CAT CAUGHT A LITTLE DOUGLAS

[Brooke]

A cat caught a small Douglas Squirrel. When I got to it it was obviously in shock, so I just put it in a box and let it alone. It woke up, so I made it a bed of long grass clippings and a few cedar branchlets. Also put in a grape, for fluid, and a chopped up peanut. I think it may have a broken leg. Otherwise, if I pick it up gently it does move and seems to be breathing well. WHAT DO I DO?
Also, there are little black bugs that look like really tiny ants on it. Do I wash the squirrel? I love the little fuzzy guys.

[DarkLies212]

Do you have any antibiotics at all? If so, please post them and the mg. Thank you for saving this little one. Have you contacted any rehabbers?

The bugs are probably fleas. Not sure if you should treat with a suspected broken leg. Can you post pics? Do you have infant ibuprofin?

PS. Cats are deadly to these little guys. The saliva and bacteria under their nails kills them very quickly! Time is of the essence!

[ALittleNutty]

A cat caught a small Douglas Squirrel. When I got to it it was obviously in shock, so I just put it in a box and let it alone. It woke up, so I made it a bed of long grass clippings and a few cedar branchlets. Also put in a grape, for fluid, and a chopped up peanut. I think it may have a broken leg. Otherwise, if I pick it up gently it does move and seems to be breathing well. WHAT DO I DO?
Also, there are little black bugs that look like really tiny ants on it. Do I wash the squirrel? I love the little fuzzy guys.

I am not familiar with Douglas squirrels but you will need to start searching for some antibiotics since it was cat caught. Cipro(human) Baytril (dog). What ever you can find. Ask friends and family. All you need is one pill but you need to find something as fast as you can.

Not sure about the bugs. A pic might help. I would say a bath with just a touch of Dawn dish soap if it's fleas. You would just have to be really careful about the leg. Infant ibuprofen can be given for pain. Another member would have to advise on dosage according to how much he weighs.

[Brooke]

Thank you for getting back to me. No to the rehabbers because it is Sunday afternoon and I've only had it for about 45 minutes. I do have some Cephalexin 500 mg. and some Penicillin. No infant iibuprofen, but I'll go to the store and get some. How do I get the meds into the little guy?

What should I feed him? her, and how? I don't think it can stand up to eat like squirrels usually do.

Weighs .037 grams


Can I bathe him/her?

[Brooke]

I have a sweet picture of my little one, but I don't know how to post.

[CritterMom]

Hon, re-weigh the little thing. You wouldn't be able to SEE him if he weighted .037 grams...double check your scale and make sure it is set to grams.

[cava]

I have a sweet picture of my little one, but I don't know how to post.

Brook, hang tight. Someone will get back to you regarding medication instructions.

Can you put him in a clear bin or something that isn't paper (which can be drying) and place a heating pad set on low under half of it, so he can move away the heat if needed?

He will need some soft material (Not towels/terricloth) like t-shirt or fleece to be allowed to burrow in to keep warm and feel secure.

Does he have his eyes open? Guessing an age on him will help tell you what to feed him. But for now he will require a hydration solution given by a 1 or 3 ml syringe (no bigger) a drop at a time to avoid choking. They have to be hydrated and warmed up before they can take food.

Here's a link to get you started:

http://www.henryspets.com/baby-squirrel-care/

How much of things will depend on his age and weight. Also picture would be great too. Here's how:

When you are in the text box writing a post you can either click on the picture icon (got a tree inside of it) up above and follow the prompts to upload a photo. Or scroll down and click on manage attachments and follow the prompts to select and upload photos from your desktop.

Thanks for helping him out.

[Brooke]

Leaving for the store now for whole milk and baby ibuprofin. Can't find the tree or manage attachments for picture. Maybe I will when I get back and get him settled. Too upset now.
Thank you for helping.

[ALittleNutty]

You need powdered goat's milk unless the whole milk is for you. Just stay calm and we will get you through this. Can't wait to see your little one. :grouphug

[island rehabber]

I will reach out to Duckman and see if he can help....

[Brooke]

I reweighed him (her?). Douglas squirrels are really small even when full grown. This little one is only 1 1/4 oz.

