Help with Kitten

[vidzx]

hi everyone, i recently rescued a new kitten from a friend who couldn’t care for him. when i first got him, he was extremely small for his age (weighing about 8.5 ounces at almost 5 weeks). they told me he was being bottle fed but when i would try to feed him he’d bite straight through the nipple of the bottle and went through a pack of 8 in less than two days. i finally figured out that he preferred to be fed out of a shallow plate and that worked wonders! he started eating more and gaining more weight (he’s at 11.5 ounces now after a week).
anyway, i soon realized that he had diarrhea. he would accidentally poop while laying on me or even on the bed because of it. so i took him to the vet after a couple of days. they gave him some dewormer and antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection.
that was yesterday. today, i realized that he started pooping out tapeworms. like, really long ones and small pieces too. should i be concerned? both for him and myself? he still has trouble reaching his litter box and im wondering if it’s normal? we just went to the vet yesterday so im assuming they’re side effects of the medicine but i can’t help but feel anxious. they gave me medication for him and a dewormer and he’s supposed to take them for about a week. should i call the vet to tell them about the worms? they already took a stool sample and had it sent for testing but i don’t know when they’ll update me about it. sorry if this is all over the place ):

 

[LTS3]

It will take more than one dose of dewormer to get rid of the tapeworms and any other worm the kitten may have. Adult worms are killed off first but juveniles and eggs aren't affected so that's why it takes more than one dose. Follow the directions on the dewormer medicine you were given exactly. And yes, call the vet and inform him / her about the worms and anything you else need to do.

Add a step of some sort to help the kitten into the litter box. I used an old phone book for a long ago kitten. Phone books are now but an upside down shoe box or other small sturdy box or a stack of magazines or newspapers will work.

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like he needs to take the meds he’s been prescribed. If he’s pooping out worms and you continue the meds, he should get better and better each day.

It sounds like the poor guy was just full of worms and they need to die and be expelled from the meds. The worms were likely keeping him from gaining weight, and it sounds like you caught the problem just in time. Worms can kill a kitten.

The diarrhea is caused by the meds and the worms. Once he is healthy he should be able to get to the litter box in time. It’s just too much for his little system right now. He is so young to have such a bad worm infestation!

Is he continuing to eat well? I hope so. This will end when all the worms are gone, and he should begin putting on weight normally. At 6 weeks, he should weigh a pound and a half; 2 pounds at 8 weeks. Due to his issues, he may need time to catch up.

Do call the vet if you have concerns. I would not get him vaccinated though until he is free of worms and at the appropriate weight for his age.

Be advised that antibiotics can also cause diarrhea, so your little guy may have problems until he has completed his course of meds.

Also, if he’s only been wormed once, he needs worming again in 7-10 days to cover the life cycle of the worms.

Just be patient with this baby; he should be back to good health within a week or two. You have saved his life! Thank you!

We are here for you! Do keep us posted!

V vidzx

 

[vidzx]

thank you so much for the help! i’ve been so worried ever since i got him and i assumed that he was just having diarrhea because he was being fed a different milk replacement, i never thought he would have worms! so im really thankful at least that i took him just in time.
he’s been eating every 3 1/2 hours still, luckily.
im gonna continue giving him his prescribed medicine! it seems like they have him panacur suspension and when i googled it it says it’s a dewormer. he’s gonna be taking it for the next five days! hopefully i will be able to update with good news! one seems to be doing well right now regardless of his issues, he’s very playful when he’s awake and he loves to cuddle anyone and anything. im so glad i saved him. thank you so much once again!

 

[vince]

Since he's so small, you might just get a shallow plastic storage container and use that for a litter box until he can graduate to a "big boy" litter box. I used one that was about 2 1/2" x 9" x 12" when I took in my Meep at about four weeks of age. She used it for a month or so.

Parts of worms in the stool is an indication that the dewormer is working. Once the worms are taken care of, he'll be able to get all the nourishment in the food he's eating. Then watch him grow!

 

[stephanietx]

For my littles, I used aluminum disposable cake pans, the 9"x12" kind. They were cheap and worked great. I could put them all over the house to prevent accidents.

