- e-Vet ALERT: Ticks and Disease
- e-Vet ALERT: Possible Spring Pet Injuries
- We have lost two special animals this past month
- e-Vet ALERT: Valentine dangers to your pet – roses, lilies, raisins, chocolate and more.
- $5 provides a box of Valentine’s cookies for a dog, or a box of heart-shaped treats for a cat
Newborn Kitten Failure to Thrive
I have a newborn kittens approx. 12 days old who has had a rough start-she was banged around a bit by an inexperienced and young mother who had the kittens (6) and walked away from them. I quickly scooped them up and gave them to another nursing mom who took them in (bless her heart) and the other 5 are growing nice and doing great but Tiny just never seemed to be able to gain ground. I think she was being pushed out by the other cats and not getting milk so I started supplementing her with KMR. I thought she might have aspirated some food because her breathing is terrible so I took her to the vet at 7 days – they just gave me Clavamox and sent me home. She was 3 oz. at that time and now, 5 days later, is still only 3.5 oz. She looks like a newborn kitten. I have tried everything-she’s not doing good. If she survives, is she going to be developmentally ok or would it be kinder to put her down now. I don’t want to give up on the little thing but I don’t want her to suffer either. Any suggestions?
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Do not give up on her. While it is a fact that sometimes a kitten characterized as a runt may have developmental issues; some of these can lead full lives if nursed through a difficult start. As long as the mother is allowing contact comfort for the kitten it is better to keep her with the litter. If the kitten is constantly being pushed away and is cold it would be better to use an incubator. Supplementation with KMR should be done every two hours. Unless your veterinarian has shown you how to tube feed, it is better to use a nursing bottle. Ask your veterinarian to show you how to administer subcutaneous lactated ringers to provide better hydration and fluid balance. The clavomox would be advisable over the next 10 days to two weeks.