Runny kitten tummies
Discussion
I've owned lots of cats over the years and currently have 9 of my own. My kids have grown up around animals so when my now married daughter got two kittens at 10 weeks old to go with her other two adult cats I thought that was great.
As ever the stress of a new home caused them to have runny tummies almost immediately but that is normal and they were being fed good quality food so in time these things normally right themselves. Only in this instance it didn't Took them to vets last Monday week as one appeared to be losing weight and still was very runny but the other appeared to be getting better. Vet gave Panacur in case it was a parasitic infestation to dose both but a side effect of this is it upsets their tummies but needed to rule out causes. She appeared to be getting better but then her brother got worse, then they both got worse. They had such runny tummies that it was just leaking out of them as they moved but in themselves appeared bright. Then they both really stopped being interested in food/water and were still runny and lethargic so I got an appointment and as expected the vet admitted them and they were dehydrated and small. For 14 week old kittens they looked 6-8 weeks old and weighed by this point 500 grams roughly each - he weighed a bit more than she did. Last Monday he weighed about 900 grams and she was 720 grams She was anemic also. They put them on a drip but failed for over 24 hours to get blood because their veins were so tiny and dehyrdated. They also tried to get fecal samples but they struggled with that also.
He was making slow steady progress and continues to do so but we still have no idea what is the cause. She was barely making any progress but by yesterday afternoon they said she was a bit better but still anemic. Then she took a really bad turn for the worse last night, vets said they could give her faster fluids but because of the anemia that wasn't necessarily a good idea and they were called in at 8 pm last night. Honey went over rainbow bridge shortly after to stop her suffering. He continues to make slow progress and will be at the vets at least another night, if not longer as they still have no idea what this is. Both were healthy kittens when they arrived with my daughter but went downhill. I am wondering if they caught something from the mother cat (no idea if she was vaccinated) and once they were no longer taking her milk/antibodies they succumbed to whatever this was, I have no idea and it won’t change the outcome for poor Honey.
So we wait by the phone to hear further news for Stanley, please keep your fingers crossed.
As ever the stress of a new home caused them to have runny tummies almost immediately but that is normal and they were being fed good quality food so in time these things normally right themselves. Only in this instance it didn't Took them to vets last Monday week as one appeared to be losing weight and still was very runny but the other appeared to be getting better. Vet gave Panacur in case it was a parasitic infestation to dose both but a side effect of this is it upsets their tummies but needed to rule out causes. She appeared to be getting better but then her brother got worse, then they both got worse. They had such runny tummies that it was just leaking out of them as they moved but in themselves appeared bright. Then they both really stopped being interested in food/water and were still runny and lethargic so I got an appointment and as expected the vet admitted them and they were dehydrated and small. For 14 week old kittens they looked 6-8 weeks old and weighed by this point 500 grams roughly each - he weighed a bit more than she did. Last Monday he weighed about 900 grams and she was 720 grams She was anemic also. They put them on a drip but failed for over 24 hours to get blood because their veins were so tiny and dehyrdated. They also tried to get fecal samples but they struggled with that also.
He was making slow steady progress and continues to do so but we still have no idea what is the cause. She was barely making any progress but by yesterday afternoon they said she was a bit better but still anemic. Then she took a really bad turn for the worse last night, vets said they could give her faster fluids but because of the anemia that wasn't necessarily a good idea and they were called in at 8 pm last night. Honey went over rainbow bridge shortly after to stop her suffering. He continues to make slow progress and will be at the vets at least another night, if not longer as they still have no idea what this is. Both were healthy kittens when they arrived with my daughter but went downhill. I am wondering if they caught something from the mother cat (no idea if she was vaccinated) and once they were no longer taking her milk/antibodies they succumbed to whatever this was, I have no idea and it won’t change the outcome for poor Honey.
So we wait by the phone to hear further news for Stanley, please keep your fingers crossed.
How awful, so sorry that this has happened as said there are lots of possibles, bloods can rulle out some obvious ones but have they sent off a faecal analysis? There are some nasty bugs that can be detected through a faecal check. One in particular but it's nme escapes me right now. I should know it because my son had it as a almost young toddler.