 

[vidzx]

so sorry to have to make another post but im shaking a bit.

my extremely small kitten (whom i just took in a week ago) has had diarrhea since i got him. when i realized it wasn’t going away i took him to the vet (which was yesterday) and they put him on medication for an upper respiratory infection. they also gave him a dewormer.

today, when he finished pooping, i went to wipe his butt (he’s really small and if i don’t clean it up for him he gets it everywhere) and i saw what appeared to be a mucus glob coming out of his butt so i gently pulled it and i realized it was a huge tapeworm. i think. they gave me panacura that he has to take for five days. does anyone know if that’s a side effect? a tapeworm just coming out? im so worried )): they took a stool sample already btw.

 

[Norachan]

That's a good sign. Worms don't come out whole unless they are dead. It means the worming medicine is working.

Be really careful about washing your hands after handling the kitten as they can pass tapeworms to humans. It's pretty uncommon, but just to be safe.

 

[vidzx]

is it normal for so many long ones to be coming out though? ):

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, it is normal. It means he was infested but it also means the Panacur is working. Hang in there!

 

[vidzx]

i’ll try /: thanks again!

 

[vidzx]

hi guys he’s doing so much better! he weighs almost 14 oz now and his diarrhea is basically no more! i attached a picture of him ((: thanks for all ur help! he still has a ways to go but he’s doing better every day <3

 

[Sassypants_Mom]

hi everyone, i recently rescued a new kitten from a friend who couldn’t care for him. when i first got him, he was extremely small for his age (weighing about 8.5 ounces at almost 5 weeks). they told me he was being bottle fed but when i would try to feed him he’d bite straight through the nipple of the bottle and went through a pack of 8 in less than two days. i finally figured out that he preferred to be fed out of a shallow plate and that worked wonders! he started eating more and gaining more weight (he’s at 11.5 ounces now after a week).
anyway, i soon realized that he had diarrhea. he would accidentally poop while laying on me or even on the bed because of it. so i took him to the vet after a couple of days. they gave him some dewormer and antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection.
that was yesterday. today, i realized that he started pooping out tapeworms. like, really long ones and small pieces too. should i be concerned? both for him and myself? he still has trouble reaching his litter box and im wondering if it’s normal? we just went to the vet yesterday so im assuming they’re side effects of the medicine but i can’t help but feel anxious. they gave me medication for him and a dewormer and he’s supposed to take them for about a week. should i call the vet to tell them about the worms? they already took a stool sample and had it sent for testing but i don’t know when they’ll update me about it. sorry if this is all over the place ):

I am glad the vet did a stool sample! The diahrrea can be a sign of coccidia. Another parasite that some kittens will die from. Keep the kitten hydrated! The longer worms could be round worms. Most all kittens that aren't purebred or planned end up having parasites and require medication at two,four,six,and eight weeks. Is the litter box to tall for the kitten?

 

[Sarthur2]

Sounds like the meds are working! Kudos to you both. Keep up the nice job and keep us posted!

 

[Sassypants_Mom]

so sorry to have to make another post but im shaking a bit.

my extremely small kitten (whom i just took in a week ago) has had diarrhea since i got him. when i realized it wasn’t going away i took him to the vet (which was yesterday) and they put him on medication for an upper respiratory infection. they also gave him a dewormer.

today, when he finished pooping, i went to wipe his butt (he’s really small and if i don’t clean it up for him he gets it everywhere) and i saw what appeared to be a mucus glob coming out of his butt so i gently pulled it and i realized it was a huge tapeworm. i think. they gave me panacura that he has to take for five days. does anyone know if that’s a side effect? a tapeworm just coming out? im so worried )): they took a stool sample already btw.

It could be a coccidia cyst or a worm. Yes,worms(especially tape) will just come out of the kittens butt. If you could get pictures of it I could help more.

 

[Sarthur2]

No need for pictures. The worms are already being discharged due to the Panacur treatment that the kitten is already receiving. You might want to read the whole thread. The kitten is already on his way to better health, thank you though!