Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

kitten with head trauma update...

Here is the link to the last thread I'd posted on...

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/Kitten-head-trauma/show/599785

Basically one of two feral kittens we were bottle feeding was suddenly near death a few weeks ago... getting close to 5 weeks old, the little boy was apparently blind from the excess cranial pressure and having displaying lots of other neuro injury symptoms... constantly flicking tail, etc.  How he got hurt is still a mystery.  He was usually with a smaller sibling and they were rarely out of site from my wife.

As covered in the linked thread, we had him treated at a emergency vets office over a weekend, and MANNITOL did a great job of reducing the pressure causing all the problems... He seemed all better.  But then, just over 2 days later he started sliding downhill quickly... another dose of Mannitol and like magic, he seemed fine again.  This time he was also put on prednisone (sp?) and a full week later we are now stepping down his steriod dose.

  So far everything seems totally normal.  

We are hoping of course that the problem was actually caused by a physical trauma and he has had time to 'repair' the damage.  Hopefully it's not a congenital problem that the mannitol 'fixed', and the prednisone is able to keep down for the time being.  A lifetime of prednisone isn't an option for a 6 week old kitten.

We still have our fingers crossed, but from our experience, the IV drug Mannitol is a utter lifesaver for a cat/kitten/pet that is suffering from a severe concussion.  It's diuretic effect works alarmingly fast.  I mean the first dose literally revived a limp nearly lifeless cat back into a wound up kitten in less than 4 hours.
5 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1629414 tn?1303078727
hi mannitol polufusor is available in the uk as my cat had it in the last week i was charged just over 20 pound for this drug im in the south west so may very, but as far as im concerned it was worth every penny :-)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
do you no if this treatment is avaliable in the uk
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
Oh bless your dear heart not only for rescuing these poor abandoned babies to begin with but for also having it in your kind heart to spend all the money on care too....and without even knowing if this treatment would do the job, this goes above and beyond what so many are willing to do, it seems some are so willing to give up on a pet (let alone a new one)...
I am so happy 'she' is going to be okay now and live a long healthy and productive life thanks to you.
and now a 3rd....how very kind of you to turn and go back for this poor little soul. these needy little ones sure knew how to come across you just at the right moment didn't they. I don't believe that was a mistake!
Now they will have a loving and caring home and will without a doubt repay you many times over.
God bless.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just came back to update this once more...  Funniest thing I have to add is the 'little boy' is actually a female!  'He' was so young at the time that no one in the first 2 visits ever noticed he was a she!

Basically she's doing fine... and is a very sweet kitten.  Whatever caused the 'head injury'... the two doses of IV mannitol seemed to get her thru the swelling/pressure that was causing such worrisome side effects.  We are convinced that without the mannitol treatment she'd have not made it thru that first night.

Her brother is absolutely hell on wheels.  He is terrorizing everyone in the house... till he gets tired then he's the most 'lovey' of any pet we'd ever had.

And since these two showed up in our garage, we inherited a 3rd feral kitten on a drive to San Antonio to pick up a project car I decided I couldn't live without.  I nearly hit that little kitten on I-10 and saw more than 1/2 a dozen cars behind me dodge her as well.  When we got turned around and back to the vicinity over 15 minutes had passed! As I pulled over I spotted her crossing the highway one more time.  We collected her up and found she had a broken tail... the tip was 'dead' according to the vet, and has since fallen off... (ick!)  When she gets spayed the vet will shorten it up and stitch it up nicely.

Helpful - 0
541150 tn?1306033843
Thank yo for the update. I am also keeping my fingers crossed for this kitty. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to watch this little animal go through so much at such a young age.

Good Luck!!
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Cats Community

Top Cats Answerers
874521 tn?1424116797
Canada..., SK
506791 tn?1439842983
Saint Mary's County, MD
242912 tn?1660619837
CA
740516 tn?1360942486
Brazil
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.