Help! My squirrel stopped walking last night!

[Sawyer's Momma]

Let me start off with her history. Around March 22, 2011 we had a bad wind storm. I ran outside when I heard cries outside my window. I found 2 baby squirrels on the ground and as I was picking them up a third fell from our 80ft pine tree. I live in eastern Pennsylvania and it was bitter cold. The third crashed into the sidewalk as I could not catch her in time. I called every number I could find and no one could come out to help so to google I went. I made up a box with a heating pad and kept them warm. The two that were exposed the longest didn't make it to morning. The third survived. I guessed her to be around 3 weeks old when I found her because 2 weeks later, Easter Sunday she opened her eyes. Fast forward to now, January 5th, 2012. She is now 10 months old. On December 22nd she got out. I chalked it up to her being ready and because it was mating season. Christmas morning she got back in and has been her normal, vibrant squirrelly self. Last night, January 4th when I got home from work I found her laying on the bottom of her cage, and not in her nest like usual. I only worked for 3 hours yesterday so this happened between 2pm and 5:30pm. She was fine when I left for work. She wouldn't come to me when I opened her cage which instantly caused me to know something was wrong. I picked her up and when I set her down she tried to walk to me but couldn't. She tends to flop over to her right. So again I turned to google. Simply because there is no where I can take her and no vets in my area that treat squirrels. Rabies? No. She had no wounds, her attitude and temperament were still the same. She still has an appetite and is eating regularly. I have had to put her back on her old baby bottle since she can't balance enough to drink on her own. Her diet hasn't changed. She eats a balanced diet of fruits, nuts and veggies. I also give her sticks and leaves to chew on because its something she would naturally do in the wild. I just don't know what to do. It's breaking my heart. She allows me to apply pressure to her legs and I've checked them out and can't see anything wrong. I would appreciate any advice and help and I know my little girl Sawyer would too! Thank you in advance!

[SammysMom]

:Welcome to TSB. So sorry about your baby! Do you give her rodent block of any kind? Can you tell us what she ate as a baby? What kind of formula? I suspect that it is MBD. I will post in 1 minute the emergency treatment.

[SammysMom]

Emergency Treatment for MBD

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW. Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:

--Tums or calcium pills (any kind)
--a syringe, eyedropper, or spoon

Crush one Tums or calcium pill and add a little water or fruit juice. Use the syringe, eyedropper, or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. Feed a total of 600-800 mg of calcium, and spread it out through the day and night to keep his blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If the squirrel is having seizures, weakness, or paralysis, the symptoms will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones.

Long-Term Treatment for MBD

The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet.

1. Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats.

2. Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found at the top of the “Squirrel Nutrition” forum. (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=16093) Your squirrel MUST eat rodent block or squirrel blocks every day. If your squirrel doesn't like rodent blocks, you can try crushing them up with peanut butter or avocado temporarily. You can also make a tastier version of squirrel blocks using the recipe at the top of the Squirrel Nutrition forum.

3. In addition to the Healthy Diet, you will need to continue giving extra calcium every day for several weeks. Either use the syringe/eyedropper or you can try putting the calcium on a small piece of fruit.

Week 1: calcium = 500 mg per day
Week 2: calcium = 250 mg per day
Weeks 3-8: calcium = 100 mg per day

The cause of the acute symptoms—weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis—is a drop in blood calcium levels. If these symptoms return at any time, you will need to give another emergency dose of calcium.

More Tips
MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. Try to keep your squirrel away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone. Also, if he is in a tall cage, either place him in a smaller cage, or pad the bottom very well.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds) will work.

[island rehabber]

How awful -- I'm so sorry for your little girl there. First of all, you probably know this but PA is the worst state in the union for squirrels so don't even try bringing her to an emergency vet or clinic. :nono They are more likely to seize and euthanize her than help her.
If her diet was good, as you say, and she was fine only a few hours earlier, she most likely fell and sustained injury to her leg, or back, or hip, or all of the above. Try to feel her injured area carefully and see if there are bumps or swelling -- things that don't seem right. She might appreciate heat right now -- a rice buddy or heating pad would help. It is very common for squirrels to sprain their backs or limbs and limp around for a few days, then bounce back good as new. I am hoping this is the case with her. For pain, if you can get some children's Motrim (liquid form) we can help you dose it....squirrels usually love the flavor and lap it right up from a spoon.

[SammysMom]

I will definitely defer to Island Rehabber. She s far more of an expert than I am!!!:grouphug

[Sawyer's Momma]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I have had heat on her and I did make up a bed for her on the bottom of her cage where she is snuggled with her blanket. I will be flying out the door in a minute to get to the store. Thank you again so much!

[CritterMom]

Yikes. I take the other track. I see "balanced diet" and I see "fruits, nuts and veggies," but I DON'T see any kind of rodent block. Does she eat a commercial rodent block like Mazuri or Harkan Teklad? By block I mean a manufactured diet specifically for rats, or the ones made soecifically for squirrels, Henry's, which are only available online? If not, I am going with doing the emergency MBD treatment.

