Breathing rapidly

[sniffysmom]

My squirrel is a year and a half old. She has no front teeth after falling from a tree. dr Emerson removed one of them this February. Yesterday she did not seem like herself. Today she did not eat and did not come out of her house when I came home. I got her out and realize that she is breathing rapidly. Could she have pneumonia? I have put in a call to Dr Emerson but have not heard back yet. Is there something I can do this evening in case I don't hear from her? I live in the Midwest so I can't take her to a vet. Please help.

[SammysMom]

If you hold her up to your ear, is she making a clicking sound with every breath? What is her daily diet?

[SammysMom]

WHen you say Dr. E, are we talking about Dr. Emerson in Florida?

[sniffysmom]

I don't think so. She doesn't want me to touch her. She eats healthy Blocks from Henry's Pets mashed up with almond or walnut butter. I give her soft treats like a piece of banana or avocado or tomato.

[SammysMom]

How many blocks does she DEFINITELY get into her every day? You may actually be dealing with MBD or some other dietary issue. What do you have on hand for medication in the event that one of the more experienced members feels meds are needed.

[sniffysmom]

Yes. This is Dr Emerson in Florida. In February both front teeth were removed and one lower tooth removed because they were growing back into her mouth. She has one small eye on the right and is missing other smaller teeth on the right. Her face is misshapen. I have to trim the right lower tooth because it grows along the outside of her face otherwise.

[sniffysmom]

She gets two blocks a day. They have calcium in them. I'm a physician and can get antibiotics. I have meloxicam from Dr Emerson.

[SammysMom]

I was not trying to insinuate that you were doing anything wrong. As long as she is actually eating all of that then MBD should not be an issue at all. I hope someone with experience comes along as all I have to offer is prayers for healing and strength...:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[island rehabber]

sniffysmom, I'm so sorry your baby is not well. A few questions:

The most ridiculously obvious, but you won't believe how many times this is true: is there anything new in the house, especially a new sound? New washer/dryer...new stereo system with surround sound.....new pet? This will sometimes throw them into 'frozen mode' where they are immoveable and breathe very rapidly.

Did you use a different scent: air freshner, cleaning product, room spray?

Are her paws hot or cool to your touch?

If you feel she has some infection going on, SMZ-TMP would be a good AB to start with.

[sniffysmom]

Well. She is in frozen mode. When I get her out of her house she does move around but she won't come to me. You see, she isn't very cuddly. That's why I can't hold her up to my ear to hear her breathe. I did turn on the space heater yesterday. It was on last winter but last night was the first time it was turned on this year. If I get the antibiotic tablets how do I convert them to a dose suitable for her? I'll call in a prescription right now.

[SammysMom]

Did this behavior begin after you turned on the heater?

[Nancy in New York]

Well. She is in frozen mode. When I get her out of her house she does move around but she won't come to me. You see, she isn't very cuddly. That's why I can't hold her up to my ear to hear her breathe. I did turn on the space heater yesterday. It was on last winter but last night was the first time it was turned on this year. If I get the antibiotic tablets how do I convert them to a dose suitable for her? I'll call in a prescription right now.

What antibiotic are you getting. I will help you with converting and dosing.
Do you have a stethoscope that you can listen to her with?

[sniffysmom]

I'm going to pick up the medication it comes in single and double strength. I asked for the single strength.

[island rehabber]

IF you can get oral suspension that would be great....50 mg/ml
Dosage is 15-30 mg/kg. BID for at least 5 days.

[sniffysmom]

She didn't seem quite right the day before but Henry's Pets comes in two flavors and we opened a new bag that happens to be her less favorite flavor. However she ate everything yesterday and nothing at all today. I turned on the space heater last night and today she is in hiding. We also got a cold spell the last two days and my husband thinks that has something to do with it.

[sniffysmom]

I'm going to pick it up in a liquid form.

[farrelli]

Are you refrigerating/freezing the blocks? They get moldy.

[SammysMom]

Did you try turning off the heater and seeing if that helps her behavior? It may be making a sound that you can't hear, but she is bothered by.

[farrelli]

Also, in the soft treats you feed, any avocado? The skins and pits are toxic.

[sniffysmom]

I've found another bag of her favorites and will try those tomorrow.

[Nancy in New York]

I'm going to pick it up in a liquid form.

Do you have a weight on her. When we dose meds we do it by weight.
What ab are you getting, the SMZ-TMP?

[sniffysmom]

Yes. We freeze the treats and refrigerate the opened bags. I don't feed her avocado skins or pits just the soft parts. I didn't know some parts were toxic. I appreciate the information. Is there anything else she shouldn't have?

[SammysMom]

Has she had acorns or chestnuts recently?

[sniffysmom]

I will turn off the heater for a while and see what happens.

[SammysMom]

Maybe put a heating pad on low under her enclosure so if she is chilly or just achy, she can use the heating pad. You just have to be sure it is under so she doesn't have access to the pad or cord for chewing.

[sniffysmom]

I did find an acorn in a plant that we brought in from outside. The plant has been in the house with her before. It must have fallen into the plant. She could only have licked it because she has no teeth to eat it. She can't eat solid food and the acorn was intact. Do you think that's the problem?

[sniffysmom]

She has complete access to the room. She can't chew on anything. She doesn't have teeth.

[SammysMom]

I am sorry, I was forgetting that she didn't have teeth. I am very sorry. I was just thinking about possible mold or other food related issues. Can you push fluids?

[farrelli]

Yes. We freeze the treats and refrigerate the opened bags. I don't feed her avocado skins or pits just the soft parts. I didn't know some parts were toxic. I appreciate the information. Is there anything else she shouldn't have?

Here's the nutrition chart. It lists things to avoid and things which are very toxic. It also lists safe trees and such for when you introduce branches.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-%28Revised-2-13%29