PLEASE HELP!!

[Dixie74]

my squirrel was doing great and running around her cage and nothing was wrong w/her...I went to the store and came home and found her at the bottom of her cage and she had her lil mouth open and gasping for air...I started googling and said something about vitamin deficiency so i went to get her some vitamin drops from the pet store....She cant move her back end but when I pinch her feet she pulls back...She gets so aggravated because she cant move like she was...I have been giving her the vitamin water regular and giving her goats milk...She wont eat lettuce, cucumbers, eats very little grapes like before but loving pecans...i have to force her to take the vitamin water though cause she wont take it ....Will this ever reverse for her to get up and go again?? I hate seeing her like this! I have started taking her outside to get sunlight but today was raining all day so didnt get to...I have literally cried because I hate seeing her like this

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

Need more info for the folks here. Age? How long in captivity? What do you feed? Is she only getting goats milk?
Thanks - lots of great squirrel folks here to help you.

[Dixie74]

I got her and she was maybe a few weeks old...I rescued her and bottled fed her so she is maybe about 3 months old or so...I had weened her off the bottle...I was feeding her squirrel food with grapes and lettuce...With her being sick now I am rotating between goats milk and vitamin water plus giving her pecans, nuts and grapes but she isnt wanting to eat the grapes or nuts as much but loves the pecans...She wont eat lettuce, carrots, apples or anything and im having to squeeze the bottle of liquids down here because she wont suck the bottle like before

[Rhapsody]

Do you have any Tums at home? --if you do crush one up and mix it with water and have her drink it now..... it sounds like this may be a case of MBD and we needs to get some Calcium in her ASAP!! (the tums will work to get calcium into the body atm)

[Rhapsody]

MBD Treatment:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17680

[Dixie74]

I don't have any Tums here right now...She has been like this since this past week....I cry all the time now cause I hate seeing her like this and she hates being like this because she was so active...Its killing me!

[Dixie74]

The closest thing I have is Caltrate...I just looked for Tums and have none

[Rhapsody]

Please go get some Tums now and read the link I provided above about how to treat MBD and then we
will need to talk about getting your little girl on a more balance and healthier diet for her well being.

Squirrel Block HHB:
http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-blocks-growth-formula/

Squirrel Diet:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

[Rhapsody]

We can work with the Caltrate............. give me a sec.

[Rhapsody]

OK - take one of the pills (600-800 mg) and crush it up...... mix with water or juice and feed it slowly until all of the pill mixture is gone.
Take another pill (600-800 mg) and crush it up..... spread out giving this mix over the next 24 hrs to keep her blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If she is having seizures, weakness, or paralysis, the symptoms will usually improve over the next few hours, but this does not mean the she is cured.
It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones...... this is where you need to read the LINK provided on MDB.

[Rhapsody]

Are you still there?
Once you are finished giving her the Caltrate..... make sure she is placed on
a heating pad set on low..... the heat with help comfort her.

[Dixie74]

I just flew to the store and grabbed some tums...so i have them now and gonna read what u said and give them to her

[Rhapsody]

Checking in........ How are we doing?

[Dixie74]

Just gave her some of it but having to force it because she refuses to take it....she so pitiful and whines which makes me cry :( I just keep telling her I am sorry and cuddling her ....I dunno how much water I was suppose to put but I gave her some in a syringe then put it in her bottle and started giving it to her that way...I dont have a heating pad to put her on so will have to keep her as warm as possible

[Dixie74]

Was Wednesday when I found her in her cage like this....She hasnt been able to move since on her back end...I thought she might have fell but I dont think so cause I was giving her vitamin water and she seemed to perk up some...I have pinched her lil back legs like the vet told me to to see if she has any feeling and she jerks back ...Do you think she will regain movement in her back end again and if so how long?

[Rhapsody]

If it is from MBD it could be a while for her to truly recover from it, but with the proper care and diet she could be up and walking with in a week or two.... with her being given the calcium it will really perk her up and make all the difference. We should see a change in her tomorrow or the next day.

We need to get her diet on the right track....... and one of the first things to change is to add HHB squirrel blocks to her diet (two blocks a day) --I already gave you link to order them...... you can generally get them with in 3-4 days of placing your order.

2nd thing to do is to follow the link for the MBD to getting more calcium into her body over the next for few weeks as we change her diet...... read the link.

3rd thing to do is to change her diet to consist of food items from list # 1 & 2 and from the wild plant list...... I gave you a list for a balanced squirrel diet as well.

[Dixie74]

I am praying really hard she can recover from this...She is my baby..Thank you for the help...It really means alot! I will look at the information you have provided and get her what she needs...I have to have my baby back up and going...She didnt show any signs at all until I found her...She was running around her cage that morning and all happy go lucky

So for now just give her the tums? She wont eat anything else besides pecans and just a couple of bites of grape and that is it...Ive tried several things and she just will not eat it ...until I can get her the other food you speak of

[Rhapsody]

She probably is not feeling well........ are you 100% sure that she did not fall?
If you think she might be in pain we can give her Infant Motrin, which will help with any inflammation, swelling and any pain she may be experiencing at the moment. Plus we need to get some heat on her --you can add a cup of rice or beans to a sock and tie it off then microwave it for 30-40 seconds and lay it next to her for comfort.

