Please help!!!!!! UTI? Injury?

[TerriLW]

I have previously raised one blind squirrel that lived with me for 5 years and another that was released 2 years ago.

I currently have 2 babies I have had from a few days old they are now 7 weeks old and have been starting to wean the past 7 days. The boy has the following symptoms: stomach enlarged, seems bloated, seems to be in pain, lethargic, seemed to have come on fast. My daughter heard him chirping last night and he seemed sad. This morning he seemed ok and thru most of the day.

They have been eating: esbilac puppy replacement 4 x a day +\- 12 ccs, assorted veggies and fruits & pecan and walnuts.

Thought maybe it was bloating from gas so gave him one drop of mylanta gas and 4ccs of pedialite, he peed a little and it was a little red/orange.

The vet was closed when I called today and talked to a rehaber earlier today. She suggested the mylanta gas, when I called back about the colored urine she was unavailable. The little girl is very rough with him so I am worried this could be an injury from her or maybe he fell in the cage? or uti? I am very worried he isn't going to make it through the night. He seems very much in pain and is vocal when his stomach is touched.

I have doxicycline tablet antibiotics but have no idea if it would help or how much to give.

I am going to try giving him the cranberry juice suggested in another thread and maybe some parsley made into a tea?? These are the only remedies I can think to try.

any information anyone has I would be greatful for. thank you so much!!!!

[NutmegsMommy]

Why are they not on Fox Valley Formula? That is what they should be eating. Sigh :(

[TerriLW]

I've never heard of fox valley. I've been rehabbing animals for nearly 20 years and have only ever heard of esbilac. I also live in the middle of no where so maybe that is why. This is also what was recommended to me by the squirrel rehabilitator that I have been in contact with regarding the other squirrels. She is supposed to be one of the top in the country so I trusted her judgment. If the fox valley is supposed to be better though I would appreciate a link to information about it as I am always looking to do what is best for the animals.

[Kristal]

Here is the one for young babies.

http://foxvalleynutrition.com/prod/details.asp?CID=1&PLID=1

and here is the one for older babies

http://foxvalleynutrition.com/prod/details.asp?CID=3&PLID=1

If it is UTI you must give antibiotics. I know some pharma-phobes use unsweetened cranberry juice, but for one, it tastes disgusting, and for two, it takes a long time to work, if it works at all. If you go this route you have to cut all sugars from the diet, too. It often does not work, in any case. Whatever it is, it sounds bad, and I would not mess around with herbal remedies at this point. I am not opposed to them and use them myself, but there is a reason it is called complimentary medicine, in my humble opinion.

EDIT: not only is FV better, it is also cheaper, I am sure you will be pleased to know ;)

[TerriLW]

Thank you!! I did start reading the esbilac issue in another thread.

My mom is actually the one with the squirrels but she is not very computer savy so I found this for her. I will definitely have to teach her how to use this board for the future!! She feels terrible she didn't know about the issue with the esbilac!!

She is not opposed to antibiotics and definitely thinks that he needs one but just doesn't know how to get anything for him right now so was going to try that tonight because she thought something was better than nothing at all... She does have the doxy (human rx) but doesn't know if it is ok to use and/or how much.

Thanks again for your help. We are really worried about this little guy.

[NutmegsMommy]

Get him checked by a vet to confirm it is a UTI and to make sure he gets the proper meds and get him on the Fox Valley - he should be fine :)

[Jackie in Tampa]

how's the little one this morning?
ddid you treat him for bloat, warm water soak and massage?

[TerriLW]

Peaty was treated for bloat that way late yesterday as recommended by the squirrel rehaber she stays in contact with.

He did make it through the night, she believes with help from the cranberry juice and sleeping on her chest in the chair all night. He peed a ton in the middle of the night and not crying as much so she feels it definitely helped. They are at our vacation home in the mountains and all 4 local vets are on vacation including the squirrel specialist (go figure) but our local vet from home feels sure that at uti is what is wrong so after 4 hours they finally called in antibiotics which they are picking up now.

Her friend that is a local rehaber brought up a good point that we didn't think of, that his sister suckling on him could probably have contributed to this since it has occasionally been red and swollen. They are separated for now even though he seems very sad without her :(

I also found a number to a rehaber close by so I am sending that to her to contact later today incase she needs anymore help.

Also as a side note, after reading the thread about the esbilac I did want to add that she has been preparing it correctly and hasn't had any problems with diahreah with these guys. She was told to mix the powder with hot water, let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then blend it in a blender to be sure it was mixed thoroughly. She then freezes it in ice cube trays and puts one cube in a shot glass that sits in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes until it is the right temperature for them. She does this every few days. And I know she adds other things to it, probiotics, etc. I don't know what else exactly, So I just wanted to clear that up that it wasn't being prepared improperly and not mixed well.

We are going to read the entire report and look into the fox valley product but keep them on what they are on in the meantime. Other than this issue with Peaty they have been very healthy and on track with proper weight gain so far.

Thanks everyone for the support and knowledge! I will keep you posted on how he is doing.