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Hello, another update here. It’s been a long week.
Mama had been taking antibiotics, the fever was down, she was nursing fine, then on Friday we noticed that she kept licking the same spot on her side. We turned her over and apparently the mammary gland or the point of infection where the milk had backed up actually burst and there was a large hole in her side, so back to the vet she went.
We decided to have her stay over at the vet for the weekend to figure out an action plan. We knew that once she was back at home, we were told that she would not be able to nurse because the if the kittens kept licking on that area, it wouldn’t heal. We’d also have to do pain meds, iodine wipes, and cabbage compresses, in addition to the antibiotics.
We felt quite overwhelmed by all this, so a friend offered to take the kittens for a week and nurse them separately so as to lessen the complication factor. We took them over on Friday, and they’re doing well, gaining wait, eating plenty, being playful with each other and our friends.
Mama Ginger is back home, she’s healed already a great deal, but we do have to monitor to make sure she’s not licking, and put a cone on at night. However, she’s quite insistent searching every nook and cranny of the house in search of her babies and crying, but of course they’re not here. I feel so bad for her, even though I know it will pass. Does anyone know what we could do to help her calm down, and how long she may be in this state?
When the kittens return, they’ll be four weeks old, so we plan to continue bottle feeding and start to ween. Ginger’s milk will have dried up by then, but will we need to look out for any possible aggression from her towards the babies?
As I said, I feel awful, and I keep wondering if we did the right thing, and we never would have separated them except for the very serious mastitis. Thanks in advance for any support/advice.
Mama had been taking antibiotics, the fever was down, she was nursing fine, then on Friday we noticed that she kept licking the same spot on her side. We turned her over and apparently the mammary gland or the point of infection where the milk had backed up actually burst and there was a large hole in her side, so back to the vet she went.
We decided to have her stay over at the vet for the weekend to figure out an action plan. We knew that once she was back at home, we were told that she would not be able to nurse because the if the kittens kept licking on that area, it wouldn’t heal. We’d also have to do pain meds, iodine wipes, and cabbage compresses, in addition to the antibiotics.
We felt quite overwhelmed by all this, so a friend offered to take the kittens for a week and nurse them separately so as to lessen the complication factor. We took them over on Friday, and they’re doing well, gaining wait, eating plenty, being playful with each other and our friends.
Mama Ginger is back home, she’s healed already a great deal, but we do have to monitor to make sure she’s not licking, and put a cone on at night. However, she’s quite insistent searching every nook and cranny of the house in search of her babies and crying, but of course they’re not here. I feel so bad for her, even though I know it will pass. Does anyone know what we could do to help her calm down, and how long she may be in this state?
When the kittens return, they’ll be four weeks old, so we plan to continue bottle feeding and start to ween. Ginger’s milk will have dried up by then, but will we need to look out for any possible aggression from her towards the babies?
As I said, I feel awful, and I keep wondering if we did the right thing, and we never would have separated them except for the very serious mastitis. Thanks in advance for any support/advice.