medication questions

[virgo062]

As a fairly new rehabber...8 years and learning everyday my question is about meds....What kind of meds are kept on hand and what are the shelf lifes of most medications?

[lizharrell1]

I would like to know the same thing. The vets in my area won't provide me with meds such as antibiotics or pain relievers, so I would probably need to get with Anne as to what vet she uses so that I can pay them a visit and stock up on whatever I might need. I would rather stock up BEFORE I need them as opposed to scrambling around when an emergency arises.

[Jackie in Tampa]

I would like to know the same thing. The vets in my area won't provide me with meds such as antibiotics or pain relievers, so I would probably need to get with Anne as to what vet she uses so that I can pay them a visit and stock up on whatever I might need. I would rather stock up BEFORE I need them as opposed to scrambling around when an emergency arises.
unless you are a rehabber or the vet has seen the animal, they will not dispense meds :dono
but the goodies that i keep anmd perfer are trimethoprim/sulfa,[bactrim,smz-tmp]; enrofloxacin[baytril]; metronidazole [flagyll]; and for pain meloxicamin[metacam]
there are alot of meds to keep on hand, but these are all sq friendly and cover many issues...
if you have head trauma and spinal trauma, you should seek medical help ...and it may lead to the steroidals, which require a completely different set of sister meds...
* dex cannot be given with metacam, but tramadol can be given as pain aide with steroids...
:thumbsup

[jacey]

Sulfatrim liquid is my favorite and can be stored at room temp. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic that I use on even the tiny babies with great success. It also can be used for coccidia. It is gentle on the stomach as well.

[Roody521]

Hi - What is the typical dosage for Metacam? Is it .2 mg per kg of body weight?
-Thank you!

[Jackie in Tampa]

Hi - What is the typical dosage for Metacam? Is it .2 mg per kg of body weight?
-Thank you!
there are two basic stregths for small animals....
both can be used...BUT YOU MUST BE CAREFUL AS TO WHICH ONE YOU HAVE!
one is three times the strength!!!!!!
The two strengths are;
.5 mg/ml
and 1.5 mg/ml
which one do you have? and what is the weight of the sq?...
I can help you with dosage if needed!
what is the issue that you are having?

[island rehabber]

All good info above! There are a few Mexican and Canadian websites where you can order some of these meds without a prescription. If you can set up a vet connection, though, that is infinitely a better idea so you are sure of the quality and correct strength of the med.

[psychobird]

i have a pretty broad range of critters coming and going
sulfa/trim
injectable baytril 100mg/ml which i dilute down for oral dosing long shelf life
clavamox
flagyl
spartrix
albon
metacam .5 for smaller birds and mammals 1.5 for larger ones
prednisone
dewormers like drontal plus, strongid, wormout plus
flea powder
mice an lice spray for birds
the shelf life is different for all of them

[psychobird]

the first dose for metacam is a loading dose of .2 double what you give after that
then go to .1

[Roody521]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the replies. I am new to The Squirrel Board, and have been very impressed to find so many folks working together to help one another out -- I wish I would have found this group months ago!

A little history first.... I found a baby orphaned chipmunk (Eastern) at the end of May of this year. He recooped great with some Similac, love, and attention and immediately became part of the family. We named him Roody (a cross between kangaroo and monkey, as that's exactly what he reminded me of as a baby). I had never been around a squirrel like that, let alone having one "burrow" in my shirt (yes, that is correct...I admit it...he liked sleeping in my cleavage [those who know me were not all that surprised that I had been carrying around a chipmunk in between my boobs for the early part of the summer]); nonetheless, I quickly fell in love with the little guy. What amazing little creatures they are; intelligent, ornery, adorable, and surprisingly playful. I only kept him in a cage at night while he was still young, and then transitioned him to his own room in my house, where he had free range and opportunities to play, cache, and sleep wherever he wanted (I made sure that I had chip-proofed it first, though). He soon

