Help! Pet squirrel not doing well!!!

[hwood]

Hi all. I am incredibly worried about my family’s pet squirrel, Rocket. We have had him for over a year now, and got him right after his eyes opened up. His mom was hit by a car and he was rescued by some good samaritans. Our initial plan was to rescue and release, but he had other ideas. Rocket is generally very active, constantly climbing and flipping around his cage and room. Yesterday he appeared to be perfectly fine, but this morning I can tell something is very wrong. I went to clean, feed, and play with him and right off the bat I knew he wasn’t okay. He is sitting at the bottom of his cage with his head tilted slightly downward. His tail is curled, and at first I wanted to think I had just woken him up, but this pattern is continuing. He made no attempt to come out of his cage and play, but instead sat completely still while I petted and loved on him. He is drinking (a lot, but I’m not sure if excessively), and ate a walnut when I gave it to him... When inspecting his bedding I found a peculiar spot. It could have been vomit with a little bit of blood, but I can’t be sure. It was just the one spot that was tinged slightly pink. I had never seen anything like that before, and it was the only spot I found. I am terrified and have no idea what to do. I can’t imagine losing this precious baby so suddenly.

[hwood]

He is cleaning his face and his tail, but he is making a strange grunting/whining noise... Please help. :( He won't get on his blanket, and will not let me move him. He is curled up with his head almost tucked underneath him.

[stepnstone]

Head down he is in pain... Please tell us what his daily diet is, diet has a lot to do with health problems
and we need to look at that first.

[hwood]

He gets fresh vegetables daily - broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, corn, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, lettuce, chayote, squash, zucchini. He gets nuts from time to time, but as a rare treat. I also give him some cereal like honey nut cheerios, he loves tortilla chips. His diet has been the same since we weaned him off formula, and this change is so sudden... Yesterday and the day before yesterday he had cauliflower and corn, a couple of pretzels, and a piece of a granola bar...

Anything that seems like it could be an immediate problem?

[hwood]

We appear to be going downhill rapidly. He is no longer okay with me petting him, and has started to growl instead when I open the cage. There is no visible injury, and I felt so confident about his diet. :( He is the tenth or eleventh squirrel we have raised, and the second that we could not release. The first we kept was paralyzed when we got him... We did water therapy and he regained some motion, he lived off the same diet as our Rocket and he lived a healthy life for almost 7 years. I am panicking...

[redwuff]

Squirrel's must must must have a rodent block of some kind. He needs to be started on a MBD protocol. He needs calcium now. Let me look up the protocol. What formula was he fed as an infant?

[Milo's Mom]

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/ (http://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-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!
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=283197&d=1484251107

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 (http://www.henryspets.com) REV. 1/13/17



Last edited by 4skwerlz; 01-18-2017 at 10:46 AM. Reason: Updated 1/13/17

[hwood]

Redwuff - I have been reading about MBD. He gets rodent block occasionally, but he does not like it. I have put some in his cage mixed with a tiny bit of peanut butter. He is drinking and moving normally, the only thing I see is the lethargy. He was fed Fox Valley as an infant. We got him in September of 2016.

[stepnstone]

Once weaned they need a quality rodent block for their nutritional support. Squirrels have a high calcium requirement, veggies/fruit alone can not supply this. Nuts rob the body of calcium.
I highly recommend you start the protocol for mbd asap! If it is mbd you will see a change for the positive with the added calcium. If it is not mbd, the protocol will not hurt.
I would also recommend liquid infant Ibuprofen for pain, mbd is very painful! If you can get a weight, we can dose it for you. If you can't get a weight post a picture for a guesstimate.
Mbd symptoms can come on suddenly without warning, it's very serious and deadly if the calcium levels are not restored.

The other guesses/questions would be could he have gotten hold of something he shouldn't have eaten, is it possible he took a fall?

[redwuff]

Please follow this tx to the letter. If he has MBD, he should turn around quickly. He is growling because he is in pain. Can you syringe the tums mixture into him?

[hwood]

Trying to get a weight - no possible way he took a fall greater than the size of his cage which is no more than 4 feet (thats probably a generous guess) from top to bottom. I can't fathom anything he could have gotten ahold of. His corn looked good - no bad spots... There is no way it could have poisoned him is there?

Working on a weight.

