6 days old kitten stopped nursing

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Bonbonche

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Are you trying to burp him, just in case he is getting air in his belly? 2-3 ml every 1.30 hours seems more than adequate. As long as his mom is still tending to him, that is a very, very good sign. Belly rubs are good for provoking peeing, but not sure that is necessary yet if his mom is licking not just his bottom, but his belly as well. Has he produced any stool?
Yes, im patting him lightly and firmly on the back after the feeding. I havent seen any stool but then again i have never seen any stool the mom is quick i guess. I read that you shouldt try rubbing more than a minute. Thats when i stop and momma starts licking him
 
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Bonbonche

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What exactly is the formula you do use? Is it in powder? If so, dilute it with pedialyte instead of common water. It will always be some extra calories for free.
If you cant buy pedialyte (flavorless for human babies is best), you can make your own. Can you get glucose sugar / dextrose?

Can you get raw goats milk? Its no remedy by itself, but may have some plusses in touchy situations. If you can get raw goats milk, you dilute the powder with this goats milk instead.

As momma is washing him and licking down there, she surely takes care of pee and poo... Most owners of momma cat and kittens never see any pee nor poo, momma takes it.
The usual is, its just caretakers of orphans whom do see it...
Im using powder. I just checked pedialyte and i found a recipi where you mix lemon juice honey and salt. I can do that if that would work. Raw goat milk im not sure there is a place but it is 1 am now i would have to ask tomorrow. Should i try the honey mix till then?
 

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Yes, a half tea spoon of honey and a trifle salt in water, using a cup for coffe (150 ml).
I have never used any juice in there, but I suppose its possible, at least for humans. No, dont use this lemon juice, may be too sharp.

If you manage to get real glucose sugar / dextrose, you can give double more - its not as sweet as honey is.
 
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Bonbonche

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Yes, a half tea spoon of honey and a trifle salt in water, using a cup for coffe (150 ml).
I have never used any juice in there, but I suppose its possible, at least for humans. No, dont use this lemon juice, may be too sharp.

If you manage to get real glucose sugar / dextrose, you can give double more - its not as sweet as honey is.
Thank you! Will do that for the next batch which is due in 30 mins
 

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Thank you for your positive thoughts! What do you mean by steamy bathroom? If i creat steam in the bathroom and keep there is it helpful?
By steamy bathroom, that means to get a build up of steam from the hot shower or bath, and let the kitten hang out in the steam filled room for as long as possible. Don't turn on any fans or open windows to vent the steam out, just let the kitten breathe the moist, steamy air.

Also, for "sugar", when we would treat low blood sugar in kittens and small-breed puppies, we would use corn syrup, like Karo or something similar. You can usually find this in the grocery store where you might find baking needs. We would administer it straight onto the gums or in the mouth, a little at a time, until the little one perked up enough to eat or nurse. The sugars are absorbed through the mucous membranes if the little one is too weak to swallow. Honey works, too.

1573254380680.png

You might have an equivalent item in your area.
 
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StefanZ

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By steamy bathroom, that means to get a build up of steam from the hot shower or bath, and let the kitten hang out in the steam filled room for as long as possible. Don't turn on any fans or open windows to vent the steam out, just let the kitten breathe the moist, steamy air.

Also, for "sugar", when we would treat low blood sugar in kittens and small-breed puppies, we would use corn syrup, like Karo or something similar. You can usually find this in the grocery store where you might find baking needs. We would administer it straight onto the gums or in the mouth, a little at a time, until the little one perked up enough to eat or nurse. The sugars are absorbed through the mucous membranes if the little one is too weak to swallow. Honey works, too.

View attachment 306948
You might have an equivalent item in your area.
Yes such korn sugar is good, but honey is useful.

Pure glucose sugar / dextrose is best, but it is difficult to find in USA.

I mentioned homemade pedialyte, useful in many situations.

You have right, in weak kittens, or kittens low in bloodsugar, or exhausted adults, we can smear such s solution directly on lips and gum. Gives quick energhy. Soluttion thicker than in pedialyte!

But not pure honey or karo. On a weak kitten it will just become sticky. It isnt able to lick it off.
 
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Bonbonche

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By steamy bathroom, that means to get a build up of steam from the hot shower or bath, and let the kitten hang out in the steam filled room for as long as possible. Don't turn on any fans or open windows to vent the steam out, just let the kitten breathe the moist, steamy air.

