extremely bloated kitten, vet doesn't seem concerned

[princess7807]

My 4-week old foster kitten is very bloated. When I picked him up from the shelter, they told me he had been bloated for about a week and was being given simethicone 2x/day. He was supposed to take the simethicone until august 20th, but the prescription bottle they gave me only had enough for one dose in it so I ran out the same day I got him (august 16th)! I called the shelter because the bloating seems to be getting worse, so they had me bring him in. The vet examined him but didn't seem concerned. They said he doesn't need the simethicone anymore and gave me a few packets of probiotics to give him instead.

I'm still worried though... his poor belly is so big and hard. He eats well, is acting fine, and weighs just over 400 grams. I think he might be slightly constipated. He pooped a few times yesterday, but it always seemed like he wasn't done and just couldn't get the rest out. No poop yet today. Should I be concerned about the bloating? I don't know if the vet did a fecal test because I forgot to ask, and I've been trying to call them and no one will answer my questions! What should I do?

 

[Sarthur2]

That is definitely a large belly for a 4-week-old kitten. Are you able to see a different vet? Has the kitten been de-wormed?

 

[princess7807]

That is definitely a large belly for a 4-week-old kitten. Are you able to see a different vet? Has the kitten been de-wormed?

I'm not sure if I can afford it at the moment. The animal shelter is supposed to cover all medical costs for fosters and they don't want me to take the kittens to vets that aren't from the shelter. I've been on the phone all morning trying to figure out if he has been de-wormed or if they did a fecal test, but can't seem to get a straight answer.

 

[HeyKat]

A wrinkly tummy can indicate dehydration. Is his urine dark or bright yellow? If you pinch the skin at the back of his neck, does it stay raised, or bounce back immediately?

Dehydration could cause constipation. It's possible that whoever was looking after him before you wasn't stimulating him properly. Pooing a few times in one day sounds like a lot, so maybe he's just very backed up.

 

[StefanZ]

On bloated belly it may sometimes helps some drops of simethicone. The same as used for kolic babies.

 

[Sarthur2]

Any news?

 

[princess7807]

A wrinkly tummy can indicate dehydration. Is his urine dark or bright yellow? If you pinch the skin at the back of his neck, does it stay raised, or bounce back immediately?

Dehydration could cause constipation. It's possible that whoever was looking after him before you wasn't stimulating him properly. Pooing a few times in one day sounds like a lot, so maybe he's just very backed up.

His urine is bright yellow. When I pinch the skin on his neck is takes a second to go back to normal, so it seems that he's a bit dehydrated. I'm in the process of weaning him, but so far he just seems confused and won't eat the wet food or drink water. I've started giving him water with a syringe, so hopefully that will help.

Yes, he's very backed up. He pooped a little bit today and I felt so bad for him, it seemed painful! Aside from making sure he's hydrated, is there anything I can do to relieve the constipation?

 

[princess7807]

On bloated belly it may sometimes helps some drops of simethicone. The same as used for kolic babies.

Is the Little Remedies brand safe to give him?

 

[princess7807]

Any news?

He's still pretty bloated and constipated, unfortunately. He pooped this morning but it was hard as a rock and seemed very painful for him. I feel so bad I'm syringe feeding water to help hydrate him, as well as offering wet food, but he hasn't quite figured out how to eat it yet.

The good news is that I finally heard back from the animal shelter. They said he was de-wormed with Marquis and Panacur so hopefully he doesn't have worms. The vet seems more concerned now and wants to see him again, so I'm taking him in tomorrow morning.

 

[StefanZ]

Is the Little Remedies brand safe to give him?

Yes, should be. I dont know if it contains any additions save of the flavor; but its simethicone supposed to give to newborns with colic-gases; so its exactly what Im talking about.... Im not qaranteeing it will help, but it MAY be the trick; and shouldnt hurt.

 

[StefanZ]

Constipation can cause by itself quite a severe symptoms. I suppose the vet will do something,, perhaps an enema...

Otherwise, aside of making sure he has enough of fluids, the two common remedies is; add some olive oil with his food; or take a sliver out of a glycerine cone... And put it in his behind. It soon enough loosens up the hard constipation. The glycerine cone is the same used for humans; but you must of course make a thin sliver.