[stepnstone]

I'm a slow type obviously but seems we're all on the same page.
Got to go, your in good hands, Start the mbd protocol it could save his life!

[hwood]

I feel so guilty. I made him boo blocks for months and months and he wouldn't touch them, so I just gave up. I am making the emergency mixture now.

[redwuff]

Yeah, squirrels are the darn pickiest creatures on this earth. When we start weaning them as babies, the only thing they get is some type of rodent block along with their formula. That is all they get in food department till they eat it very well. By the time they are weaned, they eat block well and then it is a breeze to introduce good veggies.

[CritterMom]

Yes, get calcium into him right now. I would get at least 250mg into him now and then divide up the remaining doses throughout the day. You are trying to raise the calcium level and then keep it at more or less an even keel by doing multiple small doses through the day.

Once you get over the bad stuff we can help you with other calciums, tricks to hide it, ways to get blocks into him, etc.

Please note that the milligram size on the front of the Tums bottle is not the total calcium amount. Turn the bottle over and read the back - you will see the words "elemental calcium" - see what the total number for that per tablet is. THAT is your number to calculate the daily amount.

[hwood]

Okay I have given him the Tums mixture. Right after he drank a bunch of water. I am hoping this is it... At least I have a chance to save him if this is the issue. I never thought MBD because no seizures, no loss of appetite, and the lethargy JUST started this morning. Thank you all for your help. I am hoping to see improvement ASAP.

[hwood]

Can I give baby aspirin for the pain or does it need to be infant ibuprofen?

[Milo's Mom]

Stay with it and be sure to follow the protocol to a "T". After the large initial dose he's going to need several more small doses throughout the day. Even if you see improvements, STAY ON THE PROTOCOL.

This took a long time to develop and it will take time to recover.

Go order the Picky HHB's. As a matter of fact, just order the MBD kit. https://www.henryspets.com/mbd-treatment-kit/

[SophieSquirrel]

Once the MBD protocol is complete and he is on his way to recovery this diet has to be followed to the letter: https://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

Like a kid you have to withhold all preferred foods until he eats his blocks as they are his base food and should comprise the majority of his solid diet. No squirrel will starve itself.

Broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, corn (MUST be fresh), cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, chayote, lettuce, squash, zucchini are OK

"He gets nuts from time to time, but as a rare treat". OK in very small quantities but only after MBD is completely resolved.

Honey nut cheerios, tortilla chips, pretzels, and granola bar are not good for him.

If it's not on the Henry's list don't feed it to him.

[Spanky]

Can I give baby aspirin for the pain or does it need to be infant ibuprofen?

No, you cannot give aspirin to a squirrel. It should be ibuprofen, meloxicam or tramadol.

[Nancy in New York]

When inspecting his bedding I found a peculiar spot. It could have been vomit with a little bit of blood, but I can’t be sure. It was just the one spot that was tinged slightly pink. I had never seen anything like that before, and it was the only spot I found. I am terrified and have no idea what to do. I can’t imagine losing this precious baby so suddenly.

Do you feed him acorns?
Do you think the spot could be pee or are you thinking more vomit?
Acorns can discolor pee so it gets a reddish tint.
Keep looking over his bedding really well.
Remove any old stash he may have
Try to keep him hydrated.
Please keep us posted how your little one is doing.

[hwood]

He has never had acorns. I honestly have no clue about the spot. I haven’t seen anymore today. I think he is just getting worse. He went from moving some, drinking lots of water, eating a little - to not moving much at all and taking what looks like short shallow breaths... I’m worried it may not be MBD since I’m not seeing any improvement, just worsening... but I have no idea what else it could be. :( I’m just sitting here holding him now...

[Milo's Mom]

Please do an exam on him.

Look at the paws - what color are they - are they warmer than usual or cool
Look at his gums - what color are they
Feel his ears - are they warm, hot, cool
If you have a thermometer, coat it with a lube - KY jelly or vaseline and take his temp, what is it?

Has he been exposed to direct sunlight lately? How about any significant heat? In the last week?

Feel his belly, is it tight or soft.
Pinch and twist the skin on his belly to see if it tents.

What does his poop look like? Regular, dark, dry, hard soft?

