7 week kitten, small eyes with visible 3rd eyelid, lethargic, losing weight

[puck]

@snoph,

How did the RSPCA visit go? Answers and treatment for your lil girl? Hope she's hanging in there!

 

[snoph]

Hi @puck  @StephenQ  @StefanZ  @catwoman707  and others.

I took her to the Vet yesterday. He didn't show any immediate concern. A told him all of my concerns I mentioned here. He performed a thorough examination of her: palpated her body, listened with a stethoscope, took a rectal temp (38.7 celcius) and had a very good examination of her eyes. I mentioned my concern that visible third eyelids can indicate inflammation/infection. He said her inner eyelids, although visible, looked perfectly fine, no sign of inflammation. He did mention her eyes are small, which I do agree, they are and always have been. He did not recommend any treatment. He said to ensure she's eating and drinking and to continue offering the kitten milk and watching her weight. He didn't have an explanation for her weight loss, other than it may have been because she had brief diarrhoea and vomiting, which may have been due to an adjustment of food. She's been feeding off her mum much better and she laps at the syringe filled with kitten milk formula. She is also eating solids a lot more too. Her weight is now 602gms. A massive improvement! She is playing at the same level the other two are. Not sneezing or any other signs of illness. I don't know what caused her dramatic and sudden weight loss, but she's back on track now and doing really well. She is responding really well to her supplemental feeds of kitten milk. I am very happy with her progress. This is the heaviest she's been and she's very active and happy. She is behind the other two, who are now 700gm and 774gm, but she's catching up well and I'm not going to stop with keeping her warm and supplementing feeds until she's caught up a bit more. 

I did bring the mother cat with me to the vet in case he wanted to do any bloods, but he said it wasn't really necessary at this stage. He did say I could have them done if I really wanted to, but I guess I just didn't feel fully comfortable for it to be done right there and then, and he didn't think it would be entirely beneficial at this stage. I also wanted to check in with the shelter I'm fostering with if it was something I should do or if it's already been done.

I can't thank you all enough for all of your advice. You have instilled a lot more confidence in me for these kittens and any future kittens I foster. 

 

[StefanZ]

Tx a lot for this your report, and tx God for that great outcome, and this nice turn around.

Im glad our remarks and advices were in all essential entirely correct, and it was apparently the extra supplementing and enticing to eat more, which gave that splendid improvement.

This, and surely also all the prayers and positive vibes  which had been put into this little kitten, her biological mom and her fostering Ma.

Which shows us, things which are done essentielly to buy time for the proper medications to work on, they may sometimes by themselves make that big difference, between the deathly dangerous downward spirale, and slow but safe retrieving and recovery.

That is no coincidence the Jewish Moms were renown for their chicker or pidgeon soup for their sick children!  Its both good nourishment to the weak and emaciated, AND also a big show off  a great care and love.   Which is often just  exactly what the sick one needs mostly to turn around.

Good luck!

 

[stephenq]

 
Hi @puck  @StephenQ  @StefanZ  @catwoman707  and others.

Great news!  It just goes to show that nothing replaces a caring owner and a good vet!  Her temp is perfect and while still underweight its nothing a good appetite and lots of food shouldn't fix. Obviously we were all worried but she has clearly turned a big corner!  Congrats!

 

[catwoman707]

 
Hi @puck  @StephenQ  @StefanZ  @catwoman707  and others.

I took her to the Vet yesterday. He didn't show any immediate concern. A told him all of my concerns I mentioned here. He performed a thorough examination of her: palpated her body, listened with a stethoscope, took a rectal temp (38.7 celcius) and had a very good examination of her eyes. I mentioned my concern that visible third eyelids can indicate inflammation/infection. He said her inner eyelids, although visible, looked perfectly fine, no sign of inflammation. He did mention her eyes are small, which I do agree, they are and always have been. He did not recommend any treatment. He said to ensure she's eating and drinking and to continue offering the kitten milk and watching her weight. He didn't have an explanation for her weight loss, other than it may have been because she had brief diarrhoea and vomiting, which may have been due to an adjustment of food. She's been feeding off her mum much better and she laps at the syringe filled with kitten milk formula. She is also eating solids a lot more too. Her weight is now 602gms. A massive improvement! She is playing at the same level the other two are. Not sneezing or any other signs of illness. I don't know what caused her dramatic and sudden weight loss, but she's back on track now and doing really well. She is responding really well to her supplemental feeds of kitten milk. I am very happy with her progress. This is the heaviest she's been and she's very active and happy. She is behind the other two, who are now 700gm and 774gm, but she's catching up well and I'm not going to stop with keeping her warm and supplementing feeds until she's caught up a bit more. 

I did bring the mother cat with me to the vet in case he wanted to do any bloods, but he said it wasn't really necessary at this stage. He did say I could have them done if I really wanted to, but I guess I just didn't feel fully comfortable for it to be done right there and then, and he didn't think it would be entirely beneficial at this stage. I also wanted to check in with the shelter I'm fostering with if it was something I should do or if it's already been done.

I can't thank you all enough for all of your advice. You have instilled a lot more confidence in me for these kittens and any future kittens I foster. 

VERY good update!! Almost surprising in a way, yet surely due to your care and supplementing.

It's amazing how fragile they are when so young, yet can be turned around just the same.

I would continue to consider her guarded however, since we have no explanation for what happened AND how her brother, at 7 weeks died, which alone is unusual when cause is unknown.

I wonder why her eyes are smaller too........they look substantially smaller. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what this can be from, but while it's true that eyes don't grow, the skin around them does, so maybe in time they will mature better.

Happy days! She is doing so well now