When to give up on a kit?

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Magic_FROST

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Feb 9, 2011
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Three kits born 4/17. Birth weights of 54g, 46g, 30g.
Mom's milk didnt come in until 4/19. I have been rotating and handfeeding, but this little runt female just isnt doing well. I cant seem to get more than 1/2 cc into her at a feeding, and NO weight gain.

Weights as of this a.m. are 66g, 57g, and 29g. Mom is doing great job of cleaning them up, and I have since stopped supplementing the two bigger kits, but my heart is breaking with this little one.

I have been handfeeding every 2, then removing bigger kits when feeding is done to allow this little one alone time with Mom.


I have never had a kit just not gain.....not going to lie, kinda think maybe this little life isnt meant to be.
 
Is his/her tail up? 1g weight loss isn't actually horrible, kind of surprised myself that he/she hasn't lost more than that. Hope for the best.
 
Her tail is up. 5 days of handfeeding and rotating and no gains is something ive never dealt with.
 
In litters with multiple babies things like this can happen. Smaller kits sometimes do not survive. I wouldn't give up on her, see if you can keep feeding her. Try what you can, sometimes they will start to thrive and continue to do well.

If she does pass away, it's alright. It happens sometimes with the smaller kits. 30 grams is about 40% smaller than the average birth weight of a kit so she may not be very well developed or have something wrong internally. Not every kit ends up being perfect.
 
I had a kit who was the same weight and didn't gain just like yours. She was being hand fed just like you are doing. She stayed at the same weight (30 grams) for weeks. It took a long time but she did finally start gaining, survived and thrived.

She may be premature due to a second pregnancy in her mom's other uterine horn. This is what I think happened with my kit.

The kit may not make it but I would keep on trying. Don't blame yourself if she doesn't make it. You are doing all you can.
 
I give up when they die. Then I know I have done everything I possibly can.

You might try adding a bit more cereal to the formula. It helps with weight gain and even if they are only taking a little bit, its got more calories.
 
I agree with Peggy...and everyone else

I give up when they die...even when I am sure they are going to die. It is hard to live with what if I did this...
 
tunes said:
I give up when they die. Then I know I have done everything I possibly can.
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I'm another who totally agrees with this. It is my responsibility as a breeder to try everything I can to help a kit.

You might try adding a bit more cereal to the formula. It helps with weight gain and even if they are only taking a little bit, its got more calories.
Click to expand...
I also agree with this. I had a kit who stayed at a ridiculous weight for weeks and then, all of a sudden, he started gaining. He was so frustrating. I tried everything I could think of and nothing seemed to be working but there he was, every feed, still alive and still feisty. So I kept going because he kept going.

As long as there's breath, there's hope. :)
 
I agree with everyone. However be prepared for the worse - they often don't make it. Sometimes they surprise you and become very healthy later - that makes it all worthwhile. Sending good thoughts your way.
 
I just wish she would give me some little sign of wanting to be here on Earth. A 1g weight gain.....taking more than 1/2 cc at a feeding...being eager to eat, or holding her head up. At this point I would take anything as a positive sign. But its like every 2 hours my heart just breaks.
 
sometimes when they are pre-mature they need to finish growing on the inside before growing on the outside.
 
I had a kit recently that was the same way. I decided to rotate the older ones through, leaving the little one in at all times. He started gaining and doing well. Just don't give up. They'll surprise you!
 
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