Pee Pee Problem!?!

[chadfromphilly]

Hello everyone! Chad here... I think we have a problem... :thinking Squirrely Pop (Female, going on 4) seems to be having trouble pee'ing. I'm not sure but I never remember her pee'ing like this. She stays in one spot for about a minute and a half with her pee just drip, dripping out. Her breathing also seems quickened while she is going. Her urine appears normal in color. She also is coming off a "heat" cycle. She was all puffed up for a few weeks there, like other cycles. She is acting fine, eating well and running about. Could this be a urine infection? I seem to remember her always pee'ing in a stream before and then as she would finish up, then drip, drip. PLEASE ADVISE! I am so worried about her! :shakehead Thank you! Chad

[island rehabber]

Hi Chad! I agree with Gammas, that the possibility of a UTI must not be ruled out and will most likely require antibiotics. The cranberry juice could work -- try it first anyway and let us know. Sorry your SP girl isn't feeling well :(.

[chadfromphilly]

I haven't watched her that closely because we just noticed this last night. I can say she seems to be going less not more in terms of how often she goes, then again, I could be wrong. Pain? she doesn't seem to be in pain but does appear to be breathing quicker when she does go. Maybe the pp does smell a bit stronger these past couple days. No blood in urine. I am going to keep a close eye on her now. So the drip, drip isn't normal? About the antibiotics, can you PM me and let me know... We put 4 drops of cranberry in her water last night but don't know if she drank any... I will check back here frequently and update you... I am SO WORRIED about my little girl!!!

[chadfromphilly]

I just noticed this last night... Should I start her on the AZO? What strength? How much/often and how does she take it? so we should try this BEFORE the antibiotics? I just want to be clear... Is there any danger to giving her this? Thanks guys! YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!

[Tomo]

I just noticed this last night... Should I start her on the AZO? What strength? How much/often and how does she take it? so we should try this BEFORE the antibiotics? I just want to be clear... Is there any danger to giving her this? Thanks guys! YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!


Hi Chad! There should be no danger in giving AZO Standard to Squirrely Pop. It's an antiseptic that will help flush away bacteria that may be causing urinary/bladder discomfort or a UTI. It will, however, turn her urine orange and it will get onto fabric and stain it, so be careful. You can try to dose her by crushing 1 pill up and adding it to 6 oz of water, mix it very well and then use a syringe and feed it to her. You can also put the crushed tablet into her water bowl or water bottle - just make sure it's well mixed. I would try this for a day or two. If she doesn't start to urinate normally (orange of course), then I'd try antibiotics. I think a pain med could be used then as well, like Metacam and you can use Batril as the antibiotic. Both of these have been used by another member when their baby had a UTI.

Hope this information helps! Please PM me if you need further info.

Get well soon Squirrely Pop!! :grouphug :Love_Icon

[chadfromphilly]

Thanks TOMO! Just to make sure she is getting it, I should crush the pill into the 6oz of water and give it to her via syringe... How much in one sitting? Is there any danger of aspiration in adult squirrels? And would it be a good idea to also add it crushed to her water in addition to the syringe? And if you would have any helpful pointers on how to best get her to take it... I imagine she isn't going to much like having water shot down her throat! Ha! Thanks again, EVERYONE! I'll keep checking back...

[Tomo]

Thanks TOMO! Just to make sure she is getting it, I should crush the pill into the 6oz of water and give it to her via syringe... How much in one sitting? Is there any danger of aspiration in adult squirrels? And would it be a good idea to also add it crushed to her water in addition to the syringe? And if you would have any helpful pointers on how to best get her to take it... I imagine she isn't going to much like having water shot down her throat! Ha! Thanks again, EVERYONE! I'll keep checking back...

Mix it up in 6oz and draw it up into a 1cc syringe and give her 1-3 cc's. There should be no aspiration with a 1 cc syringe, just go slow. 1 cc syringe just drips liquid, not gushes. If you don't have as 1 cc syringe, use what you have, just go really slow. If you don't feel confident with that, you can add it to her water, in a bowl or bottle as well. Also, I would imagine that you could add the crushed tablets to juice if she likes any type of juice, but I'd dilute the juice because too much sugar won't help her urinary tract or bladder.

She'll be okay. I'd really try to use the syringe vs. the water bowl or bottle because she may not like the way the water smells and then she won't get the AZO into her body.

