Constipation

[Petnick]

Merlin, my seven year old red squirrel, seems constipated. She is pushing, and sometimes makes a sad sounding cry, and keeps pushing. Any ideas on how to help her?

Thanks

[CritterMom]

Aw. You can try adding prune baby food to something she eats... You can also use mineral oil just like humans. I would only use a very small amount at a time and give her plenty of time to let it go through her system before you give more. You don't want to go to far in the other direction... Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

[Petnick]

Thank you for your reply. The only baby prune purée I could find is apple/prune. I also bought canned pumpkin because I remember seeing something about that. I bought prune juice. I put the purée and the pumpkin on her plate and she ignored them. I gave her a shelled walnut just to see if her interest/energy would come back and nothing. She just ignored the walnut. I am reeeeaaaaaallllyyy worried. Should I try to give her prune juice with a syringe? What quantity? Her weight is down to 175-180g, but she is a red squirrel. She should be around 200g.

Thanks

[CritterMom]

Ugh. I hope you got some prune juice into little Merlin - our nor'easter was just starting when I posted here and the power went out very shortly after...

I would also add some probiotics to her diet. The human type that come in capsules are great - the powder inside is slightly sweet so they usually don't kick up much of a fuss about consuming it. Just a tiny pinch of the powder is fine - you can sprinkle it on food, mix with a teeny bit of fruit juice and syringe it, etc.

[Petnick]

I found a nice big poop this morning....she seems to be doing better on the constipation front. I communicated with Nancy, and she thinks sweetie may also have MBD. She stopped eating her blocks, and I started to sprinkle calcium on her food, but now I started her on the MBD protocol. Thank you for the probiotic capsule advice. I will start that today!
Thanks you very, very much!

[CritterMom]

Oh good.

I have gone through this with my big guy, Mister P a couple times. Now he LOVES his HHBs, but some version of this may help Merlin out, too. I would grind up one of his blocks and mix it with prune baby food and a little tiny blob of almond butter, and heat it up n the micro. Texture was kind of sloppy oatmeal-like. I would just hold a spoonful out to him and he would nom, nom, nom. The prune will get them, ahem, going, but you can substitute any number of things in place of it to maybe convince him to like the blocks again...

Don't forget that Merlin is about 1/2 the size of the squirrel used in our MBD protocol - it is written around smallish southern eastern grays that are around a pound or a little more at adulthood. I would reduce the recommended amounts in our protocol accordingly.

[Nancy in New York]

I would reduce the recommended amounts in our protocol accordingly.

Great minds again! :)
I wrote this morning: "I would also cut the amount she needs to half or a little more of the suggested amount."

I also wondered about a UTI with the pushing. BUT since she had a "poop" pile this morning,
this could be her problem.
Still watch for straining, or urgency, just in case this is 2 or 3 different things.
Hydration is also key if they are constipated.....it helps with softening.

[Petnick]

Things are not looking good.

I gave her a first dose of calcium at 7:30, and a smaller dose at 11:30. I also gave her infant ibuprofen. I put her in a safer place so that she wouldn’t fall. She usually has the run of the house when we are home and stays in her enclosure (8’ x 4´ x 8´) when we are not. Right now, she is restrained to the upper part of her critter nation cage, with lots of soft fleece everywhere. But it doesn’t matter because she’s just staying where she is. She is not eating. I even tried to tempt her with nuts and she wasn’t interested.

I read that the maximum life expectancy of a red female is 8 years. She is 7 years, 4 months.

She looks so weak. I’m afraid I’m losing her. My heart is broken.

[CritterMom]

Oh dear. Try very hard without stressing her of course, to get some water into her. Add a bit of sugar or honey to it to make it a little tastier; and you can dip the tip of the syringe in a tiny bit of the sugar or honey as well so the first thing she tastes when it hits her lips is the sweet.

You may want to think about giving her a bit of infant ibuprophen, too. If this is MBD and she hurts, taking care of that will go a long way toward making her feel a lot better. I will PM the dose to you. They usually really like that stuff, too because it is a sweet syrup.

[Petnick]

I gave her some infant ibuprofen and she actually enjoyed it. I wish the calcium dose tasted just as good....I gave her the calcium in juice, but she wasn’t happy.

I mixed some blocks with baby apple/prune sauce and some peanut butter. She is not interested. I’ll try to give her water. Every time I look at her, I feel like I’m stressing her.

