Bottle Baby Program - Amazon Web Services815678169699-bfas-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2012-Fri-13-To… · You$can$start$a$bo,le$baby$ program$anywhere! ... !Constipation- mineral

Too Young to Die: Saving Neonatal Kittens and Parvo Puppies – Ellen Jefferson, DVM

No More Homeless Pets National Conference October 25–28, 2012 1

Bottle Baby Program

How is this different?  Based on Wildlife Center strategy to save baby

wildlife  Problem Solving without Euthanizing



You can start a bo,le baby program anywhere!

 Trailer on South Congress

 Don’t lose sight of either one

Volunteers and Fosters are equally important



BB Organiza<onal Chart Bottle Baby Manager

Bottle Baby Foster Coordinator

Bottle Baby Rescue Coordinator

Nursing Mom Coordinator

Volunteer coordinator and mentor

Trainers Data Manager

2 Important External Posi<ons Cat Program & Rescue Manager Oversees anything to do with rescuing cats over 6 weeks old and once our babies turn 6 weeks old.

Cat Adoption Manager Oversees adoption processes, adoption centers and where our kittens go when they are old enough to find forever homes



How do we get and keep volunteers?

 Posi@ve messaging-‐  Social media  Signs  Orienta@on  Fun

 Keeping volunteers  Train them well  Give them ownership  Manage expecta@ons  Expect turnover  Help them  Give them specific roles

Protocols  Intake  Sanita@on  Preven@on

  Ringworm  URI  Diarrhea

 Illness protocols   Fading Ki,en Syndrome  URI   Ringworm  Diarrhea

 Feeding/Recipes  Outcome  Vaccina@ons/Tes@ng/Parasite Control



What is a Bottle Baby?

Unweaned kittens, usually between 0 and 4 weeks old. The youngest require attention every two hours.

Typical Course for a new BB  Picked up from TLAC within 2 hours

by volunteer  Tested for felv

 If positive, retested with serum  If still positive, set up in separate area/

foster  If negative, proceed in nursery

 Treated for fleas, worms  Pen G Injection  Charted- intake  Fed- charted  Set up in kennel, added to white board



Charts

 Intake  Feeding/weight  Medications  Comments/vet

notes

Care Basics  Bottle Baby Care includes many steps: sterilize, warm,

feed, medicate, stimulate, clean, warm, sterilize   Feeding basics:

  mix formula & warm it up   record kitten’s weight   wrap like burrito, hold upright, and give bottle   bottle nipple must be loose to release vacuum   if no luck with bottle, try oral syringe   record amount consumed

  Consider "topping off" young kittens with a second feeding  Give meds if applicable

•  Stimulate kitten with cotton ball & record output (consistency/color)

•  Wipe kitten with baby wipe •  If you ever bathe a kitten under 5 weeks old, you should

completely dry them with a warm towel before putting them back in crate. NEVER BLOWDRY! •  Check heat source and put kitten back in SECURE crate or

carrier



Development Milestones  Kittens weigh about 3 to 4 ounces at birth (90-110g);

they should double their body weight in the first week.

 Eyes open at 7-10 days. If eyes seem to be pus-filled or sealed shut, open and clean with a warm wet cloth until infection clears; if it doesn't, contact the Med Techs.

•  Eyes will stay blue until they are about 6-7 weeks old, but true eye color won't settle in until the kitten's about 3 months old.

•  At about 3 weeks, they will start crawling around, but can inch around in as early as 4 days.

•  At 3½ weeks, the ears will start to stand up.

•  At 4 weeks, they'll start to play with each other and develop teeth.

Warmth  Single most important care you can provide  Cannot maintain own body temperature  Mother cat 103°F  Snuggle Safe disc (or heating pad w/o auto-

shut off)  Never place kittens directly on heating

source •  “Nests” get damp, so

always clean bedding for warmth

•  Carrier or crate, covered with a blanket in a non-drafty area

•  Isolated from other animals

•  Kittens must be kept warm when eating



Healthy Weight Progression

 At birth - 3.0 to 4 oz. (90-110g)  2 weeks - 7.0 to 11.0 oz. (200-300g)

  dewormed  3-4 weeks - 11.7 to 15.0 oz. (350-450g)

  dewormed

 5-7 weeks - 1 to 1.5 lbs. (450-700g)   6 wks, 1st vaccinations & begin advertising

 8 weeks - 1.7 to 2 lbs. (800-900g)   8 wks AND 2 lbs. schedule for S/N

It is critical that babies are weighed at every meal. Weighing before & after can also tell you how much they are actually ingesting. Over time will indicate trends.

How Much to Feed  1st week 3.7 cc’s per ounce of body weight  2nd week 4.9 cc’s per ounce of body weight  3rd week 5.7 cc’s per ounce of body weight  4th week 6.3 cc’s per ounce of body weight

As long as the kitten does not cry excessively, gains weight, and feels firm to the touch, the diet is meeting his/her nutritional needs.



