Help!!!

[Kenzie]

I need help now!!! My baby is sick. Swollen eye, has bite in face. Very lethargic. Please help.

[Kenzie]

Two of my babies are sick. I think the one is constipated. What do I do?

[HRT4SQRLS]

How old are the babies? Bite in face? What does that mean? What are you feeding them?

[Kenzie]

They are about 3 months. They eat unsalted nuts and have tons of water. One has a swollen eye, and a bite mark on his face (probably from his brother). But then also, his brother is very lethargic too. They aren’t acting themselves. Both are cold, they didn’t bury under their blanket like usual. I’m pretty scared.

[Kenzie]

. 295441295441

[HRT4SQRLS]

Do they only eat nuts? Are they on formula? If not, when we're they weaned?

[cava]

They will become very sick and die if you feed only SALTED nuts and water. Can you give us more information? You asked for help then left.

[Kenzie]

They were weaned. Only on nuts. I have a total of five. Two are lethargic and cold, the others are wild and running around happy.

[Kenzie]

They are given only UNSALTED

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh dear Lord!! They have Metabolic Bone Disease.... all of them. A diet of nuts will kill a squirrel. I'm going to link you to a thread from last night with the same problem.
YOU NEED TO GET TUMS TONIGHT!!! This can't wait until tomorrow. I would also get a heating pad for the sick ones. They need the warmth immediately. Let me get the links.

[SammysMom]

It is only a matter of time before they are all in the same state. Their diet has got to be changed immediately. NO MORE nuts! How old are they now?

[Kenzie]

Honestly this is going to sound crazy but if someone is available to call, I would appreciate it greatly.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Please read this thread that I am linking. I don't have time to retype everything in the thread. Everything in that thread applies to your babies. It is just a matter of time before they start seizing.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?59041-SCARED

[Kenzie]

Please, can someone pm me so I can give my number for a call.

[SammysMom]

Where are you located?

[cava]

Feeding only nuts will cause a disease called Metabolic Bone Disease. It is fatal. The diet you feed doesn't provide enough calcium. Since they are off formula, they aren't getting a nutritionally complete diet now. They need to be on a rodent block. You can buy online or at pet stores.

Meanwhile, please look at this page for treatment for Metabolic Bone Disease. Stop giving nuts now and offer some raw veggies until you can get the block. We don't recommend weaning squirrels but let them wean themselves. If they will still take formula, let them. I'll give you two links

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[HRT4SQRLS]

You can call me.
Write the number down. I will erase it in a minute.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I spoke with Kenzie. She is on the way to the store to get Tums tonight.
I total her it is imperative that the treatment start tonight, especially for the 2 critical ones. They both have advanced symptoms of MBD.

[cava]

Thank you so much HRT4SQRLS for being so available!:hug

[HRT4SQRLS]

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, rolaids, or calcium supplement (any kind)*
a syringe or spoon

Crush one pill and add a little water or fruit juice to make a toothpaste consistency. Use a syringe or spoon to force-feed the mixture.

After you give the initial dose of calcium, give 100 mg every 4 hours (50 mg for smaller squirrels such as red squirrels, flyers, or juveniles less than 12 weeks old). The first day, getting calcium dosed quickly is more important than the type of calcium or the amount. Going forward, most squirrels will need around 500 mg per day (250 mg for small squirrels). See the “Long-Term Treatment for MBD.”

*Any kind of calcium pill is okay for the first dose, and you can use Tums for a few days, but long-term it's best to use plain calcium carbonate (without Vit D).

Dosage Methods
The easiest way to dose calcium longer term is to mix it with a small amount of peanut butter, crushed nuts, yogurt, baby food, or any food the squirrel likes. This way you don’t have to continue to force-feed the calcium, which stresses the squirrel.

Example: If you mix 500 mg of calcium with 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter and roll it into 5 little balls, each ball will contain 100 mg calcium. You can also mix the calcium with formula or fruit juice which can be licked from a syringe or spoon. You might need to experiment to find what works best for your squirrel.

