3 week old kitten with diarrhea.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that ginger is not well.

Any time a kitten has diarrhea I am a little concerned. These little guys don't have a lot of reserves to fight dehydration and so if diarrhea goes on for more than a day or so it can be quite serious.

It is possible that she has diarrhea because of parasites. You can certainly try an over the counter dewormer from the pet store, but the better option would be to have your vet examine a stool sample to determine what parasites are present. Some parasites need prescription medication that you can only get from the vet.

Kittens can also have diarrhea because of a virus.

Now for your next question...can a kitten nurse from a dog? I have heard many stories of dogs successfully nursing kittens. However there are nutritional differences between dog and cat milk and it is not recommended. It is also possible that nursing from the dog could cause diarrhea in the kitten, but it is hard to say whether this is what is happening. I wouldn't recommend letting the kitten nurse off of the dog.

If she still has diarrhea after 24 hours I would definitely recommend a trip to the vet.

Hope everything is ok!

Dr. Marie.

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