View Full Version : 4 week old baby squirrel sneezing
deanna
08-23-2012, 11:45 PM
Hi, here's just a summary of what has been going on the past couple of days. My cat killed a mother squirrel and attacked her nest. We didn't know this until we heard a squeel and it had the last baby in its mouth in our yard. We managed to get the cat away from it and bring the squirrel inside. I immediately got him warm and cleaned his cuts with neosporin (all I had) and then went to the store to get him pedialyte.
I got him Monday at 7pm and that night he had pedialyte. All Tuesday morning & night he had pedialyte. Wednesday morning he also had pedialyte but that night I went to the store and bought goats milk, heavy whipping cream & plain yogurt. I've been feeding him that mixture, since late Wednesday night. So as of now, a full 24 hours.
He was on pedialyte for awhile because no stores had the right formula and I have to wait for it to arrive in the mail (which I ordered online) and then a rehabilitator told me I could make my own formula in the meantime. He's peed atleast twice and pooped atleast twice (that I've seen, maybe more)
He's very energentic and shockingly strong for his size. He can already climb and hold onto me and hang with his strength. His cuts are heeling quickly. He twitches a lot, but I read thats normal. His eyes are not open but he looks very healthy and has a good weight and amount of hair. His bottom teeth are in as well. So I assume 4 weeks. Everything seems fine, but he has been sneezing occassionally. I wouldn't say A LOT, but I've heard it a few times. I've been using a syringe, but the first day or so with pedialyte I was using a tiny bottle. I've tried keeping it out of his nose. I haven't heard "clicking" and if there is clicking it must be very quiet. I haven't heard it.
Does he 100% have pneumonia? Could this just be normal? Since it doesn't seem bad, may it go away on its own? If not, where and how do I go about getting amoxicillin without a prescription? Can another medicine be used? How much does it cost & how much do I give? If he didn't have pneumonia but I misdiagnosed it and gave it to him anyways, would it hurt him?
Any other advice anyone can give me would help a lot! Thankyou!
*I have pictures and video if you'd like to see him..*
island rehabber
08-23-2012, 11:51 PM
We would love to see pix and video, and it tells us a lot more so that we can help you better.
Baby squirrels occasionally make a "pffft!" sound, which is perfectly normal. Rapid sneezing, or cluster sneezing, however, can mean a respiratory problem. First of all, make sure you are not using scented candles or dryer sheets or overly perfumed sheets or garments as bedding. These artificial smells are very irritating to baby squirrels. Don't use pine or cedar shavings either, as they will irritate the baby's nasal passages. If you still feel that he is sneezing excessively, you will need to start antibiotics. SMZ-TMP is best for this type of problem, but amoxicillin is okay if it's all you can get.
deanna
08-24-2012, 12:35 AM
We would love to see pix and video, and it tells us a lot more so that we can help you better.
Baby squirrels occasionally make a "pffft!" sound, which is perfectly normal. Rapid sneezing, or cluster sneezing, however, can mean a respiratory problem. First of all, make sure you are not using scented candles or dryer sheets or overly perfumed sheets or garments as bedding. These artificial smells are very irritating to baby squirrels. Don't use pine or cedar shavings either, as they will irritate the baby's nasal passages. If you still feel that he is sneezing excessively, you will need to start antibiotics. SMZ-TMP is best for this type of problem, but amoxicillin is okay if it's all you can get.
as of right now it seems like he only does it a little. smz-tmp, I've never heard of it. where would I get it if I needed to?
and he only has fleece in his bed. but thanks for the tip about room sprays and ect. I'll make sure not to spray any. I'll post pictures soon, after they load.
Rhapsody
08-24-2012, 01:23 AM
SMZ is obtained from a vet or a local rehabber that is close to you. If your little is not clicking then its possible that he does NOT pnuemonia and was just irratated by some thing that got into his nose. Please stay away using the nursing bottle.
stepnstone
08-24-2012, 03:42 AM
Hi, here's just a summary of what has been going on the past couple of days. My cat killed a mother squirrel and attacked her nest. We didn't know this until we heard a squeel and it had the last baby in its mouth in our yard. We managed to get the cat away from it and bring the squirrel inside. I immediately got him warm and cleaned his cuts with neosporin (all I had) and then went to the store to get him pedialyte.
I got him Monday at 7pm and that night he had pedialyte. All Tuesday morning & night he had pedialyte. Wednesday morning he also had pedialyte but that night I went to the store and bought goats milk, heavy whipping cream & plain yogurt. I've been feeding him that mixture, since late Wednesday night. So as of now, a full 24 hours.
He was on pedialyte for awhile because no stores had the right formula and I have to wait for it to arrive in the mail (which I ordered online) and then a rehabilitator told me I could make my own formula in the meantime. He's peed atleast twice and pooped atleast twice (that I've seen, maybe more)
He's very energentic and shockingly strong for his size. He can already climb and hold onto me and hang with his strength. His cuts are heeling quickly. He twitches a lot, but I read thats normal. His eyes are not open but he looks very healthy and has a good weight and amount of hair. His bottom teeth are in as well. So I assume 4 weeks. Everything seems fine, but he has been sneezing occassionally. I wouldn't say A LOT, but I've heard it a few times. I've been using a syringe, but the first day or so with pedialyte I was using a tiny bottle. I've tried keeping it out of his nose. I haven't heard "clicking" and if there is clicking it must be very quiet. I haven't heard it.