What to Watch For
Your squirrel's symptoms should improve within a few hours or days (younger squirrels typically respond faster). If the squirrel is feeling better but still paralyzed, he may have a spinal injury due to his weak bones.

The acute symptoms (weakness, loss of appetite, lethargy, seizures, paralysis) will usually improve within a few hours or days, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take 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 soothing for a squirrel with MBD. Use a heating pad on “low” (make sure he can’t chew the pad or cord) or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans, microwaved for about 20 seconds).


Long-Term Treatment for MBD

1. Calcium Dosage

Starting on the second day, most squirrels will begin with 500 mg elemental calcium per day (250 mg for flyers, etc.) divided into 5 small doses. See “How to Read a Calcium Label” below for more info. Note: the label on Henry’s Healthy Calcium uses elemental calcium.

Keep notes on how much calcium you give so you can adjust the dosage if needed. It’s best to work with someone knowledgeable about MBD when adjusting the dosage.

The goal is to give enough calcium to eliminate all symptoms, but not so much that your squirrel is excreting extra calcium in his urine or feces.


Within 1-5 days your squirrel should be alert, active, and eating, with no seizures or paralysis. If your squirrel is still having symptoms or is having “ups and downs” during the day, you may need to increase the dosage. Or you can try giving smaller doses more often.


White feces or a white film on dried urine may mean the dosage can be reduced. Giving smaller doses more often can also help with this, as smaller more frequent doses are better absorbed.


Note: Once your squirrel begins eating Henry’s blocks, you should cut his calcium dosage in half because Henry’s blocks also contain calcium.

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


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


Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found here: http://www.henryspets.com/healthy-di...pet-squirrels/. Your squirrel MUST eat blocks every day (either 2 Henry's Healthy Blocks per day, or a small handful of rodent block per day).

​
3. Gradually Reduce the Dosage Over Time

Once you have figured out the best dosage schedule for your squirrel, he is eating Henry's blocks every day, and he remains stable for 2 weeks, you can reduce the total daily amount of calcium by 50 mg. Continue reducing the dosage every 2 weeks until the squirrel is only getting 50 mg of extra calcium per day. Then after 2 months, try eliminating the extra calcium altogether.

If at any time symptoms return, give an emergency 100 mg dose, then go back to a higher dosage for 2 weeks. Be careful with dosage reductions; watch for any return of symptoms. Relapses are very serious and often fatal.

Note: The MBD treatment is a "standardized" treatment that will get most cases on the road to recovery. However, the treatment for each squirrel may be slightly different, depending on the age of the squirrel, severity of disease, and other factors.

How to Read a Calcium Label

The information below will help you figure out how much elemental calcium is in your Tums. Remember, when dosing calcium, it’s the elemental calcium that counts!
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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, and eventually you die.

When there isn't enough calcium in the diet, the body will take 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 acute MBD, partly because our daily calcium requirement is much lower relative to our body size, and also because our bones are much bigger, allowing us to store more calcium. However, over time our bones can also become depleted of calcium, leading to chronic conditions such as osteoporosis.

By giving 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. This is why it’s important to get the dosage just right. However, if your squirrel is feeling better but still paralyzed, he may have a spinal injury due to his weak bones. Also, note that older squirrels may respond more slowly.

The next step to actually curing the MBD is rebuilding bone. This requires a balanced diet including all the important nutrients, working together with the extra calcium to rebuild bone. It has been shown in x-rays that squirrels do begin to rebuild bone quickly.

The most common age of onset of MBD is around 1-2 years old. However, MBD can appear at any age, from 8 weeks to 10 years of age.

Risk Factors for MBD

Non-recommended formulas such as scalded milk, human baby formula, kitten formula, etc. Babies raised on Fox Valley Formula from 5 weeks to weaning never seem to get MBD.
Weaned too early.
Weaned onto a diet that does not contain blocks.


