5 week old kitten vomiting, diarrhea, belly bloat. Desperate for help!

kimc03

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So two things to get out of the way first, WE HAVE BEEN TO THE VET
Second thing, I am on an the Island of Anguilla, British West Indies. Animals are not as privileged here as they are in the States (which is where I am from).

ALSO long story warning....

So my problem. My 5 week old kitten has been vomiting for 3 days now. I took him to the vet the very day it started happening because he vomited 3 times within 30 mins. and he hadn't even ate anything. It was morning and we just woke up so he hadn't ate since last night. He also hadn't defecated for about 3 days. He was very lethargic and couldn't even keep his head up or walk without stumbling. I really thought I was going to lose him. The vet gave him a quick look, listened to his stomach and said "It sounds like he has a stomach upset". Gave me 3 medications. Metoclopramide .25ml 3 times a day (prescription ran out and last dose was given yesterday around noon. Scourban .25ml 3 times a day (have a ton left but gave last does yesterday at 12:30 because it constipated him and did some research and saw its not the best for cats). Last medicine amoxicillin half a dropper 2 times a day (still receiving this for 4 more days).

The Vet gave him the metoclopramide, gave me instructions on the medicine, and sent me home. I got home and he started walking around and playing. I was so relieved. I gave him only KMR that day no weaning gruel. He was fine the rest of the day.

Yesterday he received gruel and milk. He only eats a bit of gruel then wants the bottle. He sucks in a ton of air when he drinks from the bottle so I am really trying to get him to eat more from the dish. I do still burp him after bottle feeding because of this. He was fine most of the morning and then around 3pm he started to get lethargic again and his tummy was very very bloated. He had not urinated or defecated all day. He would go to the litter box and just sit. He slept most of the evening and then when he woke he went to use the litter box. I was watching to see if he would finally have some movement when suddenly he started crying this unusual cry. I thought maybe he was in pain trying to pass a bowl movement but no, suddenly he vomited, 3 times in a row, almost projectile and it was a lot. About 3-4 tablespoons and it looked like milk. His belly swelling went down and he immediately started running and playing.
I immediately messaged the vet and also stated he has not defecated, and asked to quite the scourban. He said quit the scourban and add olive oil to his food, which I already do. 
After that he only received watered down KMR for the rest of the night. Around 11pm he had diarrhea. I again messaged the vet and asked if I should bring him in for a recheck.

He said no take him off all KMR as that can cause diarrhea and light feedings. I can bring him in once he is better......?!

So today he got soaked kitten kibble and water from the bottle (he won't drink it from a bowl yet). He ate a bit but he is really fighting me for the bottle. He walked around crying forever because he was hungry so I added just a tiny bit of KMR to the bottle because I don't want him to lose nutrients from only basically eating water. He had a little vomit in the afternoon but very little so I thought maybe it was from air from bottle drinking. Then I gave him some soaked kibble around 5pm. He just (7pm) vomited quite a bit and this time it was the kibble.

So basically I just want some ideas as to what this could be. I am worried maybe he has blockage. He stayed at the other foster house with his siblings for an evening and a day, and they are using clumping litter and are not fed as often as they should be. I am worried maybe he ate the litter because he got hungry. I have seen him try to eat our litter here a few times.

He is fine most of the time running around and playing...

I just want advice...anything...because the vet here isn't helpful. I'm just hoping it's not blockage because....I've been reading that not much can be done for kittens.... I even asked the vet if it could be blockage when I brought him in and later in one of my emails. He just ignored the question....

If you read all of that thank you so very much for taking the time to. Even if you don't have a response for me. I appreciate it. I'm so desperate for help right now.
 
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kimc03

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Oh also, he has been dewormed.
 

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catwoman707

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I am sorry to read about your baby.
I am at work so i cant say too much right now except that projectile is a tummy full of gas/air.
I would def be concerned agout the clumping litter, common for a 5 week old to eat litter.
It may very well be a blockage especially not seeing any peeing or pooping normal as before too....
 
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kimc03

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I would be concerned about the clumping litter too,   Here is a good article with some info. I hope the little one is ok 

http://www.cat-world.com.au/Cat-Health-Collection/gastrointestinal-obstruction-in-cats.html 

Something is not well with the little one, can you find another vet if you don't trust the one you are seeing now?

@catwoman707  any thoughts?
Thank you for the article. I have read it already. I have been doing research like crazy. 

Unfortunately he is the main Vet here on the island. There is another vet who works at the clinic but no one has anything good to say about them.
 
 
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kimc03

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Just felt a hard lump on his abdomen, left side. This is new. Contacting vet again. 

I'm getting worried...
 
