Help my foster babies! Possible mange??

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  • #848951
    Samantha
    Participant

    Hey, my name is Sam and this is my first time fostering kittens and it has been not what I expected. I started with a mom and five kittens who were only 3 days old when I got them. The mom is young herself and this is her first litter. So right now the kittens are exactly two weeks. At about one week one kitten passed away. I noticed it was “fading” I did everything I could I made sure it was warm I tried to bottle feed and it died in my hands. The next morning we woke up to another kitten who died. It was terrible! I vowed to not lose another kitten and the remaining three all seemed very happy, hungry and healthy. Four fays after the first two passed away I noticed that another kitten was fading and not gaining weight or eating. I took immediate action and brought her into the shelter so I could have an expert asses. They said there wasn’t much hope for her and to just bottle feed but not to get my hopes up. But they also noticed that her skin was strange and wrinkly. So I brought in the mama and and the other kittens so they could look at them all together. They all have wrinkly skin. The mom is missing hair on the inside of her legs which I thought was normal
    For her since she was a stray. They rules out ringworm and told me it could possibly be something called mange. Then they pretty much patted me on the back gave me some antibiotics and wished me luck! Sorry this is so log now I’ll get to my question… I really really don’t want to lose another kitten. I don’t think I can handle it. I’m not sure now if these kittens are dying from fading kitten syndrome or because of this skin condition! Does anyone know a remedy for both mama and kittens? There are only two left and I wanna do everything I can to make sure they survive. Right now they are perfectly healthy besides the skin being “weird”. This is really my first time with kittens so I’m not sure what normal even is. But anyway any advice at all will be appreciated! Im a mess I just can’t lose any more kittens 🙁

    #848955
    JerseyJoan
    Moderator

    Hi Sam. I’m sorry you’ve lost a few kittens and you have been basically left on your own. We’re not vets here, but I did some reading on mange and scabies. It really needs to be confirmed as such by a vet taking a skin scraping and looking under a microscope. From what I’ve read, mange (alopecia) often resolves itself, so it may not be what is causing the kittens to fade. Is mama caring for them at all? Not all young mamas have good instincts, but many do. If she is pushing them away, sadly she may know that there is something wrong with her babies. This is a wild instinct; sick babies become targets for predators. It really sounds like you should get mama and kittens to a vet. Wish I could offer more advice; others here may have additional comments to help you.
    Please keep everyone warm and dry and let us know how you are doing.

    #848957
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/skin/c_ct_Demodicosis
    Mange is caused by a specific mite, but like JJ said, a skin scraping by a vet is necessary to find out which mite it is so it can be treated effectively if they find it. I am going to post a couple of links to kitten rearing sites for you to look at. They are full of information in hand rearing kittens. Your mom cat may not be making milk, or enough of it to be keeping the kittens alive. Then too, there could be something wrong with the kittens that they caught from the mother in utero. The best thing now, is to get them to a vet that is knowledgeable and willing to help you with these kittens (and mom) instead of sending you on your way with just well wishes. One of the biggest things with kittens is to make sure they are warm. A cold kitten cannot process food. I always put a heating pad wrapped in a towel set on low in the nest. A place for them to crawl off if they get too warm is best too. Goat’s milk is better IMO than KMR. You can find it in the refrigerated milk section of the grocery and in the baking aisle in cans. The canned is condensed, so add water 1 to 1. Using goat’s milk will prevent a lot of digestive issues down the road.
    http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm

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