© 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Henry’s Healthy Pet Foods, Inc. Floyd, VA 24091 www.henryspets.com REV. 1/13/17

[HRT4SQRLS]

I would order Henrys Healthy Pet Picky eater block. They are more likely to eat the picky eater block than the other blocks.
https://www.henryspets.com/picky-blocks-adult-formula/


Guys, could some of you post your recipes for rodent block that has been 'doctored up' to be palatable? These little ones need a block right away and really can't wait for the Henrys block to arrive.

[Kenzie]

Thank you so much to Patty for taking the time to speak with me about my babies. They both have gotten tums, and are now sleeping on the heating pad. My husband raced to the store for the tums, that’s yet another reason why I love that man. I did get bit pretty bad, but it’s all worth it. Patty, your phone call helped me so much. I can never thank you enough. ❤️ The other three will be treated as well.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm so happy to hear this. I would get some calcium (Tums) into them ever 4 hours. Keeping the calcium levels up is important.

Familiarize yourself with the treatment protocol. There are some good ideas there. For the 3 that aren't critical at this time the small peanut butter balls with the calcium dose might be an easier way to treat them. The 2 sick one need to be force fed the doses with a syringe. Don't aspirate them. It is possible to see improvement of the symptoms within 24 hrs if there isn't permanent damage. Be very careful with all of these babies. The bones are very fragile and can break easily.

Make sure the heating pad is on low. I would pull out their baby bin and place them in the bin with a lot of fleece. The heating pad should be under half of the bin. Because they have paralysis they might not be able to move off the heat so I would have them on a stack of fleece on the heating pad. Warm is good but we don't want them overheating either.

[Kenzie]

Update, one of our babies passed. 😭

[HRT4SQRLS]

I am so sorry Kenzie. :grouphug :boohoo

[Kenzie]

Thank you. We have buried him. His sibling is breathing better and is more active. Back legs still paralyzed, but he is seeming more of himself. My thoughts and prayers are with my other little one. ❤️

[TubeDriver]

So sorry your little one passed. :(

Godspeed sweet foxer!

Thank you Kenzie for trying to save them and for reaching out to get help and to HRT4SQYRL for your expert help. :grouphug

[HRT4SQRLS]

My prayers are with your little one also. You too honey. :grouphug

I pray that he can hang on a bit longer so that the calcium can start turning this around. When you dose him with calcium try the best you can to minimize stress as stress isn't good while they are fragile like this.

I feel so sad tonight. :sad

[Chickenlegs]

This is Lilidukes recipe and my guys all eat them.

8 oz. nuts (take out a handful) ground fine. Pecans are usually well liked
Small bag of slivered almonds
Chop handful of pecans and almonds coarsely
200 grams whey protein
50 grams Henry's vitamins
One and a half tsp. of baking soda
Two small eggs
3/4 cup of water

Beat eggs, add part of the water
Add vitamins and baking soda and mix well
Add all nuts and mix well
Add whey protein and mix. Add the rest of the water or as much as you need to make a very thick batter (The batter will be thick and gooey)
Pour--actually glob--into a baking dish and bake for 90 minutes at 205 degrees

Cut into blocks while hot

I add extra nuts and frequently add a little extra calcium. My guys get more than two blocks a day.

I keep all the ingredients because I tend to run out of blocks and if I do I can just whip up a batch.

I spray Pam into the baking dish and also smear some coconut oil in there. It's nice for their fur.

[Kenzie]

Update, his sibling isn’t doing so well either. We are curled up together. But his breathing is getting worse. He is starting to gasp for air.

[Kenzie]

295453

[HRT4SQRLS]

Do you have some molasses or honey? Offer him a little. They will usually lick it but if not, carefully put a little under his tongue. Try to not stress him as that will make breathing more difficult.

Yes, hold him and love him. He needs the will to fight.

[Kenzie]

What does the honey do?

[Kenzie]

We just gave him honey. Now we are snuggling. 295454

[HRT4SQRLS]

What does the honey do?
Raise his blood glucose and give him a little energy.

