Baby vole!!!

[squirrelgirl444]

Ive found sa baby vole a few days agoo and thought she was a different animal because i could not tell what she was yet! Idk what i should do now because she is dying! I was feeding her milk every few hours and she was doing great up until an hour ago ! helpp!

[farrelli]

Cow's milk? If so, STOP!

What are her symptoms?

Please provide hydration to help flush the system. Do you have any molasses?

[squirrelgirl444]

Shes very lethargic... not moving! Still breathing but just barelyy..... i was feeding her cow milk but it was a lactose milk until i could get to the store to buy proper milk... :( im trying to get water in her mouth now but shes not swallowing....

[squirrelgirl444]

no mollasses!

[farrelli]

If you have molasses, rub it on her gums to try to bring her around again. If you don't have that, try another kind of syrup or sugar. If you can though, try another syrup but go out and get molasses asap.

NEVER cow's milk. If you don't have what's necessary, you have to go get it, not just use whatever you have on hand.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

corn syrup? maple syrup? just a smidge so that it gets a little life back in it. not a big wad that would choke.

[squirrelgirl444]

i rubbed syrup in her mlouth and she did a little swallow and started tasting it... what now???

[squirrelgirl444]

shes been doing fine up until i last checked on her... shes a good age, she has fur, teeth, eyes are open, body is proporsinate, and walked great...

[Rhapsody]

Make up some homemade pedialyte and feed it to her --it will flush her body as well.

1c warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

....keeps in frig for 3 days (warm before feeding each time)

[farrelli]

Once you get some hydration in her, immediately get out to the store and get goat's milk, full fat yogurt, heavy cream, and molasses.

[squirrelgirl444]

i made pedialyte.. and she is kinda swallowing it, moving alot more then she was but only her feet and head...... stretching head back when i give her liquid..

[squirrelgirl444]

she clicks when she breathes and few min ago opened her mouth wide and held it open

[stepnstone]

What were you feeding her with?
Sounds like she may have aspirated...

[squirrelgirl444]

how can i help her if shes aspirated
?

[farrelli]

Oh crap, it sounds like she may have aspirated on the milk and now has pneumonia. If so, you need to get antibiotics IMMEDIATELY or she probably won't survive. Call around to your friends. What do you have in the cabinet? Call pet stores and see if they have any for fish, birds, or reptiles. You need some NOW.

[stepnstone]

Antibiotcs, what were you feeding her with?

[farrelli]

Btw, for future reference, here is the proper feeding technique.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?36777-PROPER-FEEDING-TECHNIQUE!!

[squirrelgirl444]

what kind of antibioticss????

[squirrelgirl444]

shes trying to clean her face, and walk, but she cant really get herself up.

[squirrelgirl444]

theres a pet vet up the street should i call them?

[farrelli]

Ideally Cipro, Baytril, or SMZ. Amoxi may work. Just check around and see what's available. The clock is ticking.

[Rhapsody]

Hold up.......... is she clicking all the time or just when she eats / drinks?
if she has pneumonia she will click all the time, not just when eating.

..... plus hold off on adding the heavy cream to the GM.

[farrelli]

Yes, of course a vet would be best if they will see her.

[squirrelgirl444]

shes hydrated, and moving. what should i do now? i do not have antibiotics here.. there is an animal hospital up the street should i take her there?

[farrelli]

As I just said, of course the vet is best is they will see it. Get moving or get some antibiotics. This is not optional.

[squirrelgirl444]

clicking just started when i found her like this. but now that she is hydrated clicking is scarce.idk id hospital is for just cats and dogs but is worth shot

[farrelli]

If they won't see her ask if they will at least prescribe some Baytril. We will dose if necessary. Really, time is of the essence here. I cannot stress this enough.

[squirrelgirl444]

will it have cost?

[squirrelgirl444]

animal hospital will not prescirbe any antibiotics and will not see her

[squirrelgirl444]

where else can i buy baytril?

[TubeDriver]

where else can i buy baytril?

Check with your friends. Women are frequently prescribed Cipro for UTIs. All you need is one single pill.

[Aubedete]

where else can i buy baytril?

I see you're in Canada? I would try any local SPCA, these people can refer you quickly or even better, they sometimes employ a vet.

Good luck :/

[squirrelgirl444]

Can i use any other things i have around the house? aleve? tums? anything else?

[Rhapsody]

STOP!! - for a moment and hold her up to your ear and tell me if your still hear clicking when
she is not eating...... if you do not hear it now then she is fine and will not need medicine.

There is way to much going on here that every one is not taking the time to make sure that
your little vole even needs meds or not..... and we have to be careful as many vets will keep
wildlife and put them to sleep if they feel they are beyond saving..... thats where our loving
and caring members at TSB come into play.

[farrelli]

No, if she's clicking, she needs antibiotics. There is NO substitute. You have to cal around to friends, or as I said earlier, pet stores to see if they carry any.

