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vet dewormed weak 4 week old kitten
- Thread starter julesmom
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
Yeah, if only I'd known then what I know now, I wouldn't have let the vet worm him. I figured a vet should know what was best.
It's been two weeks since Jules arrived, so he's about 6 weeks now. He actually wants kibble sometimes and will steal it out of the big cats' bowls unless I put some kitten kibble down for him. I mostly still feed him wet food though. He eats more of it.
I'll try watering the formula down. Good idea. That is true that formula probably tastes better than water. The big cats are always trying to get in on it.
So, official vote is dump the vet? 'Cause, no, he didn't check for dehydration or check the stool samples I brought. I was thinking maybe I'd just keep him for Gremlin who needs to have his anal glands expressed regularly and take everybody else (and Gremlin for other things) to a different vet. That might be about fair.
Nothing smells quite like that procedure.....
He's doing really good now though. He's grown quite a bit and raises heck like a good kitten. The ferret and Jules do not play well though....The ferret thinks the kitten is a toy. I keep telling the ferret, "just wait until he gets big, then you'll see."
Anyway, I know some wormers are supposed to be safe for baby kitties, but I'd wait until they are 8 weeks just to be safe unless the worms are really bad and they are in good health otherwise. Even then, they should be in good health before being wormed. So I've learned.....
It's been two weeks since Jules arrived, so he's about 6 weeks now. He actually wants kibble sometimes and will steal it out of the big cats' bowls unless I put some kitten kibble down for him. I mostly still feed him wet food though. He eats more of it.
I'll try watering the formula down. Good idea. That is true that formula probably tastes better than water. The big cats are always trying to get in on it.
So, official vote is dump the vet? 'Cause, no, he didn't check for dehydration or check the stool samples I brought. I was thinking maybe I'd just keep him for Gremlin who needs to have his anal glands expressed regularly and take everybody else (and Gremlin for other things) to a different vet. That might be about fair.
He's doing really good now though. He's grown quite a bit and raises heck like a good kitten. The ferret and Jules do not play well though....The ferret thinks the kitten is a toy. I keep telling the ferret, "just wait until he gets big, then you'll see."
Anyway, I know some wormers are supposed to be safe for baby kitties, but I'd wait until they are 8 weeks just to be safe unless the worms are really bad and they are in good health otherwise. Even then, they should be in good health before being wormed. So I've learned.....
I can only tell you about my experience. I'm fostering a little girl who was found at about 2 weeks old with no mother. She was hand raised for 2 weeks by a kind lady, then brought into the shelter as she had to go out of town and couldn't look after her while she was away.
Little Smudge was dehydrated, very underweight, and looked unhealthy. In the first week she lost an ounce, and was playing a bit, and seemed happy, but was quite weak.
At this stage I was giving her the tinned food they gave me, which was only Friskies brand, and that's about all she was eating, and was having regular diarrhea. I took her back to the shelter for a check up and they dewormed her then by giving her half a tablet, and gave her fluids, but said given she was losing weight, and it could be some congenital defect and she may not make it.
I was really upset, but determined to do everything I could. I bought KMR (Stage 1), Pedialyte, Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lovers Soul brand tinned food, high calorie cat/kitten supplement, and Bene-Bac, and mixed all of this together (in fairly equal proportions, but more Pedialyte, and only a small amount of the high calorie supplement.
They'd also given me Royal Canin Babycat dry food for kittens 1-4 months old, so mixed that in as well. I fed her a fairly heaped dessert spoonful (kept i nthe fridge, then mixed a bit of water in and warmed up to room temperature) of that 3 times a day, and also gave mer KMR mixed with Pedialyte a few times a day as well.
Each day after that she has improved. More energy, looks healthier, filling out well, gaining weight, playful as playful can be, and generally like a regular kitten. Her stools also hardened up within a day or two, and she hasn't had diarrhea pretty much since I changed her food.
I don't know if it was the worming that helped her, my mush, or a combination, but she went from may not live, to happy, healthy kitten in about 4 or 5 days.
I'm now slowly in the process of getting her off the mush, and getting her to drink water and eat dry food throughout the day and tinned food 3 times a day.
Change vets, let them know what happened with the worming, and maybe try a combination of food like I did to try and get your little baby fat and happy. Is there a chance that the stress of all the changes coupled with the vet trip caused her problems rather than the worming tablet? My little girl was very weak when she went in, and thrived after that!
Note: I just noticed that the little guy is doing well now, so you probably don't need the advice I've just given, but it may be useful for others in the same situation who read this thread
Little Smudge was dehydrated, very underweight, and looked unhealthy. In the first week she lost an ounce, and was playing a bit, and seemed happy, but was quite weak.
