Upper Respiratory in kittens - back to vet

[sixfurballs]

I have one of those humidifiers too for my kids so I suggested that to her. A friend has one so she is going to borrow it. Thanks for the advice. I am passing it all on and sent my friend a link to this thread.

[blackcat]

you can get steam machines from pharmacies on hire which increase the humidity in a room - I have used them myself for congested kittens and for congested me. They work. Especially if you put a little eucalyptus oil in the water.

[Millys Mum]

How old are they? I would probably feed more meals, its v.good they are putting on weight 

[sixfurballs]

Thanks for all the tips. I'm afraid one of the kittens has taken a turn for the worse. My friend has been back to the vet and this is the latest (I'll post it below) but she was wondering if she can do anything else as she is very worried about him:

I took both kittens back to the vet's this afternoon. The vet did express concern that white kitty has taken a turn for the worse but he did say that it's not time to panic, since these things in kittens are quite common when they come from shelters.

He reminded me that this virus usually takes 10 to 15 days to run it's complete cycle and it has now only been 8 days since he saw the kittens last. He put both kittens on another stronger antibiotic called Clindacure and also a gel for herpes virus called Viralys L-Lysine as a preventative measurer. He also wants the Gentamicin eye drops to be continued but to also put one drop in each nostril as well.

The vet said that I should also put in kitten in the bathroom with me when I take a shower so the steam from the shower would help loosen up the congestion and to continue using a warm soft cloth to keep kitty's nose clean. He said use a Qtip if necessary so that kitty can breath better.

They both have gained good weight, so that is one reason the vet said it is not time to panic.

Here are their weights 8 days ago and todays:

White kitty weight: before 2.4 lbs - today 3.1 lbs
Gray kitty weight: before 2.2 lbs - today 2.9 lbs

Since they were underweight before I feed them three times a day moist food and unlimited dry food

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

I have been there !!!
My Issey had this as a kitten (amongst other things!!)

It is important they have their antibiotics (I gave Issey injections) and make sure they dont get dehydrated.
It could take sometime for them to fully recover but i must also stress that they are very young so fingers crossed for them.

[Millys Mum]

Thats good to hear the feral is settling, amazing what neutering and good food does to them 

To be honest it sounds like your friend is doing all she can for these kittens already 
If they are congested your friend can try putting a few drops of karvol on a hankie and hanging near them, but out of reach.

Regular worming for the forthcomming months too.

[sixfurballs]

You might remember I posted before on behalf of a friend in San Diego. That tale turned out well. The feral her son was trying to look after now lives free but returns to their yard every day for food and has even started becoming quite friendly towards the family.

Now my friend has adopted 2 kittens but has just found out that they have an upper respiratory virus. This is the details of the symptoms and treatment. They only other thing I could think she might need to know about was a probiotic. Can anyone add any other advice about how to help them. They are only 8 weeks old and she had only had them for a few days. They have a very special place in our hearts already and any advice would be welcome.

Friday night they both ate rather well and both had pooh within 30 minutes afterward. As you know it was so stinky! I mean it stunk so bad I thought I was going to throw up! One poohed and I ran the litter tray outside to dump it while holding my breath, then 15 minutes later the same with the second kitty. It was night time and the smell was so awful I really did not get a good look at it.



Saturday & Night they both ate but the white chest one was an eager eater as he was the night before. The gray one however did not seem as interested in eating and only nibble. They both had poohs within 30 minutes of eating and the smell was horrible again but since it was day time I got a better look at their stools and they were full of worms and runny to loose. I called the shelter that same morning to tell them about the kittens having worms still and they said that the kittens had been given a de-worming treatment "Strongid" and it could be that they are still passing worms from that treatment or since it is soon time for them to have a second treatment, I could be seeing the worms until the next dose is given. ?? Pretty much saying not to worry about it more or less. I told them that I was worried because of my other pets as I was afraid they too would get worms. They assured me that they were safe and that the only way for them to get it was if they ingested fecal from the kittens. Later on Saturday evening I noticed the gray kitten seemed to have a bit of a teary watery eye. Another concern!



Sunday was pretty much the same as Saturday with the exception that the gray kittens eye was more running and even had some crusting around it. I cleaned his eyes with a warm cloth. Then by afternoon on Sunday I started hearing both kittens sneezing but just a few times. Then by Sunday evening the sneezing was coming more frequent and still in both kittens. Still running poohs and still could see a heavy amount of worms in it. And still very foul smell.



Monday, this morning the gray kitten is barely interested in eating any food if any at all. His eyes are still watery and even more crusting has formed. He also is not very playful.
The white one is eating but not as eager as he was on Friday. He does go pooh and here again it is runny, full of worms and foul! I mean very foul!!!! I'm starting to get "red flags" that something is not going right with their health and decided to call the vet's.

:D

I got the list of vet names that the shelter had given me (since I don't trust my old vet anymore) and I was lucky to see that there was a vet listed that was close to me. I called and told them the situation and the gal put me on hold and then came back and said that the doctor said to bring them on in today, not to wait.

I told them that I was waiting for the repair man to come and fix my furnace between noon and 2 pm but that I could come there after. I made that appointment for 3:40 pm.
[The repair man never did show up but that's another story. I'm not happy about that either as it has been cold at night here.]



Vet's Office:
Finally here we are at the doctor's office! Thank goodness I did not wait to take the kittens to the vet...they would have only continued to get sicker! I thank my lucky stars that I acted so quickly. Yes, it is confirmed that both kittens have a upper respiratory virus which can be deadly in such young kittens. It comes on quick and is mostly found in kittens or cats who have been in rescue shelter and have been under stress. As you know these two kittens were brought into this shelter from another shelter which is out of state!

The worms that the kittens have are Tape worms which is not treatable with the medication that the shelter administered to the kittens. That drug, which is called "Strongid" only treats Round worms and Hook worms, and is totally ineffective treating Tape worms.

Anyway these precious kittens are now in good loving arms with me and I will be nursing them back to heath. The doctor did say that it was lucky that I did bring them in right away because kittens with upper respiratory virus tend to decline very rapidly. He also said that more likely than not that the kittens will get worse before they start showing signs of improvement but that although I will be giving them medication the virus will still run it course. Also the kittens are on the thin side too he said but not to worry about that as they will start putting weight on once the worms have been eliminated.


Meds given today:

DRONCIT - Deworming injection

CLAVAMOX SUSPENSION - Antibiotic batctieral infection

METRONIDAZOLE SUSPENSION - Antibiotic- for URI

GENTAMICIN OPHTHALMIC DROPS - Eye infection