Acute Diarrhea In Kitten

coriejo24

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So, the new kitten has diarrhea last night and this morning. It looked like it had some red streaks in it this morning. I called my vet because they’re open in the weekends, and the vet tech said it to try fortiflora because his fecal that was done a week ago was negative. I did that and he ate some of it. They would have gotten him in this weekend but she was just there for the dogs being boarded as it is a holiday weekend no vets were working. That was long, sorry. Anyway, I put him in his little carrier in the bathroom with me as I took my shower, when I got out he had diarrhea everywhere. So now we are at the emergency vet. I’m probably over reacting, I just want to make sure he’s good and also that he doesn’t have something that can be passed on to my two small dogs.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Let us know how he is! This could be any number of things, and cocidia and girardia have been known to give false negatives before. ALWAYS better safe that sorry, and I'm glad you took him in!
 
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coriejo24

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The fecal float was negative. The vet said he wasn’t dehydrated, he appeared to be very healthy. His temp was 102.4 but that’s normal in a kitten, apparently. She put him on metronidazole twice a day. They gave him his first dose there. As soon as I got home he threw up in the carrier. I’m hoping that’s just a side effect of the medication. I’ve been reading about metronidazole on the forums and other people’s experiences. It has me a little worried. I’m going to watch him the weekend and if he’s not better, I’ll get him in with his normal vet on Monday. Maybe, Tuesday as it’s a holiday. He’s currently snuggled on my lap under a blanket. I washed the pet blankets and just took them out of the dryer so I have a dog on each side of me and a kitten on my chest. :blush:
 
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coriejo24

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I’ve tried to get him to eat his food, canned kitten food, with Purina FortiFlora sprinkled on top but he turns his nose up to it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the probiotic in his system?
 

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I am a bit concerned about all of this. Did they weigh him at the Emergency vets - your previous post said he was only 9 ounces then? How old is he?

Why would they put him on Metro if they didn't confirm an infection? His tummy may be upset by the Metro. I guess I would have thought they could have given him something else to help with diarrhea. Not to mention Metro tastes awful and it might be attributing to him not wanting to eat.

Do you have some kitten Pedialyte you could syringe feed him, and possibly add the probiotic to it?
 
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coriejo24

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I was a little concerned as well with him being given this drug. He weighed in today at 1.5 pounds. He’s gotten a lot bigger since he saw my vet on May 17. He has/had a very healthy appetite. And his stools had been completely normal until last night. The medication does make me nervous and I’m wondering if I should continue it or just wait and get him in with my vet Monday or Tuesday. Sorry if this is a silly question, but what is kitten pedialyte? Is it the normal, unflavored one?
 
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coriejo24

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And the vets seem to think he’s 6 weeks old.
 

Mamanyt1953

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There actually isn't a "cat" pedialyte. It's the same for cats and humans, so just look in the Babies section of the store. Of course, you want the plain, unflavored. I'd suggest, since he isn't eating right now, mixing the pedialyte with a pate-style kitten food and syringe-feeding. You can use a medicine dropper for this, if you don't have a syringe. Mix a thin slurry with that and the fortiflora, draw it up, and place the tip between (what is his name? I cannot call him "whatshisface) his cheek and gum, and SLOWLY, a bit at a time, inject the mix into his mouth, letting him swallow each time.
 

Mamanyt1953

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That works. He'll name himself eventually, and you can update us then.

HEY OLLIE!
 

FeebysOwner

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And, if Ollie continues to refuse food, you can try some of these recipes to help entice him to eat.

Kitten-Rescue.com

The good thing is that 1.5 pounds at 6 weeks isn't all the bad!

I wish I knew what to tell you about the Metro. The vet only tested for parasites with the fecal float test, they would have had to do a full fecal test to look for bacteria and maybe because it is an ER vet that is why they didn't. The dosage of Metro would have to be very tiny for a cat that size. How much are they telling you to give him and how often?

Maybe call the ER vet and tell them the Metro made Ollie sick?
 
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coriejo24

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It says .25ml every 12 hours. He just woke up from a nap and ate a spoonful of canned kitten food with a dusting of probiotic.
 
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