Sick Kitten, please help!

[StylishMummy]

Hi all, was going to post a happy into to the litter tray but unfortunately the week of having kittens has been a very stressful one. I'm hoping the collective wisdom of you all can help!

We have a pair of female pedigree ragdolls from a very reputable breeder, they're 14 weeks and were speyed a week before we got them. Registered non-active with the GCCF, breeder is local and we visited 6 times from 4 weeks to 14 weeks. Met Mum, Dad, uncle and Grandma of kittens and absolutely happy this is not down to a dodgy breeder. We've kept all food and litter identical to the breeder's.

Kit 1 is very happy and settled and is a proper fusspot, eating and drinking and toileting as expected. Affectionate and playful.

Kit 2 has been quiet since the beginning and has always been a calm little thing but we saw her playing with her siblings and eating well. She's had diahorrea since day 1 which was put down to stress initially, then we asked the vet and they gave her a probiotic. In this last 3 days this didn't help and she's lost weight (70g!)

We took her to the emergency vets today and she's had blood and stool samples to be sent off but she's completely lost the will to live. Even fresh fish and tuna can't tempt her. We're syringing fluids into her but I'm terrified we're going to find her dead in the morning.

Please please - any advice? Or is it back to the vets again?

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats they're not difficult questions and I'm happy to answer them.

Our insurance was Pet Plan top spec lifetime policy, but no pet insurance covers pre existing conditions. As the issues are 'congenital' they would've been existing from when she was born - so Pet Plan ruled them as pre existing. The diahorrea that was the first sign was happening before she came to us but both us, the breeder and the vet who did the post Spey check put this down to the anaesthetic from the Spey. So Pet Plan refused to cover the issues. (I'm work in the insurance and finance industry)

The breeder had the parents fully health tested for heart issues and other things recommended by the GCCF and we've seen the evidence of this. Kittens were treated with wormer fortnightly from 2 weeks old to 12 weeks old (we got her at 13 weeks) and the vaccinations had all been completed by the vet.

When the Giardia and kidney issues were found by the vet we used, she confirmed some strains of Giardia are resistant to over the counter worming tablets/granules and need more powerful treatment. The kidney issues are a freak thing and not common in ragdolls - no sign of anything wrong until she hit 12 weeks - this might have been made worse by the speying.

The breeder has a huge house in a very desirable neighbourhood and clearly doesn't 'need' insurance to cover the costs comfortably. I've seen pics of kit today with her mum, and she's still very poorly but ok. She'll be kept by the breeder now for life & im absolutely sure the breeder won't PTS unless absolutely necessary. We had 7 generations of family tree from the breeder, all evidence of chip, vaccinations, health testing and vet checks. It's very rare but it's happened and it's been handled gently by us and the breeder. Kit is happy and being nursed back to health.

It's a shame that when I asked for help with a genuine question- you were quick to suggest I and/or the breeder were at fault, when we've worked together to make sure kitten is in the right place with the right treatment.

Gosh, I’m so sorry.

Also I admit I have no clue about insurance but I think that’s a piss poor show from pet plan! Puts me right off them though I accept maybe any company would be the same. I get something congenital is pre existing but I always thought not covering pre existing meant it wouldn’t cover something you already knew about.

@JacobReesMogadishu

Gosh, I’m so sorry.

Also I admit I have no clue about insurance but I think that’s a piss poor show from pet plan! Puts me right off them though I accept maybe any company would be the same. I get something congenital is pre existing but I always thought not covering pre existing meant it wouldn’t cover something you already knew about.

Your ignorance of how pre-existing conditions are managed by insurance companies does not equate to the company being Piss-poor. Petplan are a good insurer and one of the few used by the vet profession themselves.

You seem very quick to blame others for your own assumptions

I did not suggest you were at fault. I did suggest your breeder is at fault - an assumption I stand by since regardless of missing obvious clues to one of her kitten's health (something you noticed very quickly) she absolutely should have held on to your kitten until its diarrhoea had cleared up.

In terms of insurance - most breeders (and rescues) will provide some insurance carry over when you take a cat from them which covers you for the first month or so. GCCF members can provide free insurance for 5 weeks from the kittens leaving them. Did your breeder do this?

Incidentally - congenital issues are covered by most insurers if there is no previous suspicion of the condition (and there are no symptoms which might suggest the condition) at the start of insurance.

Finally you have missed the important piece of advice so I'll shout to make it clear.

PLEASE GET YOUR OTHER KITTEN A FULL HEALTH CHECK.

@Veterinari. I think you totally misunderstood the tone of my post. I was expressing my surprise but admitting my ignorance on the matter. I’m very happy to accept that’s normal practice. Don’t need to be quite so snarky.

But that doesn’t mean I think it’s fair either....as long as you’ve paid and answered questions truthfully.

I pay my house insurance, it gets subsidence a few months later.....survey says it’s slowly being subsiding for some time. So was “pre existing “. The house insurance paid out. 🤷‍♀️ Which was a lot more than any vet bill would be.

[quote JacobReesMogadishu]@Veterinari. I think you totally misunderstood the tone of my post. I was expressing my surprise but admitting my ignorance on the matter. I’m very happy to accept that’s normal practice. Don’t need to be quite so snarky.[/quote]
Well to be fair your posts are full of criticisms of others
Pointing that out isn't snarky.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats yes the breeder gave us 5 weeks free insurance but the cover levels etc weren't amounts j was happy with - I've seen too many cases where shit happens that's not covered.

As for the shouty caps, do you think this isn't in-hand? Remaining Kit is on panacur to treat any possible Giardia and we've got blood tests booked for when the treatment course has finished. Thanks for your rudeness concern