HELP!!!!

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

something is wrong with my older squirrel shes beathing hard!!! and is weak

[Critter_Queen]

Which one?? How old? Where are they being kept?

Man, we're having a rash of issues here lately! Darned fall babies!!

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

shes about 11 weeks shes kept inside in a cage she ate about 20 min ago now just sits in one spot heart beat rapid & breathing hard I dont think shes gonna make it the vet is out

[Critter_Queen]

Did her food change? Is there anything in her cage you can see that she's chewed that would be stuck or bad or indigestable?

How much did she eat? What did she eat?

Did anything in her surroundings change that may have frightened her??

Sorry I'm not much help and all questions!!

[Suro]

Oh god, my thoughts are with you, I hope she makes it.

Maybe she over ate?

I hope thats the reason. Has she been peeing and pooing ok?

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I dont know what happened she just had the esbillac and all of a sudden started shaking keeps tilting her head sort of and breathing fast please say a prayer for her I dont think shes gonna make it?

[Critter_Queen]

Geez, that almost sounds neurological...with the head tilting. Very odd that she would eat and then become this way...usually mine won't eat if something is wrong with them....

Have you noticed any type of shaking or unusual head-cocking/stretching, etc recently? Those are signs of seizure.

Do you get her out in the sun? If not, she could have some serious issues from not having any true daylight time....

Saying a prayer for her right now... I hope you can get to your vet soon!!

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

yes everyday, bu not today, raining I put some nuts in front of her to get her reaction she smelled them & put he head back down?
Nothing different, I feed her & her brother then baby preston then noticed her acting funny,

[island rehabber]

R&LGM, take a deep breath for a second and listen to the sounds within your home. Is something new -- a noise, a flashing light, a new animal or person? this sounds like something that happened to BiGi last spring -- rapid heartbeat, frozen or almost frozen stance, VERY SCARY to watch. It turned out to be the sound of the dishwasher of all damn things. Don't panic -- observe first and see what you hear.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

No nothing new shes very weak laying on my bed lets me kiss her heard ect..on a normal day she & her brother would be on a rip & tear in fact I am trying to asess what is wrong with her brother on my head.:shakehead
I am always afraid to go back & check her for fear she'll be gone could she have gotten formula in her lungs? dobt hear rattles

[island rehabber]

No nothing new shes very weak laying on my bed lets me kiss her heard ect..on a normal day she & her brother would be on a rip & tear in fact I am trying to asess what is wrong with her brother on my head.:shakehead
I am always afraid to go back & check her for fear she'll be gone could she have gotten formula in her lungs? dobt hear rattles

Do you recall how much she ate?

[Critter_Queen]

I just don't know... That is very strange. Have you been weighing her? Has she lost any weight? Thinking infection maybe???

Ugh...I so wish these little guys could talk to us!!

Hang in there. If she really is that sick, it's probably better that she pass...though I know that's not what any of us want. SUCKS, to say the least.

You could try keeping her in a dark, quiet, warm place and see if that helps her feel better... That's usually one of the first things I do with any critter that doesn't seem well...

Heading to lunch to feed my rehabs, I'll check back in an hour or so... Good luck and I'll keep saying prayers for her and for calm for your heart...

[island rehabber]

Is she still tilting her head, and is it constant or just cocking it to the side once in awhile?

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

well come to think of it the door was creeking from a little wind I keep the winow cracked for fresh air for them, shes so weak or listless she let me open her mouth & check for anything in her airways ect..now we all know thats not normal behaviour,

[island rehabber]

well come to think of it the door was creeking from a little wind I keep the winow cracked for fresh air for them, shes so weak or listless she let me open her mouth & check for anything in her airways ect..now we all know thats not normal behaviour,

Weak and listless, or scared? Try to stop all those noises -- creaking, wind, whatever. See if it changes her after a few minutes.

[Suro]

God, this sounds horribly like what happened to my little boy, got more and more lethargic and breathing faster and faster - what has the vet said?

I would be prepared to try anything at this point, make sure she's not too hot or too cold, even try asking the vet to give her steroids - anything.... :(

Not blocked is she? is her belly large? Could be bloat?

