Expert: Karen Craft - 6/26/2010

Question
Dear Karen,

I am a Surgical Technician in a multi-Doctor Animal Hospital, and as you can imagine, I have bottle fed and fostered too many kittens to count.  This has been my career for the past 15 years.   Raising kittens has gone relatively smooth up until about 1 month ago.  Out of a litter of four, only one survived.  I now have another litter of four, and only a couple are doing well.  For the first couple weeks, they do great.  They are bottle fed with KMR milk replacer.  Suddenly the stools are like bird droppings & I'm dealing with severely dehydrated kittens who quickly go down hill.  I've gone through all the suggestions & plans from the four Veterinarians I work with:  Amoxi drops, Albon, supplementing with Recovers RS canned food & adding in Forti-flora +/- yogurt.  The stools have firmed up, but it smells & looks like the food that is going in the front end of them.  They are not absorbing the nutrients from the food - it's just passing right through.   I now have one kitten especially that looks like a walking skeleton - acts like she doesn't feel good and lethargic.  She won't drink the KMR anymore.  I'm doing SQ fluids.  Can you please help me?   I'm going to lose her soon if I can't figure this out.  (fecals done on these guys have been negative for parasites)

Answer
HI Kelly,

The best I'm going to suggest to you is you might want to try feeding them on my recipe for kitty glop. I have had great success with this stuff. And most kittens fatten up on this. Also if you have city water try using distilled water. The formula of chemicals the water dept uses  may have changed. Good luck.

Ciao,

Karen


KITTY GLOP

INGREDIENTS:
1 can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
2 tbsp. plain yogurt (not low or non fat)
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (real not light or No-Fat)
1 tbs. Karo Syrup (light)
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1 egg yolk (beaten,)
1 cup Pedialyte (unflavored)
1- 2 jars Stage One Baby food (chicken or turkey)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix milk, yogurt, mayonnaise, baby food, and syrup together well. Bring 1 cup pedialyte to boil and mix in Knox gelatin. Set aside. Mix egg yolk with small amount of milk mixture and beat well.

Add gelatin and pedialyte to milk mixture and beat well. Add in egg yolk mixture and beat well. Remember to not use egg substitute and keep egg white to a minimum.

Pour into bowl (with cover) and set in refrigerator. Glop will last for two weeks covered in refrigerator. Try freezing the mixture in ice cube trays and store the cubes in the freezer, thaw as many as needed.
Always warm glop to room temperature ,(milk form), or a little warmer, before feeding.