Kittens are back from the vet.

So the kittens spent the day at the shelter and was seen by the vet.  I got word that they had coccidia (it was suspected previously and they were treated with marquis paste, but it is a good idea to do it again a week or so later for this very reason) so they were treated again and sent home with some metro liquid in case things don't firm up again. I am guessing that they will because they did last time.

No word on Tucker and his habit of peeing on soft things.. I wrote in again to see if that was looked at or if they forgot - because when they came home I let them have some running around time and came back to find someone had peed on the couch. Thankfully I had a couple of layers of washables on the futon.

They had some more running around time after I ate dinner and sat with them. I got some videos of them I think you'll love them.

Smedley needs medical help

I have been emailing and stopping into the shelter over the past few weeks trying to get some help for Smedley.

The whole lot of kittens, and Snow, had horrific diarrhea over the weeks they have been here.  First it was near white, which all the websites say means excessive bacteria in the gut, then it was liquid and peeling paint off the walls with the stench, and tests on it showed something that looked like a thread worm, and later coccidia.  We treated with marquis paste and albon and we gave some strongid to take care of any rounds since those are uber common in kittens.  Some of the cats cleared up, some did not.  Sometimes ones that cleared up would start up again.. Another test showed negative and I wondered if they might not have the new parasite they just found, since they had all of the symptoms,  but that was summarily dismissed because they say it comes from cow urine.  I don't know where these kittens come from and have no idea if they even looked to see what their history was.  I do know Snow had another litter before she showed up here with her kittens.. but where she came from I do not know.  I also know she had some serious dietary indiscretion by what she vomited up a few days after being here.

A threadworm was discovered in Snow's stool.  No one knew how to treat it.  I kept asking, no answer was ever given. Panacur was given eventually but not after another stool sample was brought in and coccidia was found.  More marquis paste, more albon as well as probiotics, colloidal silver, and slippery elm bark as well as putting them on raw food. Issac Arnold put on weight. Health and vigor returned to everyone.

Everyone except Smedley. Well he had health and vigor, but Smed's stools went from nice looking to water to nice looking. He was pooping on the floor. His rear end would often be covered in in a foul smelling liquid and he left stains where ever he went (he wasn't alone in this but he kept it up the longest)  I finally took him in to the shelter to attempt to get a super fresh stool sample to test it to see what was going on.  He refused to give one.  I got the tylan powder.  His stools firmed up again.  I grabbed a piece of one and brought it in and was told once again they saw coccidia.

In the mean time his rear end went from normal looking to this..

10-8-13

10-22-13 (click to see enlarged images)

He HATES having his rear end looked at so this doesn't really represent what is going on there but it is close enough.  If I attempt to put anything soothing on it he flails and screams and claws and attempts to bite me - all which is so out of character for him.  I know he must be in unbearable pain.  The few times I was able to wipe it down (because it is often coated in a foul smelling liquid) I often see blood (and by wipe I mean touch a cloth to it).  He also constantly has his tail 'poofed', which to me is further evidence of how much pain he is in..

it isn't all that clear in this angle,
but the first bit up to where his ankle is is 'puffy'

When I contacted the shelter yesterday about how much pain he has, and how he really should be seen, I was emailed back reminding me he has coccidia and to keep him on the Albon for the full 14 days.  Well he has been on it since Friday, along with the Tylan (Tylosin) which he has been on longer..As you can tell his rear end is worse.  He growls at himself when he tries to groom down there.  They reminded me to bleach everything to keep him from reinfecting himself.  What I can't help but wonder if this coccidia is so darn contagious that he's re-infecting himself by being in the room with himself, why are the other three just fine? I have dealt with coccidia many many times; even had a set of kittens nearly die from it.  I've never seen it act like this..   I think there is something more going on here, and the only way to get him the help he needs is to turn him into the shelter.

