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- Jun 27, 2013
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Hope this is the right spot for this!
Very long story short, 2 weeks ago, we took in kittens that a feral mom didn't seem to be able to handle all of them. The mom seemed very young, and this may have possibly been her first litter. She had a total of 5 kittens, and when we saw them, they were newborns -- eyes closed, ears flat, shriveled up umbilical cords). She would only take 2 or 3, but leave the others out. The kittens were dehydrated (dark yellow pee, scruff didn't retract fast when pulled), and it was the week when there were many strong thunderstorms (one was approaching).
So after a few hours of leaving them out for her to take them, we took the 2 that were left out and supplemented w/ KMR. We kept trying to get her to take them, but after 2 nights, we gave up and took in the 2 that were left out. Later in the day, 2 more were out alone; we took them too. We tried to trap her but she kept escaping the trap.
Sadly, we lost the runt (who also had a big fat tick on its belly, which we successfully removed in tact) a week and 3 days later to pneumonia due to aspiration. The vet had already given him clavamox for puss coming out of his closed eye, and told us to up the dosage and hope for the best but he didn't make it. He was already so tiny, so this little bout of illness did him in.
That's a very shortened version of events. Had I known then what I've now learned, we may not have been as quick to take the kittens from her, and maybe given her the chance to care for them. But since we've started the whole thing, we're in it for the long haul. We know now to leave kittens be. Just hard not to step in and help
Now, we have 3 left and they seem to be thriving. Eating, peeing, pooping regularly. The vet gave us probiotics, and we will take them in to be dewormed at 3 to 4 weeks. They are now 15 days old. They have nice open eyes, and are actually beginning to wobble around the floor during "play time" after they eatl
Since we lost the little one to pneumonia, I'm scared out of my wits about them aspirating. Two of them seem to be susceptible to aspirating. We feed them with their tummies flat, and their heads as perpendicular as possible, but they have taken to chewing on the nipple. I hear them swallowing, but they're also mewing in frustration because it's not coming out fast enough. We squeeze it very slightly just enough to get a few drops out, but I'm scared of aspiration.
Now I'm worried cuz the girl did aspirate a little bit earlier Some milk sputted out of her nose, so I turned her upside down, and she sneezed a few times, and a few more drops came out, then all clear. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow and have him listen to her lungs. She's not rasping right now, but from my experience with the runt, he didn't take a turn for the worse until the next day.
Should I just let them chew on the nipple even if they get mad that it's not coming out fast enough?
Other than that, all started out at around 3.5oz, and they're all between 11 to 13 oz. They get a bath every morning, and have started to lick their paws and chests. They sleep in a small carrier with a heater, and we change the sheets and disinfect the carrier practically at every feeding. We feed them a 50/50 mix of KMR liquid and KMR powder, and once in a while dab a little Supplecal from the vet.
Very long story short, 2 weeks ago, we took in kittens that a feral mom didn't seem to be able to handle all of them. The mom seemed very young, and this may have possibly been her first litter. She had a total of 5 kittens, and when we saw them, they were newborns -- eyes closed, ears flat, shriveled up umbilical cords). She would only take 2 or 3, but leave the others out. The kittens were dehydrated (dark yellow pee, scruff didn't retract fast when pulled), and it was the week when there were many strong thunderstorms (one was approaching).
So after a few hours of leaving them out for her to take them, we took the 2 that were left out and supplemented w/ KMR. We kept trying to get her to take them, but after 2 nights, we gave up and took in the 2 that were left out. Later in the day, 2 more were out alone; we took them too. We tried to trap her but she kept escaping the trap.
Sadly, we lost the runt (who also had a big fat tick on its belly, which we successfully removed in tact) a week and 3 days later to pneumonia due to aspiration. The vet had already given him clavamox for puss coming out of his closed eye, and told us to up the dosage and hope for the best but he didn't make it. He was already so tiny, so this little bout of illness did him in.
That's a very shortened version of events. Had I known then what I've now learned, we may not have been as quick to take the kittens from her, and maybe given her the chance to care for them. But since we've started the whole thing, we're in it for the long haul. We know now to leave kittens be. Just hard not to step in and help
Now, we have 3 left and they seem to be thriving. Eating, peeing, pooping regularly. The vet gave us probiotics, and we will take them in to be dewormed at 3 to 4 weeks. They are now 15 days old. They have nice open eyes, and are actually beginning to wobble around the floor during "play time" after they eatl
Since we lost the little one to pneumonia, I'm scared out of my wits about them aspirating. Two of them seem to be susceptible to aspirating. We feed them with their tummies flat, and their heads as perpendicular as possible, but they have taken to chewing on the nipple. I hear them swallowing, but they're also mewing in frustration because it's not coming out fast enough. We squeeze it very slightly just enough to get a few drops out, but I'm scared of aspiration.
Now I'm worried cuz the girl did aspirate a little bit earlier Some milk sputted out of her nose, so I turned her upside down, and she sneezed a few times, and a few more drops came out, then all clear. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow and have him listen to her lungs. She's not rasping right now, but from my experience with the runt, he didn't take a turn for the worse until the next day.
Should I just let them chew on the nipple even if they get mad that it's not coming out fast enough?
Other than that, all started out at around 3.5oz, and they're all between 11 to 13 oz. They get a bath every morning, and have started to lick their paws and chests. They sleep in a small carrier with a heater, and we change the sheets and disinfect the carrier practically at every feeding. We feed them a 50/50 mix of KMR liquid and KMR powder, and once in a while dab a little Supplecal from the vet.