6 day old wee one.. lots of questions

Hello All,

we currently have a 6 day old orphaned little girl who is the only survivor from her litter (the others died quick and painless deaths by mack truck.) at any rate my husband dodged traffic to grab them but only managed to get to this one in time. we have had her since she was about 2 days old. she was 3.9oz at that point and was 5.5oz as of yesterday. she has been to the vet and gotten a clean bill of health other than having a VERY large belly for which she was dewormed and suggested to change formula. yesterday we changed to KMR, her stool was normal until this morning when it became orangey mucosal diarrhea. ( I should note she was having diarrhea before but it was normal color and had no mucus. the vet chocked it up to the formula not being as digestible as her moms milk would be.) my first question is, is this something that anyone else has seen when switching from a powder formula to liquid KMR (pet ag brand)? second question we bottle feed every 3 hours roughly 7mls; but she is still hungry when she is finished. because her belly is so big I have been limiting her to the 7-8mls (which I know is already 2-3 more mls than she should be eating to begin with). should I be feeding her more or is this fairly normal? I have had bottle babies before but they were 2 1/2- 3 weeks when we got them. not 1-2 days.

thanks in advance

-ashton.

You should be feeding the kitten every 2 hours, from the start of the feeding, not when you finish,  to the start of the next.  The powder form of the Pet Ag KMR is actually easier on the kittens systems.  I don't know why but other posters have noticed a difference.  You should get some unflavored Pedialyte in case the kitten gets diarrhea and dehydration is a concern.

The kitten needs to be weighed every day at the same time.  Use a scale that weighs in grams or 1/10 of an ounce.  To calculate how much to feed the kitten, multiply the weight of the kitten in ounces by 8 ml/cc and divide by the number of feedings in a 24 hour period.  This is the amount of formula the kitten should be getting at each feeding.  S/he should gain  6 -10 grams or .2 - .4 ounces per day minimum.  If the kitten is still hungry, you can feed more.

I assume you have been burping and helping the kitten go pee and poop after each feeding.

I also assume you have a heat source under the kitten's nest and a small stuffed animal for comfort would be good as well.

Here is a link to a thread where NikkiKay has raised a kitten from birth.

 [thread="297529"]Found Abandoned Kitten​[/thread]  

Thank you for the link...ill go read.

 yes I so stimulate the kitten after every feeding and there is a warming pad and a snuggle toy in the box with her at all times. the pad gets heated while Im making her wee and poop. I haven't been weighing everyday but I have been every other day. as for the pedialyte do I just add it to the formula, dilute with water, or give it straight?

A adevillier

Kudos to your husband for saving this baby, and to you for your excellent care.

Yes, the worm medicine plus the switch in formula has upset her tummy. I don't care for the pre-mixed formula, and recommend the powdered. Kittens seem to do better on it. Which brand are you using? We generally recommend PetAg to our members.

The rule of thumb regarding feeding is a minimum of 8 mL per ounce of weight, and you can round up. So say 6 ounces x 8 mL = 48 mL in each 24-hour feeding period. If you feed every three hours, this means 8 feedings with 6 mL being given at each.

However, since this kitten is only 6 days old, I suggest you feed every 2 hours, yet continue to offer her 6-8 mL each time.

If she is still hungry then feed more. More is always better! She should be gaining about one-half ounce per day. As her weight increases, so should the amount that you feed her. You also know that feedings need to go through the night, right?

I take it that you understand burping and stimulating for elimination, and that you are using a heating pad to keep the baby warm.

Please continue to ask questions as you raise this precious kitten. We'd love to see a picture .

if you use powdered formula you can mix the powder with pedialyte instead of water. Otherwise, add a small amount to the pre-mixed. The pre-mixed is thick and needs to be diluted anyway.

You should weigh your kitten every day.

Are you using a bottle or a syringe?

Adevillier said:

 
Thank you for the link...ill go read.

 yes I so stimulate the kitten after every feeding and there is a warming pad and a snuggle toy in the box with her at all times. the pad gets heated while Im making her wee and poop. I haven't been weighing everyday but I have been every other day. as for the pedialyte do I just add it to the formula, dilute with water, or give it straight?

Click to expand...

the pedialyte is for 'just in case'.  I don't think you need it now.  If/when you do need it , you don't want to need to run out and get it.  But you can add to the formula or give in between feedings.

we're using a bottle with pet ag KMR (liquid). had no idea it needed to be diluted :/. thank god for yalls advice, im truly shocked shes survived this long as she was unresponsive and laying on hot concrete at noon when hubs found her. she even had blood spatter on her face from her sibling

Thank you for taking her in a saving her.

Let us know how she is later today!

well the mucus-y diarrhea has given way to complete liquid. I take it this is when I should start pedialyte. also is it possible for them to get diarrhea this bad just from the formula change? the last two feedings before the completely liquid poop were watered down KMR as a poster earlier suggested.

Yes, changing formulas can cause tummy upset and diarrhea for 2-3 days. You'll need to use the pedialyte on its own and/or mixed into the formula to combat it. One reason we recommend powdered formula is because kittens tend to get nasty diarrhea with the pre-mixed. Do you have powder?

sarthur2 said:

Yes, changing formulas can cause tummy upset and diarrhea for 2-3 days. You'll need to use the pedialyte on its own and/or mixed into the formula to combat it. One reason we recommend powdered formula is because kittens tend to get nasty diarrhea with the pre-mixed. Do you have powder?

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that's what we were using before but the vet recommended changing formulas since her belly was getting so distended

Heres a picture of her belly for reference. I just don't know if its normal for their bellies to be this big. it looks like she swallowed a golf ball

I think you should switch back to the powder. She's been wormed, so now she is adjusting to formula after having her mom's milk. If they are eating well they do have fat little bellies. If you think she has gas you can put a couple of drops of infant simethicone in her formula.

the dry powder container has been out on the counter for a few days will that hurt it? on the side in REALLY small letters it says that the powder can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 months once opened 

It should be fine.

Yes, it will be fine, just begin refrigerating it from now on.

The powder can be stored at room temp, it simply gives it a longer life when refridgerated, it can also be kept in the freezer for as long as 6 months.

So it's fine.

You do not dilute the liquid/premixed formula, it is fed as it comes from the can.

I do prefer the powdered kmr, but expect her tummy to be doing flips until the formula is settled on and it takes several days to adapt completely.

You're doing a great job with her I must say! How horrible about her sibs..........

Her tummy is fine! Big rounded bellies are what we want in orphaned babies  

No I have never limited a baby's milk intake, allow them as much as they want, feast away baby! 

Vets are quite inexperienced in orphaned kittens unfortunately.

Unfortunately they are really under eduCATed on neonates. the vet I took her to is a friend of mine and was saying that they really have no lectures about neonate health in vet school. I figured id finish out the 72 hours with the KMR Then go back to the powder since its still good. we also have a weight update and she has gained 3 oz in a week as we found her last Thursday. she seems to be doing well, eating every 2-3 hours and sleeping in between. she never wakes us for food but as soon as she gets touched shes up and howling away. eyes are still closed but im sure will open any day now. its amazing the amount of growth since we found her at about a day old to now. cant wait for her to be at that adorable" I don't make my human parents force me to poop stage". :]

Very sweet report and also a good weight gain!

It sounds like she is doing very well. She'll be in the next stage before you know it!