Vomitting Adult Female Foxer

[Bugga]

Help :( I have a seemingly healthy foxer squirrel that has started vomitting today, It appears to be all foam, she doesnt want to be held, she will allow me to pet her but thats it. She just wants to lay in her cage and will not eat. I have coaxed her into drinking very diluted cranberry juice and have seen her hop down and drink from her plain water bottle all on her own. She will not eat the piece of watermelon i have given to her, she usually trys to knock me down for anything resembling it. She has an inside and outside enclosure that has no new items in it. Her belly is still soft and warm. I am not sure what is wrong. Shes just not feeling well at all today :( I have never seen her act like this.

[redwuff]

Welcome to the squirrel board!

The first question we usually ask is what is your baby's diet. Please give us a detailed list of a daily intake.

Has she been able to get to any plants that are in the house that could be poisonous to her or is there any thing else around the house that she could have gotten into? Any chance that she could have chew a electric wire?

[island rehabber]

I'm sorry she's ill. Does she have access to any houseplants, cleaning fluids or chemicals of any kind? You'd be surprised what they can reach and drag into their cages, even if she hasn't been out. The fact that she is drinking on her own is a VERY good sign. Also watch her poops -- you want to know that she's pooping normally and is not constipated. Something did not agree with her, but hopefully it will pass through.

EDIT: great minds think alike, redwuff :)

[Nancy in New York]

Help :( I have a seemingly healthy foxer squirrel that has started vomitting today, It appears to be all foam, she doesnt want to be held, she will allow me to pet her but thats it. She just wants to lay in her cage and will not eat. I have coaxed her into drinking very diluted cranberry juice and have seen her hop down and drink from her plain water bottle all on her own. She will not eat the piece of watermelon i have given to her, she usually trys to knock me down for anything resembling it. She has an inside and outside enclosure that has no new items in it. Her belly is still soft and warm. I am not sure what is wrong. Shes just not feeling well at all today :( I have never seen her act like this.

Has she been outside lately? If so what are the temps.
How old is she?
Is she always caged or does she have free roam?

[Bugga]

Her normal diet consists of fresh garden veggies. I grow them myself, Kale, yellow squash, zuchinni, cherry tomato, and brussel sprouts. Her treats are Whole nuts and watermelon. She was up and perky this morning in her indoor cage, She has no access to house plants, her outside cage has remained the exact same. It was really windy out today temperature was 85 tops. She is able to come into the house to her inside cage as she wants to through a window. She is approx three years old. There are no cleaning supplies in the area she has access to. I have her in one room with access to her outside enclosure.

[Bugga]

All wires are inside protective hard cases. We had an incident once when she was just a baby, luckily it didnt kill her. She is usually caged unless I am able to supervise, then she gets to free roam between her room and her outside enclosure

[Bugga]

I have been watching her closely the past four hours. She just wants to lay down, and has never really closed her eyes to sleep. Once in a while she will swallow, she moves around just fine. all limbs working, no balance issues, she can climb, she can jump. She will sit on the back of my chair but is in no mood to cuddle in my arms. She has been getting up to get drinks of water then hops up on her climbing tree and lays back down. not interested in any type of food. Breathing seems normal, no noises or discharge. :( I want to help and make her feel better but dont know how I can.

[island rehabber]

When was the last time she threw up?

[Bugga]

the first time was at 245, then she drank a little cranberry water. rested for a while, then she got up and went to her water bottle and drank a little at 415. Then at 445 ish she three up foam again. and hasnt done it since. her last drink of water was at 535. and its currently 622pm

[Bugga]

She spent most of her day in her outside enclosure and came in the house at 1230 or so

[Nancy in New York]

What kind of whole nuts do you give her?
Could she have possibly eaten one that was moldy?
Does she ever eat acorns?
Does she ever get any kind of squirrel/rodent block?

Here's the chart to the healthy diet.
Their main food source should be some kind of block.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=224690&d=1390871511

Double click the photo twice to enlarge.

