help... :(

[alw75]

I got a call on Tuesday with a new baby.... I was very surprised at what I picked up... Twiggy only weighed 68 grams when we got home, but he is fully furred, eyes open, and has bottom and top teeth... He was very dehydrated and we did 24 hours of pedialyte... Fully rehydrated then made transition to fox valley... He loved it! I thought he was doing excellent then yesterday at his 7 o' clock feeding he did not eat has much as he usually does and even less at 11 o' clock... He only took 2 and a half... He nibbled on a boo ball but didn't do much at all... I tried to feed him again at 2 and he did not want any... This morning at 7 he refused formula but drank about 5 ccs of pedialyte.... I don't have a clue what to do! He seems VERY tired... All he wants to do is sleep whereas he was very playful... I had him up to 88 grams yesterday morning but he was down to 86 this morning...Help me please! I feel like I am losing my precious Twiggy! :'(

[Milo's Mom]

Do you have any history on what how when where and why he was found? This info might help the rehabbers in advising you.
Was he cat caught...Did he fall...etc.

How are his pee and poops?

Did you start him on full strength FV or diluted and what strength of FV is he on now?

[alw75]

All I know is he was found on a sidewalk outside of a school... His pee is great and his poo was until yesterday afternoon. It got a little mushy. Today it is closer to diarrhea. I mixed fox valley and pedialyte for 2 feedings then I went to full strength. :(

[HHRP]

Don't mix Pedialyte & Fox Valley! You can give them seperate, but never mix them together. Make sure your baby is warm with heating pad, but cover heating pad so its not directly on him or put heating pad half underneath container he is in. Never feed him when he is cold either, he must be warm. Don't over feed either. I'm sure you already know all this, just wanted to remind ya. I hope your baby is okay.

[alw75]

I read that after the fact... I stopped immediately.

[Milo's Mom]

Pedialyte only for 24 hours, which I think you've already done.
If he was that dehydrated, I would start him on a diluted FV...as this will provide him with the additional fluids to get him fully hydrated but also with some calories, which he needs too.

FV at full strength is 2 parts water to 1 part FV
Since you've already done the Pedialyte, I'd do a 3 to 1 FV mixture for 24 hours then go to 2 to 1.

If you think he is still dehydrated you can do a couple hydrations between FV feedings.

Does he have any scratches or external injuries of any kind?

If he has runny poops he's going to need additional hydration.

Do you have him on heat? Heating pad on low 1/2 under the container you have him in?

[alw75]

No external injuries... I did pedialyte... He won't take any formula at all. He pushes the syringe away and refuses... ?

[Jackie in Tampa]

Do you have any history on what how when where and why he was found? This info might help the rehabbers in advising you.
Was he cat caught...Did he fall...etc.

How are his pee and poops?

Did you start him on full strength FV or diluted and what strength of FV is he on now?
yep...mm is right...look for small wounds...punctures can be hard to see
keep him warm and hydrted...start looking for anti biotics just in case...
you are getting great advise
good luck

[alw75]

Don't mix Pedialyte & Fox Valley! You can give them seperate, but never mix them together. Make sure your baby is warm with heating pad, but cover heating pad so its not directly on him or put heating pad half underneath container he is in. Never feed him when he is cold either, he must be warm. Don't over feed either. I'm sure you already know all this, just wanted to remind ya. I hope your baby is okay.
Thank you!

[alw75]

What kind of antbiotics should I get ?

[Milo's Mom]

What kind of antbiotics should I get ?

Start asking friends and family for antibiotics like:

Baytril (this would be the best)
Cipro
Amoxicillian
Penicillin
Clavamox

These are just a few off the top of my head. Get what you can find and tell us what you have...we'll go from there.

Ask them if they have any left overs from their pets or themselves. Leave us know what you are able to find. We will need to know the following:

Name of drug
Dosing directions say on the container
Strength of drug
Expiration date (if you can only get expired it's ok, non-expired is preferred & will work better)

[alw75]

Alright... Thank you so much! He ate 2 ccs of diluted fv and was semi-rambuncious for a VERY short period of time... He went straight back to hiding and sleeping... I don't know if this will help but he has always slept with his head tucked under him... I don't know if this could possibly be an indication of a head injury... ? I always just thought it was who he was.