[Dixie74]

I am guessing she didnt fall...I honestly dont know...I wasnt here when it all happened...I started giving her the vitamin water and she seemed to perk up more but I honestly dont know. I just put the rice in a sock just now and fixing to put her on it....I feel totally helpless as I have been trying to do everything possible to get her better...

Should I give her anything else besides the tum water?

[Rhapsody]

I would take a Caltrate pill (600-800 mg) and crush it up in 1 cc of water and give it to her over the next 24 hours....... if it is MBD we should a change for the better in her.

Do you have any Motrin (infant or children) --we can give that to her tonight for pain and discomfort.

[Dixie74]

No, I will have to get some tomorrow....I gave her the Tums though and will give her that every hour if I have to....I want my baby better :(

[Rhapsody]

The Caltrate will be better at this point...... as its straight Calcium, please read my last post to see what to do with a 600-800 mg pill. Thanks.

[daniellenc]

Your going to need to invest in some Henry's Healthy Blocks-they need rodent block to be 70-80% of their total diet to be safe from MBD.

[Dixie74]

How do I give her the Infant Motrin? She is whining alot :(

[CritterMom]

Do you have a weight on her?

[Dixie74]

Probably less than 1 lb but no more

[CritterMom]

INFANT Motrin (ibuprophen) for a 400 gram squirrel is 0.1cc ever 4 hours as needed. I wouldn't give this for days on end - you want to use JUST enough to help with the pain.

Also, set this baby up with a no shutoff heating pad where she cannot reach the cord. The heat will help her bones, which ache from this condition. With heat she likely won't need the ibuprophen, or if she does, only very small amounts.

[Dixie74]

ok ty....fixin to head out to go get her some stuff...I feel bad cause she isnt actually eating food but just taking liquids...Can I give her grapes or something?

[CritterMom]

While you are out, pick up a bottle of Ensure - the food replacement shake stuff. They make butter pecan and vanilla - both popular flavors. You will need to work on diet and that will include a new rodent block but the Ensure is a QUICK and easily purchased way to keep the nutrients up in an animal that doesn't want to eat.

[Dixie74]

I have a bottle of ensure here...its homemade vanilla immune health

[CrazySquirrelLady]

get a scale from Walmart in the kitchen section that weighs grams.... you are gonna need it bad... don't forget the heating pad.


That way we know what med dosages to give correctly if we have a weight.

[CritterMom]

I have a bottle of ensure here...its homemade vanilla immune health

Heat it like you would formula - she may lap it from a little dish or she might prefer you to give it by syringe like a baby.

[Dixie74]

Ok just got back, I have the heating pad, ensure, kitchen scale and motrin....She weighs 10 oz.

[Rhapsody]

Ok just got back, I have the heating pad, ensure, kitchen scale and motrin....She weighs 10 oz.10 oz = 283.49 (so we will say 284 grams) therefore, she should be eating...... 14 to 19 cc per feeding every 6 hours.

and she can take .070cc of Infant Motrin for swelling or pain
(3x a day - every 4 hrs)

[Dixie74]

ok ty...giving it to her now...she keeps whining :(

[Jackie in Tampa]

:wave123 :grouphug
just lurking..
one question, when you put your finger tip into her palm of her rear paw, does she curl it around your finger tip, does she grasp or push with her back legs?
If this is MBD, you are getting good advise, and must follow these peeps suggestions to a T.
:grouphug

[Dixie74]

I havent actually tried that but I did pinch her lil foot and got a reaction from her like the vet said to and I pulled her leg some and she pulled back at times...I will try what you said later on...She asleep on my chest right now

[Jackie in Tampa]

just wanted to make sure i understand her mobility issues.
ty

[SammysMom]

Prayers for your baby...:grouphug
Listen to these experts...they know their stuff!!!:Love_Icon

[Dixie74]

ty....She needs lots of prayers...Its pretty sad when a Squirrel can make you cry

[Dixie74]

Do I need to feed her straight Ensure or mix it w/water and if so, how do I mix it?

[skippy]

I'm not sure what the others had in mind for your babies treatment but I use it full strength for mine. Go slow with the syringe and do warm it up in a hot water bath, not the microwave. If she doesn't take it warm you may have to play with the temp, but mine have always loved the pecan or vanilla flavor.:)

[Dixie74]

Thank you

[Dixie74]

My baby is still dragging around her back end :( I checked her lil legs and she pulls back sometimes but she crawls around the cage w/her 2 front legs....I dunno what else to do...I have done everything humanly possibly to help her. I feel so bad cause she is like this. I am going to continue doing what I have been doing but I feel helpless. Wanting to thank y'all for being here to help