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

OMG she's better!:bowdown last time I went in my room ..her brother found my closet & was running accross my clothes I picked her up so she could see where he was & she wanted on the clothes hangers too! They are playing like crazy! Oh thanks you guys! I dont even care if I have to rewash all my clothes as long as my little girl is ok!!:grouphug

If this was a scared mode I only witnessed it 1 time before RB was in a tree & it was his first experiance with seeing the neighbor mow he was frozen there for 8 hrs.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k93/margaretmowery_2006/100_2609.jpg

Thanks again they are having the time of their life building a nest in the top of my closet.
I dont even care today!:dono :thumbsup
Thanks IR I am getting too old for this stuff!

[Critter_Queen]

YAY!! Just freak us out why don't she! :wahoo :wahoo

Hopefully it was just the noise. Glad she's better and playing!

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Thanks:grouphug she is sort of making a snorting noise now, I will have to wait & see she's having too much fun right now to make her get examined again. When a squirrel wont move & lets you do anything with it..something isnt right.
I just don't understand it!?:dono

[island rehabber]

Oh Lord I am SO glad she's better. If you go back to page 2 of "Non-Life Threatening Help" and read my post about "Rapid Heartbeat - Serious?" it sounds exactly like what happened to your squirrel girl just now. Believe me I am not making light of this....BiGi took 5 years off my life that day. Keep us posted -- :thumbsup

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

yes, this sort of sounded like it! After I feed them in the morning & they have their usual morning romp I cage them again & they sleep till lunch. I did go in and out a few times & 1 was always awake. Maybe it was her worrying about the door squeaking a few times..(windy here today)
By the time she ate her heart was beating so fast that scares me their hearts beat fast anyway!!! She wouldnt hold her head up, maybe she was just that sleepy! :dono plus when she heard me crying it probably scared her even more! Oh what a day..thank God for this board!
I am still hearing that weird crackling sound, when she breathes through her nose!

[island rehabber]

That crackling sound could be she snorted a little bit of formula....keep an eye and ear on it. Wind will REALLY freak them out, believe me. Think about it: it's one of their worst enemies because it blows them out of their nests and off their branches. They go on alert when they hear wind because they know they may lose their footing any minute. Squirrels are perfect in their creation, in my opinion.....they are programmed to cope with whatever nature throws at them: the sound of wind means Hold on Tight, a shadow overhead means Hawk....a crackling sound means Predator Nearby! Only problem is when the wind is outside and they are actually safe....the shadow overhead is just you, reaching for something....and the crackling sound is you opening a bag of chips. I hope you get what I mean -- we need to understand how THEY translate the things in our environment, in their own terms. Have a beautiful rest of the day!!!!

[SQUIRRELMOM]

keep batril on hand, sounds like aspiration or choking on something. keep warm. make sure she isn't constipated. apple juice for that

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

All I have is Albon, I wonder if I should just give her a drop to be safe, shes still rattleing!

[Suro]

We recently stopped using Baytril for squirrels and only use Amox LA - damnit I can't remember why, but I will find out asap for you - it was a health in later life reason....lol I am so sorry i can't remember why at the moment...I am tired after working last night and need sleep, but I will find out asap when I wake up :p

So glad she's happier though and doing better :D :grouphug

[GhosTS]

We recently stopped using Baytril for squirrels and only use Amox LA - damnit I can't remember why, but I will find out asap for you - it was a health in later life reason....

Thats interesting.I used amox when I had problems.But didnt know anything bad about Baytril.Only knew that they use it on rats frequently.

[Suro]

Well, I have used it my entire veterinary life with no problems, but recently heard rumours of the fact that long-term use would cause malformation of bones in young mammals, and also something about blindness in cats. But saying that, what drug doesn't come with scare warnings really...

I would say go with what you know works well and your vet recommends. On my previous squirrel, skittle from last year (the one with his intestines hanging out - TWICE!) he did absolutley fine on baytril and is living a happy healthy life now - so it certainly did him no harm :)

But this years babies I used amox la, just because of the scarey stuff I heard...and saying that I have lost one out of 6 of them...I doubt that has anything to do with it, just bad luck and something seriously wrong with him (he was the smallest and weakest from the start).