[Bugga]

Never any acorns. She has been given walnuts, pecans, hazels, and almond. I wonder if she could have dug one out of her ground stash. Her outside enclosure does allow access to the grass.

[island rehabber]

the first time was at 245, then she drank a little cranberry water. rested for a while, then she got up and went to her water bottle and drank a little at 415. Then at 445 ish she three up foam again. and hasnt done it since. her last drink of water was at 535. and its currently 622pm

ok that's good -- it's not continuous.

[Bugga]

She is fed Henry squirrel blocks but i cannot confirm she fully eats them or just picks out the parts she likes :(

[Nancy in New York]

Never any acorns. She has been given walnuts, pecans, hazels, and almond. I wonder if she could have dug one out of her ground stash. Her outside enclosure does allow access to the grass.

Good about the acorns.:w00t
Keep trying to push hydration if she will allow.
I know this may be impossible, but will she allow you
to stimulate her? Anytime there is a concern of some "toxin",
stimulating them will help remove it faster.

[Nancy in New York]

She is fed Henry squirrel blocks but i cannot confirm she fully eats them or just picks out the parts she likes :(


You keep them in the freezer or refrig. correct?

[Bugga]

pardon my vocabulary. by stimulate you mean?

[Bugga]

You keep them in the freezer or refrig. correct?

Its kept in the freezer

[Nancy in New York]

pardon my vocabulary. by stimulate you mean?


Make them pee, like when they were a baby. :)

[Bugga]

oh haha, *embarrassed laugh* Yeh i can try that

[Nancy in New York]

oh haha, *embarrassed laugh* Yeh i can try that

:thumbsup

[Bugga]

well that did get her to pee. but now she is looking at me funny

[Nancy in New York]

well that did get her to pee. but now she is looking at me funny
:grin2
I almost hate to say this, but try to keep it up, every hour or two. Will she take fluid/hydration from a syringe,
now that we're reverting back to "childhood"? :)

[Bugga]

lol she is getting up every hour to take smaller than usual drinks of water but she is drinking about four or five bubble worth out of her big bottle. I will try to help her again after she stops chattering her teeth at me

[Nancy in New York]

lol she is getting up every hour to take smaller than usual drinks of water but she is drinking about four or five bubble worth out of her big bottle. I will try to help her again after she stops chattering her teeth at me

I'm glad she's drinking so much.
Seems to me something didn't agree with her. (other than you stimulating her, I mean. :))

[Bugga]

haha well i am happy we are on a good heading at least. What should i be watching for if it wasnt something she ate today?

[Nancy in New York]

haha well i am happy we are on a good heading at least. What should i be watching for if it wasnt something she ate today?

Well, I would suspect that the symptoms you describe could include something she ate not agreeing with her.
BUT the problem is, they could also be indicative of other things as well.
That's why I asked about the heat where you are. They can also vomit and be lethargic with heat stroke,
they can be lethargic with MBD.
Just taking some stabs here and hoping something sticks.
Keeping her hydrated and stimulating her is fine if she will allow it, even if she
didn't eat a bad nut.
When was the last time she vomited?

[Bugga]

Well i will pray it was only something she ate. She has been a very healthy, spunky little thing from the beginning. She had a small bout with mange as a baby but has been rather healthy her whole life. She came to me as a furry orphan. I will stimulate her again throughout the night and pray she is back to normal in the morning :D thank you for all that you do. I learn a lot about these crazy critters on this site.

[Bugga]

Her last vomit was just over two hours ago and she has drank from her bottle herself twice since then, and pottied once ;)

[Nancy in New York]

Her last vomit was just over two hours ago and she has drank from her bottle herself twice since then, and pottied once ;)

Keep checking back.
As I said, these are only things it "could" be from.
I suspect that other members will also throw out suggestions.
We have a great group of very knowledgeable people.
The more eyes and suggestions the better. :w00t

I'm glad she's drinking and has pottied, but do you mean, pooped?
If so, does it look normal?

[Bugga]

I havent seen a poop yet. but she drank again and has kept it all down.

[Nancy in New York]

I havent seen a poop yet. but she drank again and has kept it all down.

Great news about her keeping the water down! :w00t
Does she typically drink this much?

[Bugga]

volume? yes probably but not this frequently.

[Nancy in New York]

volume? yes probably but not this frequently.

No rhyme or reason for me asking, I was just curious.
I do wonder if it makes her tummy feel better though. :thinking

[Bugga]

Maybe. I was snooping around in the forum and found that yogurt might help. I have never offered it to her. any suggestions on what to try?

[island rehabber]

Maybe. I was snooping around in the forum and found that yogurt might help. I have never offered it to her. any suggestions on what to try?

It may help, but I've never had much luck getting older squirrels to take it. Try vanilla or blueberry, but it must be the full-fat kind, not the kind with Splenda or aspertame sweetener.

[Bugga]

full fat kind got it. I will watch for the chemical sweeteners. She prolly wont take it, picky thing that she is. but could be worth a try.

[Bugga]

Little update on my little girl. she threw up a little white foam again at around 8 and i was able to stimulate her to pee and it was yellow, really yellow. no blood so i know she is dehydrated so i have a syringe i am pushing pedialyte. She took 0.8 ML of that and then i held up her water bottle to her and she drank a little of that. I was hopeful she wouldnt get sick again but now i let her have her next box back so she can maybe get some sleep. I am still keeping a close eye on her.
When i was stimulating her it was almost like she was straining to go. still havent seen her poop yet.

[Nancy in New York]

Little update on my little girl. she threw up a little white foam again at around 8 and i was able to stimulate her to pee and it was yellow, really yellow. no blood so i know she is dehydrated so i have a syringe i am pushing pedialyte. She took 0.8 ML of that and then i held up her water bottle to her and she drank a little of that. I was hopeful she wouldnt get sick again but now i let her have her next box back so she can maybe get some sleep. I am still keeping a close eye on her.
When i was stimulating her it was almost like she was straining to go. still havent seen her poop yet.

Straining could be a symptom of a UTI.
Do you have any SMZ-TMP (Bactrim)?

[Bugga]

I am not familiar with that. Is it something i can purchase?

[Nancy in New York]

I am not familiar with that. Is it something i can purchase?
It's an antibiotic.
Let me send you a pm.

[Bugga]

ok do i need to allow that in my profile or am i overthinking this

[Nancy in New York]

ok do i need to allow that in my profile or am i overthinking this

No, I just sent you a pm. Let me know if you get it.

[Nancy in New York]

How's your little girl doing this morning? :hug

[Bugga]

OK heres a time line of her so far today so i dont miss anything

715am took 3.5 ML of Pedialyte
810 took some fresh sweet corn and nibbled on it
1015 She was up again and nibbled on some corn
1125 she was up chirping and swinging her tail at me
1130 she threw up yellowish foam prolly from the sweet corn
1140 got her to pee, dark yellow, she would not take any pedialyte
1200 she was sitting behind me on the back of my chair next to my head and her tummy was gurgling
109 threw up foam again
120 finally got her medicine mixed up and tried to give her 0.18 of cipro mixed with unsweetened apple juice
it went down but some dribbled out
i gave her a new slice of sweet corn with the probiotic on it, she nibbled on it a little bit
She would not take any more fluids from me, water or pedialyt
132 got her to pee just a little, dark yellow

When should i start getting worried about calcium?

[Daisey007]

Hello :grouphug

I'm just now coming in... I'm sure you've already told us but please tell us again, how old is your sweet girl? :Love_Icon

[Bugga]

she just turned three in June.

[Daisey007]

Ok, now let's look at simple things...

What is her water source? Is it tap water, well water, bottled water? Whatever it is, change it. Get bottled water.

What is her water kept in? Anything plastic, change it to glass ASAP. If it's a glass bowl, wash it in hot water and rinse it well. When you think you have all the dish detergent off, rinse it again. Do a final rinse with bottled water.

Remove all bedding and wash and double rinse before you return it... (we can skip the bottled water on it. lol... JK)

[Bugga]

She has four different GLASS water bottles with stainless steel spouts. I have city water. I can switch to bottled for this experience :) I will take her current bedding out fo her nest box and then do a full clean out of her outside ones.

