5 week old grey... going downhill fast..

[Skimbleshanks]

Hello,

I just found your site today and I'm hoping someone here can help me. I found a baby squirrel a few weeks ago shivering and cold and naked in my neighboors yard. They wanted to just leave him to die, but I took him home and got him on a heating pad, and then after a quick internet search started him on scalded milk (I have been reading more lately and perhaps this was not the thing to do.) anyway.. he was doing great, growing steadily, happy and plump. He started to open his eyes last week I estimate he is slightly over 5 weeks at this point. at some point after that he had an episode where he appeared to be dying. He was limp and lifeless and seemed to have lost weight rapidly since the last feed. It was really strange. He has diareaha now (was liquidy, now at least back to cream color and slightly more solid) and has lost lots of weight. He is still eager to eat, active and strong in his limbs, he is just terribly skinny. Since the weight loss I decided to try him on Esbilac and started with half that and half rehydrating fluid, because I was worried that he might be getting dehydrated. His pee input has increased and like I said he is still eager to eat. (That day that he was going down, he would not even eat, I got tiny drops in his mouth and a friend of mine pumped some of her breastmilk, just to try to get something into him and he perked up and was normal again within a few hours. That was last week and now today he is still having the diarrhea and is still painfully skinny. I'm so sad. I love squirrels so much. They are my favorite animal and I don't want to loose him. Any tips on what I can do?? I also should mention I added some baby acidopholis to his Esbilac yesterday to try to help with the digestive issues, he also has some irritation on his legs from stooling so frequently. I put some calendula oil on it to form a barrier from further irritation. He was taking upwards up 5 cc's at each feed every 3-4 hours now he starts to bloat at 2 1/2 so I'm trying to do shorter more frequent feeds, since his tummy is likely smaller. every 2 hours.

Thank you in advance for any help!

[SkwerlGirl]

HOLD ON!!!

WE'LL FIND SOMEONE!!!!:grouphug

[SkwerlGirl]

no scalded milk!!! please!!!

I know that this Clarissa website says to do it, but it's terrible advice!!

he/she needs pedialyte...

[SkwerlGirl]

He needs a rehabber....

if you don't feel comfy telling us what county you're in, PM me... I'll find someone close to you!!

What county or city are you in???

[island rehabber]

You are right to reach out for help -- I just hope it's not too late for this little one. (That demon Clarissa and her scalded milk is trying to kill another one, but we WON'T LET HER, right?) First, he MUST be re-hydrated and I would use flavored Pedialyte, warmed of course, The diarrhea is no doubt sucking all the fluids out of system. This baby needs pure hydration -- NOT breast milk, not even Esbilac -- every 2 hours for at least the next 6-8 hours in my opinion. Then as you see him "fill out" with the fluids - less wrinkly, less skinny, you can add diluted Esbilac, mixed 3:1. Truly, if there is any way you can get him to a rehabber near you who will have things like VitalHN or cell salts that would be his very best chance. What part of PA are you in - maybe we can find someone! But please start hydrating him slowly and carefully with the Pedialyte, ASAP. Time is of the essence here.....we are going to try our very very best. :thumbsup

[Legomom]

Do you have a scale (kitchen type with grams) that you can weigh him with? He should be eating 5-7% of his weight each feeding.

At 5-6 weeks he should be eating approximately every 4 hours, in my opinion. Are you stimulating him before & after each feeding? You can do this with a kleenex & lightly tickle his penis/anal area.

Does he seem to be dehydrated? If you gently pinch the skin on his back, does it tent up or return to normal right away?

Hang in there with us & we'll get you through this. Thanks for saving this little sweetie. :grouphug

[SkwerlGirl]

Any pictures you can send will be helpful!!!

What county are you in?? We can find someone in PA fast!

[Skimbleshanks]

Thank you guys!! I'm running out as soon as I type this to get him on pedialyte. I'm in Montgomery County Pa.

Thank you!!!! Send some healing vibes for Skimbleshanks please...