Also, for "sugar", when we would treat low blood sugar in kittens and small-breed puppies, we would use corn syrup, like Karo or something similar. You can usually find this in the grocery store where you might find baking needs. We would administer it straight onto the gums or in the mouth, a little at a time, until the little one perked up enough to eat or nurse. The sugars are absorbed through the mucous membranes if the little one is too weak to swallow. Honey works, too.

View attachment 306948
You might have an equivalent item in your area.
I live in turkey and i have never seen those. I will make sure to look for them for tonight i will use honey. Thank you so mucj
 

mackiemac

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Yes such korn sugar is good, but honey is useful.

Pure glucose sugar / dextrose is best, but it is difficult to find in USA.

I mentioned homemade pedialyte, useful in many situations.

You have right, in weak kittens, or kittens low in bloodsugar, or exhausted adults, we can smear such s solution directly on lips and gum. Gives quick energhy. Soluttion thicker than in pedialyte!

But not pure honey or karo. On a weak kitten it will just become sticky. It isnt able to lick it off.
We just took TINY dabs and placed it on the roof of the mouth wit a finger or a Q tip, and we'd wipe away "overapplication" with a damp gauze. And yes, we used it straight. That was how we did it in the clinic, anyway. I like the "energy solution" recipe, but in a pinch, when we really didn't have time to make up such a solution, we went straight for the bottle. I get it, not ideal... but it worked.
 
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Yes such korn sugar is good, but honey is useful.

Pure glucose sugar / dextrose is best, but it is difficult to find in USA.

I mentioned homemade pedialyte, useful in many situations.

You have right, in weak kittens, or kittens low in bloodsugar, or exhausted adults, we can smear such s solution directly on lips and gum. Gives quick energhy. Soluttion thicker than in pedialyte!

But not pure honey or karo. On a weak kitten it will just become sticky. It isnt able to lick it off.
Yes such korn sugar is good, but honey is useful.

Pure glucose sugar / dextrose is best, but it is difficult to find in USA.

I mentioned homemade pedialyte, useful in many situations.

You have right, in weak kittens, or kittens low in bloodsugar, or exhausted adults, we can smear such s solution directly on lips and gum. Gives quick energhy. Soluttion thicker than in pedialyte!

But not pure honey or karo. On a weak kitten it will just become sticky. It isnt able to lick it off.
should i mix honey with water to disolve kitten formula or should apply it with a q tip? Thank you so much!
 

mackiemac

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I live in turkey and i have never seen those. I will make sure to look for them for tonight i will use honey. Thank you so mucj
Karo is popular in the US, but there might be similar things... like golden syrup, for instance. As StefanZ suggested, you may wish to make the solution. What I was describing was how we used it in our clinic for emergencies.
 

mackiemac

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should i mix honey with water to disolve kitten formula or should apply it with a q tip? Thank you so much!
We used the Q tip method if the pet was too weak to swallow, and we needed to get the blood glucose up quickly. If the kitten can swallow then use the formula or "energy solution" that Stefan described. Using "syrup" or honey at full strength on the gums or mucous membranes is an emergency method, and it works because the honey or syrup are thick and sticky and they stay on the tissue a little longer without running off so quickly. This lets the sugars be absorbed through the tissue a little better when the baby cannot swallow.
 

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No lemon juice! Also, feed every 2 hours instead of 1 1/2. He needs time to digest and that takes about 2 hours.

If he has aspirated milk into his lungs and is having trouble breathing, he needs antibiotics. He is not too young for a kitten-sized dose.
 
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My husband and i took turns and fed him through the night but he is still not gaining weight :( are we not giving him enough :( but his belly is plump and he cries his heart out during the feedings. I feel so desperate
 

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We used the Q tip method if the pet was too weak to swallow, and we needed to get the blood glucose up quickly. If the kitten can swallow then use the formula or "energy solution" that Stefan described. Using "syrup" or honey at full strength on the gums or mucous membranes is an emergency method, and it works because the honey or syrup are thick and sticky and they stay on the tissue a little longer without running off so quickly. This lets the sugars be absorbed through the tissue a little better when the baby cannot swallow.
Thank you for the detailed descriptions of how you are doing it at your clinic. I have always thought it should be a concentrated solution (much sweeter than in pedialyte but not sticky, to "paint with"), but I do notice dabbing an actual drop of Karo or honey do works, without any real drawback... As long you dont overdo it, it works nicely.
Tx, so now I know for sure, I do stand corrected.
 

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I’m so sorry. How is his breathing? Is he peeing or pooping?

This kind of crying sounds like he is in pain.
 

mackiemac

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Thank you for the detailed descriptions of how you are doing it at your clinic. I have always thought it should be a concentrated solution (much sweeter than in pedialyte but not sticky, to "paint with"), but I do notice dabbing an actual drop of Karo or honey do works, without any real drawback... As long you dont overdo it, it works nicely.
Tx, so now I know for sure, I do stand corrected.
The energy solution is fine if the baby can swallow and isn't in danger of aspirating it, but if swallowing is a problem then the straight honey, Karo or golden syrup (or glucose syrup... tough to find in the US) is a good choice. Yes, it will be a bit sticky but it can be wiped off gently with a bit of warm, wet gauze. If we are at the point of needing to use such things, then a little mess is the least of our worries.

Another good option is something called Nutri-Cal. There are similar preparations under other brand names, but this is a gooey paste formulation of extra calories plus vitamins and minerals. It can help with hypoglycemia, and it furnishes additional needed energy for cats and kittens who aren't feeding well. This, along with a "sugar" source such as the energy liquid, Karo, honey, etc. has saved many little ones from the throes of hypoglycemia. I highly recommend that every kitten or senior cat parent have this on hand in your supplies.

1573313857474.png


We once had a young adult kitty who was overwhelmed with fleas (pre-Advantage days) and she was suffering from severe flea anemia, losing weight fast, and having trouble eating. The only thing we could get her to eat was lunch meat turkey, so I made "roll ups" of turkey with Nutrical until she could get into the vet. It probably saved her life, and then as it happened, the vet had some manufacturer samples of this "brand new flea product" called... Advantage. He had literally just gotten these samples the day she came in. He had never used it on any of his patients before, and little Kirchen was so bad off that it was "any port in a storm". He applied the Advantage and the fleas literally rained off of her. So for a few days she stayed in the hospital, eating high calorie food with Nutrical supplement 3 times daily, plus a vitamin and iron liquid called Pet-Tinic to help with her anemia, and she rallied back. That Nutrical played a BIG part in saving her life.
 
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Bonbonche

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I’m so sorry. How is his breathing? Is he peeing or pooping?

This kind of crying sounds like he is in pain.
His breathing changes. Sometimes he closes his mouth and breaths rather normally sometimes he opens his mouth and takes deep breaths. I think he is pain too becaude he doesnt stop crying even during feedings. But i dont know what the cause is. Could the mom harm his lungs if she stepped on them? Not that i have ever seen her do it but at this point i am clueless. The second kitten nurses very eagerly but he doesnt gain much weight either. There is only 1 that is thriving well.
 
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The blue page shows their weight since birth. The one we lost is the one started with only 58 grams. The one is struggling now is on the 3rd column he reached 144 grams on the 7th than he went downhill The second photo shows last night and today. We didnt write down every feeding. But as you see we still lost 8 grams even with the regular feedings.
 

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Bonbonche

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I dont think its the mother, she eats well and spends a lot of time with the kittens. Also the one i noted as "ayi/sari" gains weight pretty well.(though this could be because he came out stronger from the birth. She didnt abandon any of them. The only option that comes to my mind is they didnt get developed enough in the womb and now suffering. I dont know why this happened but it devastates me.
 

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Sadly, there is a condition that is generally referred to as "fading kitten syndrome". There is not just one single cause for this sad problem, though. There can be a number of reasons... an internal defect, a metabolic condition, prematurity, infection, parasites... a whole host of things. Sometimes, we never find out the reason. Sometimes, it's a problem with prenatal development, sometimes it's an inability to get nutrients from feeding... anything. Are you able to get the mom and babies to a vet for a check-up and possibly some tiny kitten doses of antibiotics, and have the mom checked for intestinal parasites? Since they're all in close contact, if Mom has any parasites, the kittens could pick them up from her. To check for this, you may not even have to take them all in (though it's a good idea). You can take a sample of her poop to the vet for them to test, and if anything comes up, they can prescribe something safe for her to treat that, and perhaps something safe for the kittens, too. It's worth checking out, just to be on the safe side, anyway. But really, getting a vet's help would be the best thing now. You're working hard and doing the very best you can, but it sounds like you and that little family need some extra help.
 
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