Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 02-21-2018 02:46 PM

    Do you track the weights of your orphaned kittens? If so, do you track weights in kilograms or pounds?


    #fostercare
    #weight
    #FosterPrograms
    #tracking


  • 2.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 02-22-2018 08:18 AM

    Yes, we track in ounces and pounds.  We track them daily so we can make sure if they are not gaining, or worse yet, losing weight, we can provide immediate medical attention.


    #FosterPrograms


  • 3.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 02-23-2018 09:56 AM

    Personally, I use grams.  More granular and easier to follow.

    I use a spreadsheet in google docs where I plug in the weights each day that shows +/- that makes it really easy.  Weigh the kitten, then plug it in on my phone.  It also creates a graph and converts to ounces.  A couple of other fosters use the same template, and there's the added bonus you can share the document with vets/medical staff.  


    #FosterPrograms


  • 4.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 02-23-2018 10:09 AM

    Would you be willing to share that template?  I would love to see how you have it set-up!

    Thanks!

    Sally Hubbard

    Animal Welfare and Operations Manager

    Save-A-Pet

    Grayslake, IL


    #FosterPrograms


  • 5.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 02-23-2018 11:34 AM

    Hey,

    We weigh before and after every feeding. We weigh in grams so that we have a clearer picture of if the kitten is gaining or losing. I've attached the daily care sheet that we use to track the weight, and the feeding weight chart that we use as a guide for how much each kitten has to eat and/or be fed during each feeding. 


    #FosterPrograms


  • 6.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 05-21-2018 10:16 AM

    As a foster I prefer to track in grams, because it is more detailed in terms of exact weight gain (or loss), and I think helps to catch problem situations a hint sooner so that the foster parent can very quickly address it (add force feeding, fluids, get to the vet quickly, etc)... since kittens can fade really fast.  I like to weigh twice daily.


    #FosterPrograms


  • 7.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 05-23-2018 09:10 AM

    We weigh in grams. Most foster parents will switch over to ounces once they are 4-6 weeks.


    #FosterPrograms


  • 8.  RE: Tracking neonatal kitten/bottle baby weights

    Posted 05-23-2018 01:15 PM

    Hello. We track all neonates kittens in grams and weigh them before and after each feeding. The have to gain at least 5% of their body weight each feeding. If they have consistently lost weight over a 48 hr period we start penicillin injections (diluted with LRS 1:6, give 0.25ml to each kitten) once a day for 3 days. 


    #FosterPrograms