Esbilac Powder vs. Other Brands

[squirlnewb]

We've looked everywhere for Esbilac powder, but were only able to find the liquid. We've read that powders are more nutritional. We ended up buying some Mamalac puppy milk replacement powder from the vet and the squirrels love it.

Are all powdered puppy milk replacement powders essentially the same, or should we just go with the Esbilac liquid formula?

I've compared the ingredients from Mammalac powder (the formula mix we are currently using) to both Esbilac liquid and powder.

It seems to me as though the powder we have is much better than the liquid Esbilac formula but not quite as strong as the Esbilac powder formula as far as Protein and Fat are concerned.

I have opted to stay with the current formula, rather than go with Esbilac liquid. Do you think this is wrong? Am I not reading the ingredients correctly?

Also, I am currently mixing the current formula as instructed on the box. 100ml water and 3 tbsp formula. Should I be making a thicker formula to make up for the lost nutrition?

Mammalac (Our current Formula)
--------
Protein: 22%
Arginine: 1.21%
Fat: 23%
Fibre 0.25%
Sodium: 0.65%
Calcium: 1.15%
Phosphorus: 0.85%
Iron: 90mg/kg
Manganese: 48mg/kg
Zinc: 110mg/kg
Selenium: 0.3 mg/kg
Vitamin A: 15,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D: 2,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E3: 100 IU/kg
Thiamine: 12mg/kg
Riboflavin: 20mg/kg
Niacin: 50mg/kg
Vitamin B12: 50 ug/kg
Biotin: 250 ug/kg
Ascorbic Acid: 100mg/kg


Esbilac Powder: Contains 33% Crude Protein, 40% Crude Fat, 0% Crude Fiber and 5% Moisture.
Esbilac Liquid: Contains 4.5% Crude Protein, 6% Crude Fat, 0% Crude Fiber and 85% Moisture.

[FallensMommie]

See the big difference in protein and fat?

Esbilac Powder:
Crude Protein 33.0% Min
Crude Fat 40.0% Min

Mammalac
Protein: 22%
Fat: 23%

I see the liquid Esbilac info you provided, but I would have to look that up.
I am trying to look up the ingredients to the mamalac to see what is used.
It might be the difference in ingredients as to why you would be better off
using esbilac liquid to the mammalac. Might come down to the calcium % itself.
I'll look it up though.


I would buy the powdered esbilac.
If your worried about cost (I know it's costly) you can go here:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12648

Personally I would only use Esbilac...it has a proven track record in keeping babies alive by giving them what they need!

[FallensMommie]

Okay I talked to a couple of members about the difference you see in the Fat and Protein from liquid to powdered formulas....it's because water has not been added to the powder.

I still say Esbilac...it's been proven over and over and over :D

[squirlnewb]

Thank you for your reply. It's not a question of money as the Mammalac probably cost more than Esbilac would have. The problem is I am unable to find any powdered Esbilac locally.

The only store that sells it right now are sold out of the powder and only have the liquid.

The other problem is that from monday to wednesday they are only open until 6pm and I am unable to get there in time.

Thanks for the information. I will go get the Esbilac liquid formula tomorrow night. (They're open until 9pm on Thursday and Friday). It's also a franchise and they have a few more locations so I will drive around and try to find the powdered formula this weekend.

Do you think I should add more powder of my current formula tonight to ensure better nutrition?

[FallensMommie]

Can you give me the ingredients as i tried looking them up online and they don't provide that information. I wanted to look at the actual ingredients compared to the Esbilac.

Thank you...Teresa

[squirlnewb]

Sorry. I couldn't find the ingredients online either. I just got home and looked on the package and the only information listed is the ones given in this thread.

I'm pretty sure there's a law in Canada that only requires you to print nutritional information on the packaging.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure it's better than other alternatives since the babies are gaining weight and are looking very healthy and are active after feeding. They are also properly maintaining their body temperature. I tried removing the warm bottle for a 4 hour period between feedings and they never went cold.

Anyways, I'd still rather not take any chances and will pick up Esbilac as soon as I can get my hands on some.

Thanks for looking into it. I apreciate it.

[FallensMommie]

Sometimes the babies will gain on other forms of formula also and then all of a sudden they crash, etc.

I had a friend before I knew about this board or before I ever raised Fallen that was raising 2 baby squirrels on Human Baby Formula they did fine and looked great! Their eyes opened 2 weeks later and they were playing which each other having a ball. After having them a month they then crashed...they both died in her hands...one day the male went the next day the female. My friend was so heart broken and sat on the phone crying to me. They literally went from taking their formula to the next day on death doors in just a 24 hour period....12 hours later the boy was dead the next morning his sister. I'm not saying this is going to happen with the mammalac, we just dont' know to much about it and Esbilac is proven and resembles their mommy's milk closely.

I'm glad you are able to pick up the Esbilac and maybe your vet would like to have this info also and carry it for those like you. :dono

Thanks for looking for me on the mammalac ingredients...appreciate it!

[squirlnewb]

The vets in the area don't seem to be well versed in wildlife issues. Nor do they seem to really care.

They've never even heard of Esbilac and looked at us funny when we told them it was for squirrels. Back then we didn't know as much and had just read that the Esbilac liquid isn't recommended. We just asked them if all puppy milk replacement were the same and they told us that they're all exactly the same, just different brand names.

I've lost my confidence in the local vets. haha.

[squirlnewb]

I've called all the pet stores and every veterinarian withing a 15 minute drive from my house. About 50 of them and am unable to locate any Esbilac powder. A few stores have Esbilac liquid but only 1 or 2 cans.

A few vets have some other milk replacers. Here is the info:

Nutrience Transition
Crude protein min. 27.0 %
Crude fat min. 30.0 %
Crude fiber max. 0.0 %
Moisture max. 3.5 %
Ash max. 6.8 %

INGREDIENTS:
Dried whey protein concentrate, dried whey, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), lecithin, vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, dried whey protein isolate, maltodextrine, choline chloride, L-lysine, DL-methionine, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, sodium selenite, ferrous sulfate, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol, ascorbic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, niacin, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, citric acid, folic acid, magnesium chloride, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, cobalt carbonate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodate.


Vet Solutions - Pro-Biolac for puppies
Crude Protein, min 33.00%
Crude Fat, min 42.00%
Crude Fiber, max 0.15%
Moisture, max 4.00%
Ash, max 8.00%
Direct-Fed Microbials * 2.50 BCFU/kg

Ingredients: Dried whey protein concentrate, Animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), Vegetable fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), dried whole egg, canola oil, sodium phosphate, lecithin, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, cod liver oil, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, L-arginine, artificial flavor, dried bovine colostrum, dried whey, sodium bicarbonate, alpha-tocopherol (source of vit. E), manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, vit. A supplement, ferrous sulfate, vit. B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, ascorbic acid (source of vit. C), cholecalciferol (source of vit. D3), niacin supplement, d-calcium panothenate, thiamin hydrochloride, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vit. K), biotin, sodium selenite, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, folic acid, cobalt sulfate, dried fermentation product of (Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus lichiniformis, B. subtilis, and L. lactis).


The Vet-Solutions Pro-Biolac seems like it's the closest to to Esbilac powder. Should I switch from my current formula to the Pro-Biolac.

I don't want to only get a few cans of Esbilac Liquid so have them transition to it and then not be able to find more. I'd rather just change once permanently.

I also spoke with someone who did rehabbing in the area and he said he fed them a mix of Carnation milk and egg yolks and has raised many squirrels from birth to release on this mix. Are there any homemade recipes that I should be trying instead?

I'm getting frustrated with how difficult it is to find adequate products in Canada. I put in an order with squirrels and more for about $65 and the shipping will end up costing $90.

There must be an easier, less expensive way to get these products.

[TinyPaws]

I just did a search for esbilac powder on the internet and there were many places that sell it online...

[squirlnewb]

sure... but can I really afford to wait 1 week+ for shipping? I have to feed them something in the mean time. Most of the online resellers are in the U.S. and shipping fees are pretty excessive.

[FallensMommie]

I just did a search for esbilac powder on the internet and there were many places that sell it online...

I gave her a TSB website that we had that gave info on cheapest places to buy with reasonable shipping a few days ago. I would get liquid esbilac while waiting on the powdered form to arrive.