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kimc03

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This is his belly this morning. I feel like the left side looks slightly more swollen. It's not hard, but it's not soft like when it used to swell a TINY bit after eating. Maybe it's full of air? He did feed from a bottle but I cut a bigger hole in the nipple and he wasn't sucking in so much air anymore.

This is after his half drop of amoxicillin, nutrical vitamin gel, and only about 16ml of milk/gruel mix, mostly milk. It was not swollen until after he fed. He used to be able to down 30ml with now swelling. This is a gruel mix but it's still mostly milk so it shouldn't be that filling.
His tummy is now gurgling and he has made a few gagging like sounds. He is running around and playing though so it doesn't seem to bother him yet.




Also have not heard back from Vet yet. I could not feel the lump this morning while feeding. My boyfriend felt it last night too but he thought it was just food/air moving through. I guess that's possible but it seemed pretty stationary to me.
 
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talkingpeanut

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Is it possible that he is just very gassy? Could you add a drop or two order simeticone to his bottle?

He shouldn't be sucking in any air when he's feeding. It sounds like he's either not getting enough food often enough so he's scarfing his food or that he's sucking too hard. I think making the hole bigger was a good idea.
 
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kimc03

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Is it possible that he is just very gassy? Could you add a drop or two order simeticone to his bottle?


He shouldn't be sucking in any air when he's feeding. It sounds like he's either not getting enough food often enough so he's scarfing his food or that he's sucking too hard. I think making the hole bigger was a good idea.


Is that something I can just get at the store? I haven't heard him pass any gas. He burps a little when I burp him but his tummy is still bloated.

Well he used to suck in a lot (at least it sounded like it) before I cut the nipple. I always burp him after. After I cut the nipple it didn't sound like he was sucking in air anymore.
This morning he wanted to keep eating but with his belly so swollen I am nervous so I stopped him. Lately I've been feeding him more frequently but in small amounts each time because of the tummy swelling and vomiting.

Before this I was probably feeding him around 5 times a day. Other sites I was looking at for hand raising kittens said by now he should only be fed 3 times a day, but that didn't work for us. He wanted to be fed more often. :) Now I just feed him a little bit every few hours or so. The vet told me to not feed him too much, but I'm not going to starve him. So we just have frequent, small feeldings for now.

That's why I thought maybe he was ready to wean because of how he'd been eating weird with the bottle and I wanted to wean him because I thought he was ingesting air. I posted on another forum for help also and someone said he is too young to wean and to switch him to goat milk. I am going to try and find goat milk later today but so far haven't seen any sold in stores here.
 

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Can the vet perform an ultrasound to see if there is a blockage?

Kittens need frequent feedings of smaller amounts. I'd keep adding a drop of oil to his food.

Can you get simethicone there? It will help with gas.

At the least he has a very sensitive system.
 

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Simeticone is the same as for the babies.  The pharmacy should have it, or perhaps even other shops carrying supplies for small children.

The brandname on Island may be different, I saw Wikipedia has a good article on different brandnames in different countries.

This will help if the problem is gasses.  If its a serious blockage because of clumping litter, it of course much more serious, and simeticone wont help, or at best, just a tiny shadow.
 
Is it possible that he is just very gassy? Could you add a drop or two order simeticone to his bottle?



He shouldn't be sucking in any air when he's feeding. It sounds like he's either not getting enough food often enough so he's scarfing his food or that he's sucking too hard. I think making the hole bigger was a good idea.


Is that something I can just get at the store? I haven't heard him pass any gas. He burps a little when I burp him but his tummy is still bloated.

Well he used to suck in a lot (at least it sounded like it) before I cut the nipple. I always burp him after. After I cut the nipple it didn't sound like he was sucking in air anymore.
This morning he wanted to keep eating but with his belly so swollen I am nervous so I stopped him. Lately I've been feeding him more frequently but in small amounts each time because of the tummy swelling and vomiting.

Before this I was probably feeding him around 5 times a day. Other sites I was looking at for hand raising kittens said by now he should only be fed 3 times a day, but that didn't work for us. He wanted to be fed more often.
Now I just feed him a little bit every few hours or so. The vet told me to not feed him too much, but I'm not going to starve him. So we just have frequent, small feeldings for now.

That's why I thought maybe he was ready to wean because of how he'd been eating weird with the bottle and I wanted to wean him because I thought he was ingesting air. I posted on another forum for help also and someone said he is too young to wean and to switch him to goat milk. I am going to try and find goat milk later today but so far haven't seen any sold in stores here.
 
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kimc03

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Can the vet perform an ultrasound to see if there is a blockage?


Kittens need frequent feedings of smaller amounts. I'd keep adding a drop of oil to his food.


Can you get simethicone there? It will help with gas.


At the least he has a very sensitive system.