[PBluejay2]

1. A pic so we can estimate age would help.

2. Keep this baby on a heating pad (set to low) under half of his box/container.

3. Pinch his skin (not hard) on the flank, making a sort of tent. If it takes more than a second or two to go back to normal he's dehydrated. In that case, feed only Pedialyte or lactated ringers.

4. If he's not dehydrated, feed ONLY Esbilac mixed one part powder to two parts water. Absolutely nothing else!

5. His issues are probably the result of what you have been feeding him.

6. If at all possible, get this baby to a rehabber immediately!

[Skimbleshanks]

I did get a digital scale from my friend today and can weigh him. I had been stimulating him after each feed and he continues to pee well, his skin is not tenting or pinched. He appears well hydrated, just loosing weight. I was feeding at 4 hours, but moved the feeds up because of the weight loss... Heading to the store for pedialte now. will check back here upon my return..

Thank you sooo much... *fighting back tears**

[Legomom]

Thank you guys!! I'm running out as soon as I type this to get him on pedialyte. I'm in Montgomery County Pa.

Thank you!!!! Send some healing vibes for Skimbleshanks please...

If it helps, that is near the border of PA/NJ.

Here's a couple within the area:

Bucks County
Leah A. Stallings
Mary JaneStretch

AARK Wildlife Rehab. & Education Center, Inc.
107 Twining Bridge Rd., Newtown, PA 18940

215-968-4963
------------------------------

Richard “Rick” Schubert

Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center
304 Port Royal Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19128

215-482-8217

--------------------

Chester County
Deb Welter

Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic
2030 Diamond Rock Rd., Malvern, PA 19355

610-240-0883

[SkwerlGirl]

There are no mammal rehabbers in montgomery...

But next to you there are!!!

Bucks County
Leah A. Stallings
Mary JaneStretch

AARK Wildlife Rehab. & Education Center, Inc.
107 Twining Bridge Rd., Newtown, PA 18940

215-968-4963

M = Mammals, P = Passerines (songbirds, water fowl & woodpeckers), R = Raptors (hawks, owls, falcons, eagles and vultures)
RVS = Rabies Vector Species (raccoons, skunks, bats, groundhogs, coyotes & foxes), END = Endangered/Threatened Species

Deb Welter

Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic
2030 Diamond Rock Rd., Malvern, PA 19355

610-240-0883

Mammals


Richard “Rick” Schubert

Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center
304 Port Royal Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19128

[SkwerlGirl]

http://pawr.com/public/?cat=2

That's a list of PA rehabbers by county....:jump

[digiandchipper]

Prayers coming your way.....hurry with the pedialyte! You have a wonderful bunch of people on here waiting to help!

[tatcat]

:grouphug good luck with the lil one!!!:grouphug

[Skimbleshanks]

back with the pedialyte. Going to give him that then look into calling around..

Thanks a million!

[Legomom]

You're doing great, Skimble! Just hang in there & you'll be fine. Thanks for all that you are doing for this little one. :grouphug

[island rehabber]

Great! Don't forget to make it nice and warm and feed slo-o-o-wly :thumbsup

[Skimbleshanks]

shoot! In my panic I forgot to warm it, but it was at room temp from the store. He took it eagerly (about 2 cc) and then refused and wanted to curl up in his nest. I have the heating pad under a towel in half of his cage and he's all bundled under the blankie that he likes.

I am happy to report that he has held onto the 3 ounces that he gained from this morning. (weighed him right before he was fed this morning) and his poop is less watery and heading towards yellow instead of pure watery white. I'm hoping this is a good sign, also it's subtle but his spine feels less (pokey-outie) my son agrees with me. I think I know where that Aark place is but I can't get him there today. I will continue on with the pedialyte today. (should I just leave out the Esbliac for now? )and monitor him. He's still active, still strong in his muscles, something subtlety different in his eyes, but hopefully he will look happier soon. Sorry I don't have a way to upload pictures.

Thanks again guys, I will check back in a few hours...

