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10 day old kittens with Giardia (I think)

Anathama Jul 16, 2004 07:40 PM

My wife found some newborn (perhaps 1-2 days old) kittens in a storm drain about 10 days ago. We have been feeding them replacement milk via syringe and now bottle with not much of a problem so far.

The problem is runny poop every single time. This problem has now spread to my 13 week old kitty and one of our 9 year old cats. The fact that the older cats have _very_ smelly feces leads me to believe they all of Giardia at this point. I know I can fix the older cats with metronidazole (Flagyl), but I'm not sure what to do about the little ones.

As I have very little money and currently no job, I do not have the resources to take all the cats to the vet at this point.

I assume that kittens this young (~11 days, eyes just opening) should be cured as fast as possible, but I have not been able to find any antibiotics that are deemed "safe" for kittens.

After several hours of looking online for a place to obtain the metronidazole cheaply, I discovered that "Fish Zole" from Thomas Labratories is actually just 250mg of Metronidazole, sold in bottled of 100 for only $15. This is a savings of about 90% off the normal price for the same product when marketed to cats/dogs and people, and something I can afford. (Kitten milk is not cheap, and thats where most of my money is going right now)

So, I guess my questions are:

1.) Can 2 week old kittens be given metronidazole?
2.) If so, is there a dosage chart somewhere?
3.) If not, is there something else I can give them for Giardia?

Thanks in advance.

Replies (1)

JaimeMarie Jul 17, 2004 10:16 AM

I'm not a vet. So I really can't answer your questions. You may want to try posting up on ask the holistic vet. Also, a local rescue group may be able to help with costs. If you explain your situation and agree to continue fostering until the kittens are old enough to adopt out, they may be willing to help.

Good luck,
Jaime
-----
Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

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