5 week old squirrel nose bleed, labored breathing

[loloraits]

hey guys. so a couple weeks ago i found a baby squirrel kicked out of its nest...just today another was has made its way out and fallen 15 feet. its nose was bleeding...no more blood is flowing now but it has really labored/wheezy breathing and seems to be in discomfort. i wiped its nose clean, tried to clear its airway, tried to give it a tiny bit of water with a little sugar...now the little buddy is laying with my other squirrel who is totally fine. is there anything i can do?

[SammysMom]

Thank-you for helping these little guys! Is it possible for you to take a pic and post it? If you can't post it, you can take it an text it to me to post. Pics of both of them as well as something like a can of soup or something we are familiar with for perspective would be great.

[island rehabber]

It's possible these two were not kicked out, but mamma never came home and this recent one finally got so hungry and desperate he crawled out to find her. This is a common scenario, and a sad one. This second baby may be very dehydrated if mom hasn't been around in days.....a pic would be very helpful, but most importantly you need to start hydration right away. (Assume that he is quite dehydrated.) Use either Pedialyte or homemade hydration:

2 cups very warm water
1.5 TABLEspoons sugar
1/2 TEAspoon salt.
A drop of honey or apple juice for flavoring can make it more tasty for the baby squirrel.

[loloraits]

when is a good time to try and give him formula? should i even try while he is trying to clear his lungs? should i even think about antibiotics?

[SammysMom]

No formula until you have him totally hydrated. How many days were between the first baby and this one?

[loloraits]

he does not seem to be dehydrated at all. my guess is that he had only been out of the nest an hour or so. i found his sibling about 12 days ago.

[SammysMom]

A pic may help us to help you. If you prefer you can email it to savesquirrels@sbcglobal.net

[SammysMom]

If mama is still there, do you have any thoughts on why he fell? Maybe he could be reunited?

[loloraits]

sammys mom i emailed to the savesquirrels address

[SammysMom]

He is precious!

[loloraits]

when he breathes he is very wheezy, sneezing a lot. seems to be having quite a bit of trouble but is moving around with ease. i have tried a childs nose sucker. can i do anything to provide help or comfort for this little guy? or should i just keep him resting with his newly reunited sibling?

[SammysMom]

What has he taken for fluids so far? Do you have any INFANT ibuprofen?

[loloraits]

all he has had is some sugar water. ive had him for about 2 1/2 hours. i dont have any infant ibuprofen.

[SammysMom]

Infant ibuprofen is all that I would suggest for meds. Someone else might have another thought. It might help to take him into a steamy bathroom, but running water can really scare them. Do you have a cool mist vaporizer? Is his nose clogging at the nostrils because of debris that is coming out? Sometimes a tiny bit of vaseline right below the nostril can prevent yuck from sticking and clogging.
Is he as relaxed as he seems? He is a big guy and quite friendly looking. :Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

You could offer him diluted formula. Try mixing it 3 water to 1 powder or if you have it mixed already add some water to just what you are giving him. He looks really good to me for one who has been without mama for even a day.

[loloraits]

He isn't interested in eating at all since he is struggling so much with his breathing. It's heartbreaking.


You could offer him diluted formula. Try mixing it 3 water to 1 powder or if you have it mixed already add some water to just what you are giving him. He looks really good to me for one who has been without mama for even a day.

[SammysMom]

Have you offered it in a VERY low bowl? Maybe a piece of fruit?

[Nancy in New York]

Is the bridge of his nose swollen?
IF you touch his little nose with a LITTLE pressure on the top, does he seem in discomfort/pain?

[loloraits]

he did not cry out or do anything strange when i tried to clear his nose with the sucker...which i touched directly to his nose several times. it doesnt appear swollen but it does have a small amount of clear discharge coming out. no more bleeding as far as i can tell.


Is the bridge of his nose swollen?
IF you touch his little nose with a LITTLE pressure on the top, does he seem in discomfort/pain?

[island rehabber]

If you can keep his nostrils as clear as possible you may have to ride this one out with him. There is an upper respiratory bug that baby squirrels sometimes come in with that causes constant sneezing. Oddly, the babies have excellent appetites and energy levels while this is going on, but they can't stop sneezing. It lasts 2-3 days and the stops. I've been through this with two separate sets of baby squirrels, two different seasons. I did Baytril and I went to the vet; nothing really helped. If you can get him eating and drinking he'll be ok.....try inserting just a drop of diluted formula up under his muzzle on one side. Just a drop, then wait for him to swallow. Sometimes with these guys it's "NOnonononono...*gulp*...n....hmmm, that tastes pretty good......slurp slurp slurp." :grin2

[loloraits]

i feel pretty certain that this is a result of him falling so far onto concrete and bleeding from his nose but of course i cant rule anything out. im just trying to keep him calm and resting and checking on him frequently. his sibling is due for a feeding in about 3 hours. im going to really try to get some decent fluids in him at that time. im going to let him rest until then.


