sick squirrell

[Becky in LA]

I spoke with Duckman @ Squirrel Refuge. He told me to contact ya'll for help. My son found baby squirrel probably about a week old. He has raised him for approx. 3 months now. When I got home yesterday, he was not moving at the bottom of his cage. He usually bouncing all over the place. He then got in his home and didn't come out till sometime today. He has no balance and is not wanting to move. Duckman seems to think he has advanced AMB. Please advise.

We have been feeding him only peanuts, sunflower seeds, acorns, grapes and apples.

[Duckman]

From the description of the symptoms, and also the fact that his diet is mostly corn and sunflower seeds, I believe it is MBD.



I spoke with Duckman @ Squirrel Refuge. He told me to contact ya'll for help. My son found baby squirrel probably about a week old. He has raised him for approx. 3 months now. When I got home yesterday, he was not moving at the bottom of his cage. He usually bouncing all over the place. He then got in his home and didn't come out till sometime today. He has no balance and is not wanting to move. Duckman seems to think he has advanced AMB. Please advise.

[DarkLies212]

I'm in Louisiana if you need some help.
Poor little guy! :( I agree with Duckman [though he's fantastic and doesn't need anyone backing him up :thumbsup ] in that it sounds like the little one's diet is the cause

[Becky in LA]

Any suggestions

[Sara in NW MS]

I'm not an expert but it does sound like MBD.

Here is a link to the Emergency treatment for MBD. I would start right away. It can be corrected. If not corrected it is fatal.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...-MBD-Treatment

Hopefully someone will be on soon to help you. Check out the link for more treatment info. Do you have a weight on this baby? He's going to need powdered esbilac formula with pre and probiotics.

Can you attach pics?

[Becky in LA]

he is now approx. 3 months old. He has been raised by my son since he was 1 week old.

[SammysMom]

Here is the MBD treatment protocol. It is imperative that you begin this immediately and also start the healthy diet immediately. You can find the healthy diet here:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-%28Revised-2-13%29

Emergency Treatment for MBD

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW.
Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:
Tums, (fruit flavored is the preferred ones for squirrels) , or calcium supplement (any kind)
a syringe or spoon


First try giving pieces of the tums to the squirrel, doing so throughout the day to equal ~500 mgs.
If that doesn't work, then, crush one Tums or calcium pill and add a little water or fruit juice. Use the syringe, eyedropper, or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. Feed a total of 500 mg of calcium, and spread it out through the day and night to keep his blood calcium levels as steady as possible.


We recommend an initial dose of 500mg calcium. After you give the initial dose, give 100 mg calcium every 4 hours. If symptoms return or do not improve, try dosing more often: every 3 hours. Severe cases may need 50 mg calcium every 2 hours.

Your squirrel's symptoms should improve within a few hours; within 1-3 days your squirrel should be alert, active, and eating, with no seizures or paralysis. You should be giving 500-600 mg calcium per day. Keep track of how many doses you give so you can adjust the dosage if needed. You should work with TSB members to do this.

Important!

Any kind of calcium pill is okay for the initial dose. But you must use PLAIN calcium carbonate (without Vit D) from then on.

Many small doses of calcium throughout the day/night are best to keep blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If symptoms worsen or return, give an emergency dose of 100 mg calcium, then consult with TSB members or a rehabber or veterinarian to adjust the dosing schedule. Relapses are very serious and often fatal.

White feces or a white film on dried urine may mean the dosage can be reduced, as this indicates not all of the calcium is being absorbed. It may also mean you need to give smaller doses more often.

The acute symptoms (weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis) will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones. (See the "Long-Term Treatment for MBD" below.)

More Tips

MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. You should pad the bottom of your squirrel's cage and keep him away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds) will work. Squirrels with hind-end paralysis may benefit from gentle massage of the legs and hips.


Long-Term Treatment for MBD

The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet.

1. Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats, including stashes.

2. Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found here: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...-Pet-Squirrels (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels) ) (http://www.henryspets.com/pages/Healthy-Diet.html%29). Your squirrel MUST eat rodent blocks or squirrel blocks every day (either 2 Henry's Healthy Squirrel Blocks per day, or a small handful of commercial rodent block per day). If you choose to feed commercial rodent blocks, which are extremely hard, you should crush them up with peanut butter, yogurt, fruit juice, avocado, baby food, etc., to make them easier to chew and improve the taste.

3. You will need to continue giving extra calcium every day for many weeks. You can use a syringe or spoon, or you can mix the calcium with a small amount of peanut butter, crushed nuts, yogurt, baby food, or any food the squirrel likes. An easy way to dose the calcium is to mix 500 mg of calcium powder with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or other tasty food and roll it into 5 little balls; each ball will contain 100 mg calcium.