[SkwerlGirl]

skimble, he/she needs to get to a rehabber NOW...please, I'm begging you......

I know you're trying your hardest, but caring for a sick baby squirrel is just as tedious as caring for a human premie.....

please let a rehabber help you....


prayers coming your way....

[Skimbleshanks]

Thank you for all the links guys, and for being so very prompt and kind in your responses. I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for having fed him the wrong thing, Wishing now I had dug around more. I love my little guy so much...:squirrel1

[Skimbleshanks]

Thank you sqwerlgirl. I realize the critical nature. I will take him and I will call today.

[wheezer]

Sorry to be late but you have the best advice, IR is the BEST:bowdown
I think you got help just in time:grouphug

Never mix Pedialyte with Esbilac. And as IR said offer warmed Pedialyte every 2 hours for at least 6 to 8 hours before slowly adding diluted Esbilac.

I soooo wish we could get that scalded milk info off the Net:soapbox

Best of luck:grouphug :grouphug

[SkwerlGirl]

Skimble, you were given BAD info...don't beat yourself up...you didn't know different!:grouphug

If I had a buck from every person who has come up here w/ the same problem b/c of the scalded milk formula, I could put up my own ANTI-SCALDED MILK website in big bold letters above hers!!!

Let us know what happens....:grouphug

[Pointy Tale]

Hi Skimbleshanks—just came across this thread. I’m not a rehabber, but want to send you my prayers and good thoughts and energy for your little one. Any pictures for the rehabbers to see? Is he any better now? All the best.

[PBluejay2]

Skimble, you were given BAD info...don't beat yourself up...you didn't know different!:grouphug

If I had a buck from every person who has come up here w/ the same problem b/c of the scalded milk formula, I could put up my own ANTI-SCALDED MILK website in big bold letters above hers!!!

Let us know what happens....:grouphug

How many bucks would that take? I'll contribute!

[Mrs Skul]

:Welcome Skimbleshanks Hang in there,We are all praying for you and little boy . Did you ever get a weight on him? Did any one mention to give him plain yogurt , for his digestion? You can use a small syringe or dropper. You just give it to him straight in the mouth. That will help his system get back to normal. Good luck and god bless you for your helping this little one.

[Skimbleshanks]

he is a pitiful 43 grams..... up from 39 last night.

[Pointy Tale]

Continued prayers for this little one.

[Tum Tum]

Hello Skimbleshanks. the weight does not sound to bad, my little tum tum was slightly over that and was 6-7 weeks old.

I am not a rehabber and cannot give to much information for I do not know everything.


Right now your doing fine, if they haven't told you, you should buy the puppy milk from petco or petsmart, esbalistic (SPELLING?)

:thankyou for saving this little guy/gal.

I'll be praying for you and your dear friend.

SkwerlGirl thanks for the pm, sorry I cannot tell him enough information, but he will find great help and already has.:multi

[Mrs Skul]

:wahoo At least he is going up.May I might suggest charting his weight. Be for he eats and after he eats,and how much and time. That will help you keep track of all his progress. All prayers coming your way.

[Nancy in New York]

Praying for this little soul...

[island rehabber]

:wahoo At least he is going up.May I might suggest charting his weight. Be for he eats and after he eats,and how much and time. That will help you keep track of all his progress. All prayers coming your way.

:goodpost That weight does sound "pitiful" as you said, Skimbleshanks, but we are going to try to change that! :)I keep a log on all my babies until they are about 8-9 wks old: name, weight, time they were fed and how much they took, and whether they pooped/peed. It's been so handy to have this data from year to year, because sometimes I'll panic that a certain baby is not eating enough....I go back to my logs of the previous year and look at a baby the same age/weight -- and guess what? The amount my current baby is eating is completely normal. Whew.

Of course, I have the luxury of doing this because I rarely have more than 10-15 squirrels at a time. Many rehabbers will do ten times that number in a given year and writing down everything would be impossible.