[squirrelgirl444]

okay ive got ahold of a vet that will take her and help her.. but the women who would do it is in surgery right now.. and cant see her until 4:30... i found antibiotics and they are called apo-cephalex 500mg, what can i do for her now until vet can see her?

[squirrelgirl444]

she still lethargic but she will have the times where she stretches and cleans her face an scratched andd then she goes back to laying there being lethargic.

[farrelli]

I've never seen Cefalexin dosed before, though at least in humans it is used for pneumonia. I will PM Nancy and Jackie to see if they know how to dose or if it would be wise to wait.

If you don't have a weight on her, can you post a pic of her with a size reference so that we could guesstimate weight for dosing?

[farrelli]

Should CritterMom also be PM'd? I don't know if she's got the book and can dose.

[Rhapsody]

No, if she's clicking, she needs antibiotics. There is NO substitute.
You have to cal around to friends, or as I said earlier, pet stores to see if they carry any.IF she is constantly clicking, then yes she will need meds..... squirrels do occasionally click and make other noise that sound like clicks when they eat,
but then it stops once they are through eating..... hence why we often ask people to hold the baby up to their ear and listen carefully.

BTW --what size syringe are you feeding it with? --please nothing bigger than a 1cc syringe (go drop by drop)

[squirrelgirl444]

.

[Ratatouille]

Baby voles, just like mice and rats, use ultrasonic to talk to their mom. they all click when they're babies. that's all we hear as the ultrasonic/ultrasound

taht might be all you're hearing

[squirrelgirl444]

yes she is not clicking all the time. i have not heard it in a bit. it is possible that is a natural noise she makes. ive never even see or heard of a vole before.

[Rhapsody]

Baby voles, just like mice and rats, use ultrasonic to talk to their mom.
they all click when they're babies. that's all we hear as the ultrasonic/ultrasound
taht might be all you're hearingThank you for that INFO..... and thast why I am asking you to hold the little one up to your ear and listen quietly.
All we may have here is a vole that needs to be hydrated and feed properly. (slowly & drop by drop)

[Unikorngrrl]

I agree with rhapsody. Take a step back and breathe yourself. Listen for the clicking when it's not moving or anything. If the clicking is still going, you can sometimes get fish antibiotics. SO IS SHE CLICKING WITH EVERY BREATH NOW??? or was it just during and right after feeding????

nevermind, I didn't read far enough apparently :grin2 You're getting great advice, follow it CLOSELY!!! :thumbsup

[Rhapsody]

yes she is not clicking all the time. i have not heard it in a bit. it is possible that is a natural noise she makes. ive never even see or heard of a vole before.In that case...... I would follow through with proper hydration using the homemade pedialyte recipe I gave you for a few hours.
Then start feeding the GM recipe with a 1cc syringe (feed drop by drop) with just the vanilla yogurt added to GM, feed every 2-3 hours....... prob no more than 0.5cc at first.

[squirrelgirl444]

I do not hear clickiing anymore. But I tried giving her a bit more pedialyte?

[Rhapsody]

Homemade Pedialyte
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt (teaspoon)
1 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)

....... no more than 24 hrs.


Homemade GM Recipe
1 cup Goats Milk * (if can - dilute)
1/3 cup Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1/3 cup Heavy Cream

(lasts 72 hours in frig)

[farrelli]

Have you gone out to get the goat's milk, molasses, and such?

[Rhapsody]

I do not hear clickiing anymore. But I tried giving her a bit more pedialyte?Good...... if nothing else --try to give her a few drops every 20 minutes.
(up to 6 hours) before feeding the Goats Milks Recipe...... (((hugs))).

[squirrelgirl444]

She is becoming cold, using a warm water container to keep her warm. Squeeking soemthing when i touch her. Not moving as much now.

[squirrelgirl444]

Shes not breathing fast... very slow. And aparently clicking again with breathing.

[farrelli]

I might bundle her up with the warm water bottle and head for the vet now. Hopefully they will see you early.

[Rhapsody]

Shes not breathing fast... very slow. And aparently clicking again with breathing.You need to keep her warm (best if you have a heating pad), then hydrate and feed FV or GM in time...... the basic protocol is best in this situation. And unless she is clicking all the time I dont not think she is at risk of any thing that needs meds, she is probably in distress and making her normal sounds that she would in the wild to let her family know how she is feeling. You are doing the best you can atm and thats all we can ask for --(((HUGS))).

[squirrelgirl444]

im doing the best i can to keep her warm she not moving much at all now.. just twitches every now and then. im using a q-tip to get pedialyte in her mouth but hard for her to swallow.

[MommaLove]

I am praying for the best outcome of baby vole.

Can I suggest that in these ER cases that we have an experienced senior member respond and take the Lead on these issues. Somehow state such in the thread. I understand not everyone is always around, however this thread was highly confusing. It may cause more chaos with the patient with multiple suggestions? IDK, just an outsider looking to grow with experience and learn.