[Kenzie]

He’s more lethargic than he was an hour ago. I’m afraid it’s too late for the calcium. I’m hoping that I am wrong. I will cuddle him all night, and pray that he makes it through.

[HRT4SQRLS]

How is his breathing? Do you think it's lethargy or sleeping? They would normally be asleep at this time.

[LR]

Ruby and I will add our prayers for both of you.

[Kenzie]

He breathing is very labored. He has stopped gasping for air but still labored. Honestly, he is almost lifeless, as morbid as that sounds. Before it was only his back legs. Now it’s his whole body. He doesn’t even try anymore.

[HRT4SQRLS]

:sadness Love him :Love_Icon and we pray.

[SammysMom]

Our prayers join yours. You're not alone here.:Love_Icon

[lennysmom]

Praying for your little guy.:Love_Icon:grouphug

[Jen413]

Prayers for you both as well as your baby that passed. :grouphug

[lukaslolamaus]

Sending hugs and prayers :grouphug:Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

Adding my prayers for these innocent lives. :Love_Icon

[Kenzie]

Update.
Now he is very restless. Will not go to sleep. Trying to crawl around but he still cannot move his back legs. Gasping for air with every breath. I will be staying up with him all night, just in case.

[Kenzie]

It was the calm before the storm. Both of my babies have passed. 😭❤️ Thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice to try to save my little ones.

[babybleu]

Awww, so sorry for you.... praying for the little fuzzbutts who are now in heaven. Remember that you tried your best and they didn't die alone...

[HRT4SQRLS]

:sad:sad So sorry Kenzie. :grouphug

[Nancy in New York]

I'm heartbroken to read this.
Rest in Peace
Precious Souls 295455

[Kenzie]

They did not die alone. They were both cuddled until they passed. Thank you all again. ❤️

[lennysmom]

Oh no, I'm so sorry Kenzie.:grouphug
Godspeed precious little ones.:sad:Love_Icon

[Mel1959]

I am very sorry to read that both have passed. :boohoo:boohoo

[LR]

Now is the time to really concentrate on the three remaining babies Kenzie. I know this is a really sad time for you but pour that sadness (it really will help with time) and LOVE into keeping the others with you...💞

[lukaslolamaus]

:grouphug I'm sorry :grouphug Rest peacefully babies :sad

[Kenzie]

Thank you all for the kind words. They really are my babies, so it is hard. ❤️
I have switched their food to veggies, we are working on trying to get a rodent block. My other three are still running around, wild as ever. They seem to be very picky with the broccoli. They are also starting to lick us through their cage. Guess it’s time for a salt lick too.
Do I order all these online? I did screenshot the post on how to make your own rodent block, but we have to order the Henry’s vitamins. Is there something else we can use for the vitamins instead of having to wait for Henry’s to arrive?

[SammysMom]

Godspeed sweet babies...:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

So very sorry for your terrible loss. A few things... No salt lick. Keep up the Tums and veggies. You can get commercial rodent block at Petco or Petsmart until the Henry's order gets to you. Oxbow rat block is a good one or Harlan Teklad. Even Kaytee in the short term is ok. Not the mix of seeds and crap. It is just pieces of tan hard material.

[Chickenlegs]

If you can find pure calcium carbonate powder you can make a small batch of blocks until your order arrives. Henry's ships zoomie fast. The calcium blocks will give them something immediately till the good stuff comes. You can get whey protein at the grocery--Red Mill makes some and it's not too pricey. I order whey isolate protein in 10 pound lots. It's close to 100 bucks but I have it for a looooong time. The eggs give some extra protein and vitamins and you can actually use two regular size eggs. The nuts make them tasty. Harlan Teklad 18 are excellent. Wee Companions ships on Saturday and Wednesday. If I order by noon on Saturday I get my blocks Monday AND you don't have to order a lot. Those blocks will save your babies. Oxbow are good nutrition and you can get them at PetSmart. I've had some issues with my babies eating them but if that's what there is, that's what they'll eat. They won't starve.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Kenzie, here's an idea for you. Buy a rodent block at PetCo or any pet retailer. They sell Mazuri or Oxbow. I guarantee you they won't eat it because frankly they taste nasty... not that I've tasted them. :tilt (Harlan Teklad is my favorite (Non-Henrys) commercial rodent block but unfortunately it has to be bought online.)Take any type of Bullet, coffee grinder or food processor that will grind the blocks into powder. Buy some of the tubed or jarred baby food. Many use the baby veggies but in this case I would even try the fruit. There are many variations. Some add a little coconut oil, peanut butter powder or powdered formula. Roll them into balls and freeze them. These added ingredients make them taste better and squirrels will eat them. I have found that if a squirrel wasn't started out on these commercial rodent blocks, they will NOT eat them. No way, No how! That's where the added tasty things help. Feed them frozen. Squirrels love frozen things.