Just got back from the store with whole milk (cow), some cream to amp up the fat, and some raw sunflower seeds. I was thinking I could grind up the seeds with the milk and strain it and then give a few drops. Do I really have to go back to the store to get goat's milk?

I also got some infant ibuprofin drops. I won't give him medicine until I hear back.

He is sleeping on a heating pad with a t-shirt on top of the grass and cedar greens. Looks very comfy, but I know he feels terrible.

The black buggies are all over. They don't look like fleas - smaller and not as big. Just tiny little straight black things that don't jump around. He needs a bath.

[island rehabber]

Sorry but I would not give him the cow's milk. I would start with hydration first, anyway, before any solid food. You can make a quick, good homemade "Pedialyte":

2 cups very warm water
1.5 TABLEspoons sugar
1/4 TEAspoon salt
plus a drop of honey or apple juice for flavor, if you have some.
See if you can drip some into his mouth so he gets the idea that it is something good. Let him take all he wants. You can also try chunks of fruit like watermelon, apple or pear.

We are trying to contact local rehabbers for you. Hang in there, and keep trying to get even one tablet of Cipro or Baytril if you can.

[Brooke]

I read online that it is okay to take 1/2 cup of whole cream and 2 TBSP cream and heat until boiling, then cool. Add 1 drop coconut oil. I mixed that up and fed the little pipsqueak about 8 drops, which he took and then curled up and went back to sleep. Oh, I also ground up a few raw sesame seeds in the milk and strained it through a nylon stocking.

I think he is a full grown Douglas Squirrel. His tail is fuzzy, he has fur all over his body and his eyes are open when I pick him up.

[Brooke]

All I have for antibiotics is cephalexin and penicillin. But now I do have the baby ibuprofen drops - just don't know how to use them.

I'll go mix up some of the hydration solution now.

[Duckman]

SquirrelsRus is our Seattle Representative. I have sent her a text and asked her to come here and respond.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:please Someone needs to pm her the dosing for infant ibuprofen too :bowdown :Love_Icon

Thanks Duckman :w00t our team in the Great Northwest is phenomenal :klunk

[Shewhosweptforest]

The fleas you find on squirrels don't jump around like fleas on dogs and cats....they are slower too....they are brown over here on the east coast :dono so I'm not sure if that's what you've got there or not....I'd start picking them off....or you could wet a wash cloth with Dawn dish detergent and sponge bathe him :great

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

I am in Carnation if you can drive halfway I can meet you tonight

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

I sent you my phone number in a PM

[island rehabber]

Brooke, I encourage you to take SQUIRRELSAREME up on her offer -- your little Dougie will be in excellent hands!

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

Just got off the phone with her, she is going to take the little Douglas to South Sound Critter Care in the morning. I advised her to ask if they will euthanize and if they say yes she will bring her to me in the morning.. Should she give the abs she has on hand? If so she needs a dosing PMed to her .

[Nancy in New York]

I just sent dosing instructions.

[Brooke]

Thank you everyone. He has had his antibiotic drop and is snuggled down to sleep in a nice, big plastic bin with a small dish of water and some raw sunflower seeds and a peanut. I assume I should give the antibiotic to him again in 4 hours??? Doesn't seem to be in pain, so I didn't give him the Ibuprofin. He's actually quite lively now. I don't want to give him a name because I hope to be able to release him back to the trees. I'll be in touch with Cathy again in the morning to figure out if he should go there.

I know his "fleas" have infested me 'cause I'm all itchy.

[Nancy in New York]

Thank you everyone. He has had his antibiotic drop and is snuggled down to sleep in a nice, big plastic bin with a small dish of water and some raw sunflower seeds and a peanut. I assume I should give the antibiotic to him again in 4 hours??? Doesn't seem to be in pain, so I didn't give him the Ibuprofin. He's actually quite lively now. I don't want to give him a name because I hope to be able to release him back to the trees. I'll be in touch with Cathy again in the morning to figure out if he should go there.

I know his "fleas" have infested me 'cause I'm all itchy.