Please let me know how it goes. :)

[chadfromphilly]

Just got home... wanted to update everyone... My wife said SP was jumping and playing all day, she didn't see her pp but now that big poppa is home, HE will keep an eye on her and let you know... :poke

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=78494&stc=1&d=1238278544

[Tomo]

What a cutie! I hope she's better today! :grouphug

[chadfromphilly]

Thanks Tomo! Yeah, she's a funny girl...
I have some antibiotics on the way so that's good... We have been trying to give her as much cranberry juice via syringe as we can BUT boy is she putting up a fuss!:frustratedx She cries like we are hurting her... Such a baby. It always amazes me how she will put her teeth on me but not bite down to let me know that she doesn't like what I'm doing...
:thinking I do have another question... I see one of the sign's of a UTI is frequent urination, even in small amount's... well the thing is, she isn't going at all! Just the once a day drip, drip thing. Unless of course she is doing it somewhere we don't see. Also, it was mentioned that it usually has a stronger oder... Her pee doesn't seem to have ANY oder to it at all!?! Now, about a week ago, her pee WAS extremely strong, so maybe thats it.:dono Anyway, let me know if you guys come up with anything else. I will let you know when I get her meds... Thanx again!!! Chad


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[Tomo]

Hi Chad,

Would it be possible to get a urine (drip) sample to take to a local vet for a check? You don't have to tell them it's from a squirrel. You can say it's from a stray cat that you suspect has a urinary problem.

Strong odor to urine usually means the urine is concentrated because the animal hasn't emptied it's bladder recently. Perhaps she is urinating somewhere else? I think your best bet is to try to get a sample. You may have to keep her in her cage for a few days in order to do that.

Have you tried the AZO standard yet? If you're going to use cranberry, it would be better to get the capsules and pierce them, mix that in water and syringe feed her that instead of the juice. It will be a higher dose of cranberry. Hope she feels better soon! :)

[chadfromphilly]

No TOMO, haven't used the AZO yet because I should have the antibiotics in the am. I'll post you and let you know what I get. It's what was suggested so that's good but might need you for dosage amounts.

[Buddy'sMom]

I think KimbleScribble just reported that it was accepted when mixed with a little avocado.

:wave123 Chad and SP! Love seeing pictures of her -- hope she's back to normal soon. :thumbsup

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[Tomo]

Hi Chad,

How's the little patient today? Any improvement in the PP department? Hoping so!

Be well, both of you! :grouphug

[chadfromphilly]

Thanks everybody! It's Thursday night and SP is doing just fine... :wahoo Her meds arrived the other day (:bowdown :bowdown :bowdown to you!) and we have been giving them to her as directed... She is still taking a while to pp but she is now doing it out in the open. For a few days there, she would crawl under the stove where it is dark and she could be left alone. I imagine she was in pain. Today, she pp'd on her newspapers atop the fridge but I didn't get there in time to see if it has moved from the drip, drip to something more steady. She absolutely hates the taste of the med's :yuck but we make sure she gets them! We mix the baytril with a teeny bit of karo syrup, still she acts like we are murdering her and puts up quite a fuss!:frustratedx Hopefully this will work and she can go back to thinking her daddie wants "a touch of pee" on his new tee-shirts before he leaves for work! :dono THANX AGAIN and I will be sure to check back everyday to let you guys know how she is doing...

Now it looks as if GB has me off to the store again to get some gut flowers for my lil' baby! :rolf WERE SO GLAD GB IS HERE TO HELP US OUT! Again, being in this ANTI SQUIRREL STATE, it's sure nice to know there are folks like you out there! :wiggle :wiggle :wiggle :wiggle :wiggle :wiggle


:flash :flash :flash :flash

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[Ontario Rehabber]

Just checked on this thread. :wave123 So glad the little one is feeling better:thumbsup

You may want to try putting the baytril on a pecan, let it dry a bit and soak in, and give it to her like that. Just make sure she eats the whole pecan. This method has worked for me, might be worth a try.

[Ontario Rehabber]

Thanks for the link to the full story GM:thumbsup No wonder you fell in love with Chad - who wouldn't. What a beautiful story, you are truly a squirrels champion Chad - Good for you:multi

What a little cutie Squirrelly Pop is, hope she's feeling better real soon. What a great Dad she has, a real SQUIRREL HERO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[skye]

Oh boy..The face says it all:rotfl
I'll get you for this she says:D
Seems to me put meds in syringe with bit of cranberry juice and down the throat wouldn't that work?:D
Good luck and sending best wishes your way sure hope the little darling feels better soon and all is working fine big hugs to her:grouphug

[chadfromphilly]

Thanks guys! SP sure is a funny critter, aren't they all!!! Since we are on the topic of "PEE PEE PROBLEM'

[chadfromphilly]

Thanks guys! SP sure is a funny critter, aren't they all!!! Since we are on the topic of "PEE PEE PROBLEM'S" I thought I would ask this... During the past couple weeks, one of the things that was asked of me was... Does her urine have a stronger than normal smell to it? I said no... Well, what I forgot to tell you was that I have been suffering from a bad cold so.... YOU GUESSED IT!!! This apartment STINKS!!!:yuck :yuck :yuck Yep! woke up this morning to the beautiful smell of fresh ground coffee and STINKY SQUIRREL PEE! :shakehead Does anyone have any surefire ways to remove said oder? I'm sure it's been discussed on this board somewhere! In the meantime, I have asked her to kindly use the cat's litter box but she isn't cooperating... Any suggestions?

