I have been taking care of an orphaned kitten since it was a couple days old. It's been going very well (night-time feedings and a full-time job are tiring, but I've fallen hard), I take it to the vet before work and pick it up after so they can feed it and care for it. However, today, I found that the nipple in his bottle has been torn open even more to allow more formula through. It was coming out fine before. I am so angry because I've assumed that they did that because they are quite busy and understaffed and can't wait for him to drink at his own pace. If the formula was coming through his nose for me then certainly it was for them and it leaves him sneezing and his breathing sounds wet and obstructed for a long time afterwards. It broke my heart to think they may have done it on purpose. I guess my real questions are, what should I say and am I being a bit paranoid?
2007-06-12 14:43:01 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
I doubt that a person who had dedicated his/her life to the care of animals would try to injure the kitten. It could be that the vet or even the tech felt it was necessary. It could be that you are just jumping to conclusions because you love this animal, but maybe you should trust your vet does not have it in for the kitten. If it bothers you then ask them why they opened the nipple. I'm sure they won't mind answering.
2007-06-12 14:50:35 · answer #1 · answered by Sptfyr 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Check your kittens mouth. I bet it has some new teeth. My Prints, when I bottle fed, chewed the nipples clean off and I had to wrestle them out of her mouth. The person feeding the kitten should have caught this. With the milk coming out of the kitten's nose though, this is a problem. It has probably gotten some of the milk in its lungs. You need to keep the kitten up for a while (like on your shoulder) head over butt for at least a couple of hours and do not feed it for a little while. If the kitten is laying down and there is milk in the lungs, it will come up the trachea and choke it. If you keep it up, the lungs will absorb it after a while, if it is not too much. I would call the emergency vet, if the kitten is acting in distress and I would either get someone else to feed it or have a long talk with the vet about this. I don't see how, but they could be unaware of this. Also, make sure that when you feed the kitten that you lay it on it's stomach and not it's back. If a kitten is laying on it's stomach, it is less likely to get milk in the lungs.
2007-06-12 22:05:11 · answer #2 · answered by bonnie g 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Please keep in mind that just because when you fed your kitten the hole was big enough that formula was coming out their nose, DOES NOT mean that it was for the people at the vet's office. I have bottle fed many animals and when you open a nipple further it generally does not last long after that. They will tear more than you need just from the animal sucking on them and you end up with a mess. It probably was just a misunderstanding, but if it still bothers you I would speak with your vet. Ask them who worked the shift that night, and why they felt the need to change the flow of the bottle? I am sure that if it is brought up with your vet it is something that can be prevented from happening again.
2007-06-12 22:02:30 · answer #3 · answered by angela 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not hard to bottle feed one kitten, even being overbooked and understaffed, because they don't take long to eat and the staff members take turns. We do this quite often at the overbooked and understaffed clinic I work at, especially this time of year. In fact, we quite enjoy it, because tiny baby mews are great stress relief. Formula coming out the nose is often a sign of cleft palate, not of eating too fast. You do have to make the holes quite large in order to get the formula to pass, it's quite thick, and those rubber nipples wear out and tear pretty easily if it was cleaned with a pipe cleaner or something like that. Ask nicely what happened to the nipple, and judge what to do based on your response. The vet (or staff member) should have an immediate, non-defensive response.
2007-06-12 21:51:02 · answer #4 · answered by lizzy 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
This must be very distressing for you, we rely so much on the care given by vets.
Maybe the kitten chewed or cut the nipple with his teeth. If he's still too young to have sharp enough teeth, ask the vet to replace the nipple.
You could pretend ignorance and say to the vet, "he seems to have cut the nipple on his bottle somehow, and its causing him distress when he tries to feed, please replace it" smile nicely and say thankyou, even though your'e seething inside, and stand there while they do just that, and make sure the old one is thrown away before you leave.
Getting angry up front may put the vet offside, and if they ARE being negligent, they may take it out on the kitten.
If you still feel uncomfortable, try other vets in the area who may be able to offer the same service.
All the best.....
2007-06-12 21:56:43 · answer #5 · answered by maggie rose 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I would change vet's if you suspect abuse. It seems you really are taking good care of the kitten and I suspected abuse at one of my vet's one time and checked it out and I was correct.
2007-06-12 21:48:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think your being paranoid at all. It's important to find a vet your comfortable with and your pets are comfortable with too. You should probably change vets. Watch how your animals react to a vet. That's one of the best ways to tell if they're good or if you should watch them really closely.
2007-06-12 21:53:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Do you have any friends that either take their animals there or work there? You could ask them. See if they know if everyone's rushed and don't have time to wait for individual animals.
2007-06-12 23:53:52 · answer #8 · answered by Annie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not being paranoid. If you feel your kitten is being mistreated, you should take it to another vet.
2007-06-12 21:47:28 · answer #9 · answered by Cheeks 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you think you have a case, report him to whomever is in charge of a vet. Also, find someone else to care for the animal.
2007-06-12 21:51:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