[Milo's Mom]

Alright... Thank you so much! He ate 2 ccs of diluted fv and was semi-rambuncious for a VERY short period of time... He went straight back to hiding and sleeping... I don't know if this will help but he has always slept with his head tucked under him... I don't know if this could possibly be an indication of a head injury... ? I always just thought it was who he was.

I believe that sleeping with the head tucked under is a sign of pain. Is he on his side when he does this or is he in more of a sitting position with his head tucked down?

[alw75]

He is in more of a sitting position... He has done this the whole time. :( I just checked on him and he seems strange... He cleaned his face and tail but wanted to sleep still...

[Milo's Mom]

He is in more of a sitting position... He has done this the whole time. :( I just checked on him and he seems strange... He cleaned his face and tail but wanted to sleep still...


Like I said, I believe this is an indication of pain. Hopefully one of the rehabbers will comment on this positioning.

Have you been able to locate any meds?

Keep trying to get FV into him...keep his blood sugar up...maybe put a small amount of natural applesauce on the tip of the syringe to entice him a little.

Are you able to see any bruising on him anywhere?

Depending how old he is, most squirrels are sleeping this time of day...at least my 7 and the wilds are. They will wake up in about 1.5 - 2 hours and want food now.

[alw75]

No bruising at all... I am having a hard time determining age, I am uncertain, but I believe he is a mini since I have done some research. I will keep trying the fox valley... I can get meds without an issue... Thank you so much for your help...

[Milo's Mom]

When you get the meds leave us know what you got so we can dose it for you, if it is determined that he needs them.

If you post a picture of him we might be able to help approximate his age.

[island rehabber]

Generally loss of appetite is causd by two things:

*Dehydration
*Pneumonia

The baby had diarrhea, therefore we must assume dehydration. i would go back to the pedialyte for 2 feedings, 2 hrs apart. Flavor it with fruit juice or applesauce if he won't take it readily. Then after those two feedings try the Formula again.

Pneumonia: hold him up to your ear. If you hear a click, pop, or wheezing sound on the INHALE and the EXHALE of each breath, he has pneumonia. Baytril is the best for aspiration pneumonia - if you can get it, don't mess around with other meds.

[Milo's Mom]

:thankyou IR!!! :thumbsup

[alw75]

There is no clicking... I will do the pedialyte feedings... He seems to be in pain now that I am watching for that... Can I give him infant pain medicine? :( I worry because I have no idea about any trauma inflicted before he came to me...

[Milo's Mom]

Squirrels can have Infant Motrin, but I am not able to dose it. I believe CritterMom knows how to dose.
Again, the Rehabbers need to weigh in on this, but might the pain be caused by the dehydration? I know when I am dehydrated I hurt. And I am not sure if being dehydrated will have any adverse effects with the Infant Motrin.

[alw75]

I am hydrating... He just appears sickly... I am just praying, praying, praying now... Thank you for your help! If any thing changes I will be sure to post. As of now he is still in the same condition... :(

[island rehabber]

Renember to begin formula with him again after two feedings of Pedialyte...we don't want to starve him. Keep him warm. If he is not crying or chattering his teeth or biting on his blankets, he is probably not in pain.

[alw75]

:( I have noticed his top gum appears a little swollen... Could that be from cutting teeth?Do their gum
s hurt right after they cut their teeth? Could that be the cause of pain? I have heard the occasional chatter and he chew on his blankets occasionally... He is not crying and he is sleeping like a little angel right now... He just seems so different than the first few days I had him...

[alw75]

Hey guys. I have 2 questions. Does anyone know much about 'minis'? And does anyone have suggestions on how to get a baby to eat his formula? It is almost like Twiggy does not like his formula!

[CritterMom]

Try heating it a little warmer than you are. Some of them like it really a lot warmer than you might think.

Sometimes you cn "prime the pump" by dipping the nipple in just a teeny bit of something sweet like syrup. I would cut it with a little water so it is just a tiny bit sticking to the nipple - don't want to have a sweet freak on your hands.

Dehydration will kill the appetite, too. Is he fully hydrated?

