Supplements For Squirrels

[Annabelle's papa]

:)There are a few natural compounds that have already proven themselves, calcium carbonate and milk thistle among others, and some that need to be used with great caution such as tea tree oil and Vitamin D. Maybe we could investigate the use of other popular supplements such as glucosamine and biotin, some of these supplements have a proven record with other animals. :thumbsup

:)If the safety of a common supplement could be verified, some of them could benefit Squirrels, especially as they age or are living compromised lives.:Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

:) ... and some that need to be used with great caution such as tea tree oil and Vitamin D.

After JD's near death from Tea Tree Oil toxicity, I think it's safe to say that TTO should NEVER be used on squirrels.

I'm sure there are supplements that could be used safely but the issue is, Who wants to test it? Not me. :tilt

[Kristi S]

I know Stosh used milk thistle in an effort to clean out the toxins from tea tree oil ingestion - is this the effect you're talking about? Although it appeared to do so, it would be a jump to say that this was "proven."

A list like this could get into some very gray areas. There are many many compounds out there that are said to do something, but the evidence from well-executed studies are lacking. In some cases the substances may offer false hope or be substituted for things that are known to work well. And most things ought to be used with some caution - even calcium can be overdosed, and milk thistle can cause diarrhea. There is also potential for interactions with other substances that should be taken into consideration. I'm not saying it's not worth making such a list, but great care must be taken when doing so.

Tea tree oil shouldn't be used in any case where ingestion is a possibility, and even externally it can cause skin irritation in humans (though I've used it myself). [EDIT: beaten to the punch again!]

How about aloe? It's great for minor wounds, and is (in humans, anyway) very digestible.

[Annabelle's papa]

After JD's near death from Tea Tree Oil toxicity, I think it's safe to say that TTO should NEVER be used on squirrels.

I'm sure there are supplements that could be used safely but the issue is, Who wants to test it? Not me. :tilt


I know Stosh used milk thistle in an effort to clean out the toxins from tea tree oil ingestion - is this the effect you're talking about? Although it appeared to do so, it would be a jump to say that this was "proven."

A list like this could get into some very gray areas. There are many many compounds out there that are said to do something, but the evidence from well-executed studies are lacking. In some cases the substances may offer false hope or be substituted for things that are known to work well. And most things ought to be used with some caution - even calcium can be overdosed, and milk thistle can cause diarrhea. There is also potential for interactions with other substances that should be taken into consideration. I'm not saying it's not worth making such a list, but great care must be taken when doing so.

Tea tree oil shouldn't be used in any case where ingestion is a possibility, and even externally it can cause skin irritation in humans (though I've used it myself). [EDIT: beaten to the punch again!]

How about aloe? It's great for minor wounds, and is (in humans, anyway) very digestible.


:)Amen wonderful start, and the emphasis can really be placed on what shouldn't be used such as the tea tree oil, I believe it was used externally, however some was ingested from licking. :sadness

:)Although whatever the milk thistle did to help alleviate the adverse reactions caused by the TTO, could certainly make it a worthwhile study in itself. And glucosamine has been used with other animals for a long time to ease the symptoms of arthritis, yet it also helps some allergy problems experienced by humans. :thumbsup

:)The use of probiotics with older Squirrels, other than with the use of antibiotics, could yield positive results also.:)

:)And aloe could be a great place to start, just a short while back there was much discussion on it's possible toxicity to Squirrels, yet aloe juice is sold for human consumption in major retailers, and aloe lotion has warnings against taking internally.:dono

[LaurelLynn]

This isn't proven and I can't guarantee it wasn't coincidental, but I had a baby opossum with a head tilt that was present for months. I worried he would be NR. I started giving him fresh chamomile with his veggies and within a week his head tilt was completely resolved. He went on to be successfully released.

Again I can't verify that was what helped but it was interesting

[Annabelle's papa]

This isn't proven and I can't guarantee it wasn't coincidental, but I had a baby opossum with a head tilt that was present for months. I worried he would be NR. I started giving him fresh chamomile with his veggies and within a week his head tilt was completely resolved. He went on to be successfully released.

Again I can't verify that was what helped but it was interesting

:)Wonderful LL, without trying to research every supplement and herb available, we can provide input from the personal use of reasonably safe compounds. Chamomile includes bisabolol and bisabolol oxides A and B, and matracin, as well as flavonoids (particularly a compound called apinegin). :dono

:)It is an anti-inflammatory and has been used internally and externally, it is also antispasmodic, antipyretic, antibacterial, and antiallergenic. Although it can cause topical allergic reactions, it is included in the pharmacopoeia of 26 countries.:thumbsup

[LaurelLynn]

:)Wonderful LL, without trying to research every supplement and herb available, we can provide input from the personal use of reasonably safe compounds. Chamomile includes bisabolol and bisabolol oxides A and B, and matracin, as well as flavonoids (particularly a compound called apinegin). :dono

:)It is an anti-inflammatory and has been used internally and externally, it is also antispasmodic, antipyretic, antibacterial, and antiallergenic. Although it can cause topical allergic reactions, it is included in the pharmacopoeia of 26 countries.:thumbsup

It's so safe I used to use it when my kids were babies. I wasn't giving to him originally as treatment, I just happened to have it growing outside and it was one of the native foods I started feeding

After his improvement, I read it can also help repair damage to the brain in certain cases.. I believe they did some studies?

