Squirrel with fishy smelling urine

[SquirrelRefuge]

One of my squirrel foster dad's has a squirrel that has urine that smells like fish. Its been on Baytril for over a week but hasn't resolved. I cant recall if the squirrel has been on Baytril before so maybe its resistant so I switched it to SMZ/TMP. The primary diet has been Fox vallely 20/50 and then Harlan Teklad rodent block. Ive had a lot of squirrels with UTI's before but none that smelled like this. Other than the smell, the squirrel behaves normally (doesn't appear ill, normal feces, normal activity level, not wetting itself). any thoughts?

[Milo's Mom]

Am safe in assuming that the urine smelled like fish BEFORE you started the meds....which is why you started them? I am asking this because I know that meds can change the smell and color of urine and I just want to make sure the fishy urine was before the meds.

How long was the Baytril given? How long for the SMZ? You said the little one is still on FV, but is also eating HT block. Is the little one drinking any water on its own? What color is the urine? Is the smell stronger at one time of the day than another?

I realize my response is not helpful and is just a bunch of questions and for that I do apologize. Hopefully they are at least thought provoking....thus leading to the answer you're seeking.

[Milo's Mom]

One more question....Which HT are they feeding?

Thought process here is that depending on which HT is being fed it may have some fish oils in it, thus making the urine smell like fish. Similar to when humans take garlic pills or fish oil pills....the odor we excrete sometimes smells like garlic or fish.

I do know that HT makes a Vegetarian variety of block, which would not contain any fish products. Possibly switch the kind of HT being fed.

What kind of squirrel is this and how old is it?

[SquirrelRefuge]

It is a 10 week old male eastern gray. Has been eating HT 1018 for a couple of weeks and drinks water on his own. Was on the Baytril for 1 week because I assumed the smell was the result of a UTI and then on SMZ now for about 3 days. His urine is clear to light colored and the smell is consistent. I have had hundreds of squirrels on Harlan Teklad without ever noticing such a nasty smell, but maybe his chemistry is just a bit special. Its worth a try switching him over to oxbow and see if makes a difference. Thanks!