Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
What helps orphaned shelter kittens with diarrhea survive treatment
By Strong, Sandra J et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·Department of Environmental Services, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Interventions and observations associated with survival of orphaned shelter kittens undergoing treatment for diarrhea.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of orphaned kittens with diarrhea was treated at a shelter, and researchers wanted to find out which treatments helped them survive. Out of 220 kittens with diarrhea, 172 received treatment, and 153 of those survived to be adopted or transferred to a rescue. Kittens older than 4 weeks were much more likely to survive, and those that received a vitamin and mineral supplement had a significantly better chance of making it compared to those that didn’t. Other treatments like fluids or medications didn’t show a clear benefit for survival.
People also search for: kitten diarrhea treatment · orphaned kitten care · vitamin supplement for kittens · how to help sick kittens · shelter kitten survival rates
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify significant associations between treatment interventions and survival of orphaned shelter kittens with diarrhea. METHODS: Orphaned kittens admitted to a large open-intake municipal animal shelter and entering a volunteer foster care provider network between April 2016 and July 2017 were studied. Individual orphaned kittens for which the care provider sought examination by shelter veterinarians because of clinical signs of diarrhea were included. Treatments administered were recorded and their association with kitten survival to adoption or transfer to a rescue partner was statistically examined. RESULTS: A total of 1718 orphaned kittens were fostered, among which 220 kittens (12.8%) from 118 different litters were presented for evaluation of diarrhea. A total of 172 (78.2%) kittens underwent treatment for their diarrhea, among which 153 (89.0%) survived to adoption or transfer to a rescue partner and 19 (11.0%) died or were humanely euthanized. Kittens with diarrhea that were ⩾4 weeks of age were 24.8 times more likely to survive (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8-89.8;<0.0001). While controlling for age, kittens that received a vitamin and mineral supplement were 12.8 times more likely to survive (95% CI 3.1-52.5;= 0.0004) than kittens with diarrhea that did not receive the supplement. Treatment with subcutaneous fluids, penicillin G, tube feeding, a probiotic containingSF68, ponazuril or metronidazole did not statistically significantly increase the survival of kittens with diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Age ⩾4 weeks and treatment of diarrhea with a vitamin and mineral supplement favorably improves survival of orphaned kittens to adoption. Application of these findings are likely to improve the health and welfare of this population and contribute to a refinement in use of shelter resources.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30920335/