![]() Repeat several times on each leg.Ĭycling: holding the kitten in your lap, gently bicycle the legs.įoot placement: while the kitten eats a meal, place their feet underneath the body.Įncourage steps: use a toy to entice the kitten to take steps towards it. Range of motion exercises: gently stretch the limb straight, then bend each joint until the foot is underneath the body. ![]() One to two times a day, completely unwrap the legs for physical therapy exercises. Remove and replace one to two times a day for physical therapy exercises. Once you have the legs in the correct position, apply a line of tape connecting the taped knees and the taped hips. You can always begin with a wider gap between the limbs, and slowly bring them closer together over a period of several days. Manually square the hips, knees, and ankles to an extent that does not cause pain to the kitten. Repeat for the other knee.įind the kitten’s ankles-the joint at the end of the foot. Manually straighten the joint to stretch the knee outward. Use a good quality medical tape that will not pull at the fur or skin when removed.įind the kitten’s knees, which are located by the abdomen. There are several methods for doing this, but what I recommend most is to create hobbles using medical tape: The primary therapy for swimmer syndrome is to tape or wrap the legs so that the hips, knees, and ankles are squared. By intervening as close to 3 weeks of age as possible, caregivers can get the kitten’s body into a proper position and teach the kitten to walk within a relatively short period of time. The body of a young kitten is growing rapidly, both in the development of bone and muscle mass, and in the development of motor skills. If you’re not sure what age your kitten is, check out my handy information on how to tell a kitten’s age. If the limbs are splayed in such a way that the feet are pointed outward, a veterinarian should be quickly consulted to confirm whether the kitten has swimmer syndrome. By 3 weeks of age, however, a kitten will typically begin to learn to walk. Kittens 0-3 weeks old do not have the muscular development and motor skills to fully place a foot underneath the body and walk. Rescuers should not assume that a kitten has swimmer syndrome if she is under 3 weeks of age, as newborn kittens may appear to have splayed limbs simply due to age. Swimmer Syndrome is Evident Around 3 Weeks of Age There is no diagnostic test for swimmer syndrome it is diagnosed by visual observation and kittens should begin treatment as early as possible. The tendons around the hips may be quite loose, causing the hips to be overly flexible and to veer outward. Kittens may also be impacted by an unbalanced diet of the mother cat, which can lead to musculoskeletal issues and deficient ligaments for her young. It seems to have a strong genetic component, with multiple kittens in a litter often presenting with splayed limbs. The cause of swimmer syndrome is still not fully understood within scientific literature. Act quickly, and you may be able to make a lifelong difference for the kitten’s mobility. If you’ve recently rescued a kitten with swimmer syndrome, don’t be discouraged. Many kittens are born with swimmer syndrome, but they are very commonly euthanized, even though the condition is treatable through early intervention and physical therapy. ![]() While most literature suggests that swimmer syndrome is more common in puppies, this is simply not true. Kittens with swimmer syndrome will find it difficult or impossible to stand and walk. The kitten may have a frog-like posture, with the hips jutting out to the side of the body and the feet facing sideways, rather than placed underneath the body. Swimmer syndrome is a congenital condition that can occur in young kittens, causing the legs (typically the hind limbs) to splay laterally.
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