Diarrhea for the past 4-5 days

[loissjones]

My 7 week old squirrel is very active and playful and still gaining weight, but has had diarrhea for quite awhile now. It started getting a little extra mushy and has gotten worse and worse over the past few days. Yesterday it got to the point that her stool is either clear and gelatin like, green, or very bright yellow and very runny and smelly.
I have her in a quiet, well controlled room. She weighs about 8oz and I feed her about 13cc of fox valley 20/50 four times daily (every 4-4 1/2 hours). I have had her since she was abandoned at 3wks old and she had normal stool until about 5wks. Since then, she has had stool problems off and on, but it just got to the point that I am pretty worried.
I am working under the supervision of a veterinarian, but she doesn't know much about squirrels. She told me to get on this website to ask for your advice.

Blessings in Christ,
Lois Jones

[kcassidy]

Hi,

That sounds like coccidia. You are going to have to treat her for it.

We recommend Albon, although my vet doesn't have that so I get a different version. As for Dosing, I don't know :) I also call SammysMom and she tells me what to do. Can you weigh her using grams?

[Mel1959]

If you're working with a vet did she do a fecal test? Your little one could have coccidia or some other parasite. Albon and metronidazole are two Rx meds that will treat parasites.

Have you offered some babyfood or canned pumpkin? Pumpkin helps firm stools. You also need to supplement your feedings with some homemade pedialyte (2 cups warm water, 1.5 Tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt) or store bought pedialyte for 24 hrs, since the bowels have been loose for so long.

Honestly, the fact that the stool has become so runny and has an odor, I would think it could be parasites.

I'm sure someone else will be along to give an opinion soon.

[loissjones]

Should I have my vet calculate the metronidazole the same way she would for a dog or cat?

[Spanky]

I will PM you the metro information to share with your vet... :thumbsup

[loissjones]

Perfect!
I am going to take her to the clinic now and get a weight in grams, run a fecal, and get some metronidazole.
Many thanks to everyone for the help!

[loissjones]

The vet did not see any parasites, but we started her (Pixie) on some Metronidazol.
I also bought some ESBILAC puppy formula and I am going to mix it with pedialite rather than water. Does anyone prefer ESBILAC over the Fox Valley 20/50? I am going to try to encourage Pixie to eat more rodent block. If all of that doesn't work, I am probably going to try the pumpkin.

This is my first time rehabbing a squirrel, so any other input or corrections are very welcome!
Thanks - Lois

[Mel1959]

Don't use pedialyte in place of water for the formula. She should be transitioned gradually to a different formula, so I wouldn't do that now. It in itself can cause diarrhea. Give the Pedialyte between formula feedings. I would try adding the pumpkin to the formula and offer from a syringe.

[Spanky]

I also bought some ESBILAC puppy formula and I am going to mix it with pedialite rather than water. Does anyone prefer ESBILAC over the Fox Valley 20/50?

Never mix the formula using pedialyte! Only use plain water! :nono

[loissjones]

Okay! Thanks for the help!
It just so happened that I got buy didn't end up doing either of those things :)
God truly does love us more than we can imagine!
I will try pumpkin tomorrow since she can't have any more feedings today.
Thanks again for all the help!

[Spanky]

Does anyone prefer ESBILAC over the Fox Valley 20/50?

I have raised babies successfully on Esbilac only and had good results. These days I use Esbilac only until eyes open, then transition to half Esbilac and half FV 20/50. I think there a quite a few doing the half Esbilac half FV and are very happy with the results. :thumbsup

[Daisey007]

I have raised babies successfully on Esbilac only and had good results. These days I use Esbilac only until eyes open, then transition to half Esbilac and half FV 20/50. I think there a quite a few doing the half Esbilac half FV and are very happy with the results. :thumbsup

Why do you do that? I know you must have a reason. I was under the impression that Esbilac was back to it's original self, is that not true?

[Garden71]

First off you are under feeding the baby. At 6 weeks they should be eating 16 to 20 cc 4 times a day. Second NEVER give a baby with diarrhea PUMPKIN. Your vet probably doesn't know very much about wildlife and is give you wrong info.
Just trying to help.

[loissjones]

Do you know why to not give pumpkin? I never did give her any, and the diarrhea has now stopped. That was quite awhile ago :)
Yes, you are right that my vet does not have much experience with squirrels, which is why she pointed me to this website.
All of you have helped me learn so much!
Thanks bunches!

[Nancy in New York]

Do you know why to not give pumpkin? I never did give her any, and the diarrhea has now stopped. That was quite awhile ago :)
Yes, you are right that my vet does not have much experience with squirrels, which is why she pointed me to this website.
All of you have helped me learn so much!
Thanks bunches!

Glad the diarrhea has stopped.
You can actually use pumpkin for diarrhea or constipation.
If you google it, it explains a lot better than I can.
From one site:

"Pumpkin for diarrhea or constipation
If your dog or cat is having the occasional case of constipation or diarrhea, one of the things that might help is canned pumpkin. Yes canned pumpkin in its pureed form (NOT pumpkin pie filling) is a fantastic stool softener which makes it a good natural remedy for constipation. It often helps with upset stomach or indigestion for both cats and dogs. It is very rich in fibre and adding just one or two teaspoonfuls to your pet's food often gets the system moving in no time. Dogs will occasionally want to eat it directly and that's fine too. Sometimes though, finicky cats and dogs won't touch it no matter what you do."

"On the opposite end of things is diarrhea. Since the dietary fibre in canned pumpkin absorbs water, it can be a great help to a cat or dog that has diarrhea. Some pet owners report that it firms up their pet's loose stools or diarrhea within a few hours. Again one to two teaspoonfuls is all that is needed."

Also about the feeding.
Go by this chart.
We typically don't go by the age of the squirrel as they
can vary so much. I have had 5 week old squirrels that weigh
100 grams while others were a little over 200 grams.
This is why we go with the "rule of thumb" of 5-7% of their body weight,
and NOT their age.

Your little one is 8 ounces, which is 226 grams, so you are right on the 5%-6% target if you were feeding 13 cc's per feeding,
you can go up by all means though. :thumbsup If she is still hungry go past the 7%, but do so slowly. Don't start increasing
her intake by a couple of cc's each feeding, do it gradually. :thumbsup



The chart below reflects the "rule of thumb" for feeding formula.
Weigh the squirrel in grams and give ~ 5-7% of their body weight in
formula (mLs/cc's) as reflected on the chart below.






https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/Feeding-Chart/i-JsmjnNr/0/X2/001-X2.jpg

[loissjones]

Okay! That is what I thought.
Thank you for clarifying. :)

[Spanky]

Why do you do that? I know you must have a reason. I was under the impression that Esbilac was back to it's original self, is that not true?

If the question is why do I use half Esbilac and half FV 20/50 it is because using the FV adds more fat (and other things) and that seems to help with weight gain; no need to add any yogurt or whipping cream, etc. like folks do with Esbilac. (Note: I do add some Ultraboost to the Esbilac pre-eyes open; Ultraboost seems so much easier on their tummies than adding "milk products" for increased fat). I also like to believe that this is a "hedge" against any detrimental formula ingredient changes that *may* happen in the future. And last and most important: Happy Healthy Babies has been my experience with the mix!