Sick kittens 3-4wks old help!

This will be long I apologize in advance:
I work in the animal health industry (sales). I walked into one of my clients (a shelter) and they had just euthanized about 6-7 feral moms and were about to euthanize all the babies. (I didn't know they did this but apparently they do). Surely people think they are helping by bringing these momma cats with babies in, hoping at least the babies will be adopted. Well that's not what happens (at least at this shelter). If the mom is feral they put her down and then put the babies down because they don't have moms. Crazy I know! This is how I got involved. I convienced them to let me foster and bottle feed the babies.
I took 15 home- they put at least another 15 down that day. I took the oldest/healthiest with the best chance of survival. I have a vet tech friend who offered to take 6 and I was left with the other 9.
My friend lost 2 the 2nd day. They wouldn't eat and were very lethargic) she took them into the vet and they vet decided they should be humanely euthanized.
My friend and I both started to notice that they all didn't seem to be doing well on the kmr (not digesting well/not much interest) so my vet recomended we try goats milk. That seemed to work like a charm. They were all really excited to feed and were eliminating regularly.
About 3 days later one of mine started to eat less. She still got excited to eat but it seemed like she forgot how to suck. She was just kind of lapping up the food a little at a time and chewing on the nipple. She was also showing signs of respiratory illness (sneezing, runny nose). I took her to the shelter vet and I was given clavamox and was told to give it to her and any of the others showing symptoms. (A few were sneezing on occasion but still eating fine)
She was way worse by day 4. I took her to my own vet who said "it's really just hard when they are this young", they gave her some sub Q fluids, she died that night.
Since then I've lost 2 more and they are all presenting the same way. One day they are fine and the next the show interest in food but appear to not be able to suck any more. They eat very little and what they do eat they vomit.
I don't know what to do.
I can't just watch them die 1 by 1! I feel awful for even taking them now because they are suffering. If they would have been euthanized from the beginning they wouldn't have gone through any pain. (Which is perhaps why the shelters handle it the way they do)
I've taken them to 2 different vets(one of them twice) and spoken to a 3rd on the phone. And my friend has visited her vet 3 times. I called my friend a vet and she said "they just die", I guess her vet tech just lost 3 out of 4 as well. And the other vet (that gave the first one fluids) just lost half of a litter that was still with its mom.
So I understand it happens but I am having a hard time believing there is nothing I can do so I thought I would reach out and see if anyone has any suggestions.
Here is what I have tried:
4 vets, 6 visits
Kmr
Goats milk
Kmr/ goats milk mixed with pedialyte used to make the kmr
They have a heating pad (not to hot)
And a space heater (not too close)
I have bottle fed and force fed when needed with a syringe
By force fed I mean very slowly and patiently feeding about .1ml at a time so as not to flood the lungs
I've tried karo's syrup on the roof of their mouth.
I don't know what else to do, I hope someone can help. I'm just heartbroken

I'm so sorry, I know how rough and heartbreaking this is.  I lost one with the same symptoms a couple of weeks ago.  the loss of interest in eating could be nausea.  Just keep trying to get food and the clavamox into them.  I assume you are weighing them to see if they are gaining or losing.

thanks for your reply. I don't have a small enough scale to weigh them but I can feel them loosing and gaining. I'm kinda scared to continue with the clavamox because it doesn't seem to be helping and I'm thinking it may be causing the nausea? I don't know...but I will keep trying. Poor babies

Weighing them would be very helpful if you can pick up a small scale. It will tell you how much each kitten needs, as well as who is really in crisis.

I'm so sorry for all you're going through, and I wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you I'm headed back to the vet to try again

The clavamax might be causing nausea but it usually causes diarrhea.  But it will clear up the URI which is the bigger problem.  Maybe the vet can give you something for the nausea.

You may lose them all, unfortunately. It sounds like an infectious disease going around, such as feline leukemia, which can be passed from an infected mom to kittens. I've asked catwoman707 to weigh in. It's nothing you have done. They would have come to you with it. Continue with the clavamox and feeding, but it's usually fatal in kittens.

Keep us posted!

I am so happy to report great news!!! I spoke with my friend who had the other kittens, she was having similar problems with hers but she was able to tube feed them and they were keeping food down. I met up with her so she could show me how to tube feed them. She showed me how but I wasn't comfortable with it so she offered to keep them for a couple days to get them going again. We gave another call to her vet and we finally got a reasonable explanation for what was going on. He asked if they had destended bellies (which they do) he said they can get so full of air that they can't swallow. This is exactly what it seemed like was happening! It was like they were trying to swallow but all of a sudden the couldn't! Well she took the babies home and passed the tube and he burped and farted like crazy and then nursed for a good two minutes!!! I am so happy I can't even tell you! To think it was something as simple as gas! I'm only sad I didn't find out sooner, I don't know for sure that was the issues with the others but in sure I'll feel a little guilt for a while. But I am just so happy we found out in time for the rest.
I did read that the babies needed to be burped, but I didn't read that until several days in and it may have been too late for that to help by the time I knew it. Sorry for the long rant again but I am hoping this info will help someone else and give their kitties a better chance ! Burping is very important!!
By the way I think I found my new vet
Thank you again for your help

Yes, burping is important. Hope they're all doing better now! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

@sarthur2 has asked me to weigh in here, and I have SO much to say!

What is happening is, with a uri, they are unable to smell the food, but they can still feel hunger in their tummies, so excited to eat, but then don't, it's because they have to breathe through their noses to bottle feed and can't. They MUST gain weight every day, and I'm sure they are losing weight.

There is also something that happens sometimes about 3 1/2 weeks but I will get in to that later.

Absolutely continue giving clavamox! Kittens with uri's will die from it because 1, the foster allows them to not eat, so they can't survive on nearly nothing and dehydrate so fast, 2, the viral uri consumes what tiny amts of immunity they have trying to get rid of the virus, but quickly bacteria sees it's chance to jump on in and cause an infection, then pneumonia, and death.

What clavamox does is, it will handle the bacteria and keep it from coming, which then allows the kittens small system to deal with the virus. There is no chance a baby can handle both of these things, so continue the clavamox, it lasts in their bodies for 12 hrs, so be sure to give at say 9am and 9pm religiously.

Now, where the scale is your best friend and support is, it will tell you the amt of milk they need daily, so it can then be syringed, like it or not. Even if you have to run down to a local vet and ask if you can weigh them, they will gladly let you or even do it for you. I even told someone once who did not have a vet anywhere near where she lived in a rural area, to take them to a grocery store produce section and put them on those scales! It's a lifesaver.

You can turn the shower on hot, and steam up the bathroom well, turn it off and set the babies in there for 15 minutes, this does help loosen the congestion and cause it to drain out their noses, meaning it will help them smell and eat, temporarily but it helps.

Clavamox takes 5 doses before you will see an improvement.

Be sure to give the full treatment though so it stays gone.

Goat's milk is great, Petag brand KMR is great.

Vets know very little about young kittens, they don't know how to save them like rescuers do! That's the truth.

What have I forgotten to mention now...............

How are the kittens doing today?