Possible pneumonia

[rosewitch]

My little dude has been sucking pretty much nonstop for most of the afternoon; it looks sort of like he has hiccups. He sounds kind of like he's clicking, but his mouth is moving if the clicking noises are going, and if he shuts his mouth they stop-- but he hasnt stopped for more than a moment for as long as i was watching. I know squirrels like to suck, but he's just sucking air and he wasn't doing this before. Could this be serious? Please advise, i am a little worried.

[Carlala]

when they get pneumonia they make a clicking noise when they breathe. hold his back to your ear and listen to see if his lungs sound clear =)

[rosewitch]

Its really hard to tell, because his back is so close to his head-- he starts squealing whenever i try to listen to him. he kind of sounds like hes sneezing too

[rosewitch]

i think my little pinkie squirrel might have pneumonia. he sounds like hes clicking and sort of wheezing, and he's acting like he has hiccups. he's been sucking on the air for a few hours, does this sound serious? please advise!

[HRT4SQRLS]

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32290

rosewitch,
This is what pneumonia sounds like in a baby squirrel. Scroll to post #1 on this thread and click on the video. Do you have antibiotics? If so, what do you have. The experts will be on soon.

[island rehabber]

This sounds VERY serious. If you hold the baby up to your ear, to you hear a click or wheeze on both his inhale and exhale? If so, he has pneumonia - he has sucked formula into his lungs. You must get antibiotics for him ASAP. Do you have a friendly vet, or know anyone who may have Baytril or Sulfatrim???

[Nancy in New York]

i think my little pinkie squirrel might have pneumonia. he sounds like hes clicking and sort of wheezing, and he's acting like he has hiccups. he's been sucking on the air for a few hours, does this sound serious? please advise!

Not sure what you mean by sucking on the air....do you mean like he is gasping?
Anything like this is very serious. We need to get him on abs asap. Do you know of anyone that would have even human abs? Anyone with animals that would have abs? We can dose them if you find anything.
This could be life and death.

[rosewitch]

[QUOTE=Nancy in New York][B][I]Not sure what you mean by sucking on the air....do you mean like he is gasping?


He's -- sucking. Like when he sucks on his paws, his tongue kind of moves around, except he's not sucking anything.

I was going to talk to this place about ab's tomorrow but they're already closed for tonight: http://www.wrcmn.org/index.php

He clicks on the inhale if his mouth is open. if closed he sort of snorts through his nose-- like a dog who sniffed water.

anything that can be bought at a walgreens thats useful immediately? should i keep feeding him?

[island rehabber]

Keep him WARM, but with a place where he can crawl off the heat. You should feed him but even more SLOWLY than before....he may find it difficult to eat anything at all. There is nothing over the counter or at any store that will help him. He must get prescription antibiotics immediately. The best for aspiration pneumonia is Baytril. Sulfatrim (also called Bactrim or SMZ-TMP) is ok and Clavamox or amoxicillin can be used as a last resort. Please do whatever you can to get medicine for this baby, or he will die.

That wildlife center looks very promising -- pray for the little one to last through the night so you can get him over there!

[Nancy in New York]

I found a rehabber in Savage MN....are you close to her?
I sent you a private message did you get it?

[rosewitch]

Yes. Savage is not far from here.

To compound frustrations and worry, i am babysitting my brothers right now, and i cannot find his feeding syringe. there are no antibiotics in the house. I really hope she can help!

[rosewitch]

hi, this is bree's parents. we are home now and are bringing him to an emergency clinic that has ab's. this will cost 210 dollars! but we just hope he makes it. he is having trouble eating and breathing. we just went to a concert for 3 hours and- for some reason- our phone did not ring. talk about bad timing. i feel so bad for bree and her little guy. thanks for all your help and support.

[rosewitch]

Well, we took him to the emergency clinic and it was quite an adventure. They put him in an incubator and gave him oxygen, and a rehabilitator from Savage will be coming by tonight and taking over; however, they warned me the prognosis was not good. I left my contact info but i'm not allowed to know who they are due to clinic rules and such, so i might not ever know whether he makes it. I am really hoping! I didnt realize how much I loved the little guy.

However, we gave him his best chance, I am convinced. This is all due to my awesome dad, who found a clinic that was open and drove us out there; he would have no chance at all otherwise.

Hopefully that rehabber will let me know how it turns out. It would mean so much to me.

I think I have discovered an eternal love of little squirrels, however. I am going to work on becoming a licensed rehabber and I will try this again, but with all the necessary tools.

Thank you all for helping me keep him alive this long! :Love_Icon

[island rehabber]

rosewitch & family, bless you all for doing the right thing for this little one in the end. I am hoping and praying it's not too late: pneumonia can be turned around with the right antibiotics.

Baby squirrels are magical, enchanting creatures who get into our hearts within seconds....but they require highly specialized care and, unfortunately, are very easy to screw up at this age. You have learned about that the hard way, but it will make you a better rehabber once you take the plunge. :grouphug

[CritterMom]

Plus the awesome parents - you have everything you need to do this - really. You have no idea how often we find ourselves helping younger kids - who have to depend on the 'rents for rides and sometimes help in buying the right stuff - and they get absolutely ZERO help. Go give both of them a hug, a kiss and a :bowdown and get going on the licensing thing.:thumbsup

[Nancy in New York]

Well, we took him to the emergency clinic and it was quite an adventure. They put him in an incubator and gave him oxygen, and a rehabilitator from Savage will be coming by tonight and taking over; however, they warned me the prognosis was not good. I left my contact info but i'm not allowed to know who they are due to clinic rules and such, so i might not ever know whether he makes it. I am really hoping! I didnt realize how much I loved the little guy.

However, we gave him his best chance, I am convinced. This is all due to my awesome dad, who found a clinic that was open and drove us out there; he would have no chance at all otherwise.

Hopefully that rehabber will let me know how it turns out. It would mean so much to me.

I think I have discovered an eternal love of little squirrels, however. I am going to work on becoming a licensed rehabber and I will try this again, but with all the necessary tools.

Thank you all for helping me keep him alive this long! :Love_Icon


Thank you for coming here and getting him help.
Thank you for thinking enough of his life to turn him over.
Thank you for loving him enough.

A huge shout out to your parents for being supportive, and raising such an exceptional daughter.
No doubt in my mind with them behind you, you will soar at whatever you do in life.