[Petnick]

It was worse than I thought...it’s MBD. And I came so slowly I didn’t really notice. I had started to sprinkle calcium on her food, but it was not enough.

CritterMom and Nancy in New York helped me through it all, and are still helping me , and I’m now cautiously optimistic.

Thank you to two wonderful ladies!:grouphug

Here’s a picture taken a few minutes ago...

306268

Oh dear it’s sideways....sorry....i don’t know how to fix that.

[Sottinger]

Would you mind describing early symptoms if you can? I know I’d personally like to know what you may have noticed that was abnormal or got you suspecting something wasn’t quite right. It could help many of us in the future possibly detect MBD sooner should we encounter it.

[CritterMom]

It was worse than I thought...it’s MBD. And I came so slowly I didn’t really notice. I had started to sprinkle calcium on her food, but it was not enough.

CritterMom and Nancy in New York helped me through it all, and are still helping me , and I’m now cautiously optimistic.

Thank you to two wonderful ladies!:grouphug

Here’s a picture taken a few minutes ago...

306268

Oh dear it’s sideways....sorry....i don’t know how to fix that.

Aw, hi naughty girl! Now be good and eat the HEALTHY food!

[Petnick]

Would you mind describing early symptoms if you can? I know I’d personally like to know what you may have noticed that was abnormal or got you suspecting something wasn’t quite right. It could help many of us in the future possibly detect MBD sooner should we encounter it.

Ok....she a free range red, meaning she does have an enclosure, but is only in the enclosure when we go out. She sleeps anywhere she wants, and until last summer, it was in our room in my clothes.

Last spring she fell down the stairs..it’s a bit hard to explain how our stairs are but she fell maybe 15 feet and landed on wooden stairs. I’m not sure what happened..I just heard a clunk. She hid, but I went straight to her, picked her up and put her in her enclosure. Her tail was limp. It took a while, but with help from the board, I gave her something for the pain. She got back movement but can no longer drape her tail on her back. After that, she became more cautious, but was still a silly red.

Summer came and it was really hot. We don’t have AC. She stopped sleeping upstairs with us and started sleeping in or next to her enclosure downstairs, which makes sense because it’s much cooler there. She was less active, but we figured it was the heat. September came and she started sleeping in longer. She would usually be up with the sun and come upstairs to look at me until I fed her, but this September, she did not. I would wake up and bring her food and she was still sleeping. We I get ready to go to work, she usually was all over me, running up and down the stairs, but this year she was calm. When I leave for work, I call her, and give her a piece of pecan and put her back in her enclosure. When I called her she could be anywhere, but she would always come running to her enclosure and wait for the nut. This year she would be simply waiting on the sofa next to her enclosure or already in.

Also, in the fall, she usually is really moody. As a result, I lose my sweetie pie and live with a crazy red until the beginning of November. This year, nothing. She was calm. I figured she’s getting older and calmer. She turned 7 last July.

She gets fed twice a day. HHBs, vegetables, fruits, booballs. When we opened the fridge, she would rush in and try to take food from there. If I reached into a high cabinet in the kitchen, she would run up my body, on my arm and get in there to see if she could take something. This fall, not so much. But, she would still try to take food for my plate when I ate.

She stopped eating the furniture. She stopped destroying every new book I would buy. She stopped destroying every plastic thing we have in the house. She slept more and more.

And she ate fewer and fewer blocks. She lost weight. She would usually be around 220g. At her heaviest she was 266g. This fall she was 189g....I tried to change her food, try new things...then she went to 175g. I thought of MBD, so I bought calcium tablet, crushed them and sprinkled on her food. I wasn’t measuring or dosing, just sprinkling.

Last week, she became ever calmer.....way too calm for a red. I made sure there was calcium on every plate, but she wasn’t eating much. She started to sleep in her enclosure, or on top of it. The top of her enclosure is about 6 inches from the ceiling. We have lights in the ceiling, and she loves to sleep under one of them because of the heat. She started to sleep there. I put a piece of fleece for her. Friday night, she went to sleep there, and as she was rolling in the fleece, she went to the edge of the enclosure and fell about 8 feet. I moved the fleece in her enclosure and moved the enclosure so that the light would be more in the center of the enclosure top. Saturday, I brought her fresh fallen leaves and she seemed ok. Saturday evening, I was siting down on the sofa and she climbed on me and I could see that she was trying to poop, but with no success. I reached out to the board and to Nancy in NewYork, and started the MDB protocol.