[Kristi S]

:)Wonderful LL, without trying to research every supplement and herb available, we can provide input from the personal use of reasonably safe compounds. Chamomile includes bisabolol and bisabolol oxides A and B, and matracin, as well as flavonoids (particularly a compound called apinegin). :dono Would this refer to German or English/Roman chamomile?

:)It is an anti-inflammatory and has been used internally and externally, it is also antispasmodic, antipyretic, antibacterial, and antiallergenic. Although it can cause topical allergic reactions, it is included in the pharmacopoeia of 26 countries.:thumbsup

To me this raises more questions than it answers. At what dose, and how is it prepared? What type of inflammation and spasms? What kind of "pharmacopoeia" do you means - something equivalent to an FDA-approved drug? And are these countries known for their stringent standards? Which type of chamomile (they aren't even in the same genus)?

Perhaps it would be safer to say, "It has been used as..." or "Some laboratory studies suggest that the extract is effective for..." It would be a shame if based on the information here people fed it to a squirrel to treat a fever, for instance, when there are other methods that have much more empirical support.

That said, the same holds true for the aloe I mentioned in my previous post. If I'd been writing responsibly, I would have added that there are two forms of aloe used: the gel and the latex. Gel is the stuff in the middle of the leaves, and appears to be relatively safe. The latex is just under the surface of the leaves, and is not safe for internal or external use, which is why squirrels shouldn't be allowed to eat it. This was very careless on my part!

[LaurelLynn]

To me this raises more questions than it answers. At what dose, and how is it prepared? What type of inflammation and spasms? What kind of "pharmacopoeia" do you means - something equivalent to an FDA-approved drug? And are these countries known for their stringent standards? Which type of chamomile (they aren't even in the same genus)?

Perhaps it would be safer to say, "It has been used as..." or "Some laboratory studies suggest that the extract is effective for..." It would be a shame if based on the information here people fed it to a squirrel to treat a fever, for instance, when there are other methods that have much more empirical support.

That said, the same holds true for the aloe I mentioned in my previous post. If I'd been writing responsibly, I would have added that there are two forms of aloe used: the gel and the latex. Gel is the stuff in the middle of the leaves, and appears to be relatively safe. The latex is just under the surface of the leaves, and is not safe for internal or external use, which is why squirrels shouldn't be allowed to eat it. This was very careless on my part!

That's why I said I don't have evidence or any idea of if it was coincidental. As for preparation and dose, I don't have a clue. I just picked it fresh from the yard like I do with other edible native plants. They eat however much of whatever they feel like.

As far as safety though, I don't believe there is a risk with giving fresh chamomile. I don't know of any serious interactions between medications and concurrent ingestion of fresh chamomile. If I was to give chamomile to another critter with a head tilt on the off chance it might help, I wouldn't have to choose between 'using' chamomile and providing proven medication therapy so there's not much harm that could come from this specific instance of inquiry

Of course I wouldn't advise ANYONE to treat head trauma with chamomile in lieu of medical treatment but I wouldn't expect any rehabber that has experience treating these cases to do so even if I was to advise it. ... it wouldn't make sense to

But I think there's plenty of benefits in general as an addition in the diet

[Kristi S]

That's why I said I don't have evidence or any idea of if it was coincidental. As for preparation and dose, I don't have a clue. I just picked it fresh from the yard like I do with other edible native plants. They eat however much of whatever they feel like.

As far as safety though, I don't believe there is a risk with giving fresh chamomile. I don't know of any serious interactions between medications and concurrent ingestion of fresh chamomile. If I was to give chamomile to another critter with a head tilt on the off chance it might help, I wouldn't have to choose between 'using' chamomile and providing proven medication therapy so there's not much harm that could come from this specific instance of inquiry

Of course I wouldn't advise ANYONE to treat head trauma with chamomile in lieu of medical treatment but I wouldn't expect any rehabber that has experience treating these cases to do so even if I was to advise it. ... it wouldn't make sense to

But I think there's plenty of benefits in general as an addition in the diet

I agree with you completely. I was trying to get across the point that, while some natural supplements have been used for hundreds or thousands of years to treat a huge range of ailments, it is no guarantee that the supplements actually work for the ailments they have been used to treat, and that in some cases the preparation can be very important. Chamomile is very safe for most people (and animals, presumably) in its natural form, but other plants may need pounding, boiling and leaching just to be safely edible.

I didn't mean to suggest that what AP said was fallacious, only that it made me wonder...but that's my natural state!

Neither, BTW, did I mean to suggest that the idea of recording people's experience with natural supplements was not a good idea. On the contrary, I think it would be very interesting, and could be beneficial. I just think it ought to be done responsibly, just as suggestions for treatment with medications and supplements of all sorts should be done responsibly.

[LaurelLynn]

Oh I know what you meant :grin2

There are plenty of natural remedies that have side effects and interactions that can be just as serious as medications. It's good to look into each one before using it just in case