Newborn Kitten Injured in Accident, Had to Amputate, Now Won't Eat

[FosterMeowma]

I don't know if anyone can help with this or not. Miracle is a kitten that was born in a construction site, she is only a few days old. The construction workers didn't know she and her litter were there, and unfortunately when they started the machine, it killed the mama cat and all but two babies, severely injuring Miracle's leg.
The vet made the call to amputate her leg yesterday. She isn't wanting to nurse, and feeding her from a syringe is extremely dangerous due to the sedatives.
Does anyone have any advice that could help us save Miracle's life? *posting for a friend*

 

[Sarthur2]

She needs to be tube fed by an experienced person. A vet tech should be able to show you, or she needs to remain in vet care on tube feeding until she is able to suckle and swallow properly without the sedatives or pain meds - probably in about 3 days’ time once the acute pain stage has passed.

She absolutely MUST stay hydrated and get proper nutrition during this time in order to survive and heal. Please get her to a vet or emergency vet who can care for her for a few days.

A vet tech experienced with tube feeding can show you how to do it, but great care must be taken to ensure the tube is placed properly.


Best of luck and please keep us posted. Such a sad story.

 

[FosterMeowma]

She needs to be tube fed by an experienced person. A vet tech should be able to show you, or she needs to remain in vet care on tube feeding until she is able to suckle and swallow properly without the sedatives or pain meds - probably in about 3 days’ time once the acute pain stage has passed.

She absolutely MUST stay hydrated and get proper nutrition during this time in order to survive and heal. Please get her to a vet or emergency vet who can care for her for a few days.

A vet tech experienced with tube feeding can show you how to do it, but great care must be taken to ensure the tube is placed properly.


Best of luck and please keep us posted. Such a sad story.

Thank you! I'll pass this onto my friend, and I'll keep you updated. As a bonus, here's a picture of her sister, Grace, who my friend also has.

 

[FosterMeowma]

She needs to be tube fed by an experienced person. A vet tech should be able to show you, or she needs to remain in vet care on tube feeding until she is able to suckle and swallow properly without the sedatives or pain meds - probably in about 3 days’ time once the acute pain stage has passed.

She absolutely MUST stay hydrated and get proper nutrition during this time in order to survive and heal. Please get her to a vet or emergency vet who can care for her for a few days.

A vet tech experienced with tube feeding can show you how to do it, but great care must be taken to ensure the tube is placed properly.


Best of luck and please keep us posted. Such a sad story.

Ok, so I passed this on to her, and she told me that the vet is refusing to GI her, and won't keep her because they aren't 24/7. And there are no 24/7 vets in the area.

 

[Sarthur2]

How about area shelters that might have a foster or other volunteer who knows how to tube feed and has supplies on hand?

Otherwise, the sedation will have to be lifted so the kitten can actively swallow from drops of formula being put into the side of her mouth with a syringe. There is no other choice if the kitten is to be kept alive.

Where is your friend located?

 

[FosterMeowma]

She's in Mississippi, she IS the foster through the shelter. She's turned down 3 other newborn kittens in the last 3 days to give all her attention to Miracle. She is the only one available who can take care of her special needs, she just can't GI her herself and the vets aren't cooperating.

Though she did tell me that she managed to get 2 CCs in her at the last feeding, so maybe she is coming around? Miracle fights the feeding every time, she's feeding her every hour instead of every 2 hours since she usually gets less than 2 CCs in her. We are both really worried this kitten isn't going to make it. I'll let her know what you said about the sedation.

 

[Sarthur2]

The 2 cc’s is excellent news! Hopefully, each day the kitten will become more responsive to being syringe fed, more alert, and will begin to take more food. If she gets enough nutrition without aspirating, I am confident this kitten can make it! If so, she will be an inspiration to all of us!

Also, even 1cc every hour will keep her alive. Can you get a weight on her from your friend? I’m guessing she needs around 24cc’s per 24 hours to thrive right now.

Your friend can also mix the powdered kitten formula with unflavored pedialyte instead of water. This will ensure the kitten gets much needed electrolytes.

Please keep us posted with progress reports.

FosterMeowma

 

[FosterMeowma]

The 2 cc’s is excellent news! Hopefully, each day the kitten will become more responsive to being syringe fed, more alert, and will begin to take more food. If she gets enough nutrition without aspirating, I am confident this kitten can make it! If so, she will be an inspiration to all of us!

Also, even 1cc every hour will keep her alive. Can you get a weight on her from your friend? I’m guessing she needs around 24cc’s per 24 hours to thrive right now.

Your friend can also mix the powdered kitten formula with unflavored pedialyte instead of water. This will ensure the kitten gets much needed electrolytes.

Please keep us posted with progress reports.

FosterMeowma

Sorry it took so long for me to reply again! Miracle had to be rushed to the EVet, she aspirated part of the 2 CCs and was struggling to breathe.

The good news is that the vet said it was a very small amount, they put her on an antibiotic in case of pneumonia.

The other good news is that, since she aspirated, they finally agreed to a GI!!! So hopefully, she will continue to thrive.

The vet was pretty enthusiastic about her chances of survival, so that's always a good thing.

I'll ask my friend how much she weighs, and of course will keep you all updated. Thank you so much for all your help.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my! Sorry it took aspirating to convince the vet to tube feed, but hopefully this will help Miracle until she is able to suckle and swallow on her own. Thank you so much for this update. I’ll keep little Miracle in my prayers.

 

[FosterMeowma]

She weighs 4.4 ounces

 

[Sarthur2]

That’s a good weight for only being a few days old and for the trauma she has already experienced! It’s a bit over the average weight of a one-week-old kitten.

At 4.4 ounces Miracle needs 35mLs of formula each 24 hours. Every 2 hours this is 2.9mLs per feeding. Will they feed round the clock?

I’m sure the vet will see that she gets the amounts she needs at each feeding, based on her weight. She also needs to gain about 6-10 grams per day. Be sure your friend asks about weight gain and amounts of milk being given while Miracle is being tube fed.

I really hope she’s out of the woods in a few days! Her eyes should open soon too. Poor little Miracle.

 

[FosterMeowma]

I have sad news this morning. Last night, Miracle had to be rushed to the EVet again, due to extreme difficulty breathing.

It was determined that she had extremely bad pneumonia (the vet said from the surgery) and a bad infection at the surgery site. Because of the severity of both infections, she did not make it through the night.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry. Both you and your friend fought the good fight for this baby and gave her as much as you could in the face of some daunting odds.

 

[Sarthur2]

I’m sorry to hear this. RIP Miracle . You all fought the good fight together. Blessings on the surviving sibling, Grace.

 

[FosterMeowma]

Thank you both, and thanks again for all the help. She is in God's hands now.

 

[silent meowlook]

I’m so sorry

 

[catsknowme]

I am so, so sorry that I am chiming in late. There are some very good rescuers in the LA, MS, AL area but they are mostly on FB. There are some nursing mama kitties in the groups. If your friend hasn't made the connection with an outreach group, please PM me and I can try to get you all connected. I am sure the construction workers were devastated about what happened - poor mama kitty probably wanted a nest safe from predators & weather and made a terrible choice. Prayers and vibes for you all