Up until Wednesday morning, I was convinced I was losing her. Then she started getting better.

As I was writing this, I heard her move in her cage, and since my job is to make her eat, I went to see her to put some food, any food in front of her face. I put a piece of mango, which she loves, and she ate it.
I then put a piece of HHB...and SHE ATE IT:bliss:bliss:bliss.
When she was done, I put another piece...and SHE ATE IT TOO:bliss:bliss:bliss

Here is a picture of what made me cry with joy today!:Love_Icon

306269


My lesson learned here is if you see your squirrel slowing down, don’t assume it’s the heat or that she is getting older....it may be the heat AND she’s getting older AND MBD

Also, reach out to the people on the board as soon as you feel something is not right. There are wonderful, knowledgeable, helpful people here.

Thanks CritterMom!:hug
Thanks Nancy in New York!:hug

Also when you want an uncooperative squirrel to take her calcium, it is permitted to use any food or trick at your disposal. I tried a syringe with water and calcium (disaster), juice and calcium (disaster), chocolate ensure and calcium (disaster and very sticky squirrel), butter pecan ensure and calcium (see chocolate ensure), then, I moved to calcium and peanut butter (worked a few times), calcium and almond butter (worked better than peanut butter, but would not always eat it), tonight I tried pecan dipped in maple syrup to make the calcium stick to it....and tomorrow, if the almond butter or the maple syrup pecan don’t work, I’ll find something else!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thank you SO much Petnick for the detailed description. I know that took a lot of time but it will serve as an excellent reference to others. :thankyou

As a side note, I found that when they are resistant to eating, warming the block for a few seconds in the microwave makes it more enticing.

I'm so happy to hear that she is getting better and is eating. :w00t

[Petnick]

Thank you SO much Petnick for the detailed description. I know that took a lot of time but it will serve as an excellent reference to others. :thankyou

As a side note, I found that when they are resistant to eating, warming the block for a few seconds in the microwave makes it more enticing.

I'm so happy to hear that she is getting better and is eating. :w00t

Thanks! I’ll try it!

[Diggie's Friend]

Curious, were you perhaps including raw Brassica vegetables daily, and or raw sweet potato, or yams frequently? I ask because these vegetables raw contain a higher level of 'goitrogens' which lower the uptake of iodine to the parathyroid gland, which lowers the production of the PTH (hormone) that promotes the kidneys to produce D3. With a lowering of D3 by the body the absorption of calcium into the bloodstream lowers also. Under these conditions MBD can develop.

Another cause could have been from ingesting plastic. With the lowering of block this would also reduce both calcium and D3.

It is interesting that the higher the metabolic rate the need for D3 does not lower; 50 IU of D3 daily is noted for rats, and calcium at approximate 250 mg. You may want to ensure your squirrel gets at least 225 mg. calcium daily from the block consumed. If not and you find that feeding m ore results in obesity, then keep the block at the same level that holds the weight stable, and add in additional calcium and D3 as needed.

Like most all sources, too much is not a good thing, as is too little.

[Petnick]

Curious, were you perhaps including raw Brassica vegetables daily, and or raw sweet potato, or yams frequently? I ask because these vegetables raw contain a higher level of 'goitrogens' which lower the uptake of iodine to the parathyroid gland, which lowers the production of the PTH (hormone) that promotes the kidneys to produce D3. With a lowering of D3 by the body the absorption of calcium into the bloodstream lowers also. Under these conditions MBD can develop.

Another cause could have been from ingesting plastic. With the lowering of block this would also reduce both calcium and D3.

It is interesting that the higher the metabolic rate the need for D3 does not lower; 50 IU of D3 daily is noted for rats, and calcium at approximate 250 mg. You may want to ensure your squirrel gets at least 225 mg. calcium daily from the block consumed. If not and you find that feeding m ore results in obesity, then keep the block at the same level that holds the weight stable, and add in additional calcium and D3 as needed.

Like most all sources, too much is not a good thing, as is too little.

Thank you for your input. I would sometimes put broccoli and cauliflower on her plate, but she would rarely eat it. I did try Brussels sprouts, but she ignored them. I never fed her potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams.

