Vet gave me the lecture..

[Ishani Birch]

So as some of you know, Lana had a litter of kittens, who are now 8 weeks. They've been on a raw only diet other than milk. I took them to the vet because the two boys were having green diarrhea and lost some weight. The vet blamed raw food and said that it's very dangerous to give them raw. From my understanding most breeders feed raw, with no problems I assume? Could there be any truth to this? Should I stop feeding them only raw? Has anyone had parasite or bacteria problems from feeding raw?
I am very diligent about feeding and hygiene..

 

[Pam Flachs]

At the age your babies are...an off-color diarrhea can occasionally be seen..they are trying new foods that may or may not agree with their delicate tummies. Without a fecal PCR panel to determine what caused the diarrhea, your vet is only guessing at the cause. Some vets are so opposed to raw feeding...especially those who carry prescription pet foods for sale...they blame raw meat on any malady.

It is true that raw meats can carry parasites or bacteria. Feeding only the freshest meat you would feed your own family and careful handling, prep, and washing of the meat will eliminate the chances of contracting a bug from raw foods.

You might try feeding them cooked and cooled chicken breast until the diarrhea is gone and they are back at their usual weight. I wouldn't try anything new that you have not been feeding them at this time, but when they are back to normal, you might try feeding them a grain-free kitten canned food along with their raw. Of course, the canned should be introduced slowly. I like my kittens to be eating both a diet of canned, raw and dry before leaving in case their new owners do not want to feed raw or will not do it properly...

 

[Ishani Birch]

Thanks Pam. I figured that's what it was but I wanted to be sure. The vet does sell prescription food so that makes sense.

I'm always very careful with handling and prep. I'm lucky enough to live where there is a raw food pet store. I've been buying from them for two years without incident and Sterling ate only meat from them from 12 weeks to 1 year, without ever having tummy problems.

The cooked chicken is a great idea, Ill try giving them a little.

I was going to start them on wet and then kibble for the reasons you mentioned but I wanted them to get used to meat first, as Ive been told it's the easiest to wean them onto.

 

[Patti]

I certainly hope your vet ran a fecal on them to check for infection! It is true that you carry a higher risk of parasites when feeding raw. I usually deworm my kittens around eight weeks old, then two weeks later. When I feed raw regularly I deworm all my cats at least twice a year (some folk recommend every three months). However, watery green diarrhea sounds more like giardia or tritrichomonas, so should be tested.

How long have the kittens been eating raw? Any diet change can precipitate diarrhea, although I find this happens least often when feeding raw. I assume that the raw you are feeding is specially formulated for felines so that it has all the necessary supplements?

Keep a close eye on the kittens and make sure they don't get dehydrated - a dehydrated kitten isn't going to want to eat. If necessary, you can force feed them unflavored Pedialyte, but if that isn't enough to keep them well hydrated you can also give them subcutaneous fluids.

Please keep us posted on how they are doing!

 

[Ishani Birch]

My vet wanted to give them a stronger dewormer (or antibiotic?) first and see if they seem better. I've dewormed them every 2 weeks since they were 4 weeks, as per my vets recommendation, and Lana was dewormed before she got pregnant.
He said to give them a day and see how it goes. The green is gone but the diarrhea hasn't, but it's less liquidy.
The kittens have been getting raw for 2 weeks, and still drinking Lana's milk. Also yes, the meat has all the supplements needed.

They've still been drinking but I've been giving them water with a 5ml syringe through out the day to make sure they don't get too dehydrated.

They've been less interested in food like you said, but still want to nurse. I've been weighing them everyday, they've stopped losing, yesterday they stayed the same weight, and today they gained about 20g.

If things stop going well or anything starts up again they'll be getting a fecal, and the tests for what you mentioned as apparently they need to be tested for separately.

Their energy is great, play fighting and running around, so thankfully I'm pretty sure it's nothing serious.

I'll keep you posted

 

[admin]

Not sure why they are being wormed every two weeks... Sounds like they are on the mend though... It may still be a good idea to do a fecal test just to be safe... Glad they are feeling better!

Paige
Owner, Savannah Cat Chat
Agato Savannahs
TICA Legislative Committee
SV Breed Section Committee
SV Rescue Coordinator

 

[Ishani Birch]

I'm not sure either really. That's what the vet said so I did it. I agree a fecal is a good idea just to be safe. I'll most likely get that done when they get their shots this weekend.

 

[admin]

I think every two weeks is too much... I would not do that, especially to small kittens... Once at 8 weeks and a couple weeks later sounds about right to me

Paige
Owner, Savannah Cat Chat
Agato Savannahs
TICA Legislative Committee
SV Breed Section Committee
SV Rescue Coordinator

 

[Ishani Birch]

She originally wanted to give it to them at 2 weeks but I said no to that..

 

[Ishani Birch]

Looks like the kittens are back to full health, I spoke too soon. They are eating and the diarrhea is gone, not quite solid yet though.
Appetites are back with vigor!