How to treat a kitten with Smecta medication
Action, dosage, recommendations.
If the doctor has prescribed your ward treatment for diarrhea, most likely, "Smecta" will be the main therapeutic tool.
How to give a kitten "Smectite" and whether the drug is harmless for the little one? How to calculate the dosage and whether to use human drug in the treatment of animal? If you have these or similar questions, you will receive answers below.
Features of digestion in kittens.
Digestive system each kitten will have two serious tests. The fact that the baby is born with sterile microflora and one of its main tasks is the journey to the mother's nipple. Making the first SIPS of saturated colostrum, the kitten absorbs bacteria that inhabit his intestines and help digest mother's milk. After birth, cat 1-3 days feeding the kittens with colostrum then milk the mother cat is changing. Weaned kitten, if it survives on artificial feeding, has a distorted intestinal microflora, which leads to frequent digestive problems – constipation and diarrhea. When the baby turns 1 month, his digestive system is waiting for a new test-the habituation to adult food. Regardless of whether the mother eats the kittens natural foods or food produced by industrial methods, for kittens this food is new, you might say, unnatural. The microflora, intended for milk digestion, begins to be partially replaced, and the intestine becomes irritated. The kitten becomes more liquid "stools" or diarrhea begins, which indicates that the bowel protects itself more active mucus. If the kitten is healthy, then in 2 months (plus or minus a week), his digestion back to normal. There are risks. Diarrhea quickly leads to dehydration, and when it comes to a kitten, the period is reduced to 20-30 hours. If the cause of diarrhea is not a change of diet, and the baby is not assisted, his condition will deteriorate. Dehydration leads to blood thickening, which adversely affects all life systems.
The purpose and effect of Smecta medication.
The drug is available in powder form and Packed in 3-gram sachets. In accordance with the instructions, before use, the powder should be diluted with 100-120 milliliters of liquid. The volume of packing means that the medicine will be taken by the person therefore it is not necessary to give at once all sachet to a kitten! "Smecta" is one of the universal drugs for the treatment of intestinal disorders, without contraindications and side effects. The prepared suspension quickly enters the intestine, where it has two main actions:
1). Envelops the walls, removing irritation, reducing mucus production.
2). Absorbs toxins on the principle of sponge, facilitating state of kittenish.
After 2-3 hours, the drug completely leaves the body with urine. If you decide to give a kitten "Smektu" with diarrhea, significantly reduces the risk of intestinal arrest (peristalsis). It is believed that even stopped peristalsis in a kitten is easy to start again and this is true if the animal is otherwise healthy. If the kitten developed diarrhea, it does not need to feed 10-12 hours, because the contact with food in the gut stimulates the proliferation of pathogenic (unfriendly) bacteria. The absorbing property of "Smecta" should be taken into account if the kitten is prescribed additional drugs. The suspension is given 3-4 times a day and should not be given immediately after medication. The active ingredients of the drug, in fact, are also toxins that "Smecta" will absorb and remove from the body. In very rare cases, or when the excess dosage from the "Smecta" the kitten may develop constipation.
Do I need to give a Smecta medication kitten?
Immediately after the introduction of complementary foods, the kitten is likely to start diarrhea, so "Smektu" can be dissolved in water for preventive purposes. If everything goes naturally, the diarrhea will not last more than 5 hours or it will not be at all. If you are not sure that diarrhea is a reaction to a change of diet, then do not delay, consult your doctor. An adult cat can live quite a long time even with acute (prolonged and active) diarrhea, and the kitten will quickly die from dehydration. In the case of poisoning or eating spoiled food, diarrhea and vomiting can not be eliminated, because these are the most effective ways to quickly cleanse the body of toxins. If after taking "Smecta" more than 2 hours have passed and the condition has not improved, the reason is not only poisoning, perhaps the liver or pancreas can not withstand the load on the body. Do not delay a visit to the veterinarian, if the kitten refused food and water! Again, whether it's an adult cat, you would have had a buffer of time, with the kitten not delay. Lowering the base body temperature, lethargy and apathy are also very alarming symptoms, indicating that the problem is not diarrhea.
How to give a kitten of Smecta medication?
Dosage for a kitten does not differ from the adult animal-about 1.5 grams of powder per 50 ml of water. However, you'll be a single dose, which should not exceed 10 ml (maximum). Will be much better if you give the medication more often, but gradually (1-2 ml each). Make sure the baby goes to the toilet. "Smecta" is excreted in the urine and if the baby does not urinate, most likely, the problem is also in the kidneys. Many years of experience in the use of "Smecta" has shown that the treatment is effective for all Pets, regardless of age. Even with the side effect of constipation, the condition of the baby should improve. With constipation is easier to fight, just a little bit to adjust the power or add a drop of linseed oil to the food. Without food, baby can live more days, but better to this period not exceeded 12 hours. If the kitten did not drink for a long time, the threat is significantly bigger, give "Smecta" with plenty of water and force water baby. Next, look at how to feed a kitten "with Smektoj". Quite a few animals without problems themselves drink suspension and love its sweet taste. If the kitten refuses liquids – just make sure that he drank the right amount of suspension. When resisting or refusing, the drug must be drunk forcibly. Since we are talking about a kitten, you need to act carefully and make sure that the baby does not choke.
Some tips:
- Use a 2 CC syringe without a needle, so you can accurately dose the volume of the suspension. Let the kitten sniff the syringe before watering, the baby will be calmer if he realizes what's happening. Do not pour the suspension between the incisors, it is better to stick the nozzle of the syringe on the side, between the chewing teeth. If the kitten choked, postpone the procedure and help him calm down. No matter how small the kitten is, it can severely scratch or bite, so for the procedure, it is better to wrap it in a thick towel. Pour the suspension for a few milliliters, lift the kitten's head and stroke the neck-so you will achieve maximum swallowing and the baby will not choke.
- If the kitten strongly resists, and a lot of suspension spilled, it is better to play it safe and increase the dose (within reasonable limits). An overdose of "Smecta" is not dangerous, at least not more dangerous than severe diarrhea. After the first reception of the suspension, you need to closely monitor the ward for 1-3 hours. Usually, a noticeable improvement occurs during this period. Even if the kitten has become much easier, the reception Smecta need to continue for 1-3 days. The fact is that toxins will continue to be produced in the intestine until the complete destruction of pathogenic flora, and this (with the best forecasts) takes a day. The lack of improvement within 3 hours indicates that you have calculated the dosage incorrectly or that the cause of diarrhea is not in the irritation of the intestine. You can risk to drink "Smektu" again and wait another hour, but it is better to take the baby to the veterinary clinic.
- Suspension has only local effect, i.e., it will not help if the kitten severe poisoning or liver problems. The condition will ease, but the root cause will not be eliminated, which is dangerous and leads to the loss of precious time. The last warning concerns kittens infected with worms. Worms can also cause diarrhea. Drug does not help against worms, but ordinary parasitidae agent for diarrhea can be given. You need to consult a veterinarian or use a gentle suspension for kittens, which does not kill, but paralyzes worms. Combine watering Smecta and Podravka parasites is impossible, since the absorbent will significantly reduce the effectiveness of the anthelmintic suspension.