At this point I do not know if I am going to get him back.  He and his siblings are all of weight.  If they intend to keep him until he is better, than there is no point in keeping Verona, Mishka and Issac Arnold.  At this point I intend to take Smed in this morning and then see what they have to say about it. I very much want to bring him back here and see him get well and give me a little more time to hopefully find someone who can not live without him and Issac Arnold..

Issac Arnold growling over his new prize

but chances are I will be returning the whole family... so this might very well be the last post about them.  My heart goes with them and they will live with in it for years to come.

Smed (laying down) Mishka, Issac Arnold and Verona

From the road..

As I mentioned previously, Odilia had an issue earlier and it was determined she had coccida.  She was dosed with marquis paste and thus all of them were killed, but her stool was quite soft.  When it wasn't firming up I took her off canned food and put her on raw.  She LOVED it.. ate it like a true obligate carnivore kitten should, all standing in it, and gulped it down.. it did my heart good to see it.

After almost no time at all, her stools were firm, dry and lacked that horrific coccidia odor.  If you feed raw, you will know that a raw fed cat's stools are pretty much odorless, which I have to say is really a bonus - especially after sniffing the odorous concoction that is a parasitic stool  :)  (wait, no, make that :$)

well I fed her raw right before we left, and I knew Robin would have some so she ate it while she was in CT as well.  Her stool had been firm for days so I was planning on putting her back on canned while here.  Well wouldn't you know it, after the first meal her stool became loose again.  It coincided with her bonus dose of marquis paste to make sure we got it all, but I needed to get my hands on some raw.

This conference is heavy on the Purina and Hills food and the commercial way of thinking about pet food, so I figured I would have to do some sleuthing online until low and behold I realized I was sitting next to THE Margaret Gates of Feline-Nutrition.org - whom I refer people to quite regularly (along with catinfo.org because it is run by a vet and because it has a whole different layout feel and I figured people need more than one option in this sort of thing)

Wasn't I thrilled!  I figured she of all people would know where to get raw - because she is local.  I asked and she gave me the name of a place, but then said she could bring me some!!  I mean she was awesome before, but man, feed one of my foster kittens and boom, you are so my favorite person (yes, I'm that easy)

Well she brought some, she put it in a really nice container, with some ice, double wrapped in plastic and then in a whole foods bag.  I kinda felt like we had to do it on the down low due to the environment - the keynote speaker had just finished and he said he was opposed to raw food.

Margaret asked if I would send her photos of Odilia eating the food, and I said, well she has a belly fully of eggs (seriously, you NEED to see that video) but lets give it a try.  We opened up the container, and Odi is  reaching into the container to eat.. :)

I did some more socializing with her, but then she started getting grumpy.  After eating she almost always needs a litter box, so she came back to the room while I went off to a session.

When I got back I gave her some more raw..

Although after her breakfast of a taste of butter and some scrambled eggs, I'm curious what her stool is going to look like :)

I would also like to share how awesome my husband is.. He knew I missed my kitties, so he's been sending me pictures..

Twee and Kit - Daddy's girls

Jack

Doing the breakfast dance:
Skippy Muffin, Twee and Eli 's back and Fleup's tail

Fleurp and her eviscerated mouse.. she loves that thing.
Yes, that is a "it's good to be the Princess" mat for her to sit on

Sadly his blackberry doesn't take very good photos.. but it really is the thought that counts

Sleep away camp is cancelled

I just could not do it.  I know I know.. I am a sap.  I am sure you are out there thinking this means I am going to keep her.. nope.. isn't going to happen.. I just couldn't let her go right now..

Nothing on R, she is an AWESOME foster home.. and it probably would have done her a world of good..

But Lady!  I was already packed.. 

Yes sweetie, but you couldn't bring your little friend.. 

Who?  My stuffie?? why not

well no, you couldn't bring your stuffie either.. mostly because he's missing part of his face.
 Any idea how that happened?

No clue lady.. I iz innocent.. honest.  So then why did you make me take a baf, and why did you clip my clawz??

Because you were a mess!!

