Heavy Cream from cows as a weight booster for baby's.

[Coralreefer]

I have a question about adding heavy cream to the Esbilac formula for baby squirrels having issues gaining weight.

When we raised our first squirrel PeeWee I was able to find Cream made from goats. I looked for this specific product since it's stressed to NEVER use cows milk. I cannot find the goats cream and Whole Foods actually told me they stopped carrying the product.

I have seen mentioned that people use the regular heavy cream from cows to add to the formula.
I am still hesitant to use the cream from cows as a weight booster after all the cows milk warnings.

I guess my question is why is cows milk so dangerous to the squirrels but cream from cows is not?
Is it truly ok to use for little ones?

[SammysMom]

I would not recommend it personally. Perhaps adding some full fat yogurt might help. That way you are also giving the probiotics. You don't want to take any chance of loose stool when the baby is already struggling to gain weight. How much and how often are you feeding? How old is the baby? How much does it weigh?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Coralreefer,
That's a fair question. Cows milk is not poison to baby squirrels. It just doesn't have the necessary nutrients to raise a baby from birth to weaning.

Yes, heavy cream is from cows milk but it is the part of the milk that is rich in fats. It is 38% fat. That's why it is added to formula to help with weight gain. It is completely safe to add to the formula. Some purchase a booster caller Ultra Boost but the heavy cream will work also.

The goats milk cream probably is more digestible but the cow cream works fine. I actually didn't know they made goat cream. I hope that helps.

[CritterMom]

Oddly, the MORE fat milk has in it, the LESS lactose it contains, and that is what animals other than calves have a problem with in milk. In other words, skim milk would have the highest amounts and the heaviest cream you can buy would have the lowest. It seems like it should be the opposite, but it isn't.

So if you opt to use heavy cream, first, look at what you have available in the dairy case - read the label and find the one that has the highest percentage of milkfat in it. Then, work it into the formula G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y, starting with a very small amount and increasing it slightly every time you make fresh formula. It is rich - keep an eye on the poops to make sure everything is looking good before you increase it.

[Coralreefer]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful

[Coralreefer]

I would not recommend it personally. Perhaps adding some full fat yogurt might help. That way you are also giving the probiotics. You don't want to take any chance of loose stool when the baby is already struggling to gain weight. How much and how often are you feeding? How old is the baby? How much does it weigh?

I am holding off on the cream.
I have added goats milk yogurt to the mix however.

Every 2 hours feeding but he has not chosen to eat a few times.
His reluctance to eat is why I wanted to increase the fat so he's getting extra nutrients when he does eat.

We think he is around 3 weeks and he weighs 1.6 ounces.

[CritterMom]

May I make a recommendation? Instead of the goats milk yogurt, buy some Stoneyfield Yobaby yogurt - any of the flavors is good but vanilla and banana are very popular. It is organic, and full fat, and I have never added it to any formula where the baby didn't go from "Yeah, it's ok" to "GIMME THAT SYRINGE NOW!" It is very tasty.

[Nancy in New York]

I am holding off on the cream.
I have added goats milk yogurt to the mix however.

Every 2 hours feeding but he has not chosen to eat a few times.
His reluctance to eat is why I wanted to increase the fat so he's getting extra nutrients when he does eat.

We think he is around 3 weeks and he weighs 1.6 ounces.

OK that is 45.35 grams so rule of thumb is 5-7% of their body weight,
which would be ~2.25 - 3.1 mls of formula per feeding.
Make sure that the formula is almost on the "hot" side, test it on your wrist.
Some babies like it much warmer than we would think.
Do you see a milk line? Depending on what he has eater previously,
he may not be hungry every 2 hours. Stretch it out to 2 1/2 - 3 and see if
that works. Also try stimulating before he eats. With some of mine, they would
just squirm and not take anything until they peed!

[SammysMom]

Yes, thank-you CM for clearing that. I definitely meant full fat cows yogurt. Poor little bub just needs some time to get on the right track...

May I make a recommendation? Instead of the goats milk yogurt, buy some Stoneyfield Yobaby yogurt - any of the flavors is good but vanilla and banana are very popular. It is organic, and full fat, and I have never added it to any formula where the baby didn't go from "Yeah, it's ok" to "GIMME THAT SYRINGE NOW!" It is very tasty.

[PeeWee's Mom]

Thanks everyone! He is doing great! Here's a cute pic we took this morning!

[SammysMom]

He looks wonderful!!!

[Nancy in New York]

Akkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk...........I want one.

[PeeWee's Mom]

Good morning ya'll! Happy Saturday!
So he is still the same weight? Pooping and peeing fine. Is that okay or am I being paranoid (always, probably, yes). We have had him now for about 55 hours.

[PeeWee's Mom]

opps, forgot to attach pic!

[Nancy in New York]

He looks great.
Just to refresh, how often are you feeding,
and what is the amount.
You have powdered Esbilac with probiotics, correct?
Are you fixing it 1 part Esbilac to 2 parts water?

[PeeWee's Mom]

Esbilac w probiotics, was feeding 3:1 after hydrating overnight. Then 2.5:1 the next 24 hours, now 2:1. We feed every 2.5-3.5 hours. Please let us know if we should adjust anything.

Thxx