5 - 6 week old squirrel aspirated maybe?

[kitcatsheart]

I have a baby squirrel who is between 5 - 6 weeks of age, he's just starting to curl his tail but his upper incisors arent in yet.
I've been tube feeding him as appose to bottle feeding because he didnt do well with it at all even with Chris's miracle nipple. I'm an emergency veterinary technician and tube feeding is nothing new to me, I feel more comfortable with it than bottle feeding at times. Anyway, I was feeding my baby just a few minutes ago and he's been getting 8 mls for the past few days. One of the sites I use for squirrel health said according to his age he should be eating 10 - 12 or more mls per feeding so I've been trying to work him up to that. Today I was tube feeding him and he was doing great and I was going to stretch him to 9 or 10mls. I went to 9 and he seemed fine tummy was not hard or felt over full and he was breathing and comfortable then I went to push a little more and I saw milk come up into his mouth. My heart dropped and I pulled the tube, wiped his mouth and tipped him upside down. He swallowed the milk wasnt sneezing coughing or struggling and at no point did I see milk come through his nose. He seems nice and active wasnt to snuggle up in my hair. Isnt ticking or making any clicking noises that I can hear. I tried to listen to him with my infant stethoscope but his heart is so loud I can barely hear him breathing, from what I could here, he sounded fine. He is now though shaking his head occasionally and sneezing every so often. He also took a big breath that I may be reading a bit too much into but so far he otherwise seems okay? I'm worried that he wont stay that way though. Should I start him on antibiotics? I go into work tonight and can start him on baytril, clavamox or amoxi drops what ever he needs. Could he be just trying to get some excess fluid out? am I over reacting!? HELP!!!!

[lilidukes]

Tube feeding is just not recommended for baby squirrels
because of this! Bunnies and possies yes!

Hold baby with nose towards the ground. Hand around
shoulders and fingers behind head. Gently swing him back
and forth. Stop wipe his nose and repeat as needed.

Aspiration pneumonia has a constant clicking awake or asleep
it never stops. Baytril is the drug for this.

[lilidukes]

Feedings should be 5-7% of the body weight.

[lilidukes]

Let me stop and say welcome to TSB:Welcome

Very glad you found us!!

What part of the state are you in?

What are you using for formula?

[kitcatsheart]

Tube feeding is just not recommended for baby squirrels
because of this! Bunnies and possies yes!

Hold baby with nose towards the ground. Hand around
shoulders and fingers behind head. Gently swing him back
and forth. Stop wipe his nose and repeat as needed.

Aspiration pneumonia has a constant clicking awake or asleep
it never stops. Baytril is the drug for this.

he's been doing great with tube feeding up until this point, I'm not so sure that this was an issue with him being a squirrel I think this was more a food calculation error on my part. He doesn't do well with a bottle and I didn't see any other alternative. I did however tip him up side down but nothing is comming out of his nose and only I would say .4 mls came up into his mouth at just that time but after he swallowed nothing else. He isn't showing any typical signs of aspirating a larger amount of formula. I will put him on Enro. if that is your recommendation :) Still no ticking/clicking noted

I'm using Esbilac currently
I live in columbia SC I moved here form NY 2 years ago :) thank you for the welcome
I'm so worried about my little guy I never meant to do him any harm

[farrelli]

Yes, Enro/Cipro/Baytril is what's normally recommended.

Here is our proper feeding technique thread with a video:

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

[Nancy in New York]

Is the Esbilac you're using the one with probiotics?
When you say "bottle" feeding, do you mean syringe feeding?

Welcome to TSB by the way! :)

[lilidukes]

he's been doing great with tube feeding up until this point, I'm not so sure that this was an issue with him being a squirrel I think this was more a food calculation error on my part. He doesn't do well with a bottle and I didn't see any other alternative. I did however tip him up side down but nothing is comming out of his nose and only I would say .4 mls came up into his mouth at just that time but after he swallowed nothing else. He isn't showing any typical signs of aspirating a larger amount of formula. I will put him on Enro. if that is your recommendation :) Still no ticking/clicking noted

I'm using Esbilac currently
I live in columbia SC I moved here form NY 2 years ago :) thank you for the welcome
I'm so worried about my little guy I never meant to do him any harm


We need members in your area!! I'm in Spartanburg.

Esbilac the kind with probiotics is good.

Baby squirrels digest their food differently from
other baby mammals in that they will take the
5-7% for most feedings then they will just take
a few cc's/ml's at another. And no coaxing will
get them to take anymore. Then the next feeding
back to the 5-7%. Then I've had babies who barely
ever took more than the 5% and grew into nice
big healthy squirrels.

Getting some started on a syringe with a nipple
will leave you covered in more formula than they
eat. But it doesn't take but a few times and a
lot of patience to get them to adapt.

I would have some Baytril on hand just in case.
But it's really rough on the gut so don't just start
unless needed.

:grouphug

[stepnstone]

He doesn't do well with a bottle and I didn't see any other alternative.

As has been stated, tube feeding a squirrel is not recommended,
neither is a bottle.
The best feeding method for baby squirrels is syringe feeding with
a 1 or 3cc depending on age of squirrel.

[kitcatsheart]

As has been stated, tube feeding a squirrel is not recommended,
neither is a bottle.
The best feeding method for baby squirrels is syringe feeding with
a 1 or 3cc depending on age of squirrel.

I was just wondering out of curiosity, Does anyone know why it's not recommended. Nothing about their anatomy seems to suggest that tube feeding would cause any more harm than any of the normal risk factors of tube feeding. I apologize in advance for all the questions, I just like to understand why we do things the way we do :)

[kitcatsheart]

We need members in your area!! I'm in Spartanburg.

Esbilac the kind with probiotics is good.

Baby squirrels digest their food differently from
other baby mammals in that they will take the
5-7% for most feedings then they will just take
a few cc's/ml's at another. And no coaxing will
get them to take anymore. Then the next feeding
back to the 5-7%. Then I've had babies who barely
ever took more than the 5% and grew into nice
big healthy squirrels.

Getting some started on a syringe with a nipple
will leave you covered in more formula than they
eat. But it doesn't take but a few times and a
lot of patience to get them to adapt.

I would have some Baytril on hand just in case.
But it's really rough on the gut so don't just start
unless needed.
:grouphug

I have to be honest everyone I've encountered is really strange about wildlife lol
Everytime I bring a wild baby into work everyone is always like "what are you doing with those? Why arent they with Carolina Wildlife?"
I dont know anything about Carolina Wildlife and I'm sure they're great but I love rehabbing :D always have and I've never been one to pass on a chance to rehab unless its a situation I clearly cant handle :) I'm very excited to learn more from the wildlife here in the south. I'm especially looking forward to maybe working with some flyers!!

[island rehabber]

I was just wondering out of curiosity, Does anyone know why it's not recommended. Nothing about their anatomy seems to suggest that tube feeding would cause any more harm than any of the normal risk factors of tube feeding. I apologize in advance for all the questions, I just like to understand why we do things the way we do :)

kitcat, years ago I took a 2-day course in Squirrel Rehab from Shirley Casey of Wild Again.org in Colorado. She is one of the pre-eminent experts on squirrel rehabilitation in our time and she is an extremely knowledgeable, well-versed person in both the anatomy and the natural history of squirrels. She told us "NEVER, EVER tube a squirrel. " Their anatomy is different from, say, bunnies, and misdirecting fluid or puncturing a vital area is far too easy to do when trying to tube a squirrel. Besides the fact that they are the Number one EASIEST animal on the planet to get to eat from a syringe. I mean, for heaven's sakes. they reach up and hold it for you! IMHO the only reason to attempt it is because you are in a hurry. There is no benefit to it other than expediency, and the risks are enormous.

NOTE: I would have looked up the passage in Shirley's manual for you, but I loaned it out to a newbie rehabber last year and haven't gotten it back.