WAS NOT!  So what friend did you mean??

coccidia

eww.  

Yup, I agree.. and it was why you were having issues.  But we got you some medicine and they should be gone soon.

Then will you explain why I am wearing this silly thing?

Why sweetie, I have no idea what you are talking about!! (grin)

Toesday with Nigel a bit delayed

well blogger wouldn't let me in at all yesterday, so Nigel had to wait.

why are my adorable toes not in this shot??

Probably a good thing because you would have gotten another "OMG I'm worried about him post" which was fully justified at the time.  He was down to 430g and did not want to eat.  I broke out some KMR and he fought me when I gave it to him.  I also broke out some turkey baby food which everyone else in the room went nuts for, and he just looked at me like I was a big fat meanie.

Line at the scale.  I've never had kittens who like to be weighed before.

But Tuesday morning he came running to the door, was playful, and had a few bites of canned food with his sisters.  He gave up eating pretty quickly, so I forced some more baby food in him, which he liked initially but then got annoyed with.  His weight went up to 440g.


Tuesday evening he ate on his own and liked the baby food I gave him but he deposited a fairly liquid stool, so I collected it and brought it to the shelter this morning.  I just got the call that the stool was loaded with coccidia again!!  I hate that &*&^$%! parasite.  So more Marquis Paste is in their future.

But this morning he was 450g... so at least we are headed in the right direction again.

More room

Well now that the kits are mobile and looking to explore it was time to clean up all the accouterments that I piled up around the cage to care for them and give them a little more open floor space.  It was well appreciated by not only the kits but by Jordan as well. 

She is still very much a kitten herself and really gets in to play pretty aggressively.  She snorts and makes some really odd noises when she exerts herself  Then she did this, and I knew she was still very much a kitten

cause up till now only kittens have played in this basket... like this

Lily is also spreading her wings.  Unfortunately none of her 'splorin involve culinary experimentation, but now that she's hit 400g I really should not complain.  She will do just about anything to get to the "food lady" to get a snack, including the first to try to scale Mount Couch

Bug sitting near the heater keeping warm

I am still concerned about Bug.  She's ~350g (she wouldn't sit still) and still balks at being fed (sometimes I force her to get a few extra calories in her) she looks so petite and her little legs are so little compared to her siblings.  She's also having a harder time with coccidia then Lily and Nigel, as her stool is still quite loose.  She went in the litter box three times in 20 minutes last night.    I need to get to the shelter here pretty quick, so I think I'll talk to them about her and see what they want to do.  But she was interacting with her sibs, she ate, and she played with toys on her own, so she can't be that bad off.

Jordan is thinking she's about done with motherhood.  She's not done, but I can see the possibility in her near future as she's daydreaming... (or watching cat TV?)

one parasite is not the same as the other!!

Last Sunday I took the kits to the shelter and had a fecal done because their stools were so loose. The result - I was told - was round worm. So they went on dewormer. I did a double normal dose to start (it's safe according to the vet) and then was supposed to do it for three days. Well, it didn't make a bit of difference, so I kept doing it. Still no chance. after two days I put them back on Albon (which they had been on at least a week prior to the fecal). Saturday I took the kittens back in with another stool sample (on a plastic spoon since it was so loose and everyone laughed at me thinking I was going to feed it to someone)

The head medical tech / co-manager looked at it and immediately said it was coccidia. Since they had been on albon, and it was still wall to wall (she was amazed/stunned at how many there were) I asked if there was anything else I could give them since they had been on albon, and their gums were getting pale and this just wasn't working. She said yes there was but that the shelter didn't have it. The dr that the shelter works with (the one I used to work for and who is a JERK) has no experience with this particular drug so he said they couldn't have it. Since they order their meds through him, they have to keep their relationship a positive one. I offered to try to buy it elsewhere since it is a horse dewormer. Yup. A horse dewormer - Marquis Paste. She warned me it would be expensive, around $200 - $300. Which I don't mind if it is going to work. I suppose I would mind if it was $200 for a single dose, but it isn't. (not that $200 would stop me - would be worth it not to lose the kittens) But unfortunately, I couldn't find it anywhere local. I asked her a bit more about it, and apparently, the other local shelter uses it with good success. I asked if maybe I might be able to buy a few doses from them - which the manager thought was a good idea, so she called them up. They gave it to us. I gave it to the kittens yesterday, and it looks like it is the miracle that the other shelter said it was.

