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Underweight 3 week old kittens
- Thread starter HeyKat
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #42
The smallest sadly didn't make it, but the others are doing okay, I think. Still having some issues with diarrhoea and vomiting, and I'm pretty sure the vet is sick of my face, but the kittens are slowly growing!
K2: 299g
K3: 236g
K4: 315g
K5: 400g
They're starting to act like proper little kittens, playing, climbing all over me and just generally being ridiculously cute.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #44
Aaaaaah the problems never end.
My biggest kitten has taken a turn for the worse. She's always been the best eater, gaining between 10-30g per day, even though she's had diarrhoea for more than a week.
Until Tuesday, when she suddenly stopped gaining weight. The others had started getting diarrhoea too, so I took them to the vet Wednesday, and they were given a dewormer and antibiotics. All of them are also on prebiotics.
The other kittens have been thriving since then, but my biggest has been dropping weight. Her diarrhoea cleared up a bit, but she started vomiting about once or twice a day (it took me a while to realise, because I thought it was one of the others). Just before eating now she vomited, so I gave her kmr with a rehydration solution instead of her usual kmr/wet food slurry. Within 5 minutes she had diarrhoea.
Her appetite is still good (she immediately started crying for food again after the diarrhoea), and she's more active than she was before the dewormer&antibiotics, but her weight loss is seriously worrying me. The vet is closed til Monday. What do I do??
My biggest kitten has taken a turn for the worse. She's always been the best eater, gaining between 10-30g per day, even though she's had diarrhoea for more than a week.
Until Tuesday, when she suddenly stopped gaining weight. The others had started getting diarrhoea too, so I took them to the vet Wednesday, and they were given a dewormer and antibiotics. All of them are also on prebiotics.
The other kittens have been thriving since then, but my biggest has been dropping weight. Her diarrhoea cleared up a bit, but she started vomiting about once or twice a day (it took me a while to realise, because I thought it was one of the others). Just before eating now she vomited, so I gave her kmr with a rehydration solution instead of her usual kmr/wet food slurry. Within 5 minutes she had diarrhoea.
Her appetite is still good (she immediately started crying for food again after the diarrhoea), and she's more active than she was before the dewormer&antibiotics, but her weight loss is seriously worrying me. The vet is closed til Monday. What do I do??
She may need to get the dewormer and antibiotic out of her system to feel better. It could be that one or both disagreed with her system.
Continue giving the electrolyte solution, as the vomiting and diarrhea are depleting her system and causing the weight loss. Let’s hope she turns the corner for the better over the weekend. If she gets worse, you may need an emergency vet for sub-q fluids and an anti-nausea med.
Continue giving the electrolyte solution, as the vomiting and diarrhea are depleting her system and causing the weight loss. Let’s hope she turns the corner for the better over the weekend. If she gets worse, you may need an emergency vet for sub-q fluids and an anti-nausea med.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #46
Thanks, my suspicion too was the dewormer or the antibiotics. I still need to give the antibiotic for 3 more days, though. Not sure if I should stop, or continue in case it's the dewormer that's the problem.
I already have anti-nausea meds for one of the other kittens, so I may try that if she's not doing any better tomorrow.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #47
I'm curious, is it normal for young kittens to have no fur on their undersides? My 4 kinda look like naked mole rats when they roll onto their backs. Could it be a result of the malnutrition for the first few weeks of their lives? Will the fur eventually grow in? They're around 6 weeks old, but only ~350g each, so they still have a lot of catching up to do.
They are all black, so I know that makes the bald patches more obvious, but (I would never say this to their faces) it's really not cute
They are all black, so I know that makes the bald patches more obvious, but (I would never say this to their faces) it's really not cute
They are the size of 3-week-olds, so their fur should grow in as they mature.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #49
Help one of my kittens was vomiting small amounts of undigested food repeatedly for a couple of hours. She's now gone completely limp, with intermittent loud breaths (like 5 normal breaths and then one deep, loud one). She hasn't had any issues before.
What do I do? It's almost midnight here and I can't get her to the vet for another 9 hours.
What do I do? It's almost midnight here and I can't get her to the vet for another 9 hours.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #51
She just died. I'm devastated. 12 hours ago, she was the liveliest of the kittens, soaking up affection, purring and playing up a storm. She'd been eating and gaining weight so so well.
She died in horrible pain. I have no idea why, and I couldn't do anything to help her. It terrifies me that the remaining 3 could die just as easily, out of nowhere, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
She died in horrible pain. I have no idea why, and I couldn't do anything to help her. It terrifies me that the remaining 3 could die just as easily, out of nowhere, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #52
I have 3 kittens left. One lost 56g in a day. She keeps meowing at me as if she wants food, but then won't eat it. She has liquid diarrhoea.
Another kitten lost 25g. Also has diarrhoea, very little appetite.
I'm giving them meds for the diarrhoea, and a rehydration solution, but I'm feeling pretty hopeless about their chances today. The vet says there's nothing else she can do for them.
Another kitten lost 25g. Also has diarrhoea, very little appetite.
I'm giving them meds for the diarrhoea, and a rehydration solution, but I'm feeling pretty hopeless about their chances today. The vet says there's nothing else she can do for them.
I’m so very sorry. It could be many things. Humane euthanasia may be best at this point.
They've been tested for coccidia and giardia, right?
See if there's a calorie goo you can give through a dropper. I've used Miracle Vet with success but I don't know which brands are available where you are. Sometimes they just need to survive past the crisis and are ok after that. A probiotic/enzyme may help too.
See if there's a calorie goo you can give through a dropper. I've used Miracle Vet with success but I don't know which brands are available where you are. Sometimes they just need to survive past the crisis and are ok after that. A probiotic/enzyme may help too.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #56
Tested negative for giardia, but they just finished a round of metronidazole on Monday. They actually weren't tested for coccidia; I had that done today, so thank you! Unfortunately negative too.
They were given amoxicillin today as a last resort. The two girls had bad reactions to the first dose this morning, but it could also have been a stress reaction to the environment. I've been instructed by the vet to switch back to metronidazole if they react poorly to tonight's dose of amoxicillin.
Either way, if things aren't looking up by Monday, it may be time to accept defeat.
They are almost 6 weeks old. I’m really hoping they’ll get better!
Can your vet get clavamox? I've heard it's easier on small kittens. Azithromycin is worth a try too and is broader-spectrum.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #59
They're 7 weeks now
Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid is the generic name for clavamox. It's what the vet gave me yesterday.
Unfortunately it's the tablet form and I could not for the life of me get it into those teensy weensy little mouths! I'm scared to use tweezers because they're metal and the edges aren't exactly soft; I don't want to risk an injury to their palates.
Is clavamox safe to crush? I know not all pills should be, but I think the only way to get it in them is if I mix it with a tiny bit of food and syringe it.
This says that if it's a time-release tablet then no, don't crush it, but if it's the chewable kind you can:
Can Amox-Clav tablets be crushed?
Can Amox-Clav tablets be crushed?