At this stage I was giving her the tinned food they gave me, which was only Friskies brand, and that's about all she was eating, and was having regular diarrhea. I took her back to the shelter for a check up and they dewormed her then by giving her half a tablet, and gave her fluids, but said given she was losing weight, and it could be some congenital defect and she may not make it.
I was really upset, but determined to do everything I could. I bought KMR (Stage 1), Pedialyte, Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lovers Soul brand tinned food, high calorie cat/kitten supplement, and Bene-Bac, and mixed all of this together (in fairly equal proportions, but more Pedialyte, and only a small amount of the high calorie supplement.
They'd also given me Royal Canin Babycat dry food for kittens 1-4 months old, so mixed that in as well. I fed her a fairly heaped dessert spoonful (kept i nthe fridge, then mixed a bit of water in and warmed up to room temperature) of that 3 times a day, and also gave mer KMR mixed with Pedialyte a few times a day as well.
Each day after that she has improved. More energy, looks healthier, filling out well, gaining weight, playful as playful can be, and generally like a regular kitten. Her stools also hardened up within a day or two, and she hasn't had diarrhea pretty much since I changed her food.
I don't know if it was the worming that helped her, my mush, or a combination, but she went from may not live, to happy, healthy kitten in about 4 or 5 days.
I'm now slowly in the process of getting her off the mush, and getting her to drink water and eat dry food throughout the day and tinned food 3 times a day.
Change vets, let them know what happened with the worming, and maybe try a combination of food like I did to try and get your little baby fat and happy. Is there a chance that the stress of all the changes coupled with the vet trip caused her problems rather than the worming tablet? My little girl was very weak when she went in, and thrived after that!
Note: I just noticed that the little guy is doing well now, so you probably don't need the advice I've just given, but it may be useful for others in the same situation who read this thread
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #24
Sure it will help. And if I end up with another little lost waif, I'll remember it.
But I'm hoping no one minds me dredging it up!
This is my first time here... I found you all as I was searching for some help with my wee little one. She's 4 weeks old and has been abandoned by her mama. She was found with some siblings at the farm of a friend. The woman fed them all milk (bad I know, but she meant well). My little girl was the only one alive by the next morning
I knew she'd be a goner too if we left her, so home she came with us. That was last Tuesday. She had diarrhea, but not terribly. We started feeding her kitten formula, and scheduled a vet appointment for Thursday.
The vet said that she was very tiny, about 4 wks and a small thin 4 wks at that. She also said that she was wild... which I figured as she was hissing *lots!* She gave her some wormer, one dose there in the office with another dose to be given in 10 days, and another wormer which we were to start her on when we got home. So she is on two separate worming meds at this point. Her diarrhea has gotten steadily worse and foul smelling and her appetite has decreased steadily as well. She will eat tiny, tiny amounts of the formula or soft (Iams) kitten food if coaxed. I did call the vet back on Friday to tell her about the increased diarrhea and she recommended an 1/8 teaspoon of canned pumpkin one time per day and to call back on Monday if she wasn't better. At this point I don't know if she's gonna make it until Monday.....
I would love any advice... I am desperate for some advice actually. I have a houseful of kids who will be very sad indeed if we lose this little girlie. My son said to me today, "I'm still playing , but my inside parts are crying."
If you want to see some pictures of the kitten, I posted some on my blog. If you look past the first page there are more posts with more cute pictures
This is my first time here... I found you all as I was searching for some help with my wee little one. She's 4 weeks old and has been abandoned by her mama. She was found with some siblings at the farm of a friend. The woman fed them all milk (bad I know, but she meant well). My little girl was the only one alive by the next morning
The vet said that she was very tiny, about 4 wks and a small thin 4 wks at that. She also said that she was wild... which I figured as she was hissing *lots!* She gave her some wormer, one dose there in the office with another dose to be given in 10 days, and another wormer which we were to start her on when we got home. So she is on two separate worming meds at this point. Her diarrhea has gotten steadily worse and foul smelling and her appetite has decreased steadily as well. She will eat tiny, tiny amounts of the formula or soft (Iams) kitten food if coaxed. I did call the vet back on Friday to tell her about the increased diarrhea and she recommended an 1/8 teaspoon of canned pumpkin one time per day and to call back on Monday if she wasn't better. At this point I don't know if she's gonna make it until Monday.....
I would love any advice... I am desperate for some advice actually. I have a houseful of kids who will be very sad indeed if we lose this little girlie. My son said to me today, "I'm still playing , but my inside parts are crying."
If you want to see some pictures of the kitten, I posted some on my blog. If you look past the first page there are more posts with more cute pictures
syringe her w/fluids & try meat baby food [no onions, no garlic] to try to tempt her appetite.
my Java had some issues when i got her, too... even tho she was about 3.5 months old. i put it down to poor diet - she was a stray - who knows WHAT she'd been eating?
my Java had some issues when i got her, too... even tho she was about 3.5 months old. i put it down to poor diet - she was a stray - who knows WHAT she'd been eating?
