HELP!! Does he have pneumonia??

[venusinfurs86]

I posted yesterday about my 6-8 wk old needing formula so I started him on the goat's milk formula last night. I've had to use a 10cc syringe and am getting a 3 cc syringe in the morning. i have also ordered the 1 and 3 cc and they are on their way. i have fed him a total of 4 times, once last night and 3 times today. last night before i fed him with the syringe my mother thought she could put him in a little bowl and he could lap it up and she had him in it before i could stop her. his whole face was in it and he started sneezing. i wiped his face off as best i could and held him upside down to try to get it out of his airways (while yelling at mother all the bad words i won't say on here). he seemed fine last night despite this.

today after the 2nd feeding around 6pm he started making strange noises when he fell asleep. i suppose it could be described as a very light clicking. i left for a while and when i got back around 10 i snuck over to his cage to listen and heard absolutely nothing. so i fed him again, practicing with syringe over the sink to better control the flow; i'm incredibly paranoid. after i fed him again around 11 he started making the sound when he curled up to sleep under my boobs. it turned into a squeak and the squeak gets louder the longer he sleeps. and it's happening on most exhales. when i wake him up it stops though. could he be snoring?? or does this sound like pneumonia?? he is fine otherwise, no lethargy today. but i know it can develop fast and want to get antibiotics ASAP if i need to. he is not making any strange noises right this minute and is half asleep at my breast...

[island rehabber]

Hold him to your ear and listen for the inhale-exhale. If you can HEAR IT, there's a problem. It sounds as if he very well may have aspirated formula in the bowl, and I would do what you have to do to get antibiotics this morning just in case. If you have a vet who will cooperate, PLEASE:

* get Baytril or Sulfatrim or SMZ-TMP. They are the best for pneumonia. Baytril is the fastest-acting.
* GET LIQUID FORM!!! We have been dealing with so many issues of diluting tablets on this Board lately, with the confusion and mathematical uncertainties involved, I am hoping against hope that we never have to do a dilution AGAIN.....at least not until my blood pressure returns to normal :D

I hope your little one doesn't need it. I hope you don't hear a thing except little baby squirrel mouth noises once in awhile. But please be sure. :):peace

[venusinfurs86]

just fed him with a 3cc syringe. I don't hear any noises on inhale/exhale. no noises when i got up this morning either. he is very active, running on his wheel like crazy. am i just really paranoid? could he have been in such a deep sleep yesterday that he was just snoring/squeaking?

[Scooterzmom]

Young squirrels hat age sometimes make strange noises, even like clicking sounds that are in fact more purring. That usually happens when they are relaxed and content. HOWEVER do NOT let your guard down and do keep monitoring him closely. You want to make sure you don't hear any of those in his chest nor when he is moving around through the day and watch him closely for signs of ill-feeling. If he seems active and his appetite is fine then it's all for the better and, as IR said, could be only those young squirrel contentment sounds.

[venusinfurs86]

My little buddy sounds good today. i am thinking they were just contentment noises. he only does it when he has been sleeping at my breast, not in his cage or any other time of the day. thanks you guys for putting my mind at ease. i was up until 2am last night worrying and reading...