No, antibiotics are given twice daily, 12 hours apart.
Give probiotics 2 hours after or 2 hours before giving abs.
If you don't have any, offer some yogurt later.

Try to find the correct antibiotic.
I doubt that what you have will work for cat bites, ok?

Cat Saliva is DEADLY to squirrels.

[island rehabber]

The bugs you saw on him were probably squirrel lice -- they are slower than fleas and are species-specific so they won't live on humans. If you have Dawn detergent you can make a warm water solution of it and gently wipe him down, especially on his belly and genital area, and the bugs will fall off and die. Most likely nothing actually got on you -- you're probably reacting to just seeing them because that will make anybody itch for awhile. :grin2

[Nancy in New York]

Just got off the phone with her, she is going to take the little Douglas to South Sound Critter Care in the morning. I advised her to ask if they will euthanize and if they say yes she will bring her to me in the morning.. Should she give the abs she has on hand? If so she needs a dosing PMed to her .

Will they actually be truthful if they are going to euthanize, and
would they even allow her to take the squirrel back? :thinking
Personally I wouldn't trust this scenerio. :dono
SQUIRRELSARME, do you know them persoanally?

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

Yes I believe they will be honest if they are going to euthanize but I think cat caught an injured they will probably euthanize so I hope she doesn't take it there . She is in a call them first and ask before she takes it in.

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

I have someone going to pick up this little one. I will need dosing info when he arrives and I get a weight. I have a cipro 500 broken down with 20 cc of water.

[Brooke]

Cathy is sending someone over to pick up PHOENIX. He survived the night just fine. Had some more electrolyte solution and a drop of antibiotic solution. He loves that stuff! I ground up some sunflower seeds really fine, mixed with just a fingertip of peanut butter, a drop of honey and a drop of coconut oil and rolled it into a small ball to see if he wants to nibble on it. I just love him.

I want to get together a small "kit" of things I might need if and when this happens again, and I'll bet it will. Is there dry squirrel formula to mix together? A can of goat's milk. Squirrel size baby bottle. What do I need?

[Nancy in New York]

I have someone going to pick up this little one. I will need dosing info when he arrives and I get a weight. I have a cipro 500 broken down with 20 cc of water.

I will send you dosing instructions, and I will break it down so you just have to
mulitiply the weight in grams by the dose (per gram) that I give you.
You actually add 22 mLs of water to Cipro 500 mg.
Sending dosing now, in case I'm not on the board.

[DarkLies212]

You'll want 1cc syringes, 3cc syringes, nipples (I suggest Miracle nipples), non auto shut off heating pad, a squirrel proof bin, extra fleece, and some powdered Esbilac with pro/prebiotics (or 3rd ingredient whey protein) stored in the freezer.

You can buy some supplies here: www.henryspets.com

[SQUIRRELSAREME]

Phoenix has arrived:grin2. He weights 40 grams I gave him a loading dose of cipro. (Thank you Nancy ). Gave him a flee bath and dosed with a drop of revaloution. He had 2 cc of diluted fox valley 20-50 now resting half on heating pad with a rice buddy

[Nancy in New York]

Phoenix has arrived:grin2. He weights 40 grams I gave him a loading dose of cipro. (Thank you Nancy ). Gave him a flee bath and dosed with a drop of revaloution. He had 2 cc of diluted fox valley 20-50 now resting half on heating pad with a rice buddy

Sounds absolutely perfect to me! :serene
As ALWAYS, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:Love_Icon:hug:Love _Icon:hug:Love_Icon:hug:Love_Icon:hug

[island rehabber]

I am SO happy this boy is in loving hands. Good job, Brooke, and thank you Duckman and SQUIRRELSAREME and Nancy in New York!

[Brooke]

Thank you Cathy and everybody who helped me save this little girl Phoenix. Oh, how I miss her, but I know she is in better hands now. Unfortunately, those "squirrel lice" or whatever they were got me over my whole body and I itch everywhere. Little red bumps. Oh well, this too will pass.

Phoenix, you will always be remembered. You cuddled like an angel and I'm so grateful I got to experience a squirrel even if it wasn't the best conditions.