If you can keep his nostrils as clear as possible you may have to ride this one out with him. There is an upper respiratory bug that baby squirrels sometimes come in with that causes constant sneezing. Oddly, the babies have excellent appetites and energy levels while this is going on, but they can't stop sneezing. It lasts 2-3 days and the stops. I've been through this with two separate sets of baby squirrels, two different seasons. I did Baytril and I went to the vet; nothing really helped. If you can get him eating and drinking he'll be ok.....try inserting just a drop of diluted formula up under his muzzle on one side. Just a drop, then wait for him to swallow. Sometimes with these guys it's "NOnonononono...*gulp*...n....hmmm, that tastes pretty good......slurp slurp slurp." :grin2

[SammysMom]

Even a little apple juice with the water might encourage him. Poor little guy. I really wonder what is up with mama though. The spread of time is a big one between babies arrivals.

[loloraits]

I heard from a friend that last year a squirrel was kicked out of the same nest. That baby squirrel was surrendered to a local vet and they said it was possibly blind...which I really doubt is the case here because the little one that I've been caring for is starting to focus more and visually notice his surroundings. It's beyond me why these guys keep falling from the nest. I really do hope this one pulls through though because he's in bad shape. Although he is peacefully resting at the moment.


Even a little apple juice with the water might encourage him. Poor little guy. I really wonder what is up with mama though. The spread of time is a big one between babies arrivals.

[SammysMom]

Sometimes they are in such precarious spots that you wonder what the heck mama was thinking! Just remember that hydration is the MOST important thing. Dehydration will do so much damage. He looks like he is in good shape and if you can get some infant ibuprofen tomorrow, it may help the swelling in that schnoz of his.

[loloraits]

he is very strong and healthy but im just afraid that he has some kind of internal damage and or swelling because his breathing is SO bad. it seems exhausting. if he can fight through the night it'll be a miracle. but there is some comfort in knowing he has a little buddy to keep him warm. it seems like messing with the sucker and trying to clear his lungs myself is more traumatizing and stressful on the little guy than it is helpful so im just trying to keep him comfortable and will try more hydration in a couple hours.

[SammysMom]

Just remember that hydration is the MOST important thing he needs. You could run the shower until the bathroom is steamy then bring him in there. The steam really does help.
Can you get the ibuprofen tomorrow morning?

[loloraits]

i have to be at work at 7:30. luckily my employer is kind enough to let me bring my little guy that i have already been caring for in his heated carrier to work so they will be going with me tomorrow (as long as this little buddy makes it through the night). i will be able to get him some meds as soon as walgreens opens at 8. nancy in new york sent me some cipro because i was worried about aspiration in my first little guy so i do have antibiotics on hand...im just not sure if they would be of any help...although he does have that clicking sound.

i truly believe that this squirrel had only been out of the nest for a very short time and i dont see how it could have a pneumonia situation going on. although like i said earlier im not ruling anthing out. i feel like he has experienced a sort of blunt force trauma for lack of a better description.

[SammysMom]

So many do! They fall far and their head is the heaviest and hits first. I would think the clicking is probably his poor nose. I had a couple who had that terrible bloody and swollen snoot. So painful! Healing prayers coming his way. Thank heavens for you and caring employers!:Love_Icon

[stepnstone]

The heavy breathing could just be from pain he is experiencing from the fall,
Ib could definitely help to make him more comfortable. You also need to check
his teeth with a fall like that.

[loloraits]

what is the dosing breakdown for infant ibuprofen? he is 175g

[CritterMom]

Sent by PM.

[SammysMom]

Thank you CM! I am so glad to see he is still with you. How does he seem this morning? I know you are at work so may not see this for a while. Was just thinking of you and your baby.

[loloraits]

His breathing has improved but still not great. I gave him the ibuprofen and about 4 1/2 ccs of formula. That's all he would put up with.

[SammysMom]

Better is great!:thumbsup

[loloraits]

nose is still very swollen. now he passed a very small amount of blood from his anus when i stimulated it.. poor guy. i wish i could make him feel better. is there a chance the blood will go away?

[island rehabber]

nose is still very swollen. now he passed a very small amount of blood from his anus when i stimulated it.. poor guy. i wish i could make him feel better. is there a chance the blood will go away?

I'll bet he's swallowed a good amount of blood from that poor nose, as it ran down his throat. Don't panic too much about the blood from the anus....just watch to be sure it doesn't get worse, and that it's not occult blood (dark and tarry....signifies an organ injury sometimes).