Seizure / Cold baby

[Legomom]

My mom & I received a new young squirrel yesterday. He was found near a shed that had recently (within 24 hours) been treated with a pesticide for mice prevention. His sister was also found near the area, but died shortly after she was found. The lady who found them said there is a large tree nearby, but she looked and could see no sign of a nest or any other squirrels.

I picked up this little boy yesterday afternoon around 5pm. He was cold, and it took a little bit of rubbing to wake him up. Got him onto some heat right away. Mom & I have been feeding him pedialyte (approx. 3ccs) every 2-3 hours. When mom got up and fed him in the middle of the night, he had moved off of the heating pad and was cold. She picked him up, held him with a heating pad for about 2 hours. During this time, he would have mild seizure-type episodes, shaking. He is difficult to awaken and is really dehydrated. He seems to be about 5-6 weeks old and 67 grams. He does urinate with stimulation.

I can't get him to a vet today, but I can in the am, probably. Any suggestions on how to help this little guy?

[PBluejay2]

1) Keep hydrating and keep warm
2) If you can find out what pesticide was used, call the Poison Control Center for antidote/treatment. Many rat/mouse poisons are anticoagulants and vitamin K can help. I don't know dosage, however.
3) Get to vet as soon as possible!

Good luck

[Mars]

if you have some activated charcoal I would try and get that into him. But you need a vet asap. Good luck.

[Legomom]

Thanks for the tips. I am working today, so my mom is hard at work hydrating & stimulating our boy. I did talk to my vet today. Said that even if we knew what the pesticide/poison was (which I am still waiting on the info from the finder), they wouldn't be able to do anything. Said to keep up fluids until he is re-hydrated, possibly adding Karo syrup for extra sugar. I asked about activated charcoal and was told that it wouldn't do any good at this point because the exposure was more than 24 hours and in his condition could do more harm than good. I forgot to ask about Vit K and they are gone for the day.

The vet did tell me that sometimes with the severely dehydrated little ones, who's seizures may be caused by the imbalance of electrolytes, the best thing to do (besides hydrating) is to find a way to keep them in your shirt as close to your heart as possible. 1) For warmth & 2) For some reason, the sound of the human heart will help the sqs body to regulate itself and often resolve seizures.

So, that's where things are right now. I'll be heading home soon to see all of our babies and try to drop a note, pic and more info later.

I have named him Ollie, in honor of Molly, the dog who found him. Please, keep him in your prayers. :grouphug

[Legomom]

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q53/legomom0701/Squirrel%20Babies/Ollie-1.jpg


We tried so hard today, but little Ollie didn't make it. :(

*Please move this message to another thread*

[Secret Squirrel]

Sorry for your loss...I know you tried your best....Ollie died in peace :grouphug

[foxsquirrels]

I am so sorry you lost little Ollie! Sometimes they leave us much sooner than we want them to.

RIP SWEET LITTLE OLLIE

[Buddy'sMom]

I'm so sorry. RIP Ollie :Love_Icon

I know that you and your Mom did all you could to try to help him. Giving him a warm and safe and loving place to be was a wonderful thing to do for him. :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug