I have a clicker.....

[Earth Mama]

Luna is clicking this morning, a faint noise, rapid- almost as if with her breath. I am thinking she may have aspiration pneumonia, but I am not sure. I was gone for a couple days so my counterpart was taking care of her. He said he wasn't aware of her aspirating, but she has a couple times in the past- I have to feed her very slowly. It wasn't there a couple hours ago ( that I noticed) and it is a very light sound. It is hard for me to tell right now if it is coming from her nose, or lungs. Should I wait a couple hours and see if it goes away or Baytril immediately, to be on the safe side? It is actually cipro. I have 500 mg tablet. For the conversion, is it o.k to half the tablet and half the 22.02 cc's of water (250mg tablet with 11.01 cc's of water) to make the right strength? Also, she weighs 37 g's exactly.

[CritterMom]

Luna is clicking this morning, a faint noise, rapid- almost as if with her breath. I am thinking she may have aspiration pneumonia, but I am not sure. I was gone for a couple days so my counterpart was taking care of her. He said he wasn't aware of her aspirating, but she has a couple times in the past- I have to feed her very slowly. It wasn't there a couple hours ago ( that I noticed) and it is a very light sound. It is hard for me to tell right now if it is coming from her nose, or lungs. Should I wait a couple hours and see if it goes away or Baytril immediately, to be on the safe side? It is actually cipro. I have 500 mg tablet. For the conversion, is it o.k to half the tablet and half the 22.02 cc's of water (250mg tablet with 11.01 cc's of water) to make the right strength? Also, she weighs 37 g's exactly.


Oh dear - is it with every breath?

[Earth Mama]

I'm quite positive that's what it is. I have had my ear to her chest listening and I don't think it is coming from her nose and it is with every breath. I would feel more comfortable starting the meds now. Should I give full dose to start and then tomorrow give half 2x daily? I am worried sick.....

[Earth Mama]

So I have converted to the 22.7 mg strength,the chart says give between .001 and .002 for her weight, would that be about a drop- like with the medicine I gave Laz? or almost to the 2nd small line of the 1cc syringe, right? I want to be positive before I dose her.

[CritterMom]

Yes, I would start her on it. It is early enough that you can split today's dose.

There is a school of thought that says that sometimes the active ingredients in tablets are not necessarily mixed completely within the pill - in other words, one half of a cipro may have more actual cipro in it than the other half does, which would throw the dosing off. This is why we usually use the whole cap and pitch a lot of it.

I know Laz is so over the heating pad at this point (Mom, that was SO last week) but I would try to talk her into staying on it just to boost her system (energy not used generating warmth can be redrected to getting better).

[Earth Mama]

K.. done. I have the full tab mixed. So should I give her a little less than .001 now, then the same tonight? For some reason I was thinking it was like the same with humans, how you give first dose, double. God, I am so worried I'm shaking!!:grouphug

[Earth Mama]

Gahh o.k so I'm going to give almost the .001 right this minute.

[Earth Mama]

Should I mix it in with anything or feed her right after so it doesn't hurt her belly?

[CritterMom]

It tastes HORRIBLE. I would get it right into her and then give her a half syringe of watered down apple juice or something to help make the nasty taste go away. NOT formula - you don't want her associating the taste with formula and not wanting to drink her milk anymore!

You are already mixing yogurt into her formula so you shouldn't have to provide more in the way of probiotics.

[Earth Mama]

Gahh I just typed the longest post and it disappeared! Let me try again.

[Earth Mama]