Calcium Dosage:

Continue to give 500-600 mg calcium per day for 1 week. Then try reducing the total daily amount by 50 mg. If the squirrel remains stable for 1 week, reduce the daily amount by another 50 mg. Continue this weekly reduction until the squirrel is only getting around 100 mg of extra calcium per day. Continue this for at least another 2 weeks. If at any time symptoms return, give an emergency 100 mg dose, then go back to a higher dosage for 1-2 weeks.

The treatment for each squirrel may be slightly different and you should work with a rehabber or TSB members to tailor the treatment to your squirrel's needs. Depending on the age of the squirrel, severity of disease, and other factors, your squirrel may need extra calcium for many months, perhaps for life.

Important Information
The MBD treatment is a "standardized" treatment that will get most cases on the road to recovery. But every case is different and the treatment should be customized to each squirrel. Severe cases sometimes need more aggressive treatment. There is a limit to how much calcium the body can absorb at one time, so lower doses of calcium given more often is the key with severe cases.

What is MBD?
Calcium is a very important nutrient. It strengthen the bones, but also plays a vital role in all body functions. Every cell in the body contains water plus small amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals allow the cells to transmit small electrical signals. Without this cell-to-cell communication, the organs can't function: your heart can't beat, your nerves can't transmit impulses; in fact, you would die.

When there isn't enough calcium in the diet, the body will dissolve the calcium from the bones and use that instead. This eventually causes the bones to become depleted of calcium. Eventually the bones become so depleted, there isn't enough calcium left to maintain sufficient calcium in the cellular fluids, and the organs can't function properly. This is what causes the symptoms of MBD: loss of appetite, lethargy, muscle pain, paralysis, seizures, and eventually death. Humans don't get this type of severe MBD, partly because our calcium requirement is lower and our bones are much bigger, allowing us to store more calcium.

By giving high doses of calcium orally, you are artificially maintaining your squirrel's blood calcium levels because his bones no longer contain enough calcium to maintain his calcium levels normally.

Once the emergency calcium is given, your squirrel's blood calcium levels should normalize fairly quickly. He should "bounce back" and act normal or almost normal. If you are still seeing symptoms such as seizures, loss of appetite, lethargy, or paralysis, the calcium levels may still be too low. This means the body will try to pull the remaining calcium from the bones, which means the MBD is actually getting worse. So stabilizing blood calcium levels is critical. The next step to actually curing the MBD is rebuilding bone. This is the part that takes a long time.

Stabilizing the blood calcium levels can and must be done quickly. In severe cases, calcium may be needed more often throughout the day and night, as often as every 2 hours.

[Sara in NW MS]

If he wasn't raised on the proper formula (powdered esbilac with pre and probiotics) then his little body is calcium deficient. A diet of sunflower seeds and corn will suck the calcium from his little bones. Did you click on the link I sent you in my last message? It suggests what steps you should take to correct this. MBD can kill them.

Someone will be on soon to help but you should print that link I sent you to help get started on the proper treatment.

[SammysMom]

You will need to be sure that the baby is in a cage that is low enough so that it is impossible for him to fall. His situation now may have been caused by a fall. They are in pain and have weakened bones when they have MBD. Make sure that the floor of his cage is padded so that he can be in a soft area at all times. Put a heating pad under 1/2 of his cage so that he can get onto the heat, as it can help manage the pain that he is experiencing.

[Duckman]

Thanks Gayle and Sara. This was what I wanted her to see, but didn't have the info on hand. I gave her as much of this from memory, when I was on the phone with her, but I knew she would need all of it. As always, you all are AWESOME!!


Here is the MBD treatment protocol. It is imperative that you begin this immediately and also start the healthy diet immediately. You can find the healthy diet here:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-%28Revised-2-13%29

Emergency Treatment for MBD

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW.
Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:
Tums, (fruit flavored is the preferred ones for squirrels) , or calcium supplement (any kind)
a syringe or spoon


First try giving pieces of the tums to the squirrel, doing so throughout the day to equal ~500 mgs.
If that doesn't work, then, crush one Tums or calcium pill and add a little water or fruit juice. Use the syringe, eyedropper, or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. Feed a total of 500 mg of calcium, and spread it out through the day and night to keep his blood calcium levels as steady as possible.


We recommend an initial dose of 500mg calcium. After you give the initial dose, give 100 mg calcium every 4 hours. If symptoms return or do not improve, try dosing more often: every 3 hours. Severe cases may need 50 mg calcium every 2 hours.

Your squirrel's symptoms should improve within a few hours; within 1-3 days your squirrel should be alert, active, and eating, with no seizures or paralysis. You should be giving 500-600 mg calcium per day. Keep track of how many doses you give so you can adjust the dosage if needed. You should work with TSB members to do this.

