- Joined
- May 26, 2019
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I'm really looking for some help from someone that actually knows what they're doing.
My sister found a pregnant stray and decided to give her a home. To make a very long story somewhat short, she had major complications while attempting to give birth. After rushing her to an Emergency Vet 45 mins away they ended up sending her home, saying she would be fine while giving birth to the other kittens (The one she had been trying to have for about an hour had died). She then was in active labor for a dangerously long time, by that time a closer Vet had opened so we took her and she ended up having a C-section. The vet told us that the kittens probably wouldn't make it, so not to expect them to live. The next morning, they call us and tell us that she is doing well and that she has 3 kittens. We brought them home and she was noticeably in extreme pain, which they couldn't give her medicne for because of the nursing kittens. A few nights later infection started leaking out of her incision and she had developed mastitis. We took her back to the vet who gave her antibiotics and sent her home. We asked if the kittens should be separated because she didn't have time to heal. They said it was a bad idea and to leave them, and that as long as the blood wasn't dark red it was fine. It continued to get worse with the kittens nursing around her incision, and she was constantly crying out in pain or growling at the kittens for hurting her. We checked on her often and about a night later we found the kittens covered in blood, her incision completely open with fatty tissue and some of her intestines hanging out. We take her back 45 minutes away for them to tell us that the surgery would be 2400 dollars or we could euthanize her which would still be over 100. They tell us they wouldn't take her to surgery until 7 am (it was about 3am at the time). So we figure we can take her to the other closer vet that allows billing when they open at 7. So they lube her stomach, wrap it up and we take her back home. I stayed awake watching her until 7. She ending up having surgery and most of the tissue was in good shape. So while she's recovering I came to stay with my sister to take care of the kittens. It has definitely been one of the most stressful times in my entire life! I'm constantly worried that I'm doing something wrong or that they are sick. About two weeks ago I thought one of them had aspriated so we took them to the vet, he said that he was probably just a "messy eater" and that if the wet coughing noise continued for more than 25 minutes to bring him back in. While we were there, he gave them fluids which as soon as I got home had given them extreme diarrhea, and combined with their bodies adjusting to the formula it was horrible. I called the vet concerned and saw that one even had some blood in hers. He gave me FortiFlora, and told me to measure what they each drink in a day, divide a packet up into three equal parts and put it in the bottles. I thought this was weird but I listened, and then I noticed it turning red when heated. So I went back in and asked if that was ruining it by it getting cold and then hot again, I asked two Vets and a vet tech. They all said it should be fine. Fast forward about a week, They all still had liquid diarrhea. I do some research and find out that it's denatured when heated. So I guess it wasn't helping them at all. I was actually furious because I had specifically asked them about that. So then I slowly switched to powder formula and the diarrhea stoped and now they haven't gone to the bathroom for a few days. I have cat lax that the vet told me to use, I give a small amount about every other time I feed them until it works. But nothing yet. They are 3 weeks and two days old today. I took them to the vet on the 23rd. To get their breathing checked and ask a million questions. The kittens are all sneezing, not a lot but I hear them. And they have started to shake their heads back and forth really fast after they eat and sometimes just randomly. I was also worried because they have started to drink very fast and gulp loudly. I feed them every 3 to 3 1/2 hours, sometimes 4. So I know they aren't hungry but they act like they are. Lately, they drink and then get hiccups, I burp them and they go away but hiccups don't seem normal to me. I figured maybe since they had been nursing on infection that the Vet would give them antibiotics, especially so they wouldn't develop an upper respiratory infection since I was afraid they have fluid in their lungs. But they keep telling me that that's not a good idea because they all sound perfectly fine and that it would upset their stomachs. They say that with kittens that young they try to let nature take its course and that it will clear up. Each time I've taken them it's been a different vet and they have told me slightly different things. I really wish I could take them somewhere else but there is no other vet I can find that will bill. I would love to find a vet in my area that specializes in kittens, but I have had no luck. Most recently when I took them she said that none of them felt constipated and to just continue giving the cat lax and gave me some dewormer (Fenbendazole). She was very nice, but I always feel like they don't really know what to do with kittens. She actually laughed when I said I burp them to help them to stop hiccuping, and told me that that was very odd and that she has never in her entire life burped a kitten. She got really excited about their teeth and told me to start mixing Hills prescription diet a/d with their milk and feed them with a syringe. I said I thought that was too early considering that they were exactly 3 weeks old. She said it wasn't and to start doing that as soon as I can. But I'm worried that since they've just gotten adjusted to powder that switching them to wet food will be a horrible idea. I really need some advice, when should I start mixing the formula with food, and how long do I do that before giving them normal wet food straight from the can? Should I gradually increase the wet food to formula ratio until it becomes like a paste? I've watched many YouTube videos but couldn't find anything about mixing formula with the Urgent care a/d.
Also, about FortiFlora. How should I administer that to kittens that are bottle feeding? Really anything anyone could tell me I would so greatly appreciate it. I'm so worried that one wrong move will start declining their health and that they will get sick and possibly die. I have no one else to ask, and I know this is a very very long message. I intended on making it very short, but once I started that seemed impossible. Thank you so much for your time.