I hesitate to say this but as a last resort you might need to grind and add a few nuts to the mix to entice them. If you do add a few nuts, make sure that it's a small amount compared to the other ingredients. Just enough for taste.

The bottom line is that the commercial blocks have been formulated to provide adequate minerals and vitamins to maintain health but if they won't eat them, that doesn't help us at all. Try 'doctoring' them up. These are ingredients that you can get today.

I would recommend kale, squash (yellow, butternut or acorn), avocado and sugar snap peas as veggies. You should also back off on the fruit. They will always reject a veggie when a fruit is there.

I know you are probably overwhelmed with too much information but I am going to post a little more in separate links. You already have this info but I want to post again so that it isn't in the midst of last nights emergency. :(

Again, Kenzie... I am so sorry. Last night was just awful. I know that your heart is broken.

[Chickenlegs]

Yeah--the commercial blocks are nasty and I HAVE tasted them cause I picked up what I thought was a cookie in the dark and "kaaaaaarunch--BLEEEEEEEEH!" thank you so much Patti. I have to tinker with the stuff I add to my boo balls. Seems every squirrel comes with different taste buds. Your babies will grow up healthy and ready to take on the trees come spring! They will take the spirits of their siblings with them.


Kenzie, here's an idea for you. Buy a rodent block at PetCo or any pet retailer. They sell Mazuri or Oxbow. I guarantee you they won't eat it because frankly they taste nasty... not that I've tasted them. :tilt (Harlan Teklad is my favorite (Non-Henrys) commercial rodent block but unfortunately it has to be bought online.)Take any type of Bullet, coffee grinder or food processor that will grind the blocks into powder. Buy some of the tubed or jarred baby food. Many use the baby veggies but in this case I would even try the fruit. There are many variations. Some add a little coconut oil, peanut butter powder or powdered formula. Roll them into balls and freeze them. These added ingredients make them taste better and squirrels will eat them. I have found that if a squirrel wasn't started out on these commercial rodent blocks, they will NOT eat them. No way, No how! That's where the added tasty things help. Feed them frozen. Squirrels love frozen things.

I hesitate to say this but as a last resort you might need to grind and add a few nuts to the mix to entice them. If you do add a few nuts, make sure that it's a small amount compared to the other ingredients. Just enough for taste.

The bottom line is that the commercial blocks have been formulated to provide adequate minerals and vitamins to maintain health but if they won't eat them, that doesn't help us at all. Try 'doctoring' them up. These are ingredients that you can get today.

I would recommend kale, squash (yellow, butternut or acorn), avocado and sugar snap peas as veggies. You should also back off on the fruit. They will always reject a veggie when a fruit is there.

I know you are probably overwhelmed with too much information but I am going to post a little more in separate links. You already have this info but I want to post again so that it isn't in the midst of last nights emergency. :(

Again, Kenzie... I am so sorry. Last night was just awful. I know that your heart is broken.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Yeah--the commercial blocks are nasty and I HAVE tasted them cause I picked up what I thought was a cookie in the dark and "kaaaaaarunch--BLEEEEEEEEH!" I have to tinker with the stuff I add to my boo balls. Seems every squirrel comes with different taste buds.