If you don't feed blocks, please try the calcium immediately. By all means add infant motrin for pain and if you can give us a weight we can give proper dosing.

[Sawyer's Momma]

She lets me feel up her legs and apply pressure. She doesn't cry or pull away. I haven't felt anything out of the ordinary. When I held her she did manage to pull herself up to my shoulder and flatten out like usual. I will try tums for the calcium as she never had a squirrel or rodent block. This is the first I'm hearing of it. I will pick up Children's Motrin and keep it in hand. She doesn't seem to be in any pain.

[Milo's Mom]

Wondering if it's not a combination of both....diet & fall.

Personally, I'd do the MBD treatment, diet modification, heat source, pain killer (if needed)...basically all of the above suggested. None of them will hurt her, but if it is lack of calcium you will probably see a quick change.

[CritterMom]

Many small doses through the day rather than one big one. Try to get at least 300mg in her between now and when you go to bed and tomorrow start the 500mg per day regimen, spread out through the day. They sometimes like the fruit flavored ones.

www.henryshealthypets.com sells several types of homemade block that is really what you need to help treat this - I would go with the Picky Bites at first. She sells "MBD kits" that have straight calcium, some of her vitamin mix, and the picky bites I think... You can also google "NOW Calcium Carbonate Powder" and buy that to use...but definitely get some of the food.

[Sawyer's Momma]

Got her the tropical fruit tums. Will do this and keep y'all posted. Thank you again so much! Oh and she weighs 1 lb 2 oz

[Sawyer's Momma]

Is it ok if she wants to just eat a tum? She keeps trying to just grab it from me.

[CritterMom]

That is fine. How many milligrams of calcium are in them? You will probably just want to break off a small piece, then give her another in an hour or two, and so on. Like I said, you are looking to get about 500mg a day at first into them, spread out as much as you can through the day in small doses.

[Sawyer's Momma]

Each tum has 400mg. I did just give her a small piece and she also had a little of the tum/water mix. Which I just used the remaining tum for.

[Sawyer's Momma]

Based on her weight of 1lb 2oz, if I feel as if she's in pain how much Holsteins Motrin can I give her and how often?

[SammysMom]

Is this infants motrin? Remember that when you are giving Tums alone that they drop quite a bit of it. At least Sammy "peels" EVERYTHING!

[Nancy in New York]

Based on her weight of 1lb 2oz, if I feel as if she's in pain how much Holsteins Motrin can I give her and how often?

What is the strength on the Holsteins Motrin?

Also here is a link to the healthy diet. You will find the information invaluable!
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

[Sawyer's Momma]

Children's Motrin* don't know how my phone messed that up.

[Sawyer's Momma]

She's a solid eater. Only a few tiny crumbs were dropped. She was even licking it off her legs.

[CritterMom]

Based on her weight of 1lb 2oz, if I feel as if she's in pain how much Holsteins Motrin can I give her and how often?


???Holsteins Motrin??

INFANT motrin (infant ibuprophen) is what I can dose for you. She could have 0.1cc every four hours as needed. It is a liquid. Get the Infant strength specifically - there is a "childrens" strength too, so pay attention to which you pick.

[SammysMom]

It seems that is is children's strength. Is that to be doubled?

[Sawyer's Momma]

I picked up children's Motrin. I just ran to my neighbor that had infants Motrin. She gave me a full unopened bottle.

[Nancy in New York]

It seems that is is children's strength. Is that to be doubled?
Not sure, I know that is what I read once.
On the infant strength it's 50mg/1.25ml

[Nancy in New York]

OK the dose that crittermom gave you is a little low, and can actually be dosed higher, but we will keep it at this for now.
Go to this page and look at the syringes and you will see where 0.1 cc is on a syringe, that is the amount you want. (1/10th as pictured)
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36873

[Sawyer's Momma]

Thank you all. You all are truly a blessing. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. I just wanted to know for my knowledge. She had some tum mixture and a small piece of just the tum and is now snuggled and sleeping in my lap. Thank you all! again.

[SammysMom]

The most important thing to remember is that if the calcium treatment helps you MUST continue it and change her diet immediately. Get her some blocks and go to the nutrition forum here and read up on the dos and don'ts of healthy eating for squirrels. This is one of those things that can look better long before it is. It is a long term treatment not a short term "fix". Thank-you for coming here to find her help!:grouphug

[Sawyer's Momma]

The link that one provided for proper nutrition doesn't work. Any links to other sites?

[farrelli]

Here's the nutrition sheet:

http://www.henryspets.com/pages/Healthy-Diet.html

[farrelli]

And here's the Nutrition section of this board:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=191

[SammysMom]

Here is a link to the nutrition forum here. You will find many questions and answers here. If you need any help do not hesitate to post questions.