Ah yes, and one last thing... GB has been working on me for years to get her on a better diet... It has been hard but we are gaining head wind! There have been many stolen food items found up in her nest area. Last night we caught her with one of my kaiser rolls. When confronted, she shook her head and said "NO DADDIE, YOU WON'T TAKE THIS FROM ME!!!" :nono Here is a picture of what I am calling the... "I'm as cute as a floppy eared bunny, so you will give me what I want!" incident... ENJOY:dono

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=79632&stc=1&d=1238767413

[skye]

giggling that pic is so funny look at the ears:D
I sure hope she is doing better. Best wishes to you all and big hugs to her:grouphug

[Ontario Rehabber]

What a little cutie she is! So glad she is feeling some better. She'll probably forgive you for feeding her that yucky stuff when it's all over and she's back to 100%.

[Loopy Squirrel]

Now that has to be a perfect picture. What was that about squirrels stealing things....Casey just ran up behind me on the back of the chair and grabbed a cream cheese cracker out of my hand.

[chadfromphilly]

Today is Saturday and I was hoping you guy's could let me know when we should expect to see an improvement? She is still drip, dripping as she pee's and takes a very long time to go. In general, how long do the antibiotics take to kick in? Thank you, Chad

[skye]

Oh the poor darling. I know of a squirrel had same problem that had to be 21 days on meds. I sure pray she feels better soon and things start to work good. Big hugs to her:grouphug

[muffinsquirrel]

If you can find it, there is a product called "Air Sponge". It comes in a 'room freshener' type spray or a solid that you just sit out with the top off. It doesn't put out an odor of it's own, just gets rid of the smell. I found out about it at a pet shop that used to be here - they used it in the shop and it's fantastic. You used to be able to order it from Office Depot - they list it in the janitorial section.

muffinsquirrel

[chadfromphilly]

IS THIS NORMAL!?! Today is Wednesday, day 7 on the meds... I think something is wrong... SP slept basically all day. She came out of her nest only for a minute to eat. Her pee has increased from the drip, drip to more of a steady stream but she still seems to be taking an awful long time. Now I can't seem to remember what a "normal" pee looks like? At the end of going she does drip, drip for a bit and does still seem to be breathing a bit heavy. That might have something to do with my face right up near her, so maybe she is nervous? Her eyes aren't squinting like before and she goes out in the open, not hiding. She is in the middle of a diet change and is taking a bit of the BENE-BAC. Maybe she just has a belly ache... I don't know, maybe it's nothing... I do worry allot about her my wife says. Deb thinks she is ok... :dono :dono :dono What do I do? She does seem to be eating well. I can say that she gets ripped (not forceably) out of her cozy nest at 5am to get her meds. I do notice her being more shy of me and she is definitely more scared of Deb as she is the one who gives the meds while I hold her... Maybe she doesn't want to come out of fear of being medicated? Today was also a cloudy overcast day and she does seem to "sleep in" more on days like that... Maybe I'm completely overreacting??? I just want to be sure I'm doing right by her. I'll drive her to Florida if I have too!!! Is it normal for a UTI to last this long? GB sent me a link to a thread about another squirrel that had the same thing, but it had a ton of posts and I didn't have the time to read the whole thing. :shakehead :shakehead :shakehead Let me know what you all think, cause I can't let NOTHING happen to my girl!!! Thanx, Chad

[Loopy Squirrel]

I am not really sure. Usually they clear up in 7-10 days. I wonder if squirrels can get crystals like cats from diet. I wish I had a sample of pee to have them look at it. I can ask as soon as the next wildlife vet comes on shift and see if maybe it has something to do w/ crystals or her going into heat. All that time I thought Rudy had a UTI it was just what she was eating that caused her urine to turn orange/red. Talk about panic and I am supposed to be experienced.

[Nuts4Nut]

Hello, I know this thread is beyond old, but I have a similar issue going on with my squirrel, Nut. She doesn't appear to be in pain. She'll stop moving around and start peeing but her breathing will appear more laborious. She doesn't do this all the time. Should I give her some Azo or antibiotics? How did things go with squirrelly pop?