I fed her at 6am, had her in her pouch ( well, not really- she was in my bra.. you now how that goes....) she seemed fine. She was making little noises, but looked fine and I thought she was talking to me... you know the little noises she was making when you were here- the " give me milkplease, hello mama, I'm a cute baby" type noises, but I didnt listen close for clicking because I had no reason. She ate 1.8 cc's and a couple small nibbles of my organic garden grown kale. She stayed in her pouch ( my bra) for a couple hours until I had to wash my floors and then I put her in her cage. Then I took her out about an hour and 15 mins later to feed the, she was in my shirt for a few and I heard what I thought was her talking. After Lucy ate, I started to feed her and she wasn't seeming like she wanted to eat... and you know how painfully slow I feed her, so she only ended up eating about 0.4 and I started to investigate because it seemed odd, she usually loves to eat and gets mad that I feed her too slow ( she had aspirated a couple times weeks ago, even when I was taking 20 minutes to push less than 1cc but had NO clicking or anything afterward, and I was hawking her every breath) I think it is because of what I suspect to be a slight brain injury from before I got her- she is the one that had the scrape on her little head, that she has a little trouble with her coordination. Once I realized she was clicking I checked her nose, held her upside down and gave her nose a gentle suck. Nothing. I obsessively listened with her chest to my ear and realized it wasn't coming from her nose. Now she is looking kinda sickly to me, I don't know if I am just super paranoid or if she just looks a little off... I can not believe that she would go down hill that fast, so I'm just probably being paranoid. She is still clicking with every breath and I gave her a little less than .001 a little bit ago. I think I got it all covered here, but if there's anything else I ca think of, I will post it.

[Shewhosweptforest]

It's ok Earth Mama:Love_Icon take a breathe you've done the most important thing:thumbsup now give the AB's time to work...just make sure she's warm and hydrated...I know how much you love her and how worried you are:Love_Icon But you've jumped the big hurdle...having AB's and getting them into her:thumbsup

[Earth Mama]

Thanks for the help guys! :Love_Icon Luna (a.k.a moon bear)

[farrelli]

The site is going down at 1:00, so if you need further assistance, please go to the temp site during the outage:

http://apps.thetsbfund.com/Forum/TopicGroup/

Write it down.

[farrelli]

Seeing that she's offline, I sent her an email so that she can get help if she needs it.

[CritterMom]

Seeing that she's offline, I sent her an email so that she can get help if she needs it.


I sent her my phone and emails - she is the mama of my new baby Laz.:thumbsup

[Shewhosweptforest]

Seeing that she's offline, I sent her an email so that she can get help if she needs it.

Good idea:thumbsup :thankyou :bowdown

[Earth Mama]

Ahh looks like the board is still up, thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

[Earth Mama]

She won't eat ( she won't even open her mouth to try) and is very shaky... I haven't been this worried since the first night...

[CritterMom]

Crap. See if you can get some of the sugar water into her - even if you just get a drop at a time in. She is SO tiny. :grouphug

[farrelli]

Have you called the Skulls to see if they have anything extra special to offer?

[Earth Mama]

Have you called the Skulls to see if they have anything extra special to offer?
I have her on the line now

[Fireweed]

I'm so worried about this little one. Been thinking of you two all night. Hoping for the best. :grouphug

[Mrs Skul]

:wave123 EarthMama I am glad Luna is feeling better.
Remember when these little one feel sick they always wont their Mama. Keep her Close and Warm. You will notice any and all changes that way.
Keep me Posted. :grouphug

[Unikorngrrl]

Oh dear! I'm glad Mrs Skul said she's feeling better!! My heart was in my throat trying to get to the end. I so hope she's ok!! :grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[CritterMom]

Boy, I hope so, too. I have been checking for messages all night...

[Earth Mama]

:wave123 Sooo glad to see the board back up!!! I was trying to write a message a few minutes ago and a small fuzzball peed on my laptop.:nono
I have gotten a crash course in caring for a baby with aspiration pneumonia and am so happy to say that Luna has drastically improved since yesterday! Thank you Mrs. Skul for updating for me and I' quite sure you are really a flying squirrel in a human body lol!!!:Love_Icon Thank you to everyone who helped me yesterday, I love TSB and really appreciate it. There were a couple times when I thought I would loose her, but seriously- there is no way in hell I am going to let one go this late in the game! We've made it this far and these babies are going to live long happy lives if I have anything to do with it.

I have learned so much over the past 24 hours. 1.) Maple syrup is a lifesaver ( literally). 2.) It is hard to sleep when you are counting the clicks that are coming out of your shirt. 3.) An old maternity shirt with an empire drawstring doubles as a luxurious, wearable, full blown squirrel nest. 4.) It is hard to tell the difference between the heat coming off a small rice buddy, down your shirt- or a squirrel peeing on you. 5.) I LOVE BAYTRIL!!!!!!! 6.) Watch out for small fuzzy hands- they dart very rapidly into your ear canal when sticking a teeny squirrel's face up to your ear to listen obsessively for clicking. I'm quite sure I told her there were no treats in there, but she had to see for herself. 7.) It's hard to text at 4am ( once again, Mrs.Skul is nocturnal)when there are 2 mini squirrels biting at your phone.