Important!

Any kind of calcium pill is okay for the initial dose. But you must use PLAIN calcium carbonate (without Vit D) from then on.

Many small doses of calcium throughout the day/night are best to keep blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If symptoms worsen or return, give an emergency dose of 100 mg calcium, then consult with TSB members or a rehabber or veterinarian to adjust the dosing schedule. Relapses are very serious and often fatal.

White feces or a white film on dried urine may mean the dosage can be reduced, as this indicates not all of the calcium is being absorbed. It may also mean you need to give smaller doses more often.

The acute symptoms (weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis) will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones. (See the "Long-Term Treatment for MBD" below.)

More Tips

MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. You should pad the bottom of your squirrel's cage and keep him away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds) will work. Squirrels with hind-end paralysis may benefit from gentle massage of the legs and hips.


Long-Term Treatment for MBD

The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet.

1. Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats, including stashes.

2. Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found here: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...-Pet-Squirrels (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels) ) (http://www.henryspets.com/pages/Healthy-Diet.html%29). Your squirrel MUST eat rodent blocks or squirrel blocks every day (either 2 Henry's Healthy Squirrel Blocks per day, or a small handful of commercial rodent block per day). If you choose to feed commercial rodent blocks, which are extremely hard, you should crush them up with peanut butter, yogurt, fruit juice, avocado, baby food, etc., to make them easier to chew and improve the taste.

3. You will need to continue giving extra calcium every day for many weeks. You can use a syringe or spoon, or you can mix the calcium with a small amount of peanut butter, crushed nuts, yogurt, baby food, or any food the squirrel likes. An easy way to dose the calcium is to mix 500 mg of calcium powder with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or other tasty food and roll it into 5 little balls; each ball will contain 100 mg calcium.

Calcium Dosage:

Continue to give 500-600 mg calcium per day for 1 week. Then try reducing the total daily amount by 50 mg. If the squirrel remains stable for 1 week, reduce the daily amount by another 50 mg. Continue this weekly reduction until the squirrel is only getting around 100 mg of extra calcium per day. Continue this for at least another 2 weeks. If at any time symptoms return, give an emergency 100 mg dose, then go back to a higher dosage for 1-2 weeks.

The treatment for each squirrel may be slightly different and you should work with a rehabber or TSB members to tailor the treatment to your squirrel's needs. Depending on the age of the squirrel, severity of disease, and other factors, your squirrel may need extra calcium for many months, perhaps for life.

Important Information
The MBD treatment is a "standardized" treatment that will get most cases on the road to recovery. But every case is different and the treatment should be customized to each squirrel. Severe cases sometimes need more aggressive treatment. There is a limit to how much calcium the body can absorb at one time, so lower doses of calcium given more often is the key with severe cases.

What is MBD?
Calcium is a very important nutrient. It strengthen the bones, but also plays a vital role in all body functions. Every cell in the body contains water plus small amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals allow the cells to transmit small electrical signals. Without this cell-to-cell communication, the organs can't function: your heart can't beat, your nerves can't transmit impulses; in fact, you would die.

When there isn't enough calcium in the diet, the body will dissolve the calcium from the bones and use that instead. This eventually causes the bones to become depleted of calcium. Eventually the bones become so depleted, there isn't enough calcium left to maintain sufficient calcium in the cellular fluids, and the organs can't function properly. This is what causes the symptoms of MBD: loss of appetite, lethargy, muscle pain, paralysis, seizures, and eventually death. Humans don't get this type of severe MBD, partly because our calcium requirement is lower and our bones are much bigger, allowing us to store more calcium.

By giving high doses of calcium orally, you are artificially maintaining your squirrel's blood calcium levels because his bones no longer contain enough calcium to maintain his calcium levels normally.

Once the emergency calcium is given, your squirrel's blood calcium levels should normalize fairly quickly. He should "bounce back" and act normal or almost normal. If you are still seeing symptoms such as seizures, loss of appetite, lethargy, or paralysis, the calcium levels may still be too low. This means the body will try to pull the remaining calcium from the bones, which means the MBD is actually getting worse. So stabilizing blood calcium levels is critical. The next step to actually curing the MBD is rebuilding bone. This is the part that takes a long time.

Stabilizing the blood calcium levels can and must be done quickly. In severe cases, calcium may be needed more often throughout the day and night, as often as every 2 hours.

[Becky in LA]

If he wasn't raised on the proper formula (powdered esbilac with pre and probiotics) then his little body is calcium deficient. A diet of sunflower seeds and corn will suck the calcium from his little bones. Did you click on the link I sent you in my last message? It suggests what steps you should take to correct this. MBD can kill them.

