bad vet advice? please help

hello, i have a question that is really bugging me, and i really hope someone can help me. My kitty had kittens, she escaped before i could get her fixed, and surprise. well, the kittens were doing great before one started to get really skinny, it seemed to happen within two days. i did take the kitten to the vet, and i swear you could feel every bone, and the kitten had a hard time suckling. it was barely over two weeks. she just told me, oh, its just the runt, and she gave me some clavamox...the kitties temp was also around 95. i told her the other kittens are fat and this one was also, and it appeared to have some labored breathing. well, the kitten got worse and i was able to get it to another vet (just a few days later, by then it was refusing to eat and i had to slowly put drops in his mouth..) they put him in an incubator when he appeared to get better, but died. it turns out a tapeworm came out of his anus which turned out had been starving him to death. i am so mad, and i keep thinking if the other vet had given me something to kill the tapeworm, this life could have been saved. i do work at a big petstore, and plan to tell ppl about this place. they never even took a stool sample or nothing, and she seemed so unconcerned. before i get really mad i need to know how to handle this situation. i became really attatched to this kitten, i named braveheart, and to make matters worse, he died on my birthday. thanks...

Poor Braveheart

I'm glad you had the sense to go to another vet, a lot don't

But I am unsure of what you are asking... Please clarify~

I am sorry that you lost your kitten, but really until your kitten reached 3-4 weeks of age it would be inherently dangerous to worm one so young.

You could write them a letter to let them know how you feel. theres little point in being angry if the person your angry at doesnt know.

If you dont get a response or at least one your happy with then tell everyone you know how unhappy you are with the vet. word of mouth is the way most of us find a vet in the first place.

if you need a new vet ask your local animal shelter who they use. thats how we found ours.

I am very sorry you lost a baby on your birthday! That is so sad. Did the second vet say the kitten could have been saved somehow? I recently lost a kitten a few days after birth. Unfortunately, they are very fragile when young.

Are the other kittens going to be wormed when they are old enough?

yes, i am worming all of them once they are a bit older. someone asked what i am asking, i guess i am asking how to handle the situation with the bad vet because i am so angry. she just assumed the kitty was a runt without really testing the kitty. the bad thing, the shelter recommended them. i am going to the shelter and letting them know, and i will get the word around. (one of my coworkers had a problem with them also...) I am callling them up and letting them know that i will not be using them and will tell customers about their service. of least the other vets had commond sense to know that something was wrong, and they belive the kitty could have been saved if the true diagnose was made. the rest of the kittens are doing great, already playing and come to the sound of my voice. they love to sleep on my chest and hear my heartbeat. one question, does anyone know what litter is the best to use for kittens? i know clumping is bad and want to know what they used?

Originally Posted by enigma

one question, does anyone know what litter is the best to use for kittens? i know clumping is bad and want to know what they used?

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Truth be told, I do use clumping. Most people say it's bad, because they'll eat it, but I use Tidy Cats Multiple Scoop, and I didn't have any problems.

I would not use clumping litter at all on young kittens. They have a habit of eating litter, and if they get clumping litter inside their systems- well, it isn't a good idea. Use plain clay litter until they are much older and out of the let's taste the litter stage.

Originally Posted by hissy

Use plain clay litter until they are much older and out of the let's taste the litter stage.

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sorry to hyjack, but really? wow i didnt know that kittens would do that with clumpable litter! they do?
i just that would be why i caught my little yukon snacking on...well...it wasnt just the litter....ewww
i guess im off to buy some new litter.

I used that "S'Wheat Scoop" litter that's made out of wheat. The kittens are now about 9 weeks old and found momma's litter box and now use that, but the S'Wheat Scoop was great. It even smelled kind of good (natural).

Was a necropsy performed on this kitten to verify the cause of death. The reason I am asking is that tapeworms are rarely fatal. There are a multitude of other problems that could have been the cause of death. It is also very hard to aggressively treat an animal that is so small.

Hi Dr. Do and All,

Good point that tapeworm ought not be fatal BUT, kittens are very fragile too. I think that the very best thing I have ever learned about kitten-raising is to WEIGH kittens daily. The very day that one fails to gain, I am on the phone with the vet. I DO think that malnutrition can cause death, and this kitten was failing for more than one day. I know it could seem that you want to blame a vet for not knowing what would happen, but really, a kitten can revive, AND crash, in a short period of time. They are tiny, they are growing so fast, and just the smallest thing that throws the schedule off can send them downhill. I know that also doesn't make you feel any better to have suffered this loss. But, I think in defense of the vet, he or she surely also feels very bad. None of us saves every cat we ever see (not just vets, but rescuers, owners too!).

Bet,
Linda

well, i will say the vets attitude really bothered me, she just very quickly looked at the kitten, i have been go good vets and see a difference. she is someone new that is working at the vets i went too. but this is the second time i have had a problem, when my other kitty got spayed, she came back with some fleas. (this was a few years ago) i don't have any fleas at home, all of my kitties stay indoors and i groom them weekly so i would know. the other vet said the tapeworm was extremely long for being inside a kitten, it began crawling out of the anus before the kitty died. (Not sure how many inches but it was looonnng they said.) either way, i knew the kitty was in bad shape when i took to first vet, the hard breathing, very skinny it was like bones, not suckling very good, and i knew it was funny when she said it was just a runt. and with the temp being 96 at the time, i shouldn't have taken the vets word completely. i did talk with the humane society since they referred them to me and they appreciated me telling them. (just found out my coworker had her dogs eye operated on and it became infected. ) but the other kitties are doing great, waiting to get them all dewormed and will deworm all the cats in my house to be safe. i have six adults..smile. thanks for everyones thoughts!!