At this point, she very skinny and weak and I just want her to eat. She ate blocks yesterday, but I’m not too sure about today. At this moment here are many food plates in her cage, And I’m trying everything I can think of to make her eat. Feeding her with a syringe is very difficult and stressful for her.

250 mg of calcium is what I am aiming for.

She is an extremely picky eater.

[Diggie's Friend]

I sent you a PM. feed her baked Butternut squash to fatten her up, it won't negatively impact the Ca:P ratio in the diet.

Add in organic Chia oil Foods Alive 1/32 Tsp. food grade sources.(avoid carrier oils!)

8.99 for 4 oz.bottle offered on this page:

https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Alive-Artisan-Cold-Pressed-Organic/dp/B002HQWZXA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541451806&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=foods%2Balive%2Bchia%2Boil%2B4%2Boz%2Bama zon.com&th=1

Also feed organic Pumpkin seed oil at 1/64 Tsp. daily. good source of fat soluble vitamins, and supports brain function This lasts a long, long time in the fridge; US grown organic.

https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Alive-Artisan-Cold-Pressed-Organic/dp/B002HQWZXA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541451806&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=foods%2Balive%2Bchia%2Boil%2B4%2Boz%2Bama zon.com&th=1

[SquirrelDad]

Thank you for sharing all this info! I'm glad I started treating my baby before any big signs. If you're having trouble giving calcium, I'm having a lot of success just feeding mine tums in small pieces. You'll be able to measure easily by breaking into fourths and hopefully she will eat it... Surprisingly, mine are eating the peppermint flavored ones with vigor.

[Petnick]

Merlin is gone.

I spent the evening sitting in the sofa with my sweetie between my T-shirt and my hoodie. She got up, I could see she wanted to move so brought her to her cage. She climbed a bit, but she looked weird. She ate a piece of avocado. Then she just stood there. I took her and went back to the sofa and sat down. I put her back in my hoodie, over my heart where she belongs. She slept a bit then she woke up really fast and tried to run away. It was a seizure. She died in my arms.

I am heartbroken

[TubeDriver]

:( Godspeed Merlin.


You gave Merlin a long, happy life. I am glad you were with your little friend at the very end to help her passing. :grouphug:grouphug

[CritterMom]

My heart just broke. I am just so stunned. She was doing so much better. Animals don't ramp up their eating when they are feeling badly and that is what she was doing. I am so glad she was with you. And I am so, so sorry.

[Scooterzmom]

Oh my God! I'm stunned...

I'm so, so very sorry Annick. The words can't express the sadness I feel for you and P. at this terrible loss. :Cry Merlin was a little treasure, a gem so totally unique. One in a million, and she was lucky to have you to care for her until her very last breath. I know she'll be looking out for you from now on. I know she'll be eternally grateful.


Go with the angels, sweetie. Your mom will never forget you, and she will never stop loving you. And, Merlin, please say hi to my little Timmy, if you see him at the Bridge. Tell him I miss him terribly.

[Nancy in New York]

Oh no, not our little Merlin.
I was just looking at the photos last night, that you sent me of little Merlin.
She always brought a smile to my face.

The loss of Merlin is shocking and sad beyond words.

You both were so lucky to have each other in your lives.
God knows just where to place these special babies.
She will be missed forever.
She was/is perfection.:Love_Icon


Rest in Peace
Precious little Merlin 306344

[island rehabber]

Petnick, I am so very very sorry about your loss of little Merlin. She was a long time member of our TSB family, and unique because we don't have many long-time red squirrel members. She will always be remembered here in all her glory and cuteness. :grouphug May her little spirit continue to sit on your shoulder and guard you through your days until you meet again.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh no... this just breaks my heart to see this. :sadness
Petnick I am so very sorry. Merlin was one that I remember well. What a special girl. She left this world surrounded by love... exactly the way she lived. :Love_Icon I am so sorry. :grouphug

[cava]

I am so very sorry. I've been following this thread. She was where she was loved the most. RIP, sweet gal.

[Diggie's Friend]

The seven years is remarkable long life for a red squirrel; yet no matter how long, or how short a life is,

the passing of those that have shared part of our journey is deeply felt.

No doubt she knew she was loved, and that she loved you too. :Love_Icon

Thank you for sharing her life with us here on the board.

Diggie's Friend