Opossum Trouble

[AliciaintheSC]

I know this is a Squirrel Board, but......Some of you know possies, too! :thumbsup I have one that is part of a litter of 4. His momma was shot after killing this lady's prized chickens. Then, she brought me the babies (one had died during the blast, leaving 4 live ones). Three of them were fine, but this one had a few minor injuries (a couple of abrasion type wounds). I treated him for those injuries and he has since been doing wonderfully. This was on April 23rd. Last night before bed everything was peachy. But, this morning........not.

He was walking, but not really well. He was almost crawling. When we weighed him (like every morning), he had lost weight for the second day in a row. They sometimes do and the others did yesterday also, but then the next day they always more than make up for it. The others did today, but he did not. He has lost a total of 35g over the two days. He won't eat. He does poop and pee normally (as of his morning specimen). I looked him over and found no injuries and his belly is soft and non-distended. He did not react as if he were in any pain when palpating his body. BUT......when I placed him back in the cage, the other three charged him and one tried to bite him!!! :eek So, lucky for him I was still right there and immediately removed him. I have tried to syringe feed him, but he wants none of that. He does drink water from a bowl, but doesn't seem all too interested with his food dish. He just seems to be weak.

He is 163g today after being 198g two days ago. I am worried about him, but not sure what to do. I am watching him, but with this being his sleepy time, it is hard to know if he is okay or if I should do something more. I have a tube and have been told how to do it, but haven't yet tried on a Possie. I have, however, done it on a human. So, I think I could, if I had to. Oh, and I did put some Pedialyte into his water a little while ago, just to give it a boost.

[Rhapsody]

With him having some minor injuries when he arrived its possible that an infection set in and
some Amoxicillin is now needed to help him get over the battle. If you are going to tube feed
him please make sure you are using Esbilac with Probiotics and mix it 1:3 as it is the recommended
formula for possums. *Please do keep this little one on a heating pad for warmth and away from the
other possums as they will cannibalize their own for many different reasons --death being one of them.

[AliciaintheSC]

With him having some minor injuries when he arrived its possible that an infection set in and
some Amoxicillin is now needed to help him get over the battle. If you are going to tube feed
him please make sure you are using Esbilac with Probiotics and mix it 1:3 as it is the recommended
formula for possums. *Please do keep this little one on a heating pad for warmth and away from the
other possums as they will cannibalize their own for many different reasons --death being one of them.

He is in a separate cage now (and forever, I assume). I put a heating pad in there, but he is up in the hammock. Do you think he may have an infection from his injuries even after being on Antibiotics on intake?

I won't tube feed him unless absolutely necessary. He is lapping water and I am holding onto that little thread of hope for now.

[Rhapsody]

How long did you give him the AB's when he came in? --1 loading dose or a few days?
He will need food not just water to recovery and get his strength back...... if you are
not going to tube feed, try giving him some vanilla yogurt or premixed oatmeal baby
food with fruit already mixed in it (I use Gerber).

[AliciaintheSC]

How long did you give him the AB's when he came in? --1 loading dose or a few days?
He will need food not just water to recovery and get his strength back...... if you are
not going to tube feed, try giving him some vanilla yogurt or premixed oatmeal baby
food with fruit already mixed in it (I use Gerber).

I gave him 7 days of antibiotics + ointment for his surface wounds. I know he needs food, too. My concern is the trauma/stress for tube feeding when he MIGHT just be not eating because it is not time to eat (since he is nocturnal). So, I was thinking I would wait until later this evening and see if he is hungry when he would normally become more active. Then, if he still isn't eating, I would try to tube him. Should I do it now? I hope you don't feel that I am being difficult. I just don't like unnecessary medical procedures (even being a nurse lol). I find the stress does more damage than the intended good sometimes. But, this is my first year raising possies, so if you feel I should go ahead and tube him, I will. It is hard sometimes when you don't see a definite reason to name the problem. I wish he would just TELL me what is wrong. :tap

[Rhapsody]

No you are not being difficult, just concerned...... I would wait until its dark and see if he is hungry
and if still does not eat at that time try giving him some vanilla yogurt or the oatmeal or rice baby
food with fruit blended in with it before you proceed with the tube feeding. Good Luck. (((hugs)))

[AliciaintheSC]

I guess I wasted too much time second guessing what I should have done. :sad We left for a couple hours earlier this evening and while we were gone he left, too. I checked on him just before leaving, but no change.....I thought about taking him with me, but decided that would be too much stress.

Oh how that little critter crept into my heart.....and then broke it. :(

[Rhapsody]

(((HUGS))) --some times we do the best we can and its still out of our hands.

[AliciaintheSC]

Thanks. I keep going over everything in my mind wondering what I should have done. He was my buddy. After getting him past all those injuries, I guess I felt a special bond with him. Of course, the other 3 littermates are a little irritated with me, because I made all of them get out of bed to make sure they were okay. lol I even made the poor Squirrels get up. Paranoid, anyone???

I can't help but wonder if there was in internal injury that was unknown to me that he just couldn't beat. :( Thanks for trying to help me today. I really appreciate it!

[Chickenlegs]

An injured possum is prime for a type of necrosis--life threatening and usually fatal. The others knew something was wrong--that's why they went after him. Cannibalism just isn't normal for healthy possums. Aggressive antibiotics plus a strong probiotic to avoid fungal infection sometimes nips it in the bud but often it's too hard on a compromised baby. Look up "crispy ear syndrome"--God speed little baby.

[VTech1]

Also, they need meat in the diet. I had one come to me almost dead as the woman fed baby rice cereal.....they are omnivores, but that includes meat! Boiled eggs with the shell intact is good too.....I did not read all the notes but if the possy if not taking formula, make sure it gets protein via meat, egss, etc.