newly adopted feral kitten advice

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leifybridge

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hello everyone.
so sorry for the delay in the update since her last vet visit.

honestly, it felt very rushed. i brought a fecal sample, was prepared to be told she would need another dose, only for them to come out with a different medicine and tell us she had round worms, it was charged to the account, and promptly walk inside.

due to covid, we can’t go inside we must wait outside the building. i was confused, because wouldn’t they have saw those the first time? they also gave her dewormer the first time as well, did it not work? what about the coccidia? ~ all these questions i had, and i recieved no answers.

so, we went home, i started her on the meds for the round worms. the diarrhea immediately returns. i figured it was to get the worms out and it wouldn’t last. i was clearly wrong. the meds were only for 3 days, it’s been almost a week and she is still going at it with the diarrhea. at this point there’s nothing in it, no worms, nothing just poop. i think she still has coccidia and i am confused why the first vet disregarded it this past visit.

this has caused her to have three accidents as she wasn’t able to get to the box in time, though she tried. i don’t blame her, she couldn’t help it, poor baby. luckily we took precautions and had already covered the area surrounding her litter box with puppy pads for that exact reason.

so, poppy is going to a different vet for a second opinion this week. this vet will be letting me come inside with her, which i appreciate.

besides the potty issues once again, she’s playing and eating great. no lethargy or odd behaviors other than the potty. she also gained a whole pound. i am frustrated with the first vet and worried about my sweet poppy. i’m giving her all the loving and play time she wants.
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jefferd18

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LOL! She looks a little startled at having her photo taken. What a cutie- torties are just special. No, diarrhea is never good as it can quickly dehydrate the body- I am glad you are firing the first vet.
 

molly92

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so, poppy is going to a different vet for a second opinion this week. this vet will be letting me come inside with her, which i appreciate.
Excellent. I think even being on the phone with the vet during the visit from your car would be a good compromise.

Now, I always support shopping around for different vets if you feel like you aren't being listened to. But, it's not uncommon for a vet to be inexperienced with kitten parasites. Shelters and rescues actually do the majority of treatment for these themselves because it's cheaper for them to get medications in bulk. Because of this, an experienced shelter worker can often diagnose and treat your garden variety parasites just looking at the diarrhea because they've seen it so much, whereas vets don't typically have that experience.

The standard test for parasites that vets use in-house is literally looking for parasites under a microscope. As you can imagine, it's possible for a tech not to see a specific parasite in a sample and yet the cat does indeed have it. Positive test results are pretty trustworthy, but negative ones are not. There are more specific tests that can be performed, but it's often easier to just treat for the likely suspects.

It's possible the roundworms were in a different stage of the life cycle that was harder to see, and that's why they were missed the first time around? Who knows. Same with the coccidia-it might still be there even if they didn't find it. Ask the next vet about Ponazuril, whether they find the coccidia or not! I think she still has it since it was found once before. But, she could have more than one. Typically when one parasitic infection is cured, it makes room for any that were waiting in the wings to really take over, and then you have to treat that one. So it's possible the roundworm treatment allowed the coccidia or another parasite to get worse. I would still treat with the Ponazuril, and then after that, if there is still diarrhea, I would suggest a treatment of Panacur that should cover most everything else. And then a probiotic to restore her intestinal flora after all those medications!

You could get a more definitive diagnosis with a PCR panel. That's a very sensitive test the vet can send out to a lab for. I would go ahead and start treatment with Ponazuril ASAP though without waiting for the results.

Love the pic! A whole pound, wow! What a good eater!
 

Talien

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If she has constant diarrhea something your vet should have mentioned is to make sure she isn't dehydrated. That is easy to do by pinching a bit of her skin and lifting it up. If it drops back down right away she's fine, but if it stays up or goes down slowly you need to get more water into her. Since she's still a Kitten you may be able to use a dropper or syringe in her mouth, otherwise she'll need IV fluids which will probably have to be done by a vet since doing it yourself could easily harm her.
 

Jcatbird

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Parasites are so common in kitties. Especially ferals. With the kittens I have treated for parasites of all kinds, it always takes more than one treatment to be sure you are rid of them. Did the current vet tell you that the kitten will need more worm treatment? My last feral kitten had Coccidia and roundworms. The diarrhea improved but she still tested positive after treatment so, a second treatment. It is possible that some parasites do not show up in certain tests but diarrhea is a good indicator. Getting her back to a vet is the best thing to do. As mentioned in previous posts, keep her well hydrated. If she isn’t drinking enough, add water to her food or give her a food containing lots of fluids. I absolutely love that kitty! That is a precious photo! Thank you for sharing that. She made me smile!
 
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leifybridge

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hi everyone! it’s been a while, i apologize! here’s an update on poppy;

she’s parasite free now!! the second vet did find coccidia and she was promptly treated for it and now she’s all better! turns out she also had a sensitive tummy so we also had to change her food to better accommodate her and that made a huge difference in her poop!

it’s normal color and actually has a shape now! so happy to see her all better.

she got her last round of shots, was tested for feline leukemia as well and tested negative thank goodness!

so now our little baby is parasite free, has all her vaccinations, has a diet that helps her sensitive tummy, and is now healthy as can be. no more diarrhea!!! we LOVE her new vet so much and are so thankful to them for helping poppy.

she’s grown so much and is so playful. she has the silliest personality i’ve ever seen out of all the cats i’ve ever had! she’s completely bonded with us, follows us everywhere! and man, she’s one talkative girl! she’s always meowing at us or at her toys!

she has one favorite toy that’s a little plush beaver that has some catnip inside, she carries it everywhere and treats it like her little baby.

she also enjoys laying by the windowsill, like any cat would haha.

i would like to get her used to a collar so she can have one on her incase she ever somehow got out the door. i would like everyone’s opinion on if she should wear one with or without a bell? i read conflicting things about bells on collars.

here’s a picture of her most recently!
 

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