Flyer not peeing, just seems off?

[LydiaAmaranth]

I really hope this is not life threatening.

My flyer, Hammy, is about a year and a half. My husband and I had him out last night and noticed he didn't pee on us like he often does, and that he kept pumping his hips like he was trying to pee. Tonight he is doing the same thing, only now he is acting cuddly and tired, and he is never like that anymore. He is usually wide awake and tearing around the house at this time. What could be wrong with him?? :-(

He is still pooping up a storm. I guess that is good. His poop seems normal too.

I gave him a warm rice buddy and sprinkled some calcium dust on his food. Now he just seems mad that I messed up his cage. Ugh, this is terrible. He really looks like he is in pain and just tries so hard to pee.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Rhapsody]

Have you actually seen him pee in the last 24 hrs? if not he could have a UTI and will need to be seen by a vet to get some antibiotics for the infection.... and or to make sure there is not a blockage.

IF you have some cranberries in the house giving him some to eat could help start the process of getting rid of any bad bacteria in his body / urinary tract.

P.S.
How is his drinking?
Is he dehydrated..... have you done the pinch test?

[JLM27]

I think you better put this into Life-Threatening. No sense taking chances. If he has a blockage from UTI, he can get in trouble pretty FAST.

[Scooterzmom]

This could be life threatening... a UTI can lead to uric poisoning very fast, and a kidney stone blockage is VERY painful! :grouphug Both conditions can be fatal very quickly. I don't want to alarm you but he needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.

[Mrs Skul]

:thumbsup Good advice From ALL!
Lidia This can turn into a Life Threating situation really quick. So keep a close eye on him to night. How long has it been since he pee last? :thinking
Can you get a short Video of him trying to pee? May be even a few picture of his tummy and tinkle. That would help a whole lot.
Can you fill of his tummy? Is it hard and bloated looking? Is his Tinkle swollen , or look odd? :thinking You should be able to put a little presser on his tummy and fill his bladder if it is full. (with the thumb and index finger.)Just fill both sides of the gut/tummy!
Just remember what it fells like and keep checking. You will be looking for any different feeling/changes!
You can give him some Cranberry Juice, Cran Apple, or CranGrap.
Watch him close. Keep an eye on how much water he is drinking. You also need to put something WHITE on the bottom of the cage and around it. Also wear a white shirt. Take a soft tissue and wipe his tinkle. See if their is any Blood on the tip. He may have a infection or is blockage. (Kidney Stone or Bladder stone.) Is he dehydrated? Just pulled the skin between his shoulders and see if it goes back in place. The quicker it goes back the less dehydrated he is. Do you have a Vet that will see him? I would at least call the vet and let him know what is going on with him. He might just tell you what to do until morning. I am praying for you Little Hammy. CM918


I have to go feed my little critical flyer. Also the mob of Flyers.:D
I will check back in a few.
If you need me. Rhaposdy or ScooterzMom has my phone # :thinking
I think they do! :D Allot of TSBers have it. Just ask.

[Rhapsody]

[CENTER][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]
If you need me. Rhaposdy or ScooterzMom has my phone # :thinking
I think they do! :D Allot of TSBers have it. Just ask.
:thumbsup :thumbsup YES.... I GOT IT!!!

[LydiaAmaranth]

Ugh, I barely slept last night because I was worrying so much.

Anyone know a vet in Belleview, FL or Ocala, FL by chance? I am going to find one anyway but figured I'd ask.

I have seen Hammy drink water just last night. We tried the pinch test but it was too hard to tell the results. He doesn't seem any worse this morning.

He didn't eat anything last night though.

I am sanitizing his feeding dishes and filling them with cranberry juice.

Guess I am calling vets on my lunch break.

[pappy1264]

Sending prayers it is something simple and he will soon be back to his bouncing, racy self!

[LydiaAmaranth]

That was SO CLOSE. My husband got lucky and was able to take Hammy to a vet this morning. The vet had to gas him and then drain his bladder because it was so full- he said it almost burst. They got 9ml of urine out of him. 9. That is crazy. The vet couldn't tell if there was a blockage when he did the ultrasound, so basically there was nothing we could do but hope he passed it in the next day or two or he would likely die.

But! Luckily, the vet knew of a lady that can help him, so we are on our way now to a rehab center. Hooray! Keep Hammy in your thoughts!

[Rhapsody]

THANKS for THE GOOD NEWS!! :multi :multi :multi :wott :wott

[pappy1264]

Not sure if this is flyer friendly (although have used it for one of my gliders that had the very same issue....a uti, then he swelled, so could not potty from straining.) Metacam. Gliders are very small, very close to the size of a flyer. Sending prayers!

[Ronda]

Lots of prayers for little Hammy...and for his parents. Get better soon Hammy!!!

[Mrs Skul]

Yes Pappy Squirrel Friendly Florida!!!
:multi :wott :alright.gif :wahoo
Good Catch!
It is so wonderful you and HB know your Flyer habits. :thumbsup
Dr LightFoot is a good Squirrel Vet.
Who is the Vet that you seen this morning? Did the Vet put him on Baytrill??
I hope the Rehabber can figure something out.
CM918 Prayer Chain for Little Hammy!!CM916
Dear Lord keep Hammy Safe and Healthy. Look after Mom and Dad!

[LydiaAmaranth]

Hammy is on Baytril now. He saw a vet named Dr. Kennedy. He seems better, but is exhausted and still hasn't peed on his own. The rehabber is an awesome woman and she had such a clean house with so many amazing squirrels. She even held Hammy without him squirming away! I couldn't believe it. I really think she is his best shot.