[hwood]

He seems to be getting stiff. His paws feel cool and are a very pale pink. He won't let me look at his gums... He goes from still and appearing to soak up the pets, to jumping out of my hands and growling. His ears are somewhere between warm and cool. I do not have a thermometer, but even if I did, I am not certain I could get a temp. His belly feels soft, and he seems hydrated. Up until the last couple of hours he had been drinking a lot (at first I was worried he was drinking too much). He has been exposed to sunlight, but no significant heat. His poop looks pretty normal, maybe a little dark and hard.

[Milo's Mom]

I would offer him some low temp heat.

Do you have any meds? Which ones?

[hwood]

I have given him a rice buddy and have been warming it periodically; however, he has seemed uninterested. He doesn't move to it. I put it right next to him, and he didn't move away. He did just stand up and walk across his cage. I do not have any medicine, but I could get some first thing in the morning if I knew what I needed.

[redwuff]

This is unusual and sounds very scary. Not a clue what is going on. Prayers for you and your boy:grouphug

[Milo's Mom]

I would prefer if you got the meds tonight. I'd aim for Amoxi or Clavamox.

Keep him hydrated. Add some applejuice to the water if needed to get him to take it. If he won't take oral, sub-q him. (I'm suggesting sub-q based on your experience in your bio...if you've never done it focus on oral hydration)

Monitor his temp (get a thermometer). If his temp is at 104 or above administer Infant Ibuprofen/Motrin. (this MUST be dosed according to his weight and the strength of the med)
If his fever is between 102-103.9 use cool water on his feet and/or wipe down the pads of his feet with rubbing alcohol

Boost his blood sugar if needed - molasses, honey, jelly...something with lots of sugar rubbed on his gums

Try to think of ANYTHING he may have had contact with...ant traps, new foods, new toys, new area to play, new branches from outside.

[hwood]

This is unusual and sounds very scary. Not a clue what is going on. Prayers for you and your boy:grouphug

Thank you... He is a very special baby, and I am devastated... Hoping for a miracle. :Cry

[hwood]

I would prefer if you got the meds tonight. I'd aim for Amoxi or Clavamox.

Keep him hydrated. Add some applejuice to the water if needed to get him to take it. If he won't take oral, sub-q him. (I'm suggesting sub-q based on your experience in your bio...if you've never done it focus on oral hydration)

Monitor his temp (get a thermometer). If his temp is at 104 or above administer Infant Ibuprofen/Motrin. (this MUST be dosed according to his weight and the strength of the med)
If his fever is between 102-103.9 use cool water on his feet and/or wipe down the pads of his feet with rubbing alcohol

Boost his blood sugar if needed - molasses, honey, jelly...something with lots of sugar rubbed on his gums

Try to think of ANYTHING he may have had contact with...ant traps, new foods, new toys, new area to play, new branches from outside.

Should I disregard MBD protocol, or continue forward with it as well? Hydration will be my first priority. I will start on the temp next, and how would I know if his blood sugar needs a boost? Honestly there have been NO changes in his surroundings. I haven't introduced anything new. He has remained in the same area with the same toys/branches/blankets. etc... I think this is another reason I am so baffled. I want to help him so badly.

[redwuff]

Are you keeping up with calcium like the protocol called for? Has he had anything from outside to chew on like a pine cone?

[Milo's Mom]

Get a round of hydration into him THEN GO GET MEDS

[Milo's Mom]

Should I disregard MBD protocol, or continue forward with it as well? Hydration will be my first priority. I will start on the temp next, and how would I know if his blood sugar needs a boost? Honestly there have been NO changes in his surroundings. I haven't introduced anything new. He has remained in the same area with the same toys/branches/blankets. etc... I think this is another reason I am so baffled. I want to help him so badly.

Have you been doing it all day? How any milligrams of Calcium have you gotten into him today entirely?

If he hasn't eaten anything today his blood sugar is low...light pads and if you get a look at his gums they will be pale in color as well.

[hwood]

Are you keeping up with calcium like the protocol called for? Has he had anything from outside to chew on like a pine cone?

I have been keeping up with the calcium protocol! Should I continue it? And no - nothing new. The branches he has have been in his cage for a couple of months.

[SophieSquirrel]

I would prefer if you got the meds tonight. I'd aim for Amoxi or Clavamox. Keep him hydrated. Add some applejuice to the water if needed to get him to take it. If he won't take oral, sub-q him. (I'm suggesting sub-q based on your experience in your bio...if you've never done it focus on oral hydration)


If you do have to Subq him sterile L Ringers with a 27 Ga needle only.