And yeah, you can still add a couple of drops of simethicone. If there arent no peculiar additives, this should be totally harmless but potentially useful.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree with StefanZ . Add 2-3 drops of olive oil to each feeding. This softens stool and gets it moving.

His other suggestion is good too - use infant glycerin suppositories and shave off a kitten-sized piece with a point on one end. Insert in the bottom and there will usually be a bowel movement in 10-20 minutes with stimulation - 30 minutes at most.

I also agree the vet may perform an enema. Kittens who eat well will have little round tummies until they begin to grow and elongate a bit, and it’s part of what makes them so cute looking, but this kitten does appear to have a swollen belly. I hope constipation is the main issue, as he seems to be thriving otherwise.

My other thought would be wet FIP, but he seems young for it to show up. Wet FIP causes tummy bloating as fluid accumulates, but the kitten usually begins to act sickly.

Hoping if you start the olive oil and try the suppository things will get better. It’s not uncommon for kittens to get constipated on formula.

Also, bright yellow urine does indicate dehydration. Try using unflavored Pedialyte in place of the water to mix the formula. This will help with hydration. At 4 weeks he is about 2 weeks too young to wean to wet food.

He’s absolutely adorable!

Do let us know what the vet says!

princess7807

 

[princess7807]

I agree with StefanZ . Add 2-3 drops of olive oil to each feeding. This softens stool and gets it moving.

His other suggestion is good too - use infant glycerin suppositories and shave off a kitten-sized piece with a point on one end. Insert in the bottom and there will usually be a bowel movement in 10-20 minutes with stimulation - 30 minutes at most.

I also agree the vet may perform an enema. Kittens who eat well will have little round tummies until they begin to grow and elongate a bit, and it’s part of what makes them so cute looking, but this kitten does appear to have a swollen belly. I hope constipation is the main issue, as he seems to be thriving otherwise.

My other thought would be wet FIP, but he seems young for it to show up. Wet FIP causes tummy bloating as fluid accumulates, but the kitten usually begins to act sickly.

Hoping if you start the olive oil and try the suppository things will get better. It’s not uncommon for kittens to get constipated on formula.

Also, bright yellow urine does indicate dehydration. Try using unflavored Pedialyte in place of the water to mix the formula. This will help with hydration. At 4 weeks he is about 2 weeks too young to wean to wet food.

He’s absolutely adorable!

Do let us know what the vet says!

princess7807

The vet gave him an enema, so he's feeling a lot better and the bloating has gone down a lot! The vet said the constipation was most likely because the kitten was still drinking formula (I was having a lot of trouble getting him to eat wet food, he just wasn't interested). He finally started eating the wet food though and is doing pretty well now He's on track to go back to the shelter and be put up for adoption in a few weeks... but let's be honest, I'm probably going to adopt him lol.

 

[Furballsmom]

but let's be honest, I'm probably going to adopt him lol.

This is fantastic news all the way around

 

[princess7807]

Sorry, more questions about my foster kitten! He's now 6 weeks old and still very small. He's a bit behind developmentally; he won't use the litter box (poops and pees on the floor instead), doesn't know how to groom himself, and is not very active. He just sleeps a lot and never runs around or plays. It seems like maybe he's starting to become interested in toys, but overall he's so far behind my other foster kitten who's the same age (they are not brothers).

I'm not sure if it's relevant, but this kitten was brought into the shelter with his mother and the mom started ignoring him so they were separated. Could this mean he's a runt? He weight now is fine, on the low side of normal, and he actually eats quite a bit. He's just so small and only wants to sleep. It's a stark contrast to my other kitten who's constantly running, jumping, playing, etc.

The vet says he's okay but I'm just wondering what you guys think. Is this behavior normal for a 6 week old kitten?

 

[Sarthur2]

Is this the kitten whose tummy was bloated?

 

[princess7807]

Is this the kitten whose tummy was bloated?

Yes

 

[Sarthur2]

He may just need time. Also, he may be shy. Every kitten has its own personality, and black cats in general tend to be gentle and reserved. My black cat is 7 now, and I recall he was very sweet and shy as a kitten as compared to his litter mates. He still is, really.

 

[StefanZ]

That said, if you get hold on some good vitamine paste suitable for cats, it wont hurt to give him some... He perhaps needs something extra, something which may make a difference...