Daisy was a starving, dirty, and scared kitten seeking help. Daisy was finally found by a kind passerby who heard her cries late on a Sunday evening. As Daisy was clearly unwell and close to death, her rescuer called Princeton Animal Hospital after hours and asked for the emergency on-call doctor to come into the hospital and do everything possible to give Daisy the best possible chance of survival. Upon examination Daisy was found to be malnourished, dehydrated, underweight, infested with fleas, intestinal parasites, ringworm, hypothermia, and an upper respiratory infection. She appeared to be approximately 6-8 weeks old, but weighed less than 1 pound which is half of what she should have weighed. Clearly, Daisy was one very sick little kitten. She was given fluids, antibiotics, dewormer medication, a warm air blower to help her body temperature come up to normal, a lime sulfur dip to kill the ringworm and small frequent meals to avoid re-feeding syndrome which can occur after a patient is starved and then given unlimited food.
Daisy was affected by several “zoonotic” diseases meaning people can potentially be affected by them if precautions such as hand washing do not occur. Ringworm is a fungal infection that is commonly found in the soil and is easily transmitted from animals to people. This is an infection that causes hair loss and thickened dark skin in animals and red circular lesions in people. Anti-fungal topical and/or oral medication is needed to eliminate this infection. Cleaning of the environment is also important to avoid reinfection. Since Daisy was so weak, we decided to start with the topical treatment and planned to add the oral medication once she was a little stronger.
Roundworm is another zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to people. All kittens and puppies are born with roundworm. Roundworms are large 3 to 6 inch long white worms that fill the intestinal tract and can cause poor growth, diarrhea and vomiting. Most kittens become infected with roundworm from the mother's milk. The worms are encysted in the mammary glands and are able to infect the kittens once the mother starts producing milk. Adult cats become infected with roundworm by ingesting infected birds, mice, and other animals. The treatment for roundworm is safe and effective but only treats the adult worms not the immature forms. Therefore, most kittens or cats will need two to three treatments. This will ensure that all of the worms have been eliminated. The roundworm life cycle is approximately 30 days. So, typically 2 doses 2 weeks apart should be enough to kill them all.
Daisy is now doing amazing and has become a healthy and happy looking kitten. She has tripled her weight and is now able to eat three times daily instead of every 4 hours, her fur is growing back, her cough is resolved and fleas and worms are gone. Daisy will still need multiple dips to ensure the ringworm infection is eliminated. Daisy is now in condition to start her feline “distemper” vaccination series. This will help to ensure she is protected against the common viral infections that cause illness in cats. Kittens should be vaccinated every 3 to 4 weeks starting as early as six weeks until they are 16 weeks old. A single Rabies vaccine should be administered after 12 weeks, but before six months. We look forward to seeing her for these well visits so that we can continue to watch her grow. Daisy is a lucky kitten and without intervention she absolutely would have died.
Remember to always have any new pets examined by a veterinarian to help diagnose and treat any problems early. Princeton Anlmal Hospital we are open Monday through Friday 6 am until 11 pm for appointments and emergencies, Saturday 7am-4pm, and Sunday 8am-4pm. For any emergency outside of the hours listed, a veterinarian is available on call.
(c) 2014
Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment