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-   -   kittens with coccidia (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=65837)

christianmomof3 September 24th, 2009 10:39 PM

kittens with coccidia
 
We are fostering yet another litter of kittens and this group has coccidia.
They have the runs and are pooping everywhere and have not gained weight in the week and a half we have had them although they have grown. So I went back to the animal shelter and got medicine for them today - for the coccidia and for worms which they most likely have as well.
I know they have to be on the med. for 10 days. How long will it take before we see a difference? I bought some good quality canned food for them ( the shelter gave us dry food and canned iams and another canned kitten food, so I got some better food at the pet store and cooked some brown rice and blenderized it some and mixed it with the wet food hoping that will help. I got a couple of cans of eagle pack and some other brands that have larger cans. We are cleaning the cat litter box several times a day. Is there anything else we can do?
They seem healthy, happy, friendly and sweet otherwise.
Thanks.

Love4himies September 25th, 2009 06:51 AM

Thank you for fostering these little sweeties :grouphug:.

Good choice to buy some canned for them :thumbs up. Cats need their moisture with food especially when they have diarrhea.

You cats don't need rice, they are carnivores, they need meat. You are much better off giving them raw meat. Unlike humans, cats get their energy from muscle meat and animal fat. Here is a good link on cat nutrition:

[url]http://www.catinfo.org/#Cats_Need_Animal-Based_Protein_[/url]

You should see a difference within three days.

Good luck and if you have time, sure would love to see some pics of them :D

catlover2 September 25th, 2009 09:38 AM

Kudos to you for fostering the kitties. :thumbs up The diarrhea should be cleared up in a week or so and they should be continually gaining weight, if not a trip to the vet is in order. If you are pregnant, let someone else clean the litter box. See link:

[url]http://www.cat-world.com.au/CoccidiosisInCats.htm[/url]

ownedbycats September 25th, 2009 11:37 AM

Our puppy picked up coccidia earlier this summer (probably from the rain water thaat stayed and stayed at our park). Once we got her on anti-biotics, the diarrhea cleared up within a few days, completely by the end of a week. Of course, she is much easier to give pills to than cats are. If you have trouble try getting some pill pockets. They are expensive, but some cats will just gobble them down, including the pill.

christianmomof3 September 25th, 2009 06:52 PM

Thanks - they gave me some liquid med and little syringes to feed it with. I just squirt it in their mouths and they are fine with that.
Someone sent me a link on how to make a litter box out of a storage bin and to use chicken feed as litter. Has anyone done that? Here is the link:
[url]http://www.catsadored.com/LITTERBOXES/LITTER_BOXES.htm[/url]
and we went to a feed store and bought a 50 pound bag of chicken feed for $12.
We will see how it goes.
I thought the rice helped to firm up their poo, but I can leave it out.
Here are some photos:
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/dbjorn/6kittens003.jpg[/IMG]
and
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/dbjorn/6kittens002.jpg[/IMG]

hazelrunpack September 25th, 2009 08:06 PM

They're darling! I hope they start feeling better soon :goodvibes:

Love4himies September 25th, 2009 08:12 PM

OMG they are just the sweetest littlest things :cloud9: :lovestruck: :cloud9:.

As for the rice, yes please leave it out of their diets, does absolutely nothing except possibly irritate it.

Do you foster a lot?

budgrrl September 25th, 2009 09:05 PM

they are absolutely adorable!! <3

hope they are feeling well soon!!
and YAY for fostering the lil darlings! :)

14+kitties September 25th, 2009 09:11 PM

Smudgy noses! Love smudgy noses. :cloud9: They are so cute!! :lovestruck:
If you want to firm their poop you would do much better with a small amount of pure pumpkin. Not the pie mix. Pure pumpkin. With ones that tiny you don't need much mixed in with their wet food.
Thanks for being an :angel: to these little ones. :thumbs up

christianmomof3 September 25th, 2009 11:30 PM

[QUOTE=14+kitties;829733]Smudgy noses! Love smudgy noses. :cloud9: They are so cute!! :lovestruck:
If you want to firm their poop you would do much better with a small amount of pure pumpkin. Not the pie mix. Pure pumpkin. With ones that tiny you don't need much mixed in with their wet food.
Thanks for being an :angel: to these little ones. :thumbs up[/QUOTE]

So like if I would just buy a pie pumpkin and cook it and mash some of that and put it in their food?

hazelrunpack September 25th, 2009 11:41 PM

No, it would have too much added sugar and spice.