+1 on the AB's along with continued MBD (Calcium) treatment - no contraindications there. :thumbsup

[hwood]

Have you been doing it all day? How any milligrams of Calcium have you gotten into him today entirely?

I’ve been doing it since 1:30 today - when all on here began suggesting it. I thought it might’ve been helping but I don’t know now. I have ATTEMPTED to give him 1 whole tums extra strength and 2/3 of another. I’m not certain he has gotten all of it, but I believe he has gotten most of it. Some has dribbled out of his mouth.

[Milo's Mom]

I’ve been doing it since 1:30 today - when all on here began suggesting it. I thought it might’ve been helping but I don’t know now. I have ATTEMPTED to give him 1 whole tums extra strength and 2/3 of another. I’m not certain he has gotten all of it, but I believe he has gotten most of it. Some has dribbled out of his mouth.

Uhm, I have no idea how many milligrams of calcium is in a TUMS Extra Strength...this is why I asked you how many milligrams you've gotten into him. You'll need to look at your container.

I don't understand "ATTEMPTED". Did you get it into him or did you not? Were you feeding it to him in a syringe? How much dribbled out? A few drops or a whole syringe full? I'm sorry I just don't know what that means. We really need some more precise answers.

When are you getting the meds?

[SophieSquirrel]

He is cleaning his face and his tail, but he is making a strange grunting/whining noise... Please help. :( He won't get on his blanket, and will not let me move him. He is curled up with his head almost tucked underneath him.

I am wondering if he has a minor spinal or other injury from MBD?

[hwood]

Just gave him some jam and he slipped away from his cage opening and climbed his cage when I tried to put him away. He is climbing around his cage, sitting up, cleaning himself where i've gotten the calcium mixture/infant ibuprofen/jam on his fur. His eyes appear more alert and aware. He weighs 649 grams.

MM - attempted is all I know to say. I've given via a syringe, but at least a few drops have dribbled from his mouth, and the first time he spit some out. I don't know how to gauge how much that means he didn't get. My vet that will see wildlife is not on call tonight, so I have no choice but to wait until tomorrow for meds. The tums has 750 mg of calcium carbonate, and 320 mg of calcium according to the other information.

SS - if he had a serious injury would he be climbing? I honestly don't know. I wonder if he just felt bad earlier and that was the cause of the noises. He still seems lethargic, but less so.

[Diggie's Friend]

If your squirrel won't eat the cooked Boo block, try the Boo balls, that is the uncooked version of ground up rodent block made with organic coconut oil; the recipe is listed on the board.

Lethargy is a sign of low blood sugar also, not just pain. As MM posted, if you have some dark molasses, Maple syrup, put a drop behind his front teeth inside the lip of his mouth.

I would continue with the calcium MBD protocol as recommended; just do one thing at a time, and write down what you attempted to give and if you were successful.

[stepnstone]

Just gave him some jam and he slipped away from his cage opening and climbed his cage when I tried to put him away. He is climbing around his cage, sitting up, cleaning himself where i've gotten the calcium mixture/infant ibuprofen/jam on his fur. His eyes appear more alert and aware. He weighs 649 grams.

He still seems lethargic, but less so.
If the protocol is all you've done it may be baby steps but sounds like it's making a difference.
Have you given anything for pain? Pain management promotes healing and can lead to more
rapid recovery.

[Nancy in New York]

I don't know how to gauge how much that means he didn't get. My vet that will see wildlife is not on call tonight, so I have no choice but to wait until tomorrow for meds.



Just wondering how your little one is this morning.
If you have a vet that will see wildlife can you get him in to see him?
We are only doing "educated" guess work here, but if you have vet access, that's the
way to go.
Please keep us posted on your "baby". :Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

See if this helps you hwood.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bssBDT9/0/f3751b23/L/i-bssBDT9-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Cp66PqG/0/42369dd2/L/i-Cp66PqG-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BdKcgGD/0/b3415d43/L/i-BdKcgGD-L.jpg

[hwood]

Good morning! Rocket is still with me this morning, and for that I am grateful. NancyinNewYork - I am fortunate to have a vet that will listen to me - he will get me medications under the guise that they are for one of my domesticated animals... I am so thankful he will do that, but he will not see them, and truthfully wouldn't know anymore than you all I don't believe lol. He is just a good guy that my family has known for many years and will help in ways he can. Stepnstone - I have been giving infant ibuprofen based off of a dosing guide I found here on TSB in another post. I would really appreciate if someone could verify how much I should give him though. He weighs 649 grams. His tail is curled and he is moving much better this morning. He is pancaking, sitting up on his back legs, and holding his head up more. Thank you all for your help so far.