So, the time had been approaching where I knew he needed to be introduced to outside. This, as I imagine many of you are all too familiar with, was very hard for me to contemplate. But, I also knew that it was in Roody's best interest to be outside. After all, he had been displaying normal wild chipmunk instinctual behaviors for some time shortly after I had weened him, not to mention that he was also beginning to become very territorial of his room. (Just a note for anyone who hopes they may keep an orphaned squirrel as an indoor pet forever: Roody and I did bond, and he certainly did develop a deep attachment to me, as his mother, I believe. Though, as nature has it (and even Roody's chipmunk mother could attest), there comes a point where animals must act upon their innateness for survival and reproduction purposes - this is imperative for the species, nonetheless, ingrained in them. I was so amazed by Roody's instinctual behaviors, especially since he had never been taught such things like caching. And, even though he had been raised inside most of his young life, he was clearly a product of environmental and seasonal influences (his diurnal behaviors were so predictable: active and a bit ferocious in the AM, playful and sweet in the afternoon, and sleepy come PM, occasionally still 'burrowing' in my shirt).

Alright, so my husband and I decided that the best thing would be for us to introduce him to our backyard. After all, where we lived was quite conducive for chipmunks and we even hoped that he might make his home right under our deck as I had read some of them do (one of those ground decks). So, to skip ahead to now, Roody DID end up taking over underneath our deck and developed an impressive routine immediately (which does include coming back inside to sleep when he chooses). From the first day on, this is what a typical day is like for the little guy: Roody spends all AM working on his burrow system under out deck - sometimes I can see and/or hear him work; other times I cannot. He caches food around the area, which is always very entertaining to watch (how creative he can be at times - We have a 7 ft magnolia-like tree right next to the deck where Roody hangs out. I noticed a couple abandoned birds nest full of recently placed peanuts in them.) Then, at about this time, Roody is either hanging out on top of the deck, at which time he enjoys playing if I am out there with him (he loves to wrestle with my fingers and play hide and seek inside clothing items that he turns into tunnels) or he goes to sleep. Now, here is the funny part: The first day that we introduced him to the outside and the deck, we wondered whether or not he would want back inside at the end of the day to sleep. Sure enough, at about 5:00 there he was just waiting like a little puppy dog outside of our back sliding door. We let him back in and he went immediately to his room and to his bed. So, I also developed a routine... In the AM after I wake up, I open the door to Roody's room, let him hop on my shirt, and then take him to the laundry/mud room which also has a door to the back. I put him down along with his food and water dishes and with the door slightly open. He goes outside and does his thing. I leave the door slightly open for him throughout the entire day so that if he chooses, he can go in and out of the house. In fact, I had no idea that he came inside just now, but walked passed his room and saw him perched in the middle of the floor where he brings his food to eat. Now he's in bed and he'll likely be there resting until tomorrow AM when he'll do it all over again. Sometimes, he won't come inside and I've learned that when he does this he will be unseen but surely right under our feet (literally) working on his outside burrow for about three days and two nights. Just like he's been programmed, on the third morning at around 9:00, he comes out, starving and looking sleep-deprived (at least with him, you can tell when he's half awake - he looks like a human who hasn't slept; glossy eyes, etc.). He eats and then hurries inside to his room, ignoring everyone and everything in sight, as if to say "it's been a long couple of days, I don't want to talk", where he sleeps until the next AM. The next day, after he has recuperated, he resumes his daily inside-outside routine until it's time for another 2-night camp-out. Now, we're not sure what his routine will be come winter time, so we're just leaving it up to him to decide - he'll have the option of being inside or outside, just as he does now.

