Baby feels cooler than usual

[Sduke916]

I work in a vet and had a client drop off a fox squirrel approx 6 weeks old on Wednesday. He has been doing great...eating esbilac formula, going to bathroom great. Tonight I got home and he just felt a little cooler than usual. He wasn't burrowed away like normal either. He is still alert and moving around fine. Was hungry so I gave him a bit of formula. Also, he sounds a bit congested. Should I put him on some Clavamox drops?

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh a little Foxer ...they are so precious :Love_Icon do you have the little guy on heat? We recommend having whatever you're keeping him in..on a heating pad...half on...so he can move off if it gets too hot....I also like having a rice buddy with them for comfort...something to snuggle against :Love_Icon when you say he sounds congested....do you hear a clicking sound....put him up to your ear and listen...if you hear clicking he may have aspirated some formula along the way ...which can cause aspiration pneumonia....which is very serious and deadly....if you are hearing the clicking I would definitely start him on the drops...immediately....we also recommend giving them some sort of probiotic two hours before or after the antibiotic (it will affect the efficiency of the AB otherwise) you can give actual probiotics...or yogurt. That's not as important as starting the ABs tho. So keep him on heat and start ABs if you hear congestion :great

Thank you so much for helping the little guy :bowdown is this your first? :grin3 I use to work for a wildlife vet....one thing they never told me was the proper feeding technique...you may already know this...so sorry if I'm being redundant....proper feeding is to have the nipple facing up and the baby facing down....opposite of what I was taught ....like the momma is on her back and the baby his over her nursing :great just in case you've never done it before...if you have....please ignore :highfive

[HRT4SQRLS]

I completely agree with Sweeper. Congestion in a baby is likely due to aspiration of formula. If you hear clicking it is definitive for aspiration pneumonia. The best antibiotic is Baytril/Ciprofloxacin but the Clavamox should work also. I like the Baytril/Cipro better because of it's anti-inflammatory properties as well as antimicrobial.