What is a Nebulizer and why should I use it for sick kittens?

So I figured that I should share a bit of information about one of the treatments for my foster kittens; Nebulizer treatment.

"Nebulizers are delivery systems in which bulk liquids containing dissolved drugs are put into a fine particle mist. The resulting mist is breathed in, allowing delivery directly to the respiratory tract. Inhaled therapy allows higher concentration of antibiotic to be delivered where needed without toxic levels being reached. Symptoms are alleviated and breathing eased. Nebulization therapy breaks up congestion, which supports an animal's immune response. A major benefit of nebulization therapy is seeing quick, positive results. Upper respiratory infection (URI) causes animals not to breathe through the nose. Effective therapy for upper respiratory infections in the nasal sinus takes a step to allow "nose breathing" while inhaling. Nebulization works best if animals can breathe through their nose, getting to the source of the problem."

My kittens are getting twice-daily nebulizer treatment with sterile saline solution; this is supported by oral antibiotics and Lysine powder.

The nebulizer treatment can very extremely important for undersized and underweight kittens; most cats eat only when they can smell their food, and congested kittens will stop eating. I run the nebulizer treatment for 20 mintues before feeding time in the hopes that it will help decongest the kittens enough that they will eat on their own. Little girl is underweight enough that I'm feeding her gruel from a syringe to supplement what she eats on her own. Little guy seems to be eating well on his own at this point and doesn't seem to need any supplemental feedings.

I've used nebulizer treatments in the past on fosters with URIs and the results are always very good; usually the kittens make a pretty good recovery in about three to four days. I'm hoping it will help out my current kitties. I do feel pretty bad about having to the use the nebulizer on my current kittens; the machine is pretty loud and you have to confine them in a small space (pet carrier) so that the nebulizer is most effective. My little guys seem pretty freaked out by it :(

No Panleuk, just Upper Respiratory Infections!

Posted from Facebook:

"So my little kittens are still looking pretty rough; They have both developed upper respiratory infections and each have a gunky eye (on top of the pre-existing ringworm).
I've been loaded up with a full regime of meds and treatments for them: Oral antibiotics and Lysine for the URIs, Probiotics and a new dewormer for digestive upset, an antiviral in case they catch anything else because they're immunosuppressed right now, and an Antifungal shampoo and Lyme Dip for the ringworm.
Oh yeah, and the shelter lent me a nebulizer to use on them three times a day to try and decongest them a bit.

As skittish as these little guys are I'm waiting to start the lyme dip and ringworm shampoo until they're a bit further along; they're so shy and scared and I'm really working on trust building with them right now. I think the baths would undermine what I'm working on with them.
I make it a point to pick them up and cuddle them until they purr whenever I have to give them a med or nebulize them. They're both still very hissy when they see hands coming for them, but as soon as I hold them and start petting they start purring. Little boy even licked my nose earlier while I was holding him.
This is only our second full day of fostering but I think we've already made some good progress. I can sit on the floor of the bathroom next to the food and water and after about 5 min both kittens will come out of hiding to eat and drink, or just to sit and clean themselves. They still startle if I move or make and loud noises, but they seem to be getting used to me being around."

Panleukopenia Scare with Sumac 1 and 2

 Posted from Facebook:

"Wow so these new kittens are the most feral of any kittens I've worked with. The little girl is so scared that she won't even come out of the carrier to eat. I left the carrier so that they could have a cave to retreat to (instead of behind the toilet or the laundry hamper). The little boy will come out to eat the wet food and use the litter box, but if I even look at him or turn his direction he hisses and hides. I can't tell if the little girl has eaten anything since I brought her home yesterday evening and I'm worried that I'll have to force feed her some gruel; I just worry about how traumatic that might be if she's already so terrified.

