Ask the Veterinarian/My Shelter Kitty

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Expert: - 8/19/2011


Question
About a month ago my family adopted a small kitten from our local shelter.  We absolutely love her, but sinse we brought her home she has had one issue after another.  She has been to the vet 6 times (twice for checkups and vaccinations) and everytime we go in it seems like when one problem leaves, another develops.  Her first week she had really runny stools and looked dehydrated.  She was given Alpine-Flagil to help, then she had round worms, so she was given dewormer, then she gagged, constantly, and lost her meow.  She was diagnosed with a URI and given amoxicillin, which made her throw up everytime she ate.  She went for a check up on monday the 15th and her vet told me to take her off her antibiotic and see how she would do after that.  Her URI is gone, but it's the 19th and shes still throwing up.  Shes extremely gassy, you can feel the air moving when you pick her up.  I get her i/d prescription gastrointestinal food from her vet. I am supposed to talk to her vet today and give him an update, I am really worried about her.  I just want her beter so we can enjoy our new kitten, and let my bank account breathe.  Do you have any suggestions?  I'm at a standstill.

Answer
This kitty could probably benefit from some probiotics as well as some other broad spectrum worming medicines.

If it wasn't done already, I would certainly have her tested for leukemia. Cats with this virus (and they can be born with it) will get sick repeatedly because their immune systems are not up to par. One negative test isn't a help either, as it can take 6 weeks or longer for the virus to show up.

So get her re-tested or tested, and ask your vet about having her tested for other GI parasites like giardia and/or coccidia.

I/D is good food for her right now. I wouldn't change that at all.I know how frustrating this can be, but you are on the right track.

Get some probiotics to help her along and her health should start improving.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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