If you have some of the kitten milk replacer, I would stick with that if she will take it. As I think you realize, it sounds like you are on the thin edge of saving her or losing her.
And for what it's worth, you just can't save them all. She may have some disease that took her siblings, too. All you can do is fight the good fight.
And for what it's worth, you just can't save them all. She may have some disease that took her siblings, too. All you can do is fight the good fight.
Well,thanks so much for the advice folks... I gave her some of the kitten formula in a syringe about 2cc's I think. I also gave her some of the canned pumpkin which she took pretty well. Of course as soon as she had those inside of her she started poo-ing, so I don't know if it actually helped her or not
I am supposed to be giving her wormer every day, which I have been doing (I am such a compliant patient
), but I didn't give her any today... I figure it's not going to help her much if it kills her... sigh...
She does seem pretty cold so we've been holding her wrapped in scraps of fleece-y fabric. Scraps so that I can just toss them when they become soiled, which they seem to pretty quickly. I'll let you all know how she does through the night.
She does seem pretty cold so we've been holding her wrapped in scraps of fleece-y fabric. Scraps so that I can just toss them when they become soiled, which they seem to pretty quickly. I'll let you all know how she does through the night.
Warmth is critical as a cold kitten won't eat.
Try putting some rice in a sock, tie off the end and warm it in a microwave. Put it in a ziploc bag to keep it clean and put it outside the flannel - don't want to burn her.
Thank you for trying. Thoughts and prayers headed your way..
Try putting some rice in a sock, tie off the end and warm it in a microwave. Put it in a ziploc bag to keep it clean and put it outside the flannel - don't want to burn her.
Thank you for trying. Thoughts and prayers headed your way..
The kit is doing much better today.... at least she made it through the night, which I honestly had my doubts about. Thanks for the tip about keeping her warm, I've been holding her on my chest under my nightie and with a layer of fleece over the top. It does seem to have helped a lot. She took about 6 syringes of formula, YAY! Then she sat up on her own and tried to clean herself.. poor little sweetheart.
here's a copy of the update I put on my blog:
Monday morning update...
When I went to bed last night, I honestly wasn't quite sure what to expect this morning to bring. Anne had gotten progressively weaker and we had resorted to feeding her through a syringe, as it was the only way to get any fluids into the poor little waif. She spent the night on Amelia's bed in her basket (complete with a ticking clock and layers of soft fleece-y fabric.)
Well, when I looked in at her this morning she looked right up at me and surprised me with an almost silent meow. She took several syringes of formula mixed with a smidge of canned pumpkin- to help with the digestive difficulties or so says the vet. Each syringe is 1 ml, or is it 1 cc... I can never remember which of those is which, so if any of you metric-gals can help me out, I'd be ever so grateful.
And gratitude is what I am feeling right now, as I watch Anne sitting upright with a round full little tummy. She's actually trying to clean herself... now that's a kitten after my own heart.
here's a copy of the update I put on my blog:
Monday morning update...
When I went to bed last night, I honestly wasn't quite sure what to expect this morning to bring. Anne had gotten progressively weaker and we had resorted to feeding her through a syringe, as it was the only way to get any fluids into the poor little waif. She spent the night on Amelia's bed in her basket (complete with a ticking clock and layers of soft fleece-y fabric.)
Well, when I looked in at her this morning she looked right up at me and surprised me with an almost silent meow. She took several syringes of formula mixed with a smidge of canned pumpkin- to help with the digestive difficulties or so says the vet. Each syringe is 1 ml, or is it 1 cc... I can never remember which of those is which, so if any of you metric-gals can help me out, I'd be ever so grateful.
And gratitude is what I am feeling right now, as I watch Anne sitting upright with a round full little tummy. She's actually trying to clean herself... now that's a kitten after my own heart.
1 ml = 1 cc It takes 5 ml or 5 cc to equal a teaspoon.
With an URI, the kitten has to breathe through their mouth and drink, so be sure to give her time for a couple of breaths between each drink. I would expect you could try to get 5 cc at each feeding, maybe more. It's a case of the more she drinks, the more energy she will get and the more she wil want to drink.
I honestly have no idea what her stomach capacity is though.
With an URI, the kitten has to breathe through their mouth and drink, so be sure to give her time for a couple of breaths between each drink. I would expect you could try to get 5 cc at each feeding, maybe more. It's a case of the more she drinks, the more energy she will get and the more she wil want to drink.
I honestly have no idea what her stomach capacity is though.
Poor little thing. She made it through the night and her cleaning herself is a good sign. Very encouraging. She could have some terrible worms and she is struggling with the die off.
I would do the garlic and onion free baby food. It is gentle and full of hydrating water.
Vibes and prayers coming your way.
I would do the garlic and onion free baby food. It is gentle and full of hydrating water.
Vibes and prayers coming your way.
So do you all think I should be giving her the wormer then? I am supposed to be dosing her every day with .25ml. I have done this every day, except for yesterday because she was doing so badly and I was thinking the wormer was making things harder for her....
Do you think I should resume the dosing... or wait for a few days? What about the canned pumpkin? Is it a good idea for me to continue with that? Honestly, the vet said 1/8 teasp per day, but I have been giving her a whole lot more. I guess I was just desperate to get something to stay inside of her tummy, but I hope I didn't overdo it....
thanks for all the help to this ignorant newbie!
Do you think I should resume the dosing... or wait for a few days? What about the canned pumpkin? Is it a good idea for me to continue with that? Honestly, the vet said 1/8 teasp per day, but I have been giving her a whole lot more. I guess I was just desperate to get something to stay inside of her tummy, but I hope I didn't overdo it....
thanks for all the help to this ignorant newbie!
I posted some new pictures of the baby on my blog today... if anyone is interested. She is weak, but able to sit up... and she is such a pretty little thing!
Your blog is truly beautiful and I am sending tons and tons of prayers and vibes out to little Anne and her lovely family
You might try putting some electrolyte replacement (such as unflavored Pedialyte) in her formula - sometimes full strength KMR can increase the diarrhea.
Last year, my vet had me switch to chicken broth/plain pedialyte and then a tiny drop of mint Imodium AD. It worked and then I graduated them to boiled chicken with rice gruel and we gave them a month before worming. Maybe you could ask another vet for a second opinion, maybe someone at a big city shelter could recommend who to call
You might try putting some electrolyte replacement (such as unflavored Pedialyte) in her formula - sometimes full strength KMR can increase the diarrhea.
Last year, my vet had me switch to chicken broth/plain pedialyte and then a tiny drop of mint Imodium AD. It worked and then I graduated them to boiled chicken with rice gruel and we gave them a month before worming. Maybe you could ask another vet for a second opinion, maybe someone at a big city shelter could recommend who to call
My monsters just got wormed, the vet said almost ALL kittens have them. I guess I was in de-nile river. Anyway my kittens are 6 months old now and fat & sassy as ever. Vet did a full check up, and everyone is good except for the worms. Now it is nap time and all are sleeping.
I would wait for a couple weeks at least.
My 2 pennys!
K.
I would wait for a couple weeks at least.
My 2 pennys!
K.
Good news about our little girlie
She is ever so much better this morning. I followed the advice to dilute the KMR with electrolyte solution and she seems to be tolerating it a bit better, still very wet stools though. I think I will get some of the chicken baby food and some immodium when we go out today. She is so so so thin- her little pelvis is just bones
But she is eating, yay! This morning she sipped a bit of the formula mixture from a saucer, then about an hour later I fed her with the syringe. She just couldn't get enough, lol... took about 12 cc's if you can believe it! I think she might have taken more, but I was afraid her little tummy was going to explode!
She also is completely over her "wild ways" and is such a snuggler now
She'll do her best to follow me from room to room and then place herself right on top of my feet. She is such a love bug!
Oh, and thanks so much for the warm words about my blog... it's small, but I do have fun with it
One more question if you all don't mind... I haven't given her the wormer for the last couple of days, should I resume it as she does better, or just wait for a few more weeks before attempting it again? I'd really appreciate your thoughts... I hate to go against what the vet suggested, but my own intuition (or whatever) makes me very hesitant to give it to her again
Anyway, thanks so very much for all of your thoughts and advice. Without it I would surely have lost this baby!
She also is completely over her "wild ways" and is such a snuggler now
Oh, and thanks so much for the warm words about my blog... it's small, but I do have fun with it
One more question if you all don't mind... I haven't given her the wormer for the last couple of days, should I resume it as she does better, or just wait for a few more weeks before attempting it again? I'd really appreciate your thoughts... I hate to go against what the vet suggested, but my own intuition (or whatever) makes me very hesitant to give it to her again
Anyway, thanks so very much for all of your thoughts and advice. Without it I would surely have lost this baby!
Hi there! Just found this new/old thread, lol. So glad to hear your baby is doing better! I wish I could offer you advice about the wormer but I have never raised such a little one so I will leave that to those with experience in such matters. Just wanted to offer you some happy for you and the little one on continued improvement!
She does need her strength so I would give her some time off to get stronger and get some nutrients in her system.
I am for getting a second opinion. It seems like a lot of deworming. I gave mine one dose and then a second dose 2 weeks later and that was it. Why so much medicine? Was she riddled with them? Maybe there is an easier way to do this.
I am for getting a second opinion. It seems like a lot of deworming. I gave mine one dose and then a second dose 2 weeks later and that was it. Why so much medicine? Was she riddled with them? Maybe there is an easier way to do this.
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