There you go... a testimonial of an actual taster! :grin2

I knew they were bad because squirrels pick them up, smell them, throw them at you and then look at you like you lost your mind but I couldn't vouch for that first hand. :rotfl

[cava]

There you go... a testimonial of an actual taster! :grin2

I knew they were bad because squirrels pick them up, smell them, throw them at you and then look at you like you lost your mind but I couldn't vouch for that first hand. :rotfl

I taste everything once (except milk--:yuck:yuck) and I can say that Harlan taste pretty good compared to Kaytee.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Kenzie, here is a very important chart. It is the calcium: phosphorus (Ca: P) ratio of different foods. This chart will help you see which are the best foods and which foods you should avoid. In the body there is a balance between calcium and phosphorus. The balance is twice the amount of calcium vs the phosphorus. In other words a 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus. When the diet is high in phosphorus (nuts, seeds or corn) the body will pull calcium from the bones to achieve this balance. This is what causes MBD. Calcium is being pulled from the bones. MBD is similar to osteoporosis but it is much more complex in small animals. While it is thinning bones it is also a metabolic disorder involving blood calcium levels. This is where the seizures come in.

Here is the link.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67967&d=1232419601

Just as an example of a good and bad food.
Kale: 2.4:1 ratio of Ca: P (Very good food)
Pine nuts: 1:35.9 ratio of Ca: P (Horrible food) :eek

Just imagine how much calcium that would need to be consumed to balance out pine nuts. Pine nuts are an extreme (bad) food but as you can see all of the nuts are high in phosphorus and should be avoided. That's why we feed nuts in very limited amounts as a treat.

[Kenzie]

Another one of the squirrels have started to show signs. He will not drink the tums. But he is moving his back legs more and more. No seizures that I have noticed.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I taste everything once (except milk--:yuck:yuck) and I can say that Harlan taste pretty good compared to Kaytee.
Wow, I had no idea. People taste test their pet foods. :rotfl

[HRT4SQRLS]

Another one of the squirrels have started to show signs. He will not drink the tums. But he is moving his back legs more and more. No seizures that I have noticed.
? "He is moving his legs more and more". Had he lost mobility?

[SammysMom]

If you have to take a Tums and hand it to him. See if he will eat some of it on his own. Are they fruit flavored? You can also experiment and make more of a paste with a crushed Tums and water and see if it is easier to just put that into their mouths.
How many of them are showing issues with their back legs now?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Gayle. This baby fell. He lost mobility of the back legs after the fall but has regained movement of the back legs. Kenzie is going to post a pic so we can guesstimate the weight. Could you help guesstimate the weight so that she can give ibuprofen? I'm afraid my guess would be way off as this is a NE squirrel.

They are transferring them to a smaller cage.

[Kenzie]

295467

[HRT4SQRLS]

Kenzie, do you have anything to weigh the squirrel? Maybe a friend has a scale... kitchen scale. That is the size of a full grown FL squirrel so I would be reluctant to guess. Northern squirrels are a lot bigger than in the south.

[Kenzie]

Only one right now. The others are eating a chewable right now. So that’s good.

[Kenzie]

I do not. And no one I know has a scale.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I do not. And no one I know has a scale.
Anybody out there have a guess as to the weight of this squirrel?

[Kenzie]

The injured one will not eat out of the bottle or eat peanut butter.

[LR]

Ruby weighs 328g now. They look about her size .

[HRT4SQRLS]

My guess would have been around 300g so that's close.

[SammysMom]

My guess was 300g to 350g

[Nancy in New York]

I would guess 300-350 as well.
Has anyone sent you dosing for infant ibuprofen?
The chart can actually be dosed 3 times higher than it reflects.
BUT for now you can go with .1 as indicated on the photo below
with the BLUE arrow.
I think getting a little more pain reliever into him now is best.
You can dose every 4 hours for pain, but go to the lower dose below of 0.075
as indicated by the RED arrow after the initial dose of 0.1 now.

