i'm posting this question for my oldest daughter. she thought about spaying her cat a little too late, and now she's got a two week old litter of kittens on her hands. (the cat is not an outdoor cat, but did manage to push thru the screen one night, which resulted in pregnancy.)
anyway, one of the kittens has had at least one seizure that my daughter has witnessed. i looked up information online and found that although it is uncommon, some cats are born with feline epilepsy.... and that there are a couple of treatments, but the site i was on didn't seem to have a high opinion of them to begin with, and said nothing about whether a newborn kitten could be treated... and i'm assuming it would be unsafe.
at this time, my daughter is pretty strapped financially, and is wanting to know if there IS a treatment for a two week old kitten before spending the money. she has called a local cat hospital, and was told they could not even provide that information unless she brought the kitten in for an examination. it's just not feasible for her to spend the money just to be told "there's nothing we can do", so if someone can please tell me whether or not there is a treatment safe enough, i would greatly appreciate it.
kitten having seizures?
Re: kitten having seizures?
Without a veterinary exam and testing, there is NO way to determine whether or not this is or is not true seizure activity, and since neither I nor anyone on an internet forum can examine your kitten, nor determine if this is seizure activity, your daughter owes it to the kitten to take him to a vet for an exam and testing.
Some bacterial and viral infections can cause what appear like seizure activity, as well as other health problems like poor nutritional support, rickettsial infection, parasitic infection, anemia, etc. It could be a viral passed on through the mother, particularly if she has never been vaccinated or is immunocompromised, etc. FELV, distemper etc are always a risk for kittens, so these need to be ruled out. Bacterial infections can most often be detected in kittens by complete exam and findings/suspicions, a CBC done to determine blood values, or if there is fever activity, anemia, etc.
The animal hospital was correct to advise your daughter she bring the kitten in. They cannot diagnose over the phone, and cannot in good conscience advise treatment without examining the pet. What if they told you something to do, and the kitten reacted badly to that or it the treatment was contraindicated for the UN-diagnosed condition? That is why vets do not diagnose over the phone, amoung other reasons.
This kitten deserves a chance, please get him to a vet RIGHT NOW for examination and possibly testing for bacterial infection, etc. It very well could be that early treatment may be effective, and you need to determine what this is, in order to keep the other kittens safe and healthy too, mother included.
BTW, if this kitten or the others are being bottle-fed, there is always a risk of aspiration pneumonia if bottle-feeding is not done correctly, or if proper formula isn't being used and according to recommendations listed on the formula. Outdated or spoiled formula are also concerns.
To a vet TODAY, immediately, please.
Some bacterial and viral infections can cause what appear like seizure activity, as well as other health problems like poor nutritional support, rickettsial infection, parasitic infection, anemia, etc. It could be a viral passed on through the mother, particularly if she has never been vaccinated or is immunocompromised, etc. FELV, distemper etc are always a risk for kittens, so these need to be ruled out. Bacterial infections can most often be detected in kittens by complete exam and findings/suspicions, a CBC done to determine blood values, or if there is fever activity, anemia, etc.
The animal hospital was correct to advise your daughter she bring the kitten in. They cannot diagnose over the phone, and cannot in good conscience advise treatment without examining the pet. What if they told you something to do, and the kitten reacted badly to that or it the treatment was contraindicated for the UN-diagnosed condition? That is why vets do not diagnose over the phone, amoung other reasons.
This kitten deserves a chance, please get him to a vet RIGHT NOW for examination and possibly testing for bacterial infection, etc. It very well could be that early treatment may be effective, and you need to determine what this is, in order to keep the other kittens safe and healthy too, mother included.
BTW, if this kitten or the others are being bottle-fed, there is always a risk of aspiration pneumonia if bottle-feeding is not done correctly, or if proper formula isn't being used and according to recommendations listed on the formula. Outdated or spoiled formula are also concerns.
To a vet TODAY, immediately, please.
..........Traci
Re: kitten having seizures?
thanks tracy... i also got a call back from my own vet last night, who also told me to have her take the kitten to a vet.... my daughter wasn't opposed to taking him in, she just didn't want to spend the money only to find out there was no treatment for it. but now that she knows it CAN be treated, she said she'll take him in to the vet on the base. (she's a marine.)