Does he 100% have pneumonia? Could this just be normal? Since it doesn't seem bad, may it go away on its own? If not, where and how do I go about getting amoxicillin without a prescription? Can another medicine be used? How much does it cost & how much do I give? If he didn't have pneumonia but I misdiagnosed it and gave it to him anyways, would it hurt him?
Any other advice anyone can give me would help a lot! Thankyou!
*I have pictures and video if you'd like to see him..*
Something really got missed here! This baby should have been put on anti biotic immediately and he needs to get on them asap!Cat bite, scratch, slava, either or all, it can all be deadly to a squirrel! Without anti biotic this baby is heading for trouble if that's not what your already experiencing.
CritterMom
08-24-2012, 05:40 AM
Yes indeed - though if it was found on Monday would those symptoms have already presented?
Deanna, do you or any friends or family have ANY antibiotics - human meds are what we are looking for here. The very best would be a tablet of Cipro, which is a very popular drug. But hunt around and see - even meds that have expired and come back with the info.
Cat saliva contains Pasturella and standard practice is to put ANYTHING that has been in contact with a cat on meds regardless of whether wounds can be found.
Now go med hunting.
squirrelsrule&bunniestoo
08-24-2012, 07:28 AM
Where at in Ohio are you (just general part of the state, or PM me more exact (county would be great)) and I can try to help you find a good rehabber in your area.
stepnstone
08-24-2012, 11:30 AM
Yes indeed - though if it was found on Monday would those symptoms have already presented?
Deanna, do you or any friends or family have ANY antibiotics - human meds are what we are looking for here. The very best would be a tablet of Cipro, which is a very popular drug. But hunt around and see - even meds that have expired and come back with the info.
Cat saliva contains Pasturella and standard practice is to put ANYTHING that has been in contact with a cat on meds regardless of whether wounds can be found.
Now go med hunting.
Good question, not having experienced a cat scratched squirrel or knowing the symptoms to look for outside the obvious lethargic, loss of appetite, etc, is what makes me wonder and question the sneezing. Could this be a symptom and result from that?
stepnstone
08-24-2012, 02:16 PM
Yes indeed - though if it was found on Monday would those symptoms have already presented?Deanna, do you or any friends or family have ANY antibiotics - human meds are what we are looking for here. The very best would be a tablet of Cipro, which is a very popular drug. But hunt around and see - even meds that have expired and come back with the info.
Cat saliva contains Pasturella and standard practice is to put ANYTHING that has been in contact with a cat on meds regardless of whether wounds can be found. Now go med hunting.
Good question, not knowing how symptoms from a cat scratch would introduce itself outside of the usual lethargic, lack of appetite, etc.
I would just wonder if the sneezing could be some form of early warning. :dono
stepnstone
08-24-2012, 02:51 PM
Good question, not knowing how symptoms from a cat scratch would introduce itself outside of the usual lethargic, lack of appetite, etc.
I would just wonder if the sneezing could be some form of early warning. :dono
Good question, not having experienced a cat scratched squirrel or knowing the symptoms to look for outside the obvious lethargic, loss of appetite, etc, is what makes me wonder and question the sneezing. Could this be a symptom and result from that?
:sanp3 :shakehead I need to go back to bed... I think too much!
deanna
08-26-2012, 04:04 AM
Well today the sneezing pretty much stopped. Only one tiny sneeze after she ate. She has a huge appetite! So loss of appetite isn't a problem. I did put neosporin on the cut right after iit happened (less than sixty sec after) so maybe it didn't have time to affect her? I have some old antibiotic pills of mine. Let me check what they are... If I can find them
deanna
08-26-2012, 04:17 AM
I have these two:
1.) ic sulfameth tmp ds (a large white pill, solid form) hasnt expired*
2.) ic cephalexin (capsule, dark green side & light green side) expired on 6/27/12
If there was nothing wrong with the baby though, and I gave it antibiotics, could I harm it? How much would I give?
Honestly.. I'm really afraid giving something so tiny medicine. I'm only 100 lbs and I had to stop taking these pill because they made me very sick. Thats why I still have the pills & they weren't finished.
deanna
08-26-2012, 04:31 AM
oh and 1 more thing... I'm waiting for the fox valley formula to come in the mail so I'm feeding her goats milk, yogurt and heavy whipping cream. Since yogurt kills bacteria I've started adding a bit more yogurt. So I've been doing 3 parts goats milk, 2 parts yogurt, 1 part cream.
Maybe that's why the sneezing has nearly stopped? I started that last night, and as of today I only heard one tiny sneeze.
deanna
08-26-2012, 10:44 PM
Bump?
island rehabber
08-26-2012, 11:42 PM
deanna if she's stopped sneezing I would be thankful and not treat her for respiratory illness, but we are all still concerned because she was in a cat's mouth. If there's any way you can get some smz-tmp or Baytril, a course of either one would be very very wise. Cat scratch symptoms may show up as long as two weeks after the attack. :(
stepnstone
08-27-2012, 12:58 AM
deanna if she's stopped sneezing I would be thankful and not treat her for respiratory illness, but we are all still concerned because she was in a cat's mouth. If there's any way you can get some smz-tmp or Baytril, a course of either one would be very very wise. Cat scratch symptoms may show up as long as two weeks after the attack. :(
:goodpost Totally agree, the cat contact is the real concern here.
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