Diarrhea is accompanied by liquid frequent bowel movements. In kittens diarrhea is more common than in older cats. This may be due to immature immunity, intensive development of the body, the digestive system of the baby is not yet strengthened.
Features of diarrhea in kittens
The causes of diarrhea in kittens can become viral or bacterial infections, worms , poisoning with chemicals. It can occur due to overeating or malnutrition, the digestive tract of the kitten is sensitive to changes in diet. Stress is important, for example, diarrhea may also arise from a change of residence.
Long-term diarrhea kittens are more difficult to tolerate than adults. At them the intoxication is expressed, there is a dehydration of an organism. Diarrhea can be accompanied by vomiting , lethargy, decreased appetite.
If the kitten has diarrhea with blood, then it may have internal bleeding of the small or large intestine. In this case, the animal must be urgently delivered to the veterinarian - the animal's life depends on it.
The color of the stool is also important in diarrhea. If the stool is brown, it is most likely a poisoning with food or a drug. And if light - a symptom of a viral infection, you need to contact the clinic.
Treatment of diarrhea in a kitten
If diarrhea in a kitten for the first time and is not accompanied by a large loss of fluid, temperature, lethargy, refusal to eat what can be done at home:
- The first day the kitten is kept on a full diet and provides him with complete peace.
- The kitten in the bowl should always have clean water in sufficient quantities, it should drink a lot to prevent dehydration.
- A kitty for diarrhea should be given (maybe, it is necessary to pour in small portions) solutions of the rehydron or slightly salted water (8.5%), which should lead to an improvement after the first day of illness.
- To reduce the processes of fermentation, give adsorbents - Enterosgel or activated carbon. Enterosgel is the most effective.
- He also needs to make broths of chamomile, St. John's wort, oak cortex or rice broth (give through a syringe without needles) and drink 5-10 ml three times a day.
On the second day you can start feeding the kitten, but the usual portions should be reduced by half. Feed the kitten can be low-fat food three times a day in small portions - boiled chicken meat, boiled rice or egg yolk, low-fat meat puree. During this period, do not give him dairy products and continue to drink activated charcoal twice a day and give drinks to decoctions of the bark of oak, chamomile and St. John's wort. Coal draws unnecessary harmful bacteria, chamomile heals well, and the bark of oak has an astringent effect.
After recovery, you can switch to regular meals. If there is a belief that diarrhea has arisen because of which specific food - do not use it at all.
If you can not cure diarrhea yourself by yourself, the kitten does not work and on the second day there is no improvement (oppression, lack of appetite, bloody or black stools) as soon as possible, show it to a vet. The doctor will take tests and check the sick animal for infections, diseases or parasites and prescribe treatment.
Prevention of diarrhea
Many kittens do not tolerate dairy products, since they do not have the right amount of lactose to digest it. Therefore, you need to be sure that the kitten does not have this intolerance.