You can get cans of plain 100% pure pumpkin at the store. It should just list pumpkin in the ingredient list--no spices or sugar or eggs.

You'd just need a small amount each time for your little ones, so you'll probably need to freeze most of it--it only keeps for a little while. I think growler said she's frozen plain pumpkin in an ice cube tray so that she could separate it into pieces and only thaw one at a time when she needed it :thumbs up Just bring a piece to room temperature and add it to the youngsters' food.

christianmomof3 September 25th, 2009 11:44 PM

a pie pumpkin is just a small pumpkin - i would cook it in the oven plain - no sugar or spice. i guess if i can find a can of pumpkin i could get that instead. I sometimes cook a pumpkin and mash it and freeze it in small bags to add to baked goods that I make.

14+kitties September 26th, 2009 05:28 AM

Yes, a pie pumpkin is fine. With the kitties being so tiny you don't need a whole lot per feeding. An ice cube size would be ok mixed with their food. Some kitties will actually eat it on it's own but not many.
If you don't feel energetic enough to cook the pie, btw, I cook mine like I do potatoes and then mash it afterward. You cook yours in the oven? Neat! Anyway, you can find cans of just plain pumpkin near where you would the pie filling. It clearly states just pumpkin in the ingredient list.
Good luck.

hazelrunpack September 26th, 2009 09:57 AM

Oh, ya! A pie pumpkin would be good. :o I was tired...and hungry, so I read it as a "pumpkin pie". :D Direct connection from the tired brain to the hungry tummy... :laughing:

christianmomof3 September 26th, 2009 07:35 PM

well, my husband ran to two stores and could not find any plain canned pumpkin. I will look at whole foods or some other store like that or else get a small pumpkin if I can find one for a good price.

Sheri H September 26th, 2009 08:16 PM

They are just adorable. Thanks for fostering the little munchkins.

growler~GateKeeper September 27th, 2009 01:15 AM

[QUOTE=christianmomof3;830010]well, my husband ran to two stores and could not find any plain canned pumpkin. I will look at whole foods or some other store like that or else get a small pumpkin if I can find one for a good price.[/QUOTE]

Should be in the baking aisle, not usually with the canned vegetables.

Pumpkins & Squashes should be hitting the stores soon so that will make it even easier.

You can also use Heinz Organics Baby Food Butternut Squash. Butternut squash is the only ingredient & is the same family as pumpkin. Hazel is right I freeze the amount in ice cube trays depending on how much is being fed per meal ie 1/4 teapoon, 1/2 teaspoon etc ~ for your wee ones I would freeze in 1/4 teaspoon portions & break in 1/2 per meal ie 1/8th teaspoon to start with. You can always increase slightly depending on the poop condition. Refridgerate for no more than 3-4 days, that's why freezing is easier you can dump the frozen ones into a container & refill the trays until the can/jar is finished & not waste any.

Adorable wee ones :lovestruck:

christianmomof3 September 27th, 2009 01:10 PM

Well, I spoke to a lady in church about it today and she said she read in the paper that there is actually a canned pumpkin shortage and I looked it up and sure enough there is: [url]http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=354685[/url]
[url]http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-pumpkinshortage_26met.ART.State.Edition1.4bf9fe4.html[/url]
but apparantly there should be more in the stores soon.

When I was in one store looking for pumpkin I ran into someone I knew and I told her what I was looking for and why and she said it works for dogs too - she once had a dog eat all the food on the lower shelf of her pantry and he was quite sick from that and they just fed him canned pumpkin for a while to clear him up.

So far, from the looks of what is in the litter box, it looks like probably some of the kittens are starting to get better, but not all of them yet.
They are eating a whole lot more now though so I guess that is a good sign.
And I think they have all gained an ounce or two in the past few days as well.

Love4himies September 27th, 2009 01:13 PM

Increased appetites is an excellent sign they are getting better :thumbs up.

They are just so darn sweet :cloud9:


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