He is 90 grams and kitten was found outside as a stray.
Meet Ducky! This one day old baby came into @chicagoanimalcare last night with a 10pm deadline. He is 90 grams and was found outside as a stray. Of course I took him—newborn orphaned singleton black kittens are kind of my jam.
Ducky is hanging out in my incubator and getting Breeder’s Edge formula diluted with Kitten Lyte every two hours. So far he’s got a great appetite!✨
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Ducky is struggling with one of the most common ailments that orphaned neonatal kittens face: diarrhea! For kittens under 2 weeks old, the most common cause of diarrhea is a diet change from their mom’s milk to formula. It can cause an imbalance of bacteria in the gut and quickly result in soft-serve or liquid poop.
In order to give his body support, I have diluted his formula with electrolyte solution and given probiotics. Probiotics will help rebuild the good gut bacteria that aids in digestion. Electrolytes (Kittenlyte) help combat dehydration.
After 24 hours of no improvement, I decided to provide antibiotic support with a 3-day course of penicillin (PenG) as recommended by @maddiesfund and @americanpetsalive. He’s on day two right now and already showing improvements! He’s also gassy, so he is given a drop of infant gas relief once a day.
It’s touch-and-go when it comes to diarrhea in neonates, but I’m hoping I’ve found the treatment plan that works for Ducky!
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Ducky is 8 days old today! We are officially on eyeball watch—how many days do you think we have until he can see the world (or at least as much of the world as his new blurry-visioned eyes will be able to)?
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I forgot to make a post that Ducky opened his eyes, so whoever guessed “two days” on my post of him from a week ago was correct! He can see the world now! It’s very exciting.
Also he’s purring very loudly in this video so I suggest you turn the volume up and try to ignore the rainstorm sounds I have playing in the background. The cats like it on when I leave for the day (or at least that’s what I think).⛈
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One of the best parts about bottle babies? Ear wigglessss.💕
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Guess who’s 5 weeks old?? It’s Ducky! He’s just about the age to start trying wet food, but until that day he’s a bottle baby through and through!🐥🍼
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