What & How Often to Feed

 Feeding Intervals  < 1 week old = every 2 hours  1-2 weeks old = every 3-4 hours  3-4 weeks old = every 5-6 hours  5-6 weeks old = every 6-8 hours

x

•  Food Progression –  < 1 week to 3 weeks – formula from bottle or oral syringe –  4-5 weeks – transition to gruel (mixture of formula & wet kitten food) –  6-8 weeks – supplement wet kitten food with kibble (e.g.,Royal Canin BabyCat)

Typical Diseases and Meds  URI- doxycycline suspension, zithromax, baytril, or convenia

(depends on severity)  Diarrhea- Pen G, kaolin, amoxi, metro, panacur, marquis,

baytril  Vomit/Diarrhea- parvo protocol (5mg/kg baytril sq NOT 20mg/

kg)  Ringworm- wait on itraconazole, use topicals until >8wks  Fleas- tiny drop of frontline or capstar  Constipation- mineral oil PO with each feeding – a few drops

per feeding until has bowel movement then stop to prevent diarrhea, sq fluids

 Not eating- tube feed, reglan, sq LRS, antibiotic  Almost ALL kittens get sick with something!  Fading Kitten Syndrome- usually has underlying problem, treat

even if you don’t see it



Medical Guide   URGENT – email or call person on call, start fading kitten protocol first!!!

 Diarrhea  Abnormal twitches  Bleeding from any part of the body  Loss or decrease of appetite  Lethargic or depressed  Breathing heavily, gasping, breath interval is low  Head slumped in food/water bowl and can’t wake up  Body is completely limp and non-responsive

 WATCH CLOSELY  Coughing  Wheezing  Sneezing  Tires easily  Straining to urinate or defecate – stimulate, consult vet team

if not productive  Change in attitude or behavior  Behavior that is unusual compared to normal behaviors

Fading Kitten Syndrome

 Sometimes kittens just fade  Stop growing  Lose weight  Stop nursing/eating  Can’t stay upright  Cry continuously

 Chronic Illness can also pose problems (e.g., persistent diarrhea even after treatment)

 If kitten becomes lethargic/gasping for air:  Wrap kitten in heating source/pad, protected with a blanket, like a burrito  Make a sugar water mixture (or diluted Karo syrup) and carefully force

feed with dropper or oral syringe  Call On Call Person

For more details on medical emergencies with examples, refer to the Austin Pets Alive! Bottle Baby Manual: http://austinpetsalive.wiki.zoho.com/Bottle-Baby-Manual.html



Aspirating  If a bottle baby accidentally gets formula into their lungs while

feeding:  Firmly pat kitten’s back until you hear a cough  If no coughing, turn baby upside down (tail over head) and shake

GENTLY, then pat back again

Because any fluids in the lungs can lead to infection, it may be necessary to start the kitten on Amoxicillin but consult Med

Techs.

Weaning & Litter Box Training

 At about 4-5 weeks, introduce “gruel” to kittens.  Gruel is a mixture of wet kitten food & KMR or water.  Serve on a flat saucer.  At the same time, place a shallow pan for the litter box

nearby so kittens always have access.  Use shredded newspaper or non-clumping cat litter.  Kittens will walk through their food & be quite messy.  Kittens will also start learning to clean themselves.  Expect accidents! You can place some of the “waste” in

the litter box so they learn what it’s there for.



Equipment  Fridge  Microwave  Snugglesafes  Blankets  Hamster cages  Bowls (spill proof)  Baby wipe warmer  SCALE

Nursery ATre

 Smocks for each kennel  Gloves  Closed toe shoes  Hair tied back



Supplies  KMR  Bottles  Cat litter  Cotton balls  Hand sanitizer  Disinfectant (nonirritating)  Towels (small and paper)  Canned kitten food  Dry kitten food: (Royal Canin Baby Cat Kibble

preferred)

Nursery Coverage

 Feeding shiUs-‐ 95% + Volunteers!

 ShiU Leaders  Feeder board/log  Lock box so it can be accessed 24/7

 Chart for each li,er



Communica<on  Google Calendar Signup  Reminder emails to the people who signed up  BB Yahoo group

 pros and cons  White board  Notes  Daily Log

Instruc<onal Video Youtube Video on how to feed and care for bottle babies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lifzi3oOVo4&feature=relmfu



Instruc<onal Video  Youtube video on how to feed and care for gruel

babies:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFNcs3mCCUQ

Lessons Learned

 Weighing ki,ens before AND aUer they eat. Messy gruel babies LOOK like they have eaten a lot when actually they are wearing all of it!

 Ki,ens fade fast, and some you can’t save

 Vaccinate at 1 #

 Trainings -‐ Shadowing is very important

 Video to help new volunteers understand the nursery before they start (welcome email)



Lessons Learned  It is easy to get overwhelmed-

 set capacity based on volunteers/staff that you have to feed

 Fosters are just as important as the ward and need to be ready to take kittens as soon as they can eat gruel

 Sometimes you have to triage- choose between a fading kitten and everyone else who needs to eat  Set expectations for that

Don’t Give Up!!!!

Documents

Bottle Baby Program - Amazon Web Services815678169699-bfas-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2012-Fri-13-To… · You$can$start$a$bo,le$baby$ program$anywhere! ... !Constipation- mineral