I'm pretty amazed at the turnaround! They dilute the paste quite a bit, but it still has the consistency of toothpaste. after 24 hours their stools look normal, and they are doing much better. They are on a supplement to help them regain their coloring.. but at this point, I would say not only are they out of the woods, they are out in the field hunting mice :D

Happy 3 week birthday!

The kittens are 3 weeks old today. They are doing pretty well. Mom is looking a bit worse for the wear. She has had some pretty bad diarrhea, so I took a stool sample in. She has coccidia. We are treating her with albon, and doing some nemex to help get rid of any roundworms. Hopefully, she'll be filling out soon. She looked a bit dehydrated, so I mixed up some KMR to help her out nutritionally. I gave some to the kittens too. They loved it. I left them with a clean cage and fully bellies. One of the girls purred. It was uber cute!

The boy had a hernia and it began to develop what looked like scabbing. It didn't seem to be affecting him, so I let it go, but it got progressively worse over the weekend, so I brought him in on Tuesday. I had brought him in the week before because his cord hadn't fallen off, but the dr wasn't worried, but when he saw it Tuesday, he said it had to come off. So he had surgery. He is doing very well, except he hates the antibiotics they put him on. They make him foam at the mouth.

One of the girls has a bum leg. We aren't sure if it is deformed or if it is just dislocated. The dr isn't worried about it at this point, and suggests we look further into it at 8 weeks. She is the chubbiest one, so she is not suffering because of it. One of the other girls is a bit antisocial. She screams whenever I pick her up. The others used to, but quickly came around. I'll have to work harder on this one, but it is hard, as all the girls look a like. Maybe I'll get a sharpie and mark her head :)

Kittens at two weeks

Vet issues.

I brought in the seven today.. and wouldn't you know it they started pooping up a storm.. and they ate everything Dr. S gave them. *rolls eyes* now don't I look silly. but I can deal with that.. as long as they are fine.

Dr. Kim was surprised I was fostering because of the state of my own kitties (FIP titres* and Jack being Felv positive) . I told her I had talked it over with the shelter, and that I was being careful, and she didn't let it drop, mentioning stuff could be brought in on the clothes. Yes, Kim.. I KNOW that... I also know they are only positive for exposure, and could very well be perfectly fine, and they have been since we found out about it. both FIP and Felv impact the immune system, so I'm sure that she's worried about that.. but I can't live my life for what ifs... if I did that I would never ever do anything.. ever. I take precautions.. I visit with the kittens either at the beginning of my day so I immediately leave the house afterwards, or at the end of my day so afterwards I'm changing my clothes, washing my hands, and then playing with my kitties. I care very much about them, and will be absolutely lost if / when I lose them (cause chances are I will outlive them unless of course something happens to me first)

ugh.

*mentally pictures water rolling off a duck's back*

anyway. I also brought in a stool sample from the first set.. someone has coccidia. I don't know who. I'm assuming Peanut, since he's the one who would be most susceptible to something like that. I'm going to try to spend some time with them tomorrow and see who has the runny stools.

why can't this every go smoothly? *sigh* after I get these guys adopted I think I'll take some time off and bleach the living daylights out of my house.. *wonders how long coccidia can live outside of a host*

*googles*
oooh.. lookie here a nice picture of some coccidia..

well in my research, it says "Several references in veterinary literature suggest that almost every cat will become infected by coccidia at some point in their life" hum.. interesting.. another site said that most fight it off themselves. good to know. no idea how long it can survive without a host though.. doesn't tell me that. (I've since learned a couple of days in a dry environment, weeks in a damp one)


