Need advice about 4 week orphans

Okay so I fixed the nipple and they just sucked down 40mL in about 40 minutes (combined)!!! Now i know they are definitely under a pound so I am wondering if I should continue feeding them that much? Or will that perpetuate the diarrhea issues? Also before eating Agatha had a small smear of blood in her poop but the consistency was more of a pile opposed to liquid so I don't know if that is an improvement or not? The blood looked fresh and I know the past diarrhea had been irritating her anus so I am hopeful It is just from that. Does the poop for the vet need to be fresh?

I am so looking forward to the day when I can just play and snuggle with these babies without having to worry about them surviving [emoji]128575[/emoji]

A little bit of blood can be normal. i would allow them to eat as much as they like. Over feeding is generally caused by forcing them to eat when they don't want to due to being full already.

I'm so glad to hear that the feedings went more quickly and that they are now drinking a proper amount. They must get this amount in order to grow.

The stool sample should be as fresh as possible, but you can store it in the refrigerator if need be.

The blood is probably from irritation, and should cease once the problem is treated. Have you decided which vet to see tomorrow?

Please post their weights from the vet tomorrow. In the meantime, continue giving them at least 20 mL apiece at each feeding, but more if they are still hungry. It's almost impossible to overfeed a growing kitten. And no, the KMR is not causing diarrhea.

Hopefully this vet trip and treatment will take care of problems so you can worry less and enjoy more .

The vet appointment is at 2:40pm today and I it can't come soon enough! Last night during my night feeding both kitties were eating really well like normal but then about 5 minutes after eating and burping Agatha vomitted up some formula[emoji]128575[/emoji] And then this morning she would drink for a bit and then behind to chew on the nipple from the sides of her mouth. Needless to say I am stressing out pretty hard right now.... I gave her about 5 mL of straight pedialyte this morning to help her avoid dehydration but she probably only drank between 7-10 mL of formula. I have the kitties all bathed and I am letting Agatha sleep on my chest right now. She is purring but I can tell her energy levels are not what they were yesterday, she isn't horrible... Just kind of clingy to me and not quite as energetic.
Is there a chance she could go get dewormed and get antibiotics and come back from this? I think the most stressful part is lacking the knowledge to discern between treatable symptoms and something that could be potentially the beginning of the end.

I'm glad you are having Agatha looked at today. She's definitely having issues. Hopefully what she has is treatable. She's made it this far!

How's the other kitten doing? Are you taking both in?

I am taking both in! Milo has responded really well to me switching to powdered KMR and he had his first solid, normal poop yesterday! He seems to be thriving and up until last night I thought Agatha was doing better as well (aside from the poop).

Do kittens have the ability to recover from her type of symptoms? I am saying a lot of prayers and I hope when she wakes up from her morning nap she will be feeling a little better.

Yes, they can recover! Her issues are not from the KMR. She should be responding similarly to Milo, but she has another issue, which will probably clear up with proper medicine.

How much is Milo eating at each feeding?

20 mL and sometimes a bit more....adjusting the nipple hole really helped their ability to eat the right quantity. I did have a feeling last night though that maybe Agatha gorged herself too quickly and thats why she vomited. I may buy her a separate bottle this afternoon to just feel like I have covered all my bases.

Milo is thriving!

Agatha's own bottle is a good idea. I think she gorged also. My concern is her diarrhea. It's probably from coccidia, giardia, or a bacterial infection. That's why a poop sample is helpful.

They will probably treat her for all of it. This is usually what it is and clears up quickly.

Continue to feed her whatever she will drink.

Okay so there was good and bad news at the vet today... Bad news is that the kittens are too small to deworm. Milo was 8 oz and Agatha was 6 oz. The good news is this vet was really kind and said the kittens don't appear dehydrated at all. He gave Agatha a shot of something to try to reduce inflammation in her intestines but he said they need to gain weight before he can do anything further. He looked at their poop a little but once again he said if they have coccidia he can treat it when they are bigger.

I feel a little overwhelmed and emotional, I was hoping for more of a resolution but he said as long as they are eating I should be hopeful. The clinic also offers free weekly weigh-ins so I am glad I will be able to keep a better record of their weight from now on. My biggest fear is to have to watch one of them decline in my care so Lord willing they will keep eating and growing and I will be able
To love on them for years to come.

