kittens with diarrhea/hairloss

Question
QUESTION: I have a queen who frequently has diarrhea; mostly from getting into things she shouldn't.  Her favourite trick is drinking soapy dish water despite fresh water at least twice daily in ceramic dishes either cleaned daily or everyother day via dishwasher.  Unfortunately she has had diarrhea for past week and my best bet at cause is soapy dish water again. I have been treating her with gatorade, and colloidial silver and stool today is like cow patty and not total liquid. Worse yet is that she has 2 week old kittens who also have diarrhea -- green, foamy, and mucusy. I have also treated them with colloidial silver, gatorade, and kitten replacer formula as a supplement to nursing.  Thankfully stool has improved to soft but mostly formed and is yellowish-green. The worst kitten also seems to be losing hair... not patches or irritated skin like ringworm...just kind of thinning all over...can this be caused from an electrolyte impalance? Condition was present previous to treatment.  I will be seeking vet advice Monday but have no emerg. vet service close by on holiday/weekend times and thought it wiser to treat dehydration quickly on own rather than travelling in -35 to -45C weather on poor road conditions with sick kittens.. Is there any other suggestions to try since I have another 24hours to make it through; and I don't think we are totally out of woods yet. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

ANSWER: Sorry I didn't get your question sooner, I assume by now you have contacted your vet - I hope all works out and both Mom and kittens are on the road to recovery.  In the future, I'm sure your emergency vet would be happy to give you some telephone advice if the weather is very bad  rather than have you worry at home, so don't hesitate to call if you are worried.
regards


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks....weather and kittens were improved when we went to the vet Monday.  He put mom on S.Q. hydration and Flagyl and today (tues) she must be feeling better because there was NO way she was allowing any further injections.  However, he also did not have any idea why kitten had hair loss....how about you?  So far we are just treating symptoms and vet and I are hoping we have a Queen with diet issues but hyperactive thyroid, ...cocci? virus, and bacterial infection were some of his possible diagnosis'; so if hair loss on kitten would shine light towards a diagnosis I would appreciate your input. Thanks again!

Answer
Assuming your vet has ruled out ringworm (which has a very typical appearance) I don't have a definite answer for you, but I have actually seen what you're describing in very young kittens before - although this is not a very scientific answer because i don't know what caused it! In a few litters where there was stress on the kittens and/or mom (usually due to illness or living rough) I've seen individuals develop all-over hairloss/thinning at a very young age (2 weeks or so).  In the cases I saw, the kittens were otherwise acting normally, and after a few weeks of good nutrition and care for the litter, the hair grew back normally and the kitten was fine.  Of course, I can't guarantee that this will be the case with your kitten, but if all is well otherwise, and they;re on the mend from the diarrhea, I'd be tempted to watch them closely and wait and see.
As for mom - once babies are weaned, I'm sure your vet will want to do a blood profile to rule out any underlying issues (and you might want to switch to a biodegradable dish soap while her tastes remain strange :))  
good luck!