[Busysqrl]

Poor little Hammy. I'm praying for him and you too. You must be beside yourself with worry. :grouphug :grouphug

[Scooterzmom]

Poor little sweetheart. Praying hard for him that he recovers quickly and fully. :grouphug Bless your heart for taking such good care of him.

[Mrs Skul]

Did you leave him with the Rehabber? Poor little guy.:shakehead I hope and pray he will start peeing and do fine.
How are you and HB doing?
:grouphug Hang in there! We are here for you. :grouphug

[LydiaAmaranth]

Yeah we left him there...which was really hard. But she lives pretty close by, which is so lucky! Her sanctuary is amazing! I have never seen so many happy animals. She has tons of squirrels, and some other stuff like baby possums and hedgehogs. And that is just one small area. There are horses and llamas and even a camel.

[SammysMom]

Hugs and prayers for little Hammy! That's great that the sanctuary is so close and that she is available to help! :grouphug

[pappy1264]

Sending prayers. They may want to look into getting him on some metacam. UTI's can lead to swelling in the tubes, which blocks the flow of urine. Metacam helps with inflammation and I went through this with one of my gliders, same exact situation. Metacam is what finally worked. Might want to call the vet and discuss it.

[LydiaAmaranth]

Thanks Pappy, I will ask. I think he might be on it...he is on Baytril and a few different homeopathic kidney drops and anti-inflammatory. I can't remember all the names.

Hammy's situation is still really 50/50. He has to start peeing on his own ASAP. He got a small tap again yesterday, but they can't do that forever. He still isn't eating, so the rehabber has been giving him formula. He actually did eat a couple pieces of walnut when Dan and I went to visit him last night. He seemed so happy to see us. We could barely get him back into his cage. It was very hard to leave.

The vet volunteered to do micro-surgery on Hammy if it comes down to it. I hope it doesn't, but it is nice that he has offered. The rehabber wants to give Hammy a bit longer because she did get a couple of drops of pee out of him yesterday while massaging him. I just want him better. I can't image him living through surgery, or even just dealing with the stress and pain.

[pappy1264]

Surgery is extremely dangerous in these little ones (not necessarily due to size, but their nature of self mutilation and it is very hard to get/keep any type of collar on them.) I am sending tons of prayers for him. Are you giving him any type of added calcium (like carbonate or something like that)? The reason I ask, some calcium has rough edges, even though they are ground up and sometimes can cause little nicks in the tubes and cause pain and inflammation. And I am not sure if it applies to squirrels (going on my glider experience,) but also wonder if they can do a ph test on his urine. That can cause (at least in gliders) inflammation, as well. Do you know if they have him on anything for pain? They should.

[LydiaAmaranth]

Yes, Hammy is on pain medication. We definitely are not going to do the surgery unless there is no other option than euthanasia. I would rather him go while we try to save him rather than feel like I gave up on him (which I know is not true, but I am sure you all understand. I just don't think I could bring him somewhere knowing he was going to be killed.) They were doing a PH test on his urine either last night or today I believe. I never gave him any calcium supplements, so that couldn't be the cause.

Honestly it just seems like he might not have the best of kidneys. Occasionally he pees a muddy looking color, but we always though it was either because he peed on his food or poop dissolved into his urine, but recently he peed on my husband and it was that muddy color all by itself.

Ugh, I hate just waiting and not being able to see him. I just get sick at the thought of how much he has gone through in the past few days, and that it all may be for nothing.

[rooh2011]

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[LydiaAmaranth]

That may be the most pathetic picture I have ever seen. :-(

But I got good news today! Hammy finally peed on his own and he ate a little bit of food! So hopefully he won't need any surgery.

[LydiaAmaranth]

Well, Hammy passed away last night. They just called us and told us. They think he really had kidney problems and then all the stress of the past few days was too much on him.

Thank you all for your help.

[mugzeezma]

Well, Hammy passed away last night. They just called us and told us. They think he really had kidney problems and then all the stress of the past few days was too much on him.

Thank you all for your help.

OH NO!!!
Just when he started peeing!
I'm so sorry for your loss :(

Run free little Hammy

[Mrs Skul]

RIP Sweet Little Angel Hammy
:sad
Go fly with the Angels. Your whole Flyer Family has been waiting for you. CM918
Rest your little head and snuggle up close Their is no more pain or stress where you are at.
:Love_Icon We will see you again at the RainBow Bridge. :Cry
I am so sorry Lydia.:grouphug
You are a wonderful SquMommy! You did every thing right with this little guy.
:grouphug I feel your pain. My hart is braking in peaces while typing this.:grouphug
I am hear for you if you need! God bless the both of you for all the love and Devotion you had for little Hammy.:grouphug

[Ardilla]

I'm so sorry.:grouphug

[SammysMom]

Oh my goodness I am so sorry! You did everything possible and he was so well loved! :grouphug

[Ronda]

I am so sorry.... poor little fuzzer was loved. :grouphug -you are in our prayers

[Scooterzmom]

R.I.P.sweet angel. Fly with joy and be pain free with your friends at the bridge. We all shall meet there some day, back to love each other again. Scooter will be happy to play with you until then, he'll be happy to have another good friend sweetie. :Love_Icon

[LydiaAmaranth]

The vet performed an autopsy today. He thinks Hammy had a blockage in his urinary tract...most likely a kidney stone. I am not sure what could have caused it, but figured I would update this thread in case someone else has these problems with their flyer.

I researched it a bit, and kidney stones have many causes. Not drinking enough water is the most common. Certain minerals can also combine to make stones, usually oxalate. I don't know if this contributed to Hammy's problem (this research is all based on human subjects), plus it seems like squirrels would have a naturally high oxalate content in their diets. Plus the vet wasn't 100% sure he had a stone, so who knows.