MAKE SURE YOUR STRENGTH OF THE INFANT IBUPROFEN IS 50mg/1.25ml

Always keep a squirrel well hydrated when on any drugs.

For a 300 grams squirrel you can dose .075
For a 400 grams squirrel you can dose 0.1

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-F3wShsT/0/4fd70fa0/O/i-F3wShsT.jpg

[Kenzie]

My little one has been given IBU. Thank you all for helping dose. He is still making crying noises but hoping it will kick in soon.

[Mel1959]

Are your remaining babies in a smaller cage or bin so they can’t climb? Do you have the cage or bin on a heating pad?

[Kenzie]

Yes and no. He is wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. I don’t want him to get too hot since he can’t move.

[SammysMom]

Put them in a bin that is half on heat. Heat door us the pain tgat c ones with mbd.

[Kenzie]

Hello everyone. My little boy is doing okay, but his breathing is very fast. Is there a way to post videos on here? Im a little concerned.

[Nancy in New York]

Hello everyone. My little boy is doing okay, but his breathing is very fast. Is there a way to post videos on here? Im a little concerned.

Get a YouTube account load it there and then post the link here.

[Kenzie]

https://youtu.be/-ilNzTBpj50

[Kenzie]

https://youtu.be/ec8IiUhJFj4

[Nancy in New York]

Yes, his breathing is very fast. :(
Is this the one that's taken the fall?
Is there any noise when he breathes?
Is he still on formula and if so could he have
aspirated?
How long has he been like this?

[Kenzie]

So am I a worry wart?

[Kenzie]

His heart is going a mile a minute. But I don’t hear anything like he aspirated.

[Nancy in New York]

So am I a worry wart?

What state are you in?
Do you have a vet that will see squirrels.
His breathing is fast, poor baby. :(
I wonder if he's in pain.
Can you give him infant ibuprofen?
We will need a weight and the strength of it, if you
have any.

[Kenzie]

I gave him a drop around 5. No vet will treat squirrels here.

[Kenzie]

I gave him a tums earlier too. He’s going to the bathroom just fine. I’m going to give him some formula soon too.

[Nancy in New York]

I gave him a tums earlier too. He’s going to the bathroom just fine. I’m going to give him some formula soon too.

Do you have a weight on him?
What did you give him a drop of?

[Kenzie]

Infant IBU

[cava]

His legs look strange. Can he use them. It's almost like his abdomen hurts along with difficulty breathing.

He'll be burning more calories breathing so fast and if in pain or sick. Consider hydration with water between formula feedings, just drop by drop so he doesn't aspirate. If he has a seizure, put syrup or honey on his gums/under his tongue or go ahead and give a touch when you give hydration.

Poor guy. I'm rooting for him.

[lennysmom]

Many prayers for your little guy.:Love_Icon

[Diggie's Friend]

He has labored breathing, and his heart is overworking, like trying to get oxygen.

[lennysmom]

Have you been keeping your squirrels in a cage all the time, or do you let them out to play? With MBD, it's best not to let the squirrels play on anything too high that they could fall off and hurt themselves since it causes weakness in the bones. I'm wondering about injury, but also if they could have possibly gotten into something? How big is their cage? I'm thinking about your other three squirrels too and keeping them as safe as possible. I hope your little guy will pull through.:grouphug

[Kenzie]

Update. The breathing has slowed. He’s doing okay. But getting him to eat anything is hard. He won’t eat unless I kinda force him.

[cava]

As long as he is swallowing it, not choking, gagging or vomiting, and you're taking it slow, it's ok. Sometimes, to get an animal better, we have to do it. Serving it warm can help.

[Kenzie]

Right after I posted that, he ate for me. Made me a liar lol

[SammysMom]

Butter pecan flavored Ensure can be a way to get nutrition in via syringe and they often like the taste.

[Kenzie]

Update for everyone! https://youtu.be/DbMlL7wJXGk

[LR]

He looks much better! Great job...

[SammysMom]

Keep up the great work! :Love_Icon