[island rehabber]

Two things;
"mini's" aren't really a type of squirrel; they are just the runts of the litter They should be nourished and cared for exactly like bigger babies, just in smaller amounts :)
If a baby resists formula, it's probably too cold. Remember baby squirrels only relate to liquids that are the same temp as their mamma's bodies: 102 degrees. Running the syringe under hot water is not going to do it: you need to let it stand in some VERY hot water for a few minutes or nuke the formla for 10-12 seconds before feeding. Test it on your hand: it should feel very warm to you, not lukewarm.

[alw75]

Hey guys! I need some more help, lol. Twiggy is very active and what I guess to be about 8 weeks old. But I can not completely get rid of the slimy diarrhea . I calculate how much he eats and everything! It will be completely normal for a couple of days then it will go back to runny. I will put him on pedialyte for 2 feedings and then do diluted formula. As soon as I put him back on full strength we start having poo problems! I don't know what to do! Like I said, he appears to be roughly 8 weeks old in every way except weight! He only weighs 90 grams and I CAN NOT put more on him! I am introducing him to solids and he loves boo balls... I just don't know what could be causing the diarrhea! Help me please!

[island rehabber]

What formula are you using?

[CritterMom]

First post says FV.

[island rehabber]

sorry -- lazy with this no-mouse laptop here; scrolling is SUCH an ordeal :shakehead
anyway, I am wondering if an infection is the culprit here like coccidia or giardia. "Slimy" diarrhea is often the telltale sign of that.

Is there any way you can get a fecal done on the squirrel's poop? That is truly the only way to really see what is going on in the GI system...

[Wonkawillie]

I am wondering if this is what had happened. When you got this baby, it sounds like he was in serious trouble of near death from starvation and dehydration. He was so dehydrated that he was very very thirsty. You did the right thing to get him hydrated, but he still was so starved that he was eager to drink all the formula right up. He feels a bit better now, and he has a warm cozy place. Who knows just what situation he came from but it was NOT good. Squirrel babies sleep a tremendous amount. At 8 weeks old, they tend to eat less often but bit more each feeding. Could he just be well hydrated now and he is getting some long needed rest? How often are you trying to feed him? I know my babies will refuse formula at 8 weeks if they still have a full belly. I think it is great that he is liking the Boo-Balls. Make them with plenty of FV in them. Boo Balls are good food and the rat block in them will help bind up some of the droopy poop. I would certainly try to give some vanilla yogurt to get his stomach settled. The yogurt can NOT go in the microwave though. It will kill the good bacteria in it and defeat the purpose. 8 week squirrels do indeed sleep a lot. Please keep us posted

[alw75]

I do not think my vet would do a fecal but I know I can get medication. It seems like he is just getting worse. I feed him every four hours during the day and from about 11 to 6 night to morning. He is going down hill so prayers will be appreciated! What medicine should I get? If he is here in the morning I will try to get some asap!

[alw75]

Okay the poop is real bad. :( How often should I offer pedialyte? And if he wants it how much should I give him?

[SammysMom]

I would let him have the hydration fluid whenever he wants it. If you are making homemade pedialyte I'd lower the sodium. Maybe kaopectate? Please know that I am NOT an expert, but they should be along soon. Prayers for your baby an for you!!!:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[lilidukes]

Until you can get some meds go get some canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) warm it and syringe feed. Keep fluids going.

[lilidukes]

Sounds like baby has coccidia or giardia. Coccidia can be cured with more simple abs such as SMZ-TMP, clavomox, Albon, Baytril (Cipro) or amoxicillin. Giardia, smells horrid like something dead and will require ab's such as Metronidazole, Flagyl, or Protostat.

Sending healing thoughts and prayers:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[alw75]

The poop doesn't smell terrible. But he is acting very weird. He is scratching all over. He took 5ccs pedialyte and played around. Seems like he wants to bite and chew at stuff more than ever. :(

[Nancy in New York]

The poop doesn't smell terrible. But he is acting very weird. He is scratching all over. He took 5ccs pedialyte and played around. Seems like he wants to bite and chew at stuff more than ever. :(

Just throwing this out there....can you look in his mouth and see his teeth, check them out, just make sure they are straight and not too long.

