4 DAY OLD KITTEN, BLOOD IN STOOL!! PLEASE,PLEASE HELP!!?

el asar reem

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***Urgent please, please help!!! 
I think I found blood in my 4 day old kitten's stool!! 
I found an orphaned kitten 4 days ago, I believe it was a day old kitten, the umbilical cord is still attached. 
I've fed it lactose free milk for the first day till I went out and bought Vitakraft baby milk for kittens. I've been feeding it every 2-3 hours and stimulating it after every feeding. For the first 2 days it only peed and on the 3rd it pooped quite a lot. first time it was in little bits and brown, second time he/she's done it without stimulation whilst i was feeding, it was also brown and long. And this third time he/she's also done it whilst I was feeding and it was still brown, then i stimulated him/her and it peed and there was blood i think it was reddish orange!! PLEASE help!! what do I do??? 
It's been acting fine, meowing fine and moving around just fine, it seemed very healthy! I've also been burping it after every feeding (started doing that second day cause I've only then found out about it) Although I'm not sure if s/he did actually burp but it seemed to calm him/her down. 

And no I can't bring it to a vet, there are no good vets where I live!!
 

juleska

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Okay....take a deep breath. You've got a challenging case. A baby with the umbilical cord still attached is a high risk orphan. But you're doing the right things. You got this!

In addition to all that you're already doing, you need to keep the kitten warm...very warm. Try not to keep in a room with air conditioning. Place the kitten in a carrier or box with a hot water bottle (wrapped in a towel so it doesn't scorch the baby) to simulate the mother's warmth. Whenever possible, use your own body warmth as well (extra kitten snuggles!).

As for the possible blood in the stool....if it's orange-ish brown it could be the milk supplement you're using and not necessarily cause for alarm. If it's more red-ish brown then it could be blood. Be sure you're not pushing too hard when stimulating, there could be bruising.

Truth be told, though, if a kitten's stool is bloody it usually means parasites, in this case most likely worms. Is the kitten's belly round (more round than it should be for its size)? Does the belly seem tight at all?

I deworm all rescues, regardless of their age, but I get my dewormer from the vet and follow their dosage recommendations. I wouldn't risk an over-the-counter deworming treatment with one so young. A vet would be in the best position to help. You said there are no "good vets" in your area, can you at least get a prescription deworming treatment from a nearby vet and ask how much to give? Then you can administer it yourself and continue the regimen you've established.

You need to know that if the kitten does have worms, and is this young, it was very likely born with them. The kitten is in a very vulnerable stage and may not be able to overcome the worms. If that happens, and I'm not saying it will, you need to know that it's not your fault.

On the bright side, i the kitten seems active and is not acting like he's in pain, he might be okay. These are critical hours and days you're in, so hang in there.
 
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el asar reem

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Thank you soo much for answering!!

I keep her in the kitchen where it's warm(no air conditioner), I keep her in a box with a little cloth and a plush toy. I live in saudi arabia it's still summer and the temperature is 102 degrees so I think it's warm enough, or should I still do the hot water bottle? 

I feel so relieved, It is orangeish brown! But does that mean she's got diarrhea? If so what can I do? I tried feeding her just now (I watered the formula down so it's a bit lighter) and she immediately started pooping (again without stimulation) so I stopped. I don't know what to do, should I keep feeding her? Can I give her just water?

Again THANK YOU so much for answering!! :)
 

juleska

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Thank you soo much for answering!!

I keep her in the kitchen where it's warm(no air conditioner), I keep her in a box with a little cloth and a plush toy. I live in saudi arabia it's still summer and the temperature is 102 degrees so I think it's warm enough, or should I still do the hot water bottle? 

I feel so relieved, It is orangeish brown! But does that mean she's got diarrhea? If so what can I do? I tried feeding her just now (I watered the formula down so it's a bit lighter) and she immediately started pooping (again without stimulation) so I stopped. I don't know what to do, should I keep feeding her? Can I give her just water?

Again THANK YOU so much for answering!! :)
I'm in Kuwait so I feel you on the temperatures. :)

The hot water bottle might still be necessary.....kittens need lots of warmth. Remember they're used to sleeping in a pile with their littermates and under their mother's embrace. If you don't have a rubber hot water bottle, I've used a glass bottle (holds the heat really well). You just have to wrap a towel around the bottle so it doesn't burn them.

It's pretty normal for newborn kittens to have soft stool, and since she/he's drinking milk replacer instead of natural mother's milk, that's another reason you may see the discoloration. Keep an eye on the color though. If the stool really is bloody you're more likely to see streaks of bright red in the stool than an overall discoloration. Also if she starts straining more to get the poop out, that could also mean an inflamed digestive tract or parasites.

It's still a good idea to get this baby dewormed. At least ask a local vet if they can give a dewormer and if they have any vitamin supplements (usually liquid or gel-type) they recommend. Those two things will help boost her immune system and give her more of a chance of survival.

It was a good idea to water down the formula some, too. The mix may have just been a little too strong. As long as you're feeding her frequently (and you are), she'll get plenty of fluids and nutrients that way, even if it is slightly more watered down than recommended.

Good luck!
 

Sarthur2

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You must keep feeding her kitten formula. She must have the calories and nutrients. She cannot live on just water. I also would not recommend diluting the formula.

It sounds like your kitten needs an antibiotic like clavamox for her digestive tract as she may have a bacterial infection. She probably also needs worming, as has been mentioned.

I suggest that you find a decent vet somewhere who will provide the above.

It sounds as though the cow's milk may have upset her tummy, even though it was lactose-free. I am also concerned that she may be allergic to the present formula that you are using.

Your kitten may fare better on goat's milk than kitten formula. Are you able to get full-fat goat's milk? If so I would recommend switching.

Can you post a picture of her please?
 

juleska

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You must keep feeding her kitten formula. She must have the calories and nutrients. She cannot live on just water. I also would not recommend diluting the formula.

It sounds like your kitten needs an antibiotic like clavamox for her digestive tract as she may have a bacterial infection. She probably also needs worming, as has been mentioned.

I suggest that you find a decent vet somewhere who will provide the above.

It sounds as though the cow's milk may have upset her tummy, even though it was lactose-free. I am also concerned that she may be allergic to the present formula that you are using.

Your kitten may fare better on goat's milk than kitten formula. Are you able to get full-fat goat's milk? If so I would recommend switching.

Can you post a picture of her please?
Just to clarify in case I misrepresented my earlier statements...I'm not recommending overly dilluting the formula. I'm suggesting that the initial mix might have been too concentrated which could be causing the diarrhea. If that is the case, adding a little extra water will help (emphasis on "a little") and as long as the kitten continues to be fed every few hours there shouldn't be any danger of nutrition deficit.

Good catch on the formula allergy....also the suggestion of goat's milk. Goat's milk is fairly easy to get in Kuwait, I guess it would be in Saudi also. If you can get it, get fresh, full fat goat's milk, and warm it up a little like you would for a baby before feeding her.
 
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