My sister found a pregnant stray and decided to give her a home. To make a very long story somewhat short, she had major complications while attempting to give birth. After rushing her to an Emergency Vet 45 mins away they ended up sending her home, saying she would be fine while giving birth to the other kittens (The one she had been trying to have for about an hour had died). She then was in active labor for a dangerously long time, by that time a closer Vet had opened so we took her and she ended up having a C-section. The vet told us that the kittens probably wouldn't make it, so not to expect them to live. The next morning, they call us and tell us that she is doing well and that she has 3 kittens. We brought them home and she was noticeably in extreme pain, which they couldn't give her medicne for because of the nursing kittens. A few nights later infection started leaking out of her incision and she had developed mastitis. We took her back to the vet who gave her antibiotics and sent her home. We asked if the kittens should be separated because she didn't have time to heal. They said it was a bad idea and to leave them, and that as long as the blood wasn't dark red it was fine. It continued to get worse with the kittens nursing around her incision, and she was constantly crying out in pain or growling at the kittens for hurting her. We checked on her often and about a night later we found the kittens covered in blood, her incision completely open with fatty tissue and some of her intestines hanging out. We take her back 45 minutes away for them to tell us that the surgery would be 2400 dollars or we could euthanize her which would still be over 100. They tell us they wouldn't take her to surgery until 7 am (it was about 3am at the time). So we figure we can take her to the other closer vet that allows billing when they open at 7. So they lube her stomach, wrap it up and we take her back home. I stayed awake watching her until 7. She ending up having surgery and most of the tissue was in good shape. So while she's recovering I came to stay with my sister to take care of the kittens. It has definitely been one of the most stressful times in my entire life! I'm constantly worried that I'm doing something wrong or that they are sick. About two weeks ago I thought one of them had aspriated so we took them to the vet, he said that he was probably just a "messy eater" and that if the wet coughing noise continued for more than 25 minutes to bring him back in. While we were there, he gave them fluids which as soon as I got home had given them extreme diarrhea, and combined with their bodies adjusting to the formula it was horrible. I called the vet concerned and saw that one even had some blood in hers. He gave me FortiFlora, and told me to measure what they each drink in a day, divide a packet up into three equal parts and put it in the bottles. I thought this was weird but I listened, and then I noticed it turning red when heated. So I went back in and asked if that was ruining it by it getting cold and then hot again, I asked two Vets and a vet tech. They all said it should be fine. Fast forward about a week, They all still had liquid diarrhea. I do some research and find out that it's denatured when heated. So I guess it wasn't helping them at all. I was actually furious because I had specifically asked them about that. So then I slowly switched to powder formula and the diarrhea stoped and now they haven't gone to the bathroom for a few days. I have cat lax that the vet told me to use, I give a small amount about every other time I feed them until it works. But nothing yet. They are 3 weeks and two days old today. I took them to the vet on the 23rd. To get their breathing checked and ask a million questions. The kittens are all sneezing, not a lot but I hear them. And they have started to shake their heads back and forth really fast after they eat and sometimes just randomly. I was also worried because they have started to drink very fast and gulp loudly. I feed them every 3 to 3 1/2 hours, sometimes 4. So I know they aren't hungry but they act like they are. Lately, they drink and then get hiccups, I burp them and they go away but hiccups don't seem normal to me. I figured maybe since they had been nursing on infection that the Vet would give them antibiotics, especially so they wouldn't develop an upper respiratory infection since I was afraid they have fluid in their lungs. But they keep telling me that that's not a good idea because they all sound perfectly fine and that it would upset their stomachs. They say that with kittens that young they try to let nature take its course and that it will clear up. Each time I've taken them it's been a different vet and they have told me slightly different things. I really wish I could take them somewhere else but there is no other vet I can find that will bill. I would love to find a vet in my area that specializes in kittens, but I have had no luck. Most recently when I took them she said that none of them felt constipated and to just continue giving the cat lax and gave me some dewormer (Fenbendazole). She was very nice, but I always feel like they don't really know what to do with kittens. She actually laughed when I said I burp them to help them to stop hiccuping, and told me that that was very odd and that she has never in her entire life burped a kitten. She got really excited about their teeth and told me to start mixing Hills prescription diet a/d with their milk and feed them with a syringe. I said I thought that was too early considering that they were exactly 3 weeks old. She said it wasn't and to start doing that as soon as I can. But I'm worried that since they've just gotten adjusted to powder that switching them to wet food will be a horrible idea. I really need some advice, when should I start mixing the formula with food, and how long do I do that before giving them normal wet food straight from the can? Should I gradually increase the wet food to formula ratio until it becomes like a paste? I've watched many YouTube videos but couldn't find anything about mixing formula with the Urgent care a/d.
Also, about FortiFlora. How should I administer that to kittens that are bottle feeding? Really anything anyone could tell me I would so greatly appreciate it. I'm so worried that one wrong move will start declining their health and that they will get sick and possibly die. I have no one else to ask, and I know this is a very very long message. I intended on making it very short, but once I started that seemed impossible. Thank you so much for your time.