[Skimbleshanks]

Thanks, I have been writing everything down, so I can show the rehabber when we take him in. I have the liquid Esbilac, when he is ready to take that am I watering that down 3:1 or using "as is" since it is already liquid? If he is not tenting or appearing like his skin is pinching, should I move back to the formula soon or still keep him on the ped. for the full 6-8 hours. He's all skimbly (hence his name Skimbleshanks) the last time I gave the pedi and is butting and searching all over my hands for the formula.

thank you!!!!!!!!

[SkwerlGirl]

How many bucks would that take? I'll contribute!


Well, I sent her as professional of an email as I could w/o losing my cool....:soapbox

if she fires back at me, TSB to the rescue!!! :D

[SkwerlGirl]

Thanks, I have been writing everything down, so I can show the rehabber when we take him in. I have the liquid Esbilac, when he is ready to take that am I watering that down 3:1 or using "as is" since it is already liquid? If he is not tenting or appearing like his skin is pinching, should I move back to the formula soon or still keep him on the ped. for the full 6-8 hours. He's all skimbly (hence his name Skimbleshanks) the last time I gave the pedi and is butting and searching all over my hands for the formula.

thank you!!!!!!!!


did you find a rehabber to help you??? We have some rehabbers up here from the PA area, can I get one to get in touch with you??:wave123

[JLM27]

I'm confused. Is the issue his weght or his intake or whether because of his diet he may have MBD? What does "skimbly" mean? I'm not familiar with that word and I can't find it through my online dictionary site.:)

[Skimbleshanks]

Skimbly is just my own term for the nervous energy of squirrels, not a real word really.

Sqwerlgirl, I'm working on it. I have 2 children that I homeschool and we have an evaluation today so I'm trying to do everything at once.

[SkwerlGirl]

gotcha, understood.... :D

I know you're busy, so if you need some help let me know!!

go teach!! :wave123

[island rehabber]

If you are using liquid Esbilac then that is already full strength, so you'll want to dilute it a little: put 1 part water to 2 parts liquid Esbilac for the first day, then go to full strength. You also may want to pick up powdered Esbilac, which keeps far longer than the liquid. :thumbsup

[Twistedsiren]

We would all love to help but you haven't done this before and although you may love the little guy and are trying, he really, REALLY needs to be with a rehabber or he may die. He has to drink warm fluids so he can digest properly. Room temp is not close to body temp. He may have turned his nose after a lil bit because it wasn't warm enough!! PLEASE call a rahabber today. Why can't you bring him today?? Maybe they can meet you. I am almost sure they would!! Please hurry!!

[digiandchipper]

Hope to hear good news at the next feeding....how are the poopies?

[Skimbleshanks]

Happy to report that Skimbleshanks is doing much much better!! He has gone from the original 39 grams which was last night, to holding out now at 44 before feeds and 45 or 46 after feeds! The main thing I have noticed is that the pads on his toes and hands have plumped up considerably and his skin feels "moister" and fuller. I moved him to Esbilac diluted a bit with water this evening. I gave him a single 1cc dose serving of plain yogurt through the syringe mid afternoon. His poops are now toothpaste consistency instead of just water and he is stooling less frequently. Eyes have returned to having a "sparkle" behind them, instead of that other not good look I was seeing.

I had my child's homeschool evaluation and testing today which is why I could not take him. This was something which I could not reschedule. I understand that he needs attention, but I have to put my human children first, and I was doing everything suggested on here for him in the interum, and making phone calls to arrange for his care, and helping my son stay calm and prep for his testing and evaluation and caring for my 3 year old as well. I did not have access to my car this afternoon as my husband needed it for work. These are all the reasons why I could not take him in today. It was a stressful day with trying to do all I needed to do. On a normal day it is crazy here, but I can deal. Today was a doozy. I was not trying to be mean and not take him, or put him in further danger, it was just impossible.