[Daisey007]

You never know what is left in city water (excess chlorine for example), and you never know what could have leached into your well water (trust me on this.) The only advantage that bottled water has in this case is that it is eliminating a possible source of contaminates/toxins/poisons from her drinking water. If there are toxins in her water, and the source of her illness... she would never get better by continuing to drink it.

Keep her INSIDE, and close off all access to the outside including pulling outside air into the house (unless through an air conditioner). I mention this for several reasons but the first is that it is mosquito season and everyone is tripping out about the ZEKA virus especially in Florida where it's actually warranted, however, other states have stepped up their spraying routine to reduce mosquitos in some areas. Are you in one of those areas? Has anyone around you (neighbors) sprayed something, or has been burning some crap in their yard where the smoke caring toxins drifted into your area? Could a nasty neighbor be doing something malicious? Check carefully her outdoor area.

Replacing her water and keeping her inside will eliminate those things as possible environmental causes if she continues to be sick. But if she improves.... you'll have to figure out which one or what it is because chances are you will be next.

[Bugga]

I live in South Dakota and they only sprayed in the early spring. I kept her in on those nights. I have not had any maliscious neighbors complain about her being outdoors so far and she has had an outdoor enclosure for the last year and a half. I will inspect her outside area and clean it really well before I even think to let her outside again. So far she is status quo and sticking pretty close to her (now clean) nest box. I am concerned i cannot get her to eat. On Friday Morning she was ready to get up and go outside like normal so i let her out. then she came in around noon and was just different, then i heard her throw up (regurgitate) a few times with no substance to it. Now i cannot get her to snap out of it. I have removed all stashes, that i at least know of ;) I am also concerned i havent seen her pee on her own with me stimulating her to. Also i have not seen her poop, her rear is clear and appears functional to me, clear of poo.

[Daisey007]

I live in South Dakota and they only sprayed in the early spring. I kept her in on those nights. I have not had any maliscious neighbors complain about her being outdoors so far and she has had an outdoor enclosure for the last year and a half. I will inspect her outside area and clean it really well before I even think to let her outside again. So far she is status quo and sticking pretty close to her (now clean) nest box. I am concerned i cannot get her to eat. On Friday Morning she was ready to get up and go outside like normal so i let her out. then she came in around noon and was just different, then i heard her throw up (regurgitate) a few times with no substance to it. Now i cannot get her to snap out of it. I have removed all stashes, that i at least know of ;) I am also concerned i havent seen her pee on her own with me stimulating her to. Also i have not seen her poop, her rear is clear and appears functional to me, clear of poo.

LOL... sorry, I'm not being insensitive but she's never going to pee on her own with you stimulating her. :gigg

Be sure her bottles a scrupulously clean; I may even be tempted to boil them to be safe. For some reason this seems environmental to me. From here forward, nothing should be given to her that has any part of your tap water associated with it. Wash and rinse everything she eats in bottled water ONLY. It seems more like toxins related than it does bacterial or viral. This may seem like a waste of time and expense for the bottled water for the next few days but it's the least expensive of all things considered right now.

Not for everyday but...
Try a frozen French fry from a fresh bag (no refrigerator/freezer odors), or a piece of biscuit (like you get at a restaurant), or a piece of pizza crust with some baked on tomato sauce still at the edge... These are all the junk foods that made my sweet Chewy feel better. You can go back to being healthy once you get her eating.

But the single most important thing you must do is keep her hydrated and get some food in her ASAP no matter what you have to do to do it.

[Bugga]

I do not normally have to stimulate her but i had to try it the last 24 hours. It just appears she was having a difficult time with everything. We have gone almost five hours with no vomitting. and She just woke up to see what all the commotion was about in her room. I have moved her favorite water bottle up by her nest box to encourage more water. We will see if that helps, until then its back to watching her and journaling her actions or lack there of. I hope this is just something she can work out of herself. I really dont know what to do

[Nancy in New York]

Just for clarification, I told Bugga last night to stimulate her
to pee. Sometimes when we don't know what we are dealing with
we suggest hydration and stimulation, hoping to get suspected toxins
out sooner.
There was an outside chance that she could have eaten a bad nut.

