Please help! 2-3 wk. old kitten

Update on Gus Gus! We took him to his vet appointment this afternoon and he has gained roughly 1 ounce in 3 days of us having him. Today he weighed in at 9.17 ounces. The vet says he thinks he is making good progress. He was walking all over the exam table and he said he looked alert and in overall good health. In regards to the diarrhea, the vet did not do any tests on him, but he said to give him pedialyte in his bottle (you guys called it!) as well as a probiotic that he gave us to take home. Gus Gus is still having diarrhea this evening, and being the squirmy wormy that he is, he got it all over the place, so we had to give him a butt bath (he was not a fan!) - any idea how long it should take the pedialyte to kick in? 

What color is the diarrhea?

@sarthur2  It is a coppery color. The last time he had it was this morning at 11am. He didn't have it for his last 2 feedings - he only peed. Hoping that's a sign that the diarrhea might be going away?

I hope so. If it continues he needs meds either for parasites or infection. Diarrhea is not normal in kittens. I'm sure the pedialyte is helping though.

@sarthur2  If he has it again, I will be calling the vet back to bring him back in. The vet said that if he does have an infection he is too young to treat. In your opinion, is 3 weeks too young to treat for parasites/infections?

Not at all! This tells me that the vet has very little experience with tiny kittens. It means HE doesn't think 3-week-old kittens need treating.

Kittens can be treated from birth. Especially if they are born with parasites, which can be transferred from mom to baby. The dosage of meds is tiny, but corresponds to their weight.

sarthur2 said:

Not at all! This tells me that the vet has very little experience with tiny kittens. It means HE doesn't think 3-week-old kittens need treating.

Kittens can be treated from birth. Especially if they are born with parasites, which can be transferred from mom to baby. The dosage of meds is tiny, but corresponds to their weight.

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@sarthur2  I'm glad that you told me this. Everything I have read online mentions that people have gotten meds for tiny kittens, but when the vet told me twice that he was too little, I started to believe him. I have been considering changing his vet (I have been taking him to a VCA vet), but have been getting awfully frustrated that every time I go in they blame his issues on things like "not being adjusted to his formula", or "he's too tiny to treat". When I called this afternoon they told me to try to start feeding him dry and wet food mixed together. I knew off the bat that that was ridiculous, so I haven't done that. I also feel like they have so many people in the waiting room that they rush the exam every time. I'm going to call a few new vets in the morning and see what they have to say. I'd really like to get a second opinion from a new doctor because I want to make sure that he's getting the best possible care and attention. 

Good! I agree that a new vet is in order. Ask if they have experience with cats and kittens besides just shots and spay/neuter.

Has there been any further diarrhea since this morning?

@sarthur2  He hasn't had any diarrhea since his 11am feeding. He hasn't pooped at all since then. He's peeing really well after each meal, and eating like a little piggy - he really loves the bottle now - I'm glad because it took a few days for him to get the hang of it! I have made a list of 3 different vets to call in the morning. One of them is cat only, which I'm thinking might be good considering that is their specialty. 

Cat only is purr-fect!

It's a good sign that he's had no more diarrhea. Let's hope this continues!

@sarthur2  Yay! I hope it continues as well! And after reading a ton of reviews of the cat only vet, I think that's who I'm going to make an appointment with.