[alw75]

I will need help with a dose amount. I will post tomorrow as soon as I gets meds and let you all know what I get. His teeth seem fine. Feed pedialyte at 8 gonna offer more at 10. How much should I give him? He weighs around 90 grams.

[lilidukes]

I will need help with a dose amount. I will post tomorrow as soon as I gets meds and let you all know what I get. His teeth seem fine. Feed pedialyte at 8 gonna offer more at 10. How much should I give him? He weighs around 90 grams.

He needs nutrition so I would give him FV before bed time. 5-6 cc's

You said he is itching and scratching...have you checked for fleas, lice or ear mites????? Are his ears nice and clean?

[alw75]

Haven't seen any fleas or anything ears are clean. So it would be okay to give him fox valley with the severe diarrhea?

[Jackie in Tampa]

I have private messaged someone near you...
not sure when to expect a reply, hopefully soon.
hoping they can help...
ask around to see if you can find any of the meds listed...
I use a sulpha based med for cocchidia {SMZ_TMP, Bactrim, Septra} and flagyl/metro for giardia.
as everyone has said already...push hydration.
You are getting great help, just wanted to post that if you cannot find meds, maybe a nearby member can make suggestions/vets/rehab centers.
Good luck

[Wonkawillie]

This baby needs food. If he will take the FV, feed it. Make sure it is mixed properly and add fresh yogurt to it. I am not a lic rehabber, but have taken care of many baby squirrels. This baby will starve to death without food.

[alw75]

I can get meds from my vet. He is out this week but they are supposed to have the one helping out call me soon. Is SMZ_TMP the first choice? Please help with dose amount. But I have some concerns. First is it alright to give him fv and pedialyte in the same feeding just not mixed together? And could this have anything to do with fv? When the diahrrea gets bad I put him on pedialyte then back to diluted fv he does better. When I go back to 1 part powder and 2 parts water the diahrrea gets worse again. He ate well before bed got up this morning had a good pee. His poop had form still very soft and slimy but better than last night. Is it okay to go ahead and start introducing him to vegs and keep giving him boo balls?

[Nancy in New York]

I can get meds from my vet. He is out this week but they are supposed to have the one helping out call me soon. Is SMZ_TMP the first choice? Please help with dose amount. But I have some concerns. First is it alright to give him fv and pedialyte in the same feeding just not mixed together? And could this have anything to do with fv? When the diahrrea gets bad I put him on pedialyte then back to diluted fv he does better. When I go back to 1 part powder and 2 parts water the diahrrea gets worse again. He ate well before bed got up this morning had a good pee. His poop had form still very soft and slimy but better than last night. Is it okay to go ahead and start introducing him to vegs and keep giving him boo balls?

As much as I love Fox Valley and have used it for a while, perhaps you should go with the Goat's Milk formula:

3 parts goat’s milk
1 part heavy whipping cream*
1 part vanilla yogurt

Formula will last 48 hours in refrigerator.

The goats milk can be gotten in most health food stores, either liquid or powdered. I would call before you search all over. If you have Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's they also carry it.

Years ago, a rehabber told me to only use goats milk, so much easier on their tummys, so maybe we have to go with that for now...:dono

What are you getting the antibiotics for?

[alw75]

I can get whatever I need. Sounds like smz_tmp is best. I will try the goats milk mixture. And he seems to do okay with fv until I go to the 1 part powder to 2 parts water. I have honestly been wondering if he could just have a very sensitive tummy. Back on the diluted formula and the poop isn't as bad. :/

[alw75]

When you say van. yougart are you talking about the all natural plain that I use in boo balls or just regular van.?

[alw75]

And how do you suggest heating the formula with the yougurt in it?

[Nancy in New York]

And how do you suggest heating the formula with the yougurt in it?

I would heat the formula using a glass of very hot water and preloading the syringes, with the nipples, otherwise the formula will leak out sometimes....and keep offering a new syringe, already warmed...:D
I believe that Jackie always uses full fat vanilla flavored yogurt.

[Jackie in Tampa]

have we heard anything ?

[alw75]

Yes I am picking up meds in the morning. The vet is like and hour away and he is doing great! I couldn't find goats milk close by last night and he was back to refusing he fv so I used the fv with the yogurt and heavy cream. He loves it is eating great. I am giving him. Small boo balls a day and introducing him to fruits and vegs. He gained 3 grams this morning. His poop isn't bad diarrhea now its just soft and slimy. I am getting smz_tmp but I do need help with how much he should be given. He weighed 100 grams this morning.

[alw75]

Okay I have smz! 200mg / 40mg per 5ml. He weighs 100 grams. PLEASE PLEASE let me know dose amounts. Would like to start him on it tonight.

[alw75]

I am bumping my own post... Lol, dosage help please! :/

[CritterMom]

Someone help me here - I am at work and all my cheat sheets are at home. This is the children's suspension strength, isn't it? The pink liquid?? Can someone check the strength? Because if it is, it is given at 0.25cc per pound which would be if I am correct here 0.05cc 2X per day???

Please don't take this as gospel - I need someone to check the strength first!

[Nancy in New York]

Someone help me here - I am at work and all my cheat sheets are at home. This is the children's suspension strength, isn't it? The pink liquid?? Can someone check the strength? Because if it is, it is given at 0.25cc per pound which would be if I am correct here 0.05cc 2X per day???

Please don't take this as gospel - I need someone to check the strength first!


Right. Just make sure that you dose 0.05 that is just a tiny tiny amount.

[alw75]

Will do! I'm not sure if its childrens or not. It came from my vets office. So 0.05 twice a day? Are there any side affects I should watch for? :/

[CritterMom]

Yes, I checked my bottle - 0.05cc 2x per day. Make sure it all gets into him! It is sweet - made for little kids - they usually like it. It is pretty easy on them - not a gutbuster at all.

[alw75]

I know this may sound dumb but I'm so afraid I will not give enough or terrified that I will give him to much. I have a 1cc syringe it has 40 little dashes on it. How many should I pull it up for it to be 0.05?

[CritterMom]

If you have a 1cc syringe, you will see that it is divided into 10 sections that are about a quarter inch long. Each of those sections is 0.10cc. One half of of of those sections is 0.05cc. The plunger is pulled back only about 1/8". If you look closely (my eyes aren't that good), the "0.10cc" sections are divided into teeny lines - there are ten of them so the 0.05 would be five of those teeny lines.

[Nancy in New York]

This is a 1 cc syringe.
I have put a red line where 0.05 is.
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv95/nancym518/Wound%20Care/IMG_1836.jpg

[alw75]

Thank you so much! How many days should I give him this for slimy poop?

[alw75]

I had the 1 cc syrings she was talking about four sections with ten lines in each section so I counted off the five small lines! Thanks everyone for your help!

[alw75]

Hey everyone! Still wondering how many day to give antibiotics? And I really need some suggestions on feeding. I am giving him fv with heavy cream and yogurt 3 times a day while introducing him to vegs and fruits. He weighs 102 grams. I have read that only feeding 3 times a day you can give them all they want. Is this true? Or with a 3 feedings a day schedule what % of there weight is what should be feed?

[CritterMom]

Give the meds for 7-10 days. This was a pretty long standing problem; I would lean toward the 10.

[Nancy in New York]

Hey everyone! Still wondering how many day to give antibiotics? And I really need some suggestions on feeding. I am giving him fv with heavy cream and yogurt 3 times a day while introducing him to vegs and fruits. He weighs 102 grams. I have read that only feeding 3 times a day you can give them all they want. Is this true? Or with a 3 feedings a day schedule what % of there weight is what should be feed?

If you are also feeding veggies, then with the formula, he most likely will not want as much. BUT I would give the formula first and AS MUCH AS HE WANTS....well within reason of course, we don't want him bloating....Not more than 8-9 cc's.
Not too many fruits...they actually are considered a treat. But a small piece of apple every now and then is fine. Skin off.
Do you have him on any kind of block? People use the Harlan Teklad 2018.
And one of our members here makes squirrel blocks in different formulas, you would most likely get the growth formula. Here is that link:http://henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/
Here is the link to healthy foods that your little one can have.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28009

[Jackie in Tampa]

updates?