Someone will be on soon to help but you should print that link I sent you to help get started on the proper treatment.

Thanks for the information. Gave him tums and he has eaten it. Hopefully will improve soon and we will definitely change his diet from today on.

[DarkLies212]

Be sure to follow that regimen to a T. He might not survive without it.
You can order Henry's Picky Eater blocks online and here's the healthy diet link for veggies: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

He's going to need a whole lot of constant love and attention to get through this. Don't give in and feed him junk food anymore, no matter how cute he begs

[Nancy in New York]

Thanks for the information. Gave him tums and he has eaten it. Hopefully will improve soon and we will definitely change his diet from today on.

Which tums did you give him? Look on the side of the container.
Most of them now say that a serving size is 2, and you also want to look
for the ELEMENTAL calcium number, that's how you get the correct amount in.
This is a SLOW recovery. He needs additonal calcium daily and it needs to be
spread out over the course of the day to keep his calcium levels up.
What formula was he on, and when did he wean?

[Nancy in New York]

Here's some important information from another member.




Tums has changed some of their dosing and labeling. What it says on the label may NOT be what you think! Below is a sort of pictorial guide to the actual elemental calcium contained in the new Tums formulas. NOTE: People may have older versions of Tums, which might have different labeling/dosing, so check carefully and have them read the back label, including what the serving size is. The amount of elemental calcium listed on the back may well be for either ONE or TWO tablets.

249584 Contains 200 mg calcium per tablet


249585 Contains 300 mg calcium per tablet


249586 Contains 400 mg calcium per tablet

Back label for Tums Regular:
249588

Back label for Tums Extra 750:
249589

Back label for Tums Ultra 1000:
249587
.

[Nancy in New York]

Another HELPFUL post.


I hope no one minds I went ahead and did a short piece on how to decipher how much elemental calcium is in any supplement, including the new Tums, which are no longer very clearly labeled IMO. (I spoke with yet another person today, who's been dosing her MBD sq based on the assumption that TUMS EXTRA 750 contains 750 mg CA per tablet. Sq has only been getting around 200 mg/day. Luckily, sq is doing well.) Anyhow, hope someone finds this useful.

https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-7kfRBMf/0/M/i-7kfRBMf-M.jpg

https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-VR7MjRX/0/M/i-VR7MjRX-M.jpg

https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-C6GNP7C/0/O/i-C6GNP7C.jpg

[DarkLies212]

Have you gotten him to take any more calcium?

[Becky in LA]

Squirrel seems to be very mad. Squeals and kinds hisses when you get near his cage. He seems to be doing a little better, moving more. He is eatting tums and has eaten some rodent block.

[CritterMom]

This can be painful. Do you know his weight or can you get it? He can have infant ibuprophen but we need to know his weight to tell you how much to give. It works quite well and since it is sweet they are usually not too hard to dose with it.

[Becky in LA]

I is approx. 1 lb. He is probably 3-4 months months old. Size of grown squirrel.

[Rocky1]

I is approx. 1 lb. He is probably 3-4 months months old. Size of grown squirrel.

Not sure if you´ve already thought of this, but an easy way to weigh a squirrel is to use a food scale and put the squirrel in a salad bowl on top of the scale. Then subtract the weight of the squirrel from the scale. If this is possible on your end, you can get an exact weight.

[Duckman]

It is very important to have an exact weight when dosing any medications. Especially when dealing with something as small as a squirrel.

[DarkLies212]

In addition to what others have asked, what kind of rodent block have you given him?

[Duckman]

When I spoke to her on the phone, I suggest the Kaytee Rodent block, simply because those are easy to get at pet smart or petco. I did tell her about Henry's too, and I see others have as well.


In addition to what others have asked, what kind of rodent block have you given him?

[DarkLies212]

Any updates on this little guy?

[Becky in LA]

He is so much better. Thanks for all the advice!!!!! We have definitely changed his diet. We returned him yesterday to his big cage and he is climbing everywhere and loving it again. Big difference in one week. I did order some squirrel block off Henry's website because he didn't really care for the rodent block. He loves it. I will continue to follow other thread for additional information on squirrel care. When is the best time to return him to the wild?

[Duckman]

It may be a little too early to put him back in the big cage. It will be weeks if not a few months before he will not be vulnerable to falls.


He is so much better. Thanks for all the advice!!!!! We have definitely changed his diet. We returned him yesterday to his big cage and he is climbing everywhere and loving it again. Big difference in one week. I did order some squirrel block off Henry's website because he didn't really care for the rodent block. He loves it. I will continue to follow other thread for additional information on squirrel care. When is the best time to return him to the wild?

[DarkLies212]

How's this little one been doing?