[Nancy in New York]

Good morning! Rocket is still with me this morning, and for that I am grateful. NancyinNewYork - I am fortunate to have a vet that will listen to me - he will get me medications under the guise that they are for one of my domesticated animals... I am so thankful he will do that, but he will not see them, and truthfully wouldn't know anymore than you all I don't believe lol. He is just a good guy that my family has known for many years and will help in ways he can. Stepnstone - I have been giving infant ibuprofen based off of a dosing guide I found here on TSB in another post. I would really appreciate if someone could verify how much I should give him though. He weighs 649 grams. His tail is curled and he is moving much better this morning. He is pancaking, sitting up on his back legs, and holding his head up more. Thank you all for your help so far.

Make sure the infant ibuprofen is 50 mg/1.25 ml strength.
For Rocket who weighs 649 grams the dose is 0.16
This can be given every 4 hours for pain, but try not to dose for
more than 2-3 days.
Always keep him well hydrated as this can be hard on their kidneys.

As far as meds go, I have no idea what is suspected that Rocket may
have, so I'm unsure as to what he should be given and for what.

Personally at this point, and with the improvement you are seeing,
I would hold off on additional meds.

This is a very encouraging update. Keep up the good work and the MBD protocol.

Forgot to mention. You are very fortunate to have a vet that will give you meds
if needed.

Edit: Unless you see that he is in extreme pain, ears back, hunched with head down, "white tears" etc.
I would not give infant ibuprofen more than a couple of times, ONLY if absolutely necessary.
It's VERY hard on the kidneys.

[stepnstone]

Personally at this point, and with the improvement you are seeing,
I would hold off on additional meds.
This is a very encouraging update. Keep up the good work and the MBD protocol.


http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif

[SophieSquirrel]

Personally at this point, and with the improvement you are seeing,
I would hold off on additional meds.

Second on that!

No more honey nut cheerios, tortilla chips, pretzels, or granola bars. Even if it wasn't MBD foods like that will put him on a fast track to developing it.

Stick to the Henry's diet to the letter: https://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

[redwuff]

Good morning! Rocket is still with me this morning, and for that I am grateful. NancyinNewYork - I am fortunate to have a vet that will listen to me - he will get me medications under the guise that they are for one of my domesticated animals... I am so thankful he will do that, but he will not see them, and truthfully wouldn't know anymore than you all I don't believe lol. He is just a good guy that my family has known for many years and will help in ways he can. Stepnstone - I have been giving infant ibuprofen based off of a dosing guide I found here on TSB in another post. I would really appreciate if someone could verify how much I should give him though. He weighs 649 grams. His tail is curled and he is moving much better this morning. He is pancaking, sitting up on his back legs, and holding his head up more. Thank you all for your help so far.

Rocket sounds good this morning. How has today gone?

[hwood]

Hi all! I have continued the MBD protocol and ordered the Henry's MBD kit. I have stopped the ibuprofen since he seems to feel better, and he still seems to be improving. He is actually acting ALMOST like his normal self!! :w00t He is climbing, eating broccoli, cleaning himself, and loving all the pets and attention. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Henry's kit. I cannot thank you all enough for the help you've given! Hopefully these 'picky' blocks will make life easier for myself and Rocket.

[redwuff]

What a relief!:grouphug

Please stay with TSB and let us help you get Rocket on his healthy path.

[stepnstone]

Hi all! I have continued the MBD protocol and ordered the Henry's MBD kit. I have stopped the ibuprofen since he seems to feel better, and he still seems to be improving. He is actually acting ALMOST like his normal self!! :w00t He is climbing, eating broccoli, cleaning himself, and loving all the pets and attention. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Henry's kit. I cannot thank you all enough for the help you've given! Hopefully these 'picky' blocks will make life easier for myself and Rocket.
:w00t



Please stay with TSB and let us help you get Rocket on his healthy path.

So good to read your getting Rocket turned around,:yeahthat ....now you know. :grouphug