Okay, so for those of you who are still with me here... I apologize for the novel I've just written. However, I did want to tell my story of Roody to everyone here on The Squirrel Board, though I wasn't planning on doing it here in response to a medications thread, so sorry again. Anyway, this is where I'm at: Roody came in last Thursday AM (he had been burrowing outside since that Tuesday AM). As usual, he came inside and I watched him as he headed towards his room. I peeked in and noticed that he was having trouble climbing into his sleeping spot. Though I was worried, I waited until the next AM after he slept to observe him. So the next AM, I watched him some more and noticed a couple things. First, I noticed that his left hind leg appeared injured, but I could not tell exactly how it was injured. There was no blood or wound anywhere on him and it did not appear misaligned or disformed that might indicate a break. After some analysis, my best conclusion was that he sprained either the ankle or foot area of his hind leg (okay, so I am a scientist by training and a should-have-been vet by heart, so my tendency is to be as empirical as possible to solve a problem, especially when it comes to animals that I love and care for). It did appear somewhat swollen, but he also didn't appear to be in any or much pain, as he was using it to itch behind his armpit, though he was favoring when he perched to eat (instead he would sort of lay to eat). He was also staying inside and resting, rather than going outside, so although I did have some Metacam in the house and had calculated a dosage appropriate for him, I decided I would just watch his injury carefully over the next couple of days. One other thing that I noticed the day that he came inside was a very small bald spot on the same side of his injured hind leg. The bald spot had not apparent bite or wound accompanying it, so I still have not idea how that happened, whether it had any relation to his ankle/foot injury, or whether it was parasite related. I did treat him that same day with a dose of Revolution, which I had been planning to do as soon as he became an indoor-outdoor chipmunk, especially after finding what I believe was a deer tick on him a couple weeks prior (thankfully it had not latched onto his skin at that point, and he let me remove it with no problem), not to mention having learned about the array of parasites that squirrels can pick up. So, if the bald spot was parasite related, the Revolution should do the trick (again, I calculated a dosage for a low-end juvenile chipmunk weight of 70 grams, which I estimated was about what he weighs now). As far as his ankle/foot, it appears to be healing, at least he is using it as if it is healing. As of today, it still looks a little swollen and possibly a little rigid from lack of recent use and he is still favoring it somewhat, though not as much as he had been a couple days ago. And this AM was the first time since he has been back inside recuperating that he wanted to go outside (though like I mentioned earlier, he's now back in his room sleeping).

For those of you STILL with me, I would certainly appreciate any advice, suggestions, feedback, comments, etc. on the current situation with Roody's ankle/foot and bald spot, and of course anything in general.

I'm glad to be here. Thanks everyone!

[Skwerly]

First off,welcome to TSB!I saw your post,and read it with interest,and was quite entertained by your story.:) What a blessing Roody is!It sound like a nice life he has too,especially being carried around most of his life in a ladies bosom!:rotfl I am not a rehabber,just someone who has fed and looked after many Squirrels for the last 15 years or so.When I find an injured Squirrel,I immediately come here to hopefully find help.I have some questions about your situation:do you live in a rural or suburban area?Are there any cats or predators around?He may have been injured by a cat,dog,large bird,or even another Squirrel or Chipmunk.I hope that you keep him inside until you are sure that he has healed,and if need be,take him to a vet if you can afford it.
If you live in an urban area,you may want to consider keeping him inside all the time.You can build him a secure outdoor enclosure too,so that he can get some fresh air.The main thing is to keep him safe from predators.Cats are a BIG problem around my house,but I only have wild Squirrels to care for,so there is only so much I can do to protect them.Since you have raised Roody,he is semi tame,and although he has innate instincts such as burrowing,he has not been taught by his natural mother how to deal with predators,nor has he been socialized around other Squirrels/Chipmunks,and they may harass and/or reject him.I used to think that EVERY animal that has been rehabbed and has no crippling injury should be let free,but now I believe that very careful consideration should be given before releasing.
A few tragedies with released Squirrels that I found and were rehabbed and released has been the reason for my change of thought regarding this topic.
I know that you want what is best for Roody,and if you live in an urban area where there may be cats or dogs running around,please consider keeping him inside(with an outdoor SECURE enclosure too),or release him in a rural area that is under the supervision of a rehabber(fenced and food source,etc..)I know that it seems cruel to keep animals that we find indoors,but sometimes the alternative is much worse.You may want to take a look at some posts from "syl ."She has an Eastern Chipmunk,and had a link to her website that had some wonderful pics,but looks like the link is now broken.Eastern Chipmunks are very territorial,and if there are more of them in your yard,they may be fighting with Roody. I hope that whatever path you choose for him,he will live a long,happy life!:)

[island rehabber]

:WelcomeWelcome Roody521. I enjoyed your story of Roody as well, but I'd like to move it to our Chipmunk Forum if that's ok with you and leave this thread for the subject of medication questions. Being in the Chipmunk forum will also get our wonderful chippie folks here to respond to you more readily. Please choose a title, and I'll move it over there under that title. :peace