Em is in major need of a bath. she's quite oily.. poor thing doesn't groom herself very well.. well if you were her age, and all you had was your tongue, you probably wouldn't either.. :)

Coccidia

well the elders have coccidia.. so they are on albon for 10 days.. fun fun. NOT. Gimmie does NOT like to be pilled at all. I have to give them strongid as well.. which they also hate with a passion, and I have the scratches to prove it. why they make a dewormer that smells like bananas is a mystery to me. could you please make it smell like tuna?? Gim also has the inane desire to sit on my shoulders.. she likes to scale my back to get there.. must make note to never go down there again with a thin shirt on..

The kitten's eyes are changing over.. *whimper* they are getting so big.. they are all eating solid foods now.. sampling dry food as well. Peanut's breathing is still obvious. I wouldn't call it labored.. but his whole chest still collapses with each breath. I was talking to a gentleman at work the other day who had a cat with a deviated septum, and he lived a nice full life. *crosses fingers that is what it is* I should probably bring him in soon and see if they can x-ray him and get an idea what is going on.. but he's eating well, and pooping well, so it doesn't appear to be what Mew had.. thank goodness!!

My guys are all doing very well. Em was sneezing the other day.. pretty bad too. Figured I'd give it one more day and then go in and get something to help her through it. There is nothing they can give for URI.. but they give antibiotics to make sure that a secondary infection doesn't take hold.. but she stopped.. so that is good. Eli's face cleared up for a day.. but now it's all goopy again. I really do need to get him in to the vet for a tear duct flush.. (did I mention this before? It's a surgery where they go in and clear out the tear ducts - which will help if his are blocked, but not if his eyes are just producing more tears than his ducts can handle. I'm sure they are blocked though.. from the URI) Jack is about a week away from his second deworming dose. I haven't seen any more worms, and his stool doesn't smell nearly as bad as it did. Ollie is getting more and more comfortable with his new siblings. there are still occasional spats, but he plays more. It's so cute to see him chasing Eli through the house, then Eli turning around and chasing after him. Muffin is still awful cute.. despite using me as a doormat.

You should also check out this its too cute. I particularly liked gem, which was an acronym for green eyed monster.

Coccidia

mew is not well. she was diagnosed with coccidia..

What are coccidia?
Coccidia are small protozoans (one-celled organisms) that multiply in the intestinal tracts of dogs and cats, most commonly in kittens and puppies less than six months of age, in adult animals whose immune system is suppressed or in animals who are stressed in other ways (e.g., change in ownership, other disease present).

Coccidia causes diarrhea. I haven't read of a single instance where it causes constipation, which Mew has... which is probably why she is so absolutely miserable. Going to try a few things today to help her along with that

she was able to keep food down for 48 hours.. Monday afternoon (after the trip to the vets) she was all happiness and acted like she had finally taken a turn for the better (its always my luck that the minute I involve a professional the problem goes away).

I had forgotten to take in a stool sample, so I took that Tuesday morning. Got the call she has coccidia, and went down for meds for that. 1cc the first dose, which she took like a trooper, then .5 cc each additional. Tuesday she threw up a couple of times, Wednesday morning (this morning) she threw up four times in my presence, then once after I left. I just got back from feeding them.. she was quite active till I fed her. then the teaspoon of food I fed her sat in her stomach wrong and for about 10-15 minutes she made pathetic about to throw up noises. part of me wanted her to throw up and get it over with, the other half wanted her to keep it down. she eventually threw up. she was starving again, so this time I fed her a teaspoon of food, but kept interrupting her. when she had most of the teaspoon eaten up, she again started making the pathetic throwing up noises.

However.. it looks like she might have actually gained an ounce.. so at least there is that.

I also gave back the dry food. the boys really need it, and since she's throwing up twice a day now anyway, I figured it couldn't hurt if she ate it.