This is probably TMI but My husband and I suffered a late second trimester miscarriage this summer and i also lost my job due to a layoff all in the same month. I could really use a miracle with these kittens as my 'would be' due date is soon approaching. Thank you so much for all of your support... I wouldn't have made it this far alone that's for sure!

Your vet is ultra-conservative, but now you have established yourself so if the diarrhea does not abate you can easily return. I take it he did not think an antibiotic necessary either?

I am so sorry for your miscarriage. That is very upsetting, and I can see that nurturing the kittens is helpful to you right now.

I hope the diarrhea subsides soon. If it does not you will need to go back. What did the vet attribute it to? And how much do the kittens weigh?

Agatha was 6oz and Milo was 8oz. The vet said the diarrhea could be due to a number of things like switching the food, overrating etc. but until they were larger he didn't feel comfortable giving them anything. Should I all around and find a vet who is will to give the something? Could this potentially be fatal if I don't get it done by this weekend? I wish I would have been more assertive but I thought they would weigh more so I think I was thrown off. The good news is they have been wrestling for the last 20 minutes and Agatha is acting more lively than she has all day!

Wow! They are seriously small for their age. A four-week-old kitten should weigh one pound.

So, the correct amount to feed is less than they have been getting. Milo needs 10-11 ounces at each feeding every four hours. Agatha needs 8 ounces at each feeding every four hours. So chewing the nipple could be an indication that the kitten was full, and the vomiting was probably from over-eating. I gave you amounts based on what they should weigh, so it was too much for their small size.

Let's see how the diarrhea is in the morning. If it's not better I am inclined to say see someone else since they've had it so long. I also think they could use some Nutrical supplement for extra calories.

I think it's good they are active and playing. They've made it this far, but things can turn on a dime when they are this small.

I think you spoke with another clinic already. Might they see them?

How are the kittens today?

How are they eating? How is the diarrhea?

What have you decided to do?

I really do think Agatha may have coccidia, which is a treatable parasite that causes diarrhea.

The kittens have been doing really well since last night. They are eating between 25-30mL (shared) approximately every 3 hours. Agatha is eating a minimum of 10mL per feeding and sometimes more. Milo typically cleans up the rest! They have been very playful, acting more like little kittens.
Agatha had Some diarrhea last night before bed but hasn't had any since. When I got them up this morning there was some yellow paste like poop in their bed and I am 90% sure it was from Agatha. The consistency was much different so it makes me feel hopeful! I decided last night if the diarrhea persists I am going to take her to the vet either today or Monday and get her treated for coccidia. She hasn't had any yet today though so fingers crossed!

That's wonderful news.

M mbandow

I think her poop needs to be tested. I would have thought the vet would have done this yesterday. Did you bring in a sample yesterday?

However, it does sound as though they are eating well and adjusting to the powdered formula.

I think you may want to get a digital kitchen scale at Walmart so you can weigh them everyday though, since they are so small and really need to grow!

M mbandow

How are the kittens doing today? In particular, how is Miss Agatha?

I'm hoping there is some improvement?

Hello! I apologize for not updating sooner but we (kitties included) had to travel out of town this weekend for my nephews birthday party. So Friday evening I took Agatha to the hospital along with her bloody stool and they did a full exam on both her and Milo. The vet had fostered himself recently so I felt good knowing he had a lot of first hand experience with kittens this size. He said aside from them being a little undersized they looked really good. He gave me dewormed for both and said he thought the blood was due to irritation to the bowel from the diarrhea opposed to an infection. He said if Agatha's diarrhea hadn't cleared up in 5 days to take her back to my normal vet. He also sent me home with some A/d high calorie soft food to help them gain weight.
So fast forwarding to today- Agatha had her first solid poop last night and I nearly cried I was so happy! This morning was their third dose of dewormed and even though I swear they try to spit it out, that is going well. I will be anxious to weigh Milo on Wednesday because I think he is gaining weight with every feeding! Agatha is as spunky as ever and her formula intake is now consistently 10mL per feeding. Agatha is eating about every 3 hours during the day and Milo seems to go a bit longer but he will chow down 20mL or more each feeding so I feel confident they having a growth spurt!
They are also no longer having accidents in their bed so I am hopeful is the next 2 weeks they will be interested in a littler box [emoji]128570[/emoji]. They still don't do too much with the wet kitten food but I am just so grateful they are doing well that I would probably bottle feed them for another 2 months if I had to haha. Thank you all so much for your help! I am so grateful that a site like this exists!