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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

pet milk replacements

At Ubi Kuching Project from time to time we have cases where orphaned kittens are brought to us by rescuers and so we need to have pet milk handy to hand-rear any of these kittens. Our latest tin of KMR milk was donated by Pie's rescuer and I reckon it won't be long before we will need to stock up again! We also use pet milk to supplement kittens' diets if they require intervention because they are weak or ill, alongside moistened baby food if necessary.

I have here a compiled review on the common varieties of pet milk replacements useful for orphaned infant animals or as a supplement to your pet's diet. The three brands I have tried are Troy Animalac, KMR and Cosi Pet Milk. I have yet to try Just Born so it won't be in this review.

Troy Animalac
This is the most economical brand of pet milk powder in the market, and we use it widely in Ubi Kuching Project for fostering orphaned kittens that come into our custody. We like it because it is affordable, and this is also the brand sold at Angels. Its affordability makes it sustainable when we have a large number of kittens that need milk, since one kitten can finish one can in about 3 weeks. Its label reads that vitamins are part of the composite nutrition but it is not stated how much and of what vitamins, so if you are nursing a sick kitten add one drop of vitamins (or as directed by vet) to the milk when hand-rearing. We however notice that most kittens when nursed on this brand of milk tend to have watery stools, some to the point of diarrhoea, so if we have a choice, we will get KMR (see below) which The Water Dish retails to Ubi Kuching Project at charity rate. This brand of milk is also available at vets.

KMR Kitten Milk Replacement by PetAG (also available at The Water Dish, email them to enquire)
This brand of milk is 3 times more expensive than Animalac - smaller tin, twice the price @$27 at Pet Lovers Centre if I am not wrong. It however does have a good mix of vitamins within, so supplemental vitamins are not as crucial. Also, the stools of the kittens come out nice and dry, easy for clean up. This brand is also more filling for the kittens compared to Animalac; even in powder form it looks more dense. For those hand-rearing, this is a definite plus because of the round-the-clock feedings required by orphans. Because of its smaller tin size the can will last about 2 weeks, so its price is the only downside.

Cosi Pet Milk
In a pinch, we have used Cosi Pet Milk as a milk replacement for orphaned kittens before. It is a palatable milk supplement meant for all pets, but it is less filling, and probably needs additional vitamins to supplement it. One of Aswat's cats, Belle, was reared entirely on Cosi Pet Milk and she is a happy, healthy and large sized cat now, so Cosi does work. You can heat it up human baby milk style by heating the bottle in hot water, or do it short-cut like me - add water and microwave it on lowest setting.