Dehydration??

[lulu2396]

Hey Guys! So, one of my squirrels "Herbert" may be dehydrated but I'm not sure. Beginning yesterday afternoon, he began eating less. He weighs 67 Grams and is about 4 weeks old so he is supposed to be eating about 3.5ccs. He was eating that amount and then his next feeding he ate 2cc and had a very small diarrhea. The following eating he had diarrhea again and ate 1.8cc. He continued to have diarrhea and was eating poorly through the night so at 10:00pm last night I gave him 3cc of pedialyte and his poop was soft but not diarrhea. However, next feeding he was back to eating 1.7cc and his feeding amounts continued to stay poor however they were progessing and I was able to get them up to 3cc at 5:30pm tonight. I was concerned that he may still be dehydrated so at 8:30pm he ate 4cc of pedialyte and now he has diarrhea and ate 1.2cc. I am at an utter loss as to what to do for him. He is still gaining weight but he only gained 2 grams while his brothers each gained 7. He is NOT lethargic, there is no clicking in his lungs, and his tummy is not hard at all... The only symptoms he has is the diarrhea and the poor food intake. I am feeding him Fox Valley every 4 - 5 hours. Also, he pretty much only eats 1cc - 1.5cc at a time. I have to feed him, wait 10 mins or so, and then feed him again. Hopefully you guys can help :) :thankyou

[SammysMom]

I would suggest giving him a few feedings of pedialyte without formula for 2 - 3 feedings. He really needs to be hydrated before eating for proper digestion. Can you pinch the skin between his shoulder blades and see if it stays tented or returns quickly? That will tell if he is in fact dehydrated.
Do remember that you can't give PEdialyte for more than 24 hours due to high sodium.:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[lulu2396]

Okay I can do that. I tried the pinch test but it's really difficult for me to tell honestly. However, he is quite wrinkly. Also, something else that made me think he was dehydrated, whenever he would eat a semi-decent amount of maybe 2.5cc or 3cc, he would have a VERY large poop. It was like his body was just passing the food right through and not taking anything from it. So even though I've given him pedialyte once in between feedings tonight and once last night, he should still be okay to take 2 or 3 feedings of just pedialyte right? Is the homemade formula just as effective? Should I use that instead?

[SammysMom]

It will be fine! Let us know how it goes. Is his urine darker than the others?

[lulu2396]

No his urine is about the same. I will give him just the pedialyte then tonight and tomorrow morning and see how it goes! :) I will let you know then how he's doing. Thank You!

[SammysMom]

If possible, give him hydration feedings more often than regular feedings. It will mean you can get extra in and still let him have formula in the morning.

[lulu2396]

Yeah I can do that. Sleeping is WAY overrated hahaha :P How often and in what quantity should I give it to him?

[lulu2396]

good news, I gave him pedialyte 3 times last night and today he is eating like he should and there is no diarrhea :D Thank You very much!

[SammysMom]

Thank God!!! LuLu you rock for doing what had to be done. Isn't it amazing what dehydration can cause? So many times someone says "my baby won't eat" and someone says "HYDRATE!". You can almost hear the person thinking "I said he won't drink!". You did not do that. You hydrated and look at the results. Great job! Remember this and next time you hear someone say "he won't eat", you can share your story!:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug