URGENT HELP NEEDED.....swollen squirrel

[krissy385]

I estimate my squirrel to be about 10 wks of age, judging by the fact his eyes were open when I found him, but he was not yet eating and had a thin straight tail. Over the past few weeks he has been eating solid foods- I give him apples, walnuts, and seeds. And have been giving him formula in a dropper about 3 times a day, as he wants it. A few days ago I bought some can nuts and gave to him. He ate a few but continued on to his apples. Well, I was out of the house for a bit and asked my husband to feed him. He gave him some apples and seeds, but rather than giving him formula in a dropper, put it in a bowl and set it in the pen we made him. This morning, Sparky's little belly is swollen and looks like a golf ball is inside it. But it is mushy like its a lot of fluid. He is so fat he cant run, jump, or barely walk. This is very unusual for him, as he normally hops everywhere. My question is, could it be him drinking all the formula causing him to swell, or possibly the food? Or could something be wrong with him? Could this kill him? Is he going to have damage, or lie in one spot and not move? I have removed food & formula, just in case but I still need some advice. Please help! My little guy has already overcome so much.
This may not be an emergency but it is to me, as I don't know what is wrong or what to do.

[stepnstone]

I estimate my squirrel to be about 10 wks of age, judging by the fact his eyes were open when I found him, but he was not yet eating and had a thin straight tail. Over the past few weeks he has been eating solid foods- I give him apples, walnuts, and seeds. And have been giving him formula in a dropper about 3 times a day, as he wants it. A few days ago I bought some can nuts and gave to him. He ate a few but continued on to his apples. Well, I was out of the house for a bit and asked my husband to feed him. He gave him some apples and seeds, but rather than giving him formula in a dropper, put it in a bowl and set it in the pen we made him. This morning, Sparky's little belly is swollen and looks like a golf ball is inside it. But it is mushy like its a lot of fluid. He is so fat he cant run, jump, or barely walk. This is very unusual for him, as he normally hops everywhere. My question is, could it be him drinking all the formula causing him to swell, or possibly the food? Or could something be wrong with him? Could this kill him? Is he going to have damage, or lie in one spot and not move? I have removed food & formula, just in case but I still need some advice. Please help! My little guy has already overcome so much.
This may not be an emergency but it is to me, as I don't know what is wrong or what to do.

He sounds like he is bloated (blocked) and yes, bloat can kill!
That "diet" you are feeding is absolutely not good either and void of
any real nutrition. A dropper should never be used to feed formula.

You need to get him to deficate to release the pressure on his stomach,
have you tried stimulating him? It may help to put him halfway into a
warm soak to help move his bowels.

[Nancy in New York]

I estimate my squirrel to be about 10 wks of age, judging by the fact his eyes were open when I found him, but he was not yet eating and had a thin straight tail. Over the past few weeks he has been eating solid foods- I give him apples, walnuts, and seeds. And have been giving him formula in a dropper about 3 times a day, as he wants it. A few days ago I bought some can nuts and gave to him. He ate a few but continued on to his apples. Well, I was out of the house for a bit and asked my husband to feed him. He gave him some apples and seeds, but rather than giving him formula in a dropper, put it in a bowl and set it in the pen we made him. This morning, Sparky's little belly is swollen and looks like a golf ball is inside it. But it is mushy like its a lot of fluid. He is so fat he cant run, jump, or barely walk. This is very unusual for him, as he normally hops everywhere. My question is, could it be him drinking all the formula causing him to swell, or possibly the food? Or could something be wrong with him? Could this kill him? Is he going to have damage, or lie in one spot and not move? I have removed food & formula, just in case but I still need some advice. Please help! My little guy has already overcome so much.
This may not be an emergency but it is to me, as I don't know what is wrong or what to do.

Can you post a picture.................this sounds terrible, he HAS to be in extreme pain.
I will be off most of the day, I hope that you come on, and get the help for your squirrel that
he desperately needs.

[Nancy in New York]

One more thing, if your thread seems to just sit for a while, keep bumping it up so members see it. :grouphug

[krissy385]

I have not tried putting him in warm water. He has been going to the bathroom, a little. Its just been soft, runny light brown stool. He has been swollen since I would say late last night, early this morning. I have been working long hours at work and haven't been home with him as much this week, but my husband has. I took away the food too so he wouldn't keep eating. How long does the bloat last? And how long could it be before he takes a turn for the worse? I just want him to be ok

[krissy385]

I don't know how to bump it up. I'm new to this. Its my first day on. I printed a list of things to feed him, but a lot of what I have given, he does not like. I was giving him formula thru a dropper still so that he wouldn't get too much. But only a few times a day. I have been giving him more solids, and his stool has been firm and dark brown. It only turned colors last night/this morning. As I said before, I'm usually there with him, but I have been having to work a lot with my husband out of work, so he has watched over him. It was yesterday when he put a bowl of milk in the pen, and then around midnight or so when I noticed how swollen he was. I let him sleep and didn't know if he had just drank the whole bowl at once, but I figured He would have lost some of the swelling by now.

[CritterMom]

The warm water bath will relax his lower half and allow him to poop easier. He needs to get rid of what he ate.

He is bloated because the food in his stomach has been there long enough to start to ferment, something that has happened faster because of the apples. He probably gorged on the formula and now all of that is sitting in his stomach and forming gas which causes the bloating.

Give him several drop of infant simethicone (Baby Gas-X - from the drug store), dip him to the armpits and start gently stroking his stomach from top to bottom to stimulate his digestion and start working the gas out. Just make sure you keep him warm. Running water will frighten him so put the water in a bowl that is deep enough and then bring him in.

[krissy385]

Sparky is doing good! Hubby made it home and gave him a warm bath, and says he is pooping everywhere!! Thank You guys so much for all your help. Will keep you posted and post pics when I get the chance

[rocketjsquirrel]

Hi Krissy385:Welcome
What kind of formula are you feeding him? And where in Alabama are you? I live in Montgomery. If you need some HHB's and squirrel formula, I can help you with that if you are close by. But first, do what Crittermom,Stepnstone, and Nancy in New york tell you to do! They know their stuff!:thumbsup

[Nancy in New York]

Sparky is doing good! Hubby made it home and gave him a warm bath, and says he is pooping everywhere!! Thank You guys so much for all your help. Will keep you posted and post pics when I get the chance

Akkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk just saw this.
Thank you so much for this update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stepnstone]

Been a busy day for me also, just getting back and saw the update.
:clap Fantastic! :poopis good!


. Over the past few weeks he has been eating solid foods- I give him apples, walnuts, and seeds.

You really, really, need to correct his diet! The first solid food he should have been given should have been a good quality rodent block and he should have been eating it well before introducing other foods. Fruit and nuts should be given only as a treat, never a staple.
Here is the link to the healthy diet:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels