our house he will get better as the lady's house didnt seem the cleanest and she had a big boxer dog and just doesnt really seem like she cares that much for kittens or has been making sure they are well looked after. The kittens behaviour is great and their mum is really friendly too so I have no concerns there.
here is a pic of him.... i am really worried and i just wanted to take him home there and then! Many thanks in advance for your help.

It looks like hes not being cleaned, as that could be food or remnants of a runny nose, poor thing, when you get him im sure he will be fine, don't let him out till hes been neutered, hes gorgeous.

Looks like he needs someone like you to take care of him.

Thanks! he looks a bit sad in that pic...poor thing! I am hoping it is just food. Apparently mum has started to get a bit bored of looking after the kittens and so I hope its just that she hasnt cleaned him. 

He's precious! Based on his living conditions, I too hope you take this baby.

It's had to tell in the picture; but, I suspect there is a combination of things going on.
- It does look like the nose area is due to dried on food. Some warm water applied to the area a few times should help with this.

- As for the eyes... I would suspect a mild case of herpes virus, though I cannot guarantee that. Living in unsanitary and possibly a stressful environment would triggers this easily. I would start both kittens on L-Lysine (can get at health food stores)...250 mg twice daily added to wet food. This will boost their immune system and help put the herpes into remission. (If one kitten has herpes, the other does too, it just may not be active at the moment.)

If it is herpes, often times an eye ointment (like Terramycin) and possibly an antiviral eye drop (Idoxuridine) will keep things in check if you start treatment early. Terramycin won't cost you much at all.

I think providing the kittens with a clean, stable environment would do wonders for their health!

Keep us posted!

Thanks for your advice everyone. Ive been thinking about them all weekend. We weren't going to pick them up until friday when they would be coming up for 8 weeks old, but based on their living conditions&the fact thay they are not being kept separate from other animals in the house& the lady keeps horses too! I just think they may be more likely to pick up diseases. Got to weigh up taking them away from mum too soon or bringing them into a healthier environment. What does everyone think? Ivr got their room all ready so im just biding my time until friday...worrying about them!x