Regardless... I'm relieved that he seems to be turning the corner, and I was able to contact my old friend who has a friend who has experience rehabbing squirrels and she will be coming tomorrow first thing to take him. The nice thing is I'll possibly be able to go see him while he is getting better!

Thank you to everyone for your help and all your advice, Skimbleshanks thanks you too! I will hopefully be able to visit him, and when he's a bit healthier I will figure out how to post a picture of him on here!
:thankyou

[island rehabber]

Good job, Shimbleshanks! ...hope the little one continues to improve. Please give us an update on him when you can, ok? You see how easily we fall in love....:tilt :Love_Icon

[Skimbleshanks]

Thank you Island Rehabber!

Should I continue to feed him all through the night tonight? How often? His last feed was at 7:00 and I am getting ready to feed him again in about a half hour. I think he's being picked up around 10:00 tomorrow am.

Thank you again so much!! :bowdown

[island rehabber]

I would feed him at 10p as planned, and then just this once, if you can, feed him again at about 3-4am. (I know, I know...) Even if you only give him Pedialyte at that feeding, it will prevent him from sliding into that dehydrated state again. When babies his age are precarious I don't let them go more than 5-6 hours without fluids. Then you can feed him at normal breakfast time before the rehabber picks him up. Good luck with everything! :thumbsup

[Skimbleshanks]

No problem! That's sounds logical. I love holding and feeding him and I have no issue with getting up to do it. Also I'm sad that I won't be the one doing it anymore so I will enjoy spending our last night together for awile. I'm hoping he can get released around here when he's better. Maybe I'll have a chance to see him....

Thank you again, you have been so kind.:tilt

[Legomom]

:thankyou Skimbleshanks, for juggling so much & trying to make sure that this little one gets what he needs. You done good! :thumbsup

[FLUFFYTAILNUT]

Glad to hear things are under control..
Good Job..every one that helped out...:thumbsup
Another....squirrel saved....:alright.gif .:thumbsup
FTN & Bean:wave123

[4skwerlz]

Good job "mommy"!:thumbsup

[SkwerlGirl]

:jump :jump You go girl!!!!!


PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:jump

[wheezer]

You have done a wonderful job:thumbsup :wott :bowdown :grouphug

[Mrs Skul]

:thankyou Skimbleshanks, I am so glad he is doing better. I think the name is very cute. I was so relieved to here he was better. Keep us posted on his progress,what ever the out come is.Did your son pass his evaluation? I hope so. You did a great job today. Thanks for hanging in there with this little fuzzy tail. Best wishes to the whole family.Christal

[Ontario Rehabber]

Glad you've found a rehabber close to you and he's off to them today. Everyone has given you great advice at TSB as always- would be nice to ban all the sites which prescribe death sentence formulas and care. Thanks for caring for this little baby. Give us updates when you can.

[Pointy Tale]

Shimbleshanks, so glad things are better. Hope to hear all about his progress.

[Skimbleshanks]

Rehabber is not here yet, but Skimbleshanks had his early morning feed at 4:00 AM and just fed again. He's up to 47 grams now and his fur is looking thicker and fuller. His pads on hands and feet and nice and plump now and his face looks fuller. He's looking sooooo much better!! YaY!!!! no diareaha at all now (in fact he hasn't stooled yet) before it was just litterly squirting out of him all the time. His penis and anus area are normal and non-swollen looking and the urine burn on his leg is all gone! He's made a remarkable recovery in 24 hours.

Thank you again!!!!!!!!

[Ontario Rehabber]

Great News. :alright.gif

[SkwerlGirl]

OOOOH SEND UP PICTURES BEFORE HE GOES!!!!


so glad to hear he's doing better :grouphug

You did a great job!!! Hope the home school evaluation went well for you!!!:wave123

[Pointy Tale]

Your update was so thorough, and this is good news, so happy to hear. My continued prayers for your Skimbleshanks.

[Nancy in New York]

Fingers crossed...you are doing an outstanding job...:thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

[Lady Squirrelly]

Great Job. :thumbsup

We are so glad you found us.:grouphug