On the bright side I am slowly teaching them that hands are not bad. Last night I took turns holding both of them very securely on my lap and petting them until they started purring. Little girl started purring about two minutes in; little boy took a bit longer, but he started purring after about five minutes. This morning little girl started purring the minute I put her in my lap; little boy was more interested in the food and actually explored a tiny bit while I was holding his sister.
So yeah, it's going to be a long road with these two! They look really rough and obviously both have bad ringworm and possibly both have an upper respiratory infection. Little girl has a nasty gunky eye and little boy is working on one to match it."

I ended up having to take both kittens back the shelter the day after bringing them home: I found bloody stool in the litterbox. Bloody stool is usually one of the major warning signs of Panleuk and, despite the fact that the kittens had just been tested the day before, the shelter staff wanted to test them again. Luckily the second test also came back negative. Panleukopenia (also known as Feline Distemper, Feline Parvovirus, FP, FPV, or FPLV) is very often fatal.

"Of affected kittens that are two months or less of age, 90–95% die regardless of treatment. Kittens that are more than two months old have a 60–70% mortality rate with treatment and a nearly 100% mortality rate if not treated. Adult cats have a 10–20% mortality rate if treated, and an 85% mortality rate if not treated."

     -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_panleukopenia

 So that means that only 20%-30% of kittens who are Panleuk positive will survive, even with agressive treatment. My new foster kittens are extremely lucky that they do not seem to have the virus.

Unfortunately kittens under six months of age can often have a false negative when tested for Panleuk, so my kittens are not out of the danger zone yet. I'll have to keep a close eye on their eating and toileting habits to make sure that I don't see any more of the warning signs.

Finally some new kittens!

This past Wednesday a friend shared a post with me on Facebook from the local regional animal shelter:

The local shelter, which is a fabulous no-kill shelter, was at max capacity and desperately needed some help. So I hopped in my car and headed over to pick up a new pair of foster kittens. The staff at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter were thrilled, even more so when I told them that I love taking in ringworm kittens. They had 40 cats and kittens with ringworm and hardly any fosters who would take them in. So I was sent home with a pair of kittens (known as Sumac 1 and 2) who had already been treated for a month and still had their pesky ringworm.

Two gorgeous little ginger tabbies, with medium-long hair. One boy and one (very rare for a ginger) girl. They had been brought in almost a month earlier and were still almost completely feral. They tested negative for Panleukopenia (kitty parvo) but positive for intestinal worms, fleas, earmites, and ringworm. The little gal also had a really gunky winky eye, which was a good indicator that she had an Upper Respiratory Infection as well.

The staff at the overworked shelter were so happy to see these guys get a foster home! I'm looking forward to getting these kitties over their shyness and teaching them that people are kind and loving.

(The next few posts will be updates on the kittens from my Facebook page, since I have fallen behind on the whole blogging thing. Bad kitty blogger!)

Crazy little furbabies!

Oh My Gosh,
I just have to say how in LOVE I am with these two little boys!

York and Yeller are the sweetest little kitties I've EVER fostered, and that's saying a LOT!
I've honestly never had kitties this affectionate before.

They are quite demanding when it comes to snuggles and cuddles, and will bug you until you pick them up and love on them.
Sure, that might bug some people, but I think it's just about the best thing ever!

As I'm typing, they're both wandering around the table under me and nudging my feet and legs to let me know they want pettins'.

Love it!

York and Yeller update - 4 months old!

Gosh, I am the WORST blogger ever!

A LOT has happened since the last update, but at the same time nothing very important has happened.

The boys have grown quite a bit, and we went to our first adoption event, but both boys are still here at home with us.

These little guys are still the best little kitties I've ever fostered! I've never had cats before that I actually had to push away because there was TOO much cuddling and nuzzling! They are extremely demanding with their needs, which I think is absolutely perfect in a cat; however they still seem to favor Mommy and Daddy for their affection, and tend to shy away from extreme affection with new poeple.

Anywho, it's time for pictures!

Vet visit

York and Yeller are taking a trip to the vet today! They're due for their next set of vaccine boosters, which kittens get every two weeks. 

Aren't they looking so much better?! Hopefully they'll be big enough that they can start the oral ringworm meds. 

Hooray Tiny Cats!