2-1/2 yr old Vomited and Doesn't Feel Good

[riefderrico]

Greetings everyone. Need some emergency help on this one today. My squirrel friendly vet closed at noon today so they are not an option and I'm gun-shy to go to another (we do not live in squirrel friendly state).

Our baby Missy - 2-1/2-3 year old eastern grey vomited today around 2p. The vomit was pink and fibrous less than a teaspoon. There was a squished cherry near by without pit and one of her logs she had been chewing on close as well - which is what I am thinking accounted for the color and texture (this is only spot I have seen so I am assuming 1x only). The cherry may have been bad since I had not given any to her in past 3-4 days. She is on proper squirrel diet and is a healthy girl otherwise.

Also the past two days she has been in heat (so have the ones in the back yard) so she has been very reclusive (going in her house every time I come in - this usually lasts 3-5 days or so) - so not sure if she didn't feel well yesterday or not. She was fine the day before. And now she just looks like she doesn't feel good. She is not hot but is pancaking like it was a hot summer day.

The only change to her diet was a hamster treat from the pet store - those baby corns. But she has had those before and was o.k.

She is drinking her water but did not want anything to do with her food dish I had brought in. And I don't know if she had an acorn stashed that went bad - there is no evidence but didn't know if bad nuts cause vomiting.

Will be cleaning her room and her stashes shortly. Any help would be appreciated - thanks!

[farrelli]

You've got the bases covered. Hydrate. Make sure she's popping and not vomiting anymore. Almost always it's just a bad food. What you have to be very worried about is an obstruction, which a vet/surgery would be needed for or she might die.

[riefderrico]

farrelli - Thank you for your response. I've been keeping watch and its been almost 2 hours - no more vomiting. She has been drinking her water - not eating tho. She did however let me (my arm) in her house to give belly rubs and arm pit scratches. Her belly seems normal (not hard or bloated) and she enjoyed it being rubbed so I don't believe she is in any pain. She has her own room and nothing new has been introduced or old that has been chewed anymore than usual to cause an obstruction - I think we are good there.
i
Will probably keep watch and check on her every few hours. When I get buzzed or nipped Ill know we are out of the woods LOL! Never though I'd look forward to a "warning shot" :shakehead

[island rehabber]

Sounds as if she's going to be ok.....drinking water willingly and not vomiting again are key points here. If she had an obstruction or ate something truly toxic there would be more vomiting, for sure.

[CritterMom]

Could she have eaten the cherry pit?

[riefderrico]

Thank you IR for getting back with me. She is much better this evening, still drinking and nibbled on her food plate too. I went outside and gathered cat grass, dandelions and fresh greens out of the garden with a few budding branches from the fruit trees to nibble on to. Just waiting for fresh poops.

Yes Critter Mom I believe the cherry pit was the culprit. Found 2 more "stashed" during our quick clean. They had begun to ferment and pretty much popped when I picked them up. Will be doing deep clean tomorrow to make sure there is nothing else she has hidden.

Going to go over her diet tomorrow and make sure she is getting everything she needs (will be looking for her blocks to see if she is not eating them again). She never stashes fresh food and is usually a very picky eater (she can tell fresh home grown from Publix from Whole Foods - she's that picky). Or the cherries were just that darned good.

Will update if anything else develops.

Thanks again everyone and hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

[CritterMom]

Thank you everyone for getting back with me. She is much better this evening, still drinking and nibbled on her food plate too. I went outside and gathered cat grass, dandelions and fresh greens out of the garden with a few budding branches from the fruit trees to nibble on to. Just waiting for fresh poops.

Yes I believe the cherry pit was the culprit. Found 2 more "stashed" during our quick clean. They had begun to ferment and pretty much popped when I picked them up. Will be doing deep clean tomorrow to make sure there is nothing else she has hidden.

Going to go over her diet tomorrow and make sure she is getting everything she needs (will be looking for her blocks to see if she is not eating them again). She never stashes fresh food and is usually a very picky eater (she can tell fresh home grown from Publix from Whole Foods - she's that picky). Or the cherries were just that darned good.

Will update if anything else develops.

Thanks again everyone and hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

You need to ALWAYS pit her cherries. Stonefruit - peaches, apricots, plums, cherries - all have cyanide in them and in an animal the size of a squirrel, it doesn't take very much to kill them.

[riefderrico]

Crittermom - just wanted to thank you for the info. I did not know. I did some research and looked back in my picture log and had a similar instance last year about the same time of year. Her face got swollen and she got all puffy and we had to take her to the vet. He gave her prednisone (I think). We all thought it was from a bird perch we bought at the pet store - but now that I know it was prob from the cherries. I knew about avocado peel/seeds but had no idea about stone fruit seed. I feel horrible for her - poor baby - bad squammy :dono.

She is doing much better - back to her old self. Getting her and Nubbins acquainted outside the cage this weekend and making their room ADA compliant - LOL! Poor nubbins has no idea she is missing her leg and thinks she can run, jump, and climb just like Missy. Every time I think I have it done - I see another way she can possibly get hurt. Any such think as a helicopter squammy?

[CritterMom]

Crittermom - just wanted to thank you for the info. I did not know. I did some research and looked back in my picture log and had a similar instance last year about the same time of year. Her face got swollen and she got all puffy and we had to take her to the vet. He gave her prednisone (I think). We all thought it was from a bird perch we bought at the pet store - but now that I know it was prob from the cherries. I knew about avocado peel/seeds but had no idea about stone fruit seed. I feel horrible for her - poor baby - bad squammy :dono.

She is doing much better - back to her old self. Getting her and Nubbins acquainted outside the cage this weekend and making their room ADA compliant - LOL! Poor nubbins has no idea she is missing her leg and thinks she can run, jump, and climb just like Missy. Every time I think I have it done - I see another way she can possibly get hurt. Any such think as a helicopter squammy?

I am glad she is better. Cyanide is in a lot of plants...apple seeds have cyanide in them. They are starting to look closer at this because apple juice is showing up with a bit more than the *acceptable* rates of cyanide in it since they use the whole fruit to press it. And people feed it to infants who have a lesser ability to handle it. Eucalyptus is responsible for a lot of animal poisonings since it is often planted in yards. A good rule of thumb is to remove the seeds from anything you feed - I peel everything too, simply because peels can be choking hazards.

Poison is a very "popular" means for plants to protect themselves or parts of themselves. Tropical plants in particular, which is what most houseplants are, almost all have some toxicity - yes, just about everything we grow for decoration in the home has toxic properties. Cashews are particularly interesting: http://www.wisegeek.org/are-raw-cashews-really-poisonous.htm. Truly raw from the tree ("raw" cashews sold at health food stores have been steamed and are not actually raw) they are deadly.

The first thing I do before I feed anything is google it's name and "toxicity."