She is eating almost her normal amount and has definitely perked up. Yesterday she was eating drop by drop, literately, every few minutes, whatever I could manage to get her to lick off the syringe or my finger. I think I reached a breaking point when she tried to lick up a teardrop that had fallen from my eye because I was such a sniveling mess. She isn't out of the woods yet, but I am feeling very optimistic about the situation. Today is going to be a long day and I will probably be lurking around on the board alot because I can't bring myself to put them in their cage quite yet.

My question is- how long until the clicking stops? She seemed to click more ( louder) for about an hour after I had her in the steamy bathroom but then coughed and sneezed and seemed to ease up a little. I tapped her sides and back a little to try and loosen it up, per order of Mrs. Skul and it definitely made the clicking ease up. When can I stop worrying? Am I almost there or can this turn back around? :Cannon aspiration pneumonia

[CritterMom]

LOL. I was sitting on the computer the other night with Laz in my t-shirt pocket, concentrating hard on something I was reading, when this thought seeped into my consciousness: "Why is my left boob hot?":rotfl

I would say you have it on the run but are not out of the woods yet, to mix and mangle a couple metaphors. Since it is YOU, the Squirrel Helicopter Mom, I feel even more optomistic than I might otherwise feel. I would keep doing the warmth, the hydration, the food, and the hovering and steaming if that helps and hopefully tomorrow you can look BACK on that woods (see how I did that?)!:D

A note about Mrs. Skul. Every couple months, Skul hires a professional actress and takes a bunch of photos with her so he can put them up on the board and maintain this facade that he is married to a human woman and not a flyer. I would imagine that when people like Chickenlegs visit he really has to scramble to get the "faux Crystal" from the agency and to the house on time!

I am so glad to hear she is improving. I was up and down all night worrying about her!

[Fireweed]

You don't keep treats in your ear canal? :shakehead

Glad to hear she's doing better. I hope she continues to improve.
Keep us updated!

[Unikorngrrl]

:jump I'm soooo excited to hear that she's better!!!! Keep up the good work Earth Mama!!! :grouphug

[Earth Mama]

Moon bear has had her ups and downs today. One minute she seems to have energy, the next she is too weak to eat. I definitely think she will pull through; but I have a feeling tonight is going to be a long night. Lucy has now been completely glued to her, she wraps her body around Luna's and won't leave her side for a second. I'm beginning to wonder if they will fuse together. There is no way that Lucy can catch this from Luna, right? ( here's my paranoia kicking in.. I can't help but listen to Lucy too, to see if there are any suspicious clicks...) Time for coffee!!!:multi

[CritterMom]

Moon bear has had her ups and downs today. One minute she seems to have energy, the next she is too weak to eat. I definitely think she will pull through; but I have a feeling tonight is going to be a long night. Lucy has now been completely glued to her, she wraps her body around Luna's and won't leave her side for a second. I'm beginning to wonder if they will fuse together. There is no way that Lucy can catch this from Luna, right? ( here's my paranoia kicking in.. I can't help but listen to Lucy too, to see if there are any suspicious clicks...) Time for coffee!!!:multi

Nope. The milk gets into the lungs and grows bacteria in there and that causes the pneumonia. As long as she hasn't aspirated, Lucy will be fine.

[Unikorngrrl]

Earth Mama, people are like that too when they are healing (having ups and downs)! You've gotten them this far, we have all confidence that you'll get them even further ;) Take care of you too!! :grouphug

[Earth Mama]

:multi:flash3:jumpUPDATE UPDATE!!!:flash3:multi:multi

Luna bear is doing SOOOOOOOO much better today. We both got some sleep last night. Silence is such a happy sound. Only very faint clicks now, and not with every breath. I think we are looking back at those woods now and I'm hoping to never visit them again ( unless of course, there is a baby that needs me- in that case, I am confident in my ability to help). If someone wants to teleport us out of emergency thread, I think we are ready! YAY!!! Thanks for the help all of you beautiful TSB folks.:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[CritterMom]

:multi:flash3:jumpUPDATE UPDATE!!!:flash3:multi:multi

Luna bear is doing SOOOOOOOO much better today. We both got some sleep last night. Silence is such a happy sound. Only very faint clicks now, and not with every breath. I think we are looking back at those woods now and I'm hoping to never visit them again ( unless of course, there is a baby that needs me- in that case, I am confident in my ability to help). If someone wants to teleport us out of emergency thread, I think we are ready! YAY!!! Thanks for the help all of you beautiful TSB folks.:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

God, talk about ambivalent...I have been looking for your post, but when I saw it there I almost threw up and was afraid to click on it...that is such wonderful news!! Thanks to Cipro and Helicopter Mom!:jump:multi:jump:multi

[MollyBear361]

Thank goodness! :multi

[stosh2010]

I've been lurking-and praying..Great advice and even GREATER reactions..Health & Long life.... Ya Hooooooooooooo

[Unikorngrrl]

:jump. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!! :jump

[Earth Mama]

I'm telling you, I just sat down and the chair was making a clickie creakie noise and my heart just about crumbled!!! False alarm... these girls are climbing up my face trying to lick the orange juice out of my mouth haha!!

[Earth Mama]

O.k., I have a question, will she ever eat normal again? The clicking has seemed to stop, if I listen for a while I can hear some faint noises (sounds a little like congestion, but not clicks with every breath) but she won't suck on the syringe nipple anymore. She still wants to eat drop my drop and also seems irritable. I've been giving her the extra yogurt 2x a day. She squawked at my male counterpart last night when he went to rub her belly and almost bit him ( it would have been funny if I wasn't worried about her). He tried to give her a piece of oatmeal and she got grouchy, ran in my shirt and sat there making weird noises at it. I'm pretty sure she has a belly ache. She is peeing and pooping normally and eating her full amount. Should I get her some Ben-e-Bac or is the yogurt sufficient? She is also acting a little odd otherwise( by my standards, she already acts a little funny- due to the head injury, but in a really mellow way) such as not wanting to hide when I'm walking around, she makes a point of hanging on the the inside of the middle of my shirt and sticking her head out and seems skittish/ ultra sensitive to noises. I started giving her medicine via pipette last night, under the assumption that she is paranoid that they yucky medicine is going to come out of her formula syringe and she is not wanting to eat her formula normally because of it. At first I was thinking it was because she was having a hard time breathing and had to choose between breathing and suckling, but she seems to be breathing normal again. Any ideas?

[CritterMom]

OK, for what it's worth, Laz has started "sipping" his formula - lapping it off the end of the syringe instead of grabbing and sucking. He is consuming plenty - 3.5 and sometimes 4ccs - but very daintily lapping it instead of the all out sucking he was doing when I first brought him home. I don't kow flyers, but perhaps this is a development thing and completely unassociated with her illness?

Benebac may be a good idea - it is always hard to tell about yogurt, and they don't have to really disclose how much lactobacillus is in it. See if you can find the powder - you can hide it in her formula. They sell it at Petco in little foil envelopes in the pocket pet section. Though I uderstand they really like the paste version.

[Earth Mama]

OK, for what it's worth, Laz has started "sipping" his formula - lapping it off the end of the syringe instead of grabbing and sucking. He is consuming plenty - 3.5 and sometimes 4ccs - but very daintily lapping it instead of the all out sucking he was doing when I first brought him home. I don't kow flyers, but perhaps this is a development thing and completely unassociated with her illness?

Benebac may be a good idea - it is always hard to tell about yogurt, and they don't have to really disclose how much lactobacillus is in it. See if you can find the powder - you can hide it in her formula. They sell it at Petco in little foil envelopes in the pocket pet section. Though I uderstand they really like the paste version.

It's been taking me forever to feed her with the little licks ( although she looks adorable doing it).. Lucy is chugging away and getting grumpy because I'm not pushing fast enough. Skul's? Is this a flyer thing?