Hugs and prayers :grouphug

Here is a thread on baby voles : http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?27722-Baby-Vole-Care

[squirrelgirl444]

she looks like she is trying to throw up, or gasping for air.. either or

[farrelli]

Rub some more syrup on her gums, seeing that she responded well to that before, and get her to the vet!

[squirrelgirl444]

the only vet that will take her is busy until 4:30 :'(

[Rhapsody]

she looks like she is trying to throw up, or gasping for air.. either orSadly, she may be on her way out..... (((hugs)))
it sounds as though she is gasping for air.

[TubeDriver]

:(





as stated earlier and just to summarize:

1) make sure the little creature is warm (heating pad, rice buddy are two options. Your skin is not enough to warm him up as his body temp is higher than yours)
2) for now just try to give small amounts of pedialyte (only for 24 hours)
3) Can we get dosing info for Cefalexin just in case? This will only be used if there is clicking that occurs with every or nearly every respiration.
4) vet if possible

It sounds like this vole is in crisis, if you feel it is dying some people here recommend placing the vole on your chest so it can feel/hear your heartbeat. That way it will know that it is not alone as it passes. I hope it does not come to this.

[squirrelgirl444]

Is it true voles are endangered in Ontario?

[Rhapsody]

Is it true voles are endangered in Ontario?Thats the Woodland Vole...... not for sure what this one is.

[MommaLove]

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/MNR_SAR_WDLND_VL_EN.html

[farrelli]

I realize that the appointment is at 4:30. Have you never gone to a doctor before? If they see the situation as dire, sometimes they fit you in. Or perhaps a nurse can help. Or perhaps there will be a cancellation. Or perhaps the doctor will finish early. There's nothing you can do where you're at, so do you want a chance at intervention or none at all?

[MommaLove]

SquirrelGirl444 you are doing an awesome job! Thank you for helping this Baby Vole that made its way to you. They are so small and I myself would be in the same place as you searching for help.

Please disregard any rude or off the wall remarks on this page. I am not anybody on here, but a fellow helping hand to get these babies back up and into their natural habitat. I normally stay off here, but I felt apologetic for some others rude disregard to the sensitive situation. Some comments hit me the wrong way these days. Maybe I am hormonal :eek

Thank you for helping!!!

Prayers for Vole-Baby :grouphug

[Rhapsody]

I am not anybody on here, but a fellow helping hand to get these babies back up and into their natural habitat. You are Every Body..... You Mean the World to a Helpless Animal in Need. :Love_Icon

Thank you..... (((hugs)))

[MommaLove]

Thank you Rhapsody? I didnt want to come across rude above, but I know how hard it is to try to stablize a baby who is crashing and see comments that are harsh. Rough day I guess. I couldnt holhold my typers off the keyboard.

I love each babe that comes through my door.

Thank you for all your wisdom!!! I learn so much from your posts

[squirrelgirl444]

On my way to the store to grab some more supplies the baby vole passed... that was around 3:30.... strange thing though... i still have her in my hand, she has not gone to rigamortus, and i can open and close her eyes without any problem (which when something dies you cannot close their eyes if they were open.) and the light has not left her eyes... yet she lay so limp in my hand.. not struggling, not moving.. im confused

[Nancy in New York]

On my way to the store to grab some more supplies the baby vole passed... that was around 3:30.... strange thing though... i still have her in my hand, she has not gone to rigamortus, and i can open and close her eyes without any problem (which when something dies you cannot close their eyes if they were open.) and the light has not left her eyes... yet she lay so limp in my hand.. not struggling, not moving.. im confused

OK then how do you know he is dead?
You see no inhale/exhaling, breathing?

[squirrelgirl444]

No breathing, no heart beat. :/

[squirrelgirl444]

It being 7 now im starting to see the light slowly fade from her eyes.. shes still soft though.. unusual.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

i'm so sorry for you. Baby was warm and loved thanks to you. RIP Baby Vole

[squirrelgirl444]

RIP baby vole <3 August 27, 2013 at 3:32pm <3

[virginia_arce2280]

:sad
So sorry, you did all you could. Poor little guy:grouphug

[farrelli]

Perhaps if you come across another animal you will come here right off the bat and we can help you with care/treatment. People are always here and even if it's not an emergency, someone will usually help pretty quickly.

[cnmnnaturalist]

I'm sorry to hear she passed. You did your best. They are such tiny, delicate creatures and even experts have a hard time with them.

Voles and other creatures that hibernate sometimes seem to take longer to go into rigor mortis than others, since their body is equipped to have a greatly reduced heart rate and respiration. I've seen it with chipmunks, voles and mice here.

[Nancy in New York]

No breathing, no heart beat. :/

I am so very sorry, she is just a precious
little soul.:Love_Icon

[TubeDriver]

RIP little vole baby. You were not alone.



Thank you for watching over and trying to help this little creature.


:(

[SammysMom]

Godspeed Little Vole...:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon