eye discharge

[tebasmm]

hello. I have a 3 week old kitten that i am bottle feeding. last week he sneezed a few times. i asked the vet about it they said he probably just asperated and will be fine. now he is not sneezing but he has discharge in his eye more so in one than the other. green pus like at times and others crusty. i wipe them with warm cloth but i am very worried about distemper. Should i take him to the vet? i have terimyacin or whatever it's called that i had for another cat a few months ago. is the kitten too young to give that too? If i do bring him to the vet what will the vet do? do you have any idea? I am very worried. I have only had him for a week but i am very attached as i am his surrogate mom. Please help ( again ) thank you

[Traci]

Get your kitten to a new vet immediately. It's probably an upper respiratory infection. The green pus you mention is infection and must be treated with a combination of eye ointment and oral antibiotics. The vet will gently cleanse the eye, then will prescribe an ointment for you to use twice daily. Oral antibiotics like amoxicillin or clavamox will be prescribed, to be given twice daily; your vet will give you tiny dosing amouts per the age and body weight of your kitten. Tell him you already have terramycin at home, but be sure the expiration date has not expired, and make sure you have enough of it to treat for up to two weeks. Ideally, a new tube should be prescribed, because when you used it before, bacteria could have been on it from prior applications to other cats.

Don't wait on this, upper respiratory infections in tiny kittens can become very serious, they need to be treated promptly.

Feel free to post back and let us know how it goes.

[tebasmm]

thank you so much. i am so worried. he is the sweetest little kitten. U may remember me I wrote to you before about my cat Mittins who had felv/fiv. u were very helpful. U eve sent me an e- card when he passed. I don't know what i will do if something happens to this one. do you know how he could have got it? i know the mother could have had it and it may be comming out now. but could it be something in my house since i just treated my female cat for a cold?

Thanks shelly

[Traci]

Ah, Shelley, yes I remember you:)

As for transmission, it is a viral that can be passed between cats who are infected. If you do have a recovering cat at home, yes, the viral can be passed to any new kittens you bring in. Now, we're talking about the upper respiratory infection, this is common in young kittens. Again, in a tiny kitten this young, it's so important to get him seen by your vet and get the appropriate antibiotics, to get him started on those right away.

As for FIV, this too is a virus, an infectious virus if you will. You've had some experience with this in the past. If your kitten seems to be thriving at this age and is growing, sufficiently fed, active and curious, you shouldn't be worried about FIV. He's much too young to be tested at this age, you need to wait until he is at least 12 weeks old. Even then, I would recommend a second test 10 weeks after the first to get a more accurate test result.

Get your appointment right away, and let us know how he's doing.

[tebasmm]

i'm sorry to keep bothering you. i have one more question, should his BM be very loose like diarrhea? they always have been so i assumed it was normal. it is also tanish brownish color. I will take him to my vet first thing in the morning. I am not concerned about the fiv and felv. the cat I still have tested neg again just 4 weeks ago. she was also given clavamox at that time. so she finished them at least two to 3 weeks before i brought this new kitten home. my normal vet is closed tomorrow. I will see a vet tomorrow morning. I am a receptionist at a 24 emergency animal hospital. I am sure one of the doctors there will have no problem taking a look at him for me. Thanks again. shelly

[Traci]

Well, at 3 weeks old, somewhat soft would be normal, simply because he is still on formula. But, if the stool is runny-like or real diarrhea with no form at all, then tell your vet that tomorrow. Tell him what formula you're feeding (i.e., KMR kitten formula), and how often. Be sure to mix/feed it according to the directions per weight or age chart on the canister.

Hopefully, your vet will feel the stools are normal. But again, if they're runny, like water, you'll want your vet to really take a closer look with the exam.

Try not to worry, it sounds like he's fairly healthy, you can get this URI infection treated relatively easily, you just have to watch him closely during treatment, and be sure to followup with your vet.

[tebasmm]

the vet where i got him did a full exam because another women found him and was going to care for him. He was well hydrated no mites or fleas detected seemed in perfect health. she decided he was too much for her and now I have him and i am just scared i am not taking care of him properly. thanks again for all of your help i appreciate you being here to answer questions and i'm sure many others do as well. Thank you for your time. u are an angel.

[Traci]

Aww, thanks, Shelley, but that's what we're here for.

In another week, you can introduce him onto solid food. At 4 weeks, most kittens are interested in solid food then. I use Iams canned kitten food, with a drizzle of KMR kitten formula drizzled over it to encourage them. Feel free to post back and we can take you through the steps.

I'm sure you're doing everything right. As long as you're feeding the amounts suggested on the KMR, as long as he is not constipated, and as long as he seems energetic, happy, and active, he's probably doing just fine. The main thing is getting the URI infection treated, it may take a week or so to clear up (sometimes it can take up to three weeks), but once he shows improvement, you'll find that he's thriving, growing, developing and being a normal kitten.

We're always here to help, no question is too big or small, so don't let that stop you!

Let us know how the exam goes.