I haven't seen any ultrasound equipment. They have an X-ray machine, but it doesn't work. They do take some animals to the hospitals to use the machines there in emergencies. I am not sure they would consider this one. I am still waiting to hear back from them. They don't open for another 30mins.

Is that an over the counter drug I can just get?

He just vomited. Just a tiny bit though.

He may have, but just a week ago he was fine. These problems just occurred suddenly...
 
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kimc03

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Simeticone is the same as for the babies.  The pharmacy should have it, or perhaps even other shops carrying supplies for small children.

The brandname on Island may be different, I saw Wikipedia has a good article on different brandnames in different countries.

This will help if the problem is gasses.  If its a serious blockage because of clumping litter, it of course much more serious, and simeticone wont help, or at best, just a tiny shadow.
Okay, thank you. I will check later today when I go to the store.

Im hoping it is something as simple as gas. :( 

would he be be too young for IBS? Maybe the kitten kibble is irritating? 

Im thinking of looking to find some pate instead. Would that be okay to mix with goat milk to make a gruel?
 

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Yes, pate would be fine. This may pass. It could be just a virus. He's had so many meds and food changes that it's difficult to say what's what. Hang in there and rely somewhat on your instincts.
 
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kimc03

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Yes, pate would be fine. This may pass. It could be just a virus. He's had so many meds and food changes that it's difficult to say what's what. Hang in there and rely somewhat on your instincts.
 Thank you. You guys are making me relax a little. I've been so anxious since this started. Every time he vomits or his tummy bloats my anxiety goes through the roof. I'm just so worried because I know this is abnormal. 
If he is still vomiting tomorrow hopefully I can get the vet to do a recheck because then it will have been 5 days of vomiting.

Thank you again everyone.
 

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Okay, thank you. I will check later today when I go to the store.

Im hoping it is something as simple as gas. :( 

would he be be too young for IBS? Maybe the kitten kibble is irritating? 

Im thinking of looking to find some pate instead. Would that be okay to mix with goat milk to make a gruel?
Pate is fine, Goat milk is very good too.  and thus, a gruel mix.   You can even go on just goats milk till the crisis has cleared.  Its mild and nourishing.  Its really what I do suggest. Iif you can get raw goats milk its nice. Why, it may even help by itself against gasses. 

But bottled / cartooned / powdered goat milk is OK.

Simeticine they should have in apotheca / pharmacia, whatever its called on Island.

IBS as such is not common with small kittens. Possibly too much changes in a too short time, including antibiotics...  THAT could upset anybody.

But all this is of course if its not real blockage...

If its real blockage its really just praying which may help.

I would try with Madonna Mary and the Jesus child  (á la children in catholic countires).   Also Rademenes, the nurse cat in a polish vet hospital, seems as a suitable saint for such.
 

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Can the vet perform an ultrasound to see if there is a blockage?



Kittens need frequent feedings of smaller amounts. I'd keep adding a drop of oil to his food.



Can you get simethicone there? It will help with gas.



At the least he has a very sensitive system.


I haven't seen any ultrasound equipment. They have an X-ray machine, but it doesn't work. They do take some animals to the hospitals to use the machines there in emergencies. I am not sure they would consider this one. I am still waiting to hear back from them. They don't open for another 30mins.

Is that an over the counter drug I can just get?

He just vomited. Just a tiny bit though.

He may have, but just a week ago he was fine. These problems just occurred suddenly...
Yes, it should be presciptionsfree, unless you have other laws on Island.   A standard helping for babies with kolic and gases in tummy.  Just a few drops, say two drops.
 
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kimc03

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What's in this gruel you've been feeding the kitten and when did you start using it?
First started with KMR mixed with KMR 2nd step, because that is what they told me to use. I noticed the second step thickens to a paste after it sits for awhile. I noticed this from discarded leftover portions that he did not eat, not by leaving it out for him to eat! Since he wasn't defecating I thought maybe it was thickening too much in his stomach.

So we switched to KMR and kitten kibble ground and soaked in KMR. He ate that pretty well. I know soaking food isn't the best but again that is what they had given me.

I just went out today and got him some pate and goat milk and will start using that. I don't like the other two gruel mixes. They want him off the KMR anyways because it can cause constipation or diarrhea in cats. 

They just want him weaned and on kibble as soon as possible so that he is ready to adopt out. If he is adopted on the Island here, most people aren't going to put this much effort into caring for him. BUT I plan on taking him to the states with me so I will "spoil" him, and there is a high probability I am going to keep him. :D :p He's the little guy in my display photo. 
 

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I've never heard of mixing the two.  The advisors here have been recommending staying on the kitten KMR and skipping the Step 2.   The powder KMR can cause constipation, easily fixed by putting a couple drops of olive oil in it.  Diarrhea seems to be more common with the pre-mixed KMR.

I think you were smart to ditch the Step 2 KMR.
 
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