Update to malnourished kittens ... HELP NEEDED!

....follow up to my message from 15 July regarding the malnourshed
kittens and their diarrhea.

After the course of the Clavamox was completed their stool color
improved to brown, the color it should be, however the diarrhea
continued. They have been dewormed twice (2 weeks apart) with Strongant
to rule out a worm problem however the problem persisted. We have
changed their food to a Gastro (hypoalergenic/digestive) formula on the
advise of the veterinarian. They are also drinking lots of water, we
are using reverse osmosis water to reduce the change of introuducing any
other problems.

On Monday their condition was not improving so they went back to the vet
and were put on Metronidazole drops, also Viokase powder is being mixed
in thier food to help the digestive process. Now 2 of them are doing
better, one is mostly the same, and one is not doing well at all.

The two we are worried about are just skin and bones, they have not put
on any weight. One is particualar is the worst and even the vet
indicated it may not pull through.

Today the vet checked the stool sample again and does not feel it is any
parasite infection. He said the stool is mostly undigested food.

When I discussed if there is anything else we can do he felt we are
doing all we can. So here I am trying to see if anyone else has some
recommendations. I aksed the vet about something like yogurt and he did
not know if it would help any.

The vet feels that there has been significant damage done to the lining
of the intestines and there is nothing that can be done. If that is the
case what do we have to lose?

I am thinking about introducing some lactobacillus, probably in the form
of skim milk cottage cheese or plain yougurt. I feel the Clavamox has
killed all the good bacteria in thier systems and that may be part of
the problem. They have been off the Clavamox for over a week now.

Any help/information would be greatly appreciated. My wife and I want
to make sure we do not lose any of these little guys.

Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

-Troy

Poor babies. I would be tempted change vets, someone who has lots of
experience with rescue kittens. Clavimox is harsh stuff for small
kittens; your idea to reintroduce lactobacillus is good (you can get the
stuff at any health food store). Some other things you could try from
your vet are albon, which sometimes helps heal the gut (and will knock out
coccidia while it is at it -- coccidia can be hard to detect and often
flares up after worming). Also low-residue food (wet and dry, if the
kittens are old enough for kibbles). Also ask your vet about rehydrating
the kittens as needed. Diarrhea brings on dehydration very quickly, and
dehydration kills quickly.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats
Seattle