[Daisey007]

Just for clarification, I told Bugga last night to stimulate her
to pee. Sometimes when we don't know what we are dealing with
we suggest hydration and stimulation, hoping to get suspected toxins
out sooner.
There was an outside chance that she could have eaten a bad nut.

:rotfl I know.... :poke :grin3

It just struck me funny... sorry. :hug

:embar

I married one... (bad nut) :facepalm

[PennyCash]

How is your sweetie doing today? :grouphug

[Daisey007]

How is your sweetie doing today? :grouphug

I HOPE no news is good news... :dono

[Bugga]

She is progressing we think. She still isnt back to normal. Today She never threw up and we finally got a poop out of her. She is still refusing to eat some of her all time favorites but will eat fresh sweet corn like its going out of style. I know its not ideal but its food. She even ate a slice that was rolled in tums so she got a dose of calcium. It appears the small doses of Cipro i have managed to get into her might be helping. I wish she would drink more water than she has been. I will take the small victories as they come. I almost cried when she finally pooped LOL! oh and she peed with out stimulation! i almost teared up all over again :bliss So I will monitor her again tonight and tomorrow. Say a little prayer that this gets better for us, we have a lot of adventures to get to!!

[Bugga]

So I woke up this morning to the sounds of crunching....Bugga was up and eating foods and drinking from her water bottle, and exploring again. She ran to get on my shoulder when i opened up her cage and then she made a lap around the room. Such a turn around from the "i want to be left alone" attitude she had. I sure wish I knew what she got into or what caused this scare but i have my baby back! She was even clicking and whipping her tail at me :Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

So I woke up this morning to the sounds of crunching....Bugga was up and eating foods and drinking from her water bottle, and exploring again. She ran to get on my shoulder when i opened up her cage and then she made a lap around the room. Such a turn around from the "i want to be left alone" attitude she had. I sure wish I knew what she got into or what caused this scare but i have my baby back! She was even clicking and whipping her tail at me :Love_Icon

:bliss :woot :w00t I'm just thrilled beyond words!!!!!!!!!!! :w00t:bliss :woot

[Daisey007]

So I woke up this morning to the sounds of crunching....Bugga was up and eating foods and drinking from her water bottle, and exploring again. She ran to get on my shoulder when i opened up her cage and then she made a lap around the room. Such a turn around from the "i want to be left alone" attitude she had. I sure wish I knew what she got into or what caused this scare but i have my baby back! She was even clicking and whipping her tail at me :Love_Icon

Oh my gosh, this is awesome news!! :glomp :wahoo

[UDoWhat]

Great news!!:Love_Icon:Love_Icon So happy to hear this.:w00t

[island rehabber]

:bliss:blissyaaaay!!

[PennyCash]

:w00t :dance :w00t

[Bugga]

Still doing well! Her appetite is back and drinking as usual. Thank you for all of the help and well wishes :thankyou

[Bugga]

276294

Here is a photo i took of the little princess atop her tower. :Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

Well I think that little Bugga deserves her first photo on the board enlarged.

Simply gorgeous!
:klunk:klunk:klunk:klunk:klunk:klunk:klunk:klunk:k lunk:klunk:klunk:klunk

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-WXLWbTr/0/L/i-WXLWbTr-L.jpg

[Mel1959]

Great news! And what a lovely....not chewed.....box she's sitting on! :grin3

[Bugga]

shes been working on it. She just got it about 5 weeks ago. Need to get it mounted so she can officially move into it. :dance

[Rexie]

So happy to hear she got over being sick. I bet you were just so worried about her. She is a beauty. All of us squirrel parent's are very fortunate to have the board.

[island rehabber]

Love dem little foxer ears and that apricot belly! :Love_Icon (We don't have fox squirrels in NY so I only get to enjoy them on TSB,)