Keeping my fingers crossed for little kitty.
I am thinking of cryptosporidiosis I think and it can be severe in kittens under six months esp if their immunity isn't strong.
Keeping my fingers crossed for little kitty.
I am thinking of cryptosporidiosis I think and it can be severe in kittens under six months esp if their immunity isn't strong.
Edited by bexVN on Friday 1st November 13:32
We finally got a diagnosis last night of Campylobacter from the fecal sample. I tried to take in a sample from them both last Sunday but it was refused as not being enough, I was annoyed as the kittens were so ill, I should have pushed them to try from that and maybe they'd have been able to get that diagnosis and save Honey. Also because she was so anemic why did they not suggest a blood transfusion? I know it would have been expensive but you cannot put a price on a loved one. I can't change what happened but part of me is wanting to talk to the vets about how let done I feel about both things.. I know these are my daughters cats but at the time I had them with me as she is pregnant and couldn't have them dripping fecal matter with the potential risk to toxoplasmosis to the unborn baby.
Stanley had improved even before they got the diagnosis, they moved his IV line to a rear leg as it was getting old and needed moving but by Friday evening he was much better and then again yesterday he was that bit more improved. They have started him on Erythromyin (although I thought that was a drug for soft tissue infections??) and are hoping they will discharge him on Monday.
After Honey passed she was put in with Stanley and he cuddled up to her, they were so close and we are now wondering how he will cope without her
Stanley had improved even before they got the diagnosis, they moved his IV line to a rear leg as it was getting old and needed moving but by Friday evening he was much better and then again yesterday he was that bit more improved. They have started him on Erythromyin (although I thought that was a drug for soft tissue infections??) and are hoping they will discharge him on Monday.
After Honey passed she was put in with Stanley and he cuddled up to her, they were so close and we are now wondering how he will cope without her
Campylobacter is common more so in puppies tbh that along with giardia crossed my mind but too have them so very poorly with it is unusual.
How anaemic was she did they tell you the % blood transfusions are not always easy to do (need a cat donor) a vet hospital would have easier access etc, I don't know what the set up is of the practice your daughters kitties were in.
It does seem so sad that Honey couldn't survive this, I just wonder if it just knocked her immune system too much to cope with
He is young and will adapt. It gets harder as they get older. Do taalk to the vets for clarification, they would not have wanted to lose a kitten believe me.
How anaemic was she did they tell you the % blood transfusions are not always easy to do (need a cat donor) a vet hospital would have easier access etc, I don't know what the set up is of the practice your daughters kitties were in.
It does seem so sad that Honey couldn't survive this, I just wonder if it just knocked her immune system too much to cope with
He is young and will adapt. It gets harder as they get older. Do taalk to the vets for clarification, they would not have wanted to lose a kitten believe me.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 3rd November 12:21
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 3rd November 12:28
bexVN said:
How anaemic was she did they tell you the % blood transfusions are not always easy to do (need a cat donor) a vet hospital would have easier access etc, I don't know what the set up is of the practice your daughters kitties were in.
Her gums were almost white apparently, she was very anaemic I know it's not as simple as take blood from one cat to another but the practice I/we use is a Vet Hospital, they have an out of hours Vets Now branch sited there and my 9 cats go to that practice and most of my 6 adult ones have had various blood tests over the years so their blood type should have been known and easily accessible from the records - I'd happily offered one of mine up as a donor if it would have given her more of a chance. It just wasn't made clear until it was too late how bad she was - well not to me. Maybe my daughter missed it in conversations as she was so upset, I don't know, bexVN said:
He is young and will adapt. It gets harder as they get older. Do talk to the vets for clarification, they would not have wanted to lose a kitten believe me.
I probably will do in time although it's not my cat/kitten so they may not discuss it with me. On the bright side Stanley is definitely being discharged tomorrow morning and we have a £3k bill to settle - Time for her to get these cats insured!What makes all this harder is last year when my daughter was pregnant with her first child she lost her cat Rolo at just 6 years old. Now she's pregnant again it seems history has sort of repeated itself in such a cruel way.
I posted about Rolo last year here - I can't seem to get it to do a clicky
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