Healthy diet info for my paralyzed baby Sebastian

[Jeltje]

Hi all, Let me start by thanking everyone so much for helping me with my boy. I am head over heels in love💜💜 I really want to give him the BEST diet possible, no matter what it takes. (I am a bit of a “granola” as they say:grin2) I have read all of the info here, and everywhere I can find anything credible! Wow who knew these little creatures had such dietary needs! I really want to optimize his diet To keep him as healthy as possible.
He is 305 grams, about 12 weeks, back legs and tail paralyzed ( broken back).
Currently trying to wean, I won’t let him. He reluctantly consumes about 12 mL Esbilac daily. Approx 6 mL in the morning and before bed. 2 HHB.
After that he eats his HHB I give him a plate of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale, dandelion, parsley
Then later I give a couple of grapes, apple, and blueberry and 1/2 marigold
I do that twice a day.
Advice on how to tweak that. More variety/nutrition?
I am concerned about oxylates- should I stop the blueberries?
Also calcium phosphorous... stay as close to 2:1? So shoulD I not feed the veggies I am feeding?
Am I insane? :broccoli
I would also like to add some nut treats....what kind?:thinking
Would like to make him some boo balls so he can get his formula that way.
If the humans around here knew that I was obsessing so much over this they would commit me for sure. :crazy It’s good to know that this is a safe space:hug:thankyou
Thank you for any ideas or advice 💜🐿☮️

[HRT4SQRLS]

You won't be able to achieve a perfect 2:1 Calcium to Phosphorus ratio. That's why the block is so important. We keep it in mind when we make dietary choices. The biggest part of that equation is limiting the high phosphorus foods like nuts and seeds.

I would limit the fruit also. A single piece of fruit per day is adequate. The fruit sugars will lead to obesity and I read an article that stated a diet high in fruit can lead to diabetes in rodents.

Sebastian can have a single nut per day. You seem very in tune with the Ca:P ratio so you will notice that almonds have the best ratio. I believe hazelnuts are about the same. Pecans and walnuts are much less healthy in terms of calcium and phosphorus.
An occasional in-shell nut is helpful for maintaining the teeth also.

There is a lot more to the diet than just calcium and phosphorus. It is just one piece of the puzzle but granted an important one due to concerns about MBD.

Some of the other choices you can add are avocado, sugar snap peas, acorn or butternut squash. They don't have great Ca:P ratio but they do provide other nutrients in the overall diet.

I'm not aware of oxalates in blueberries ?? but most people do feed a few blueberries and they love them. I believe a lot of the greens have oxalates like spinach, collards and even kale.

[Jeltje]

Thank you for the advice. Will do with the veggies suggested! So as far as the Ca:P, should I try to keep it as close as possible. Like not a crazy difference, or is it ok if he is consuming his HHB?
And so only 1 grape a day, and that’s it, oh he is going to be upset with you:gigg
I always thought that blueberries were on the low side when it came to oxylates, but today I went on a website the spruce pet.com. I was looking for cage ideas and came across a nutrition section. They seemed to have it together as they stressed the importance of Ca:P. They had a note next to them saying high oxylates. Hhmmm typo? So much conflicting info. Ugh
I trust you and TSB before anyone. Look where ya got me so far. 💜🐿
So do you think that I should try to keep him on formula as long as possible even if it’s in a cookie, or boo ball? And should he be on one of those rodent blocks as well as the HHB? Or do I just use them for recipes? Ooh so many questions this girl has :dono.
Raising my infant humans were so much easier!!!
HRT4SQRLS WE LOVE YOU💜💜🐿☮️☮️ You are the BEST. :wiggle

[Ducksdragonfly]

I just did some double checking on oxalates by checking the reliable medical sources who treat humans who require low oxalate diets due to issues such as kidney stones. One reliable source is Cleveland clinic and according to that site raspberries are the only berries that would be of concern. While a nephrologist (kidney doc) can’t give us a list of good foods for our babies they will absolutely have good lists of foods and the oxalate range. I would certainly (and will) look at a few to see if there is any significant contradiction. Let’s not forget that human nutritional resources may have good nutritional data about foods.

[Diggie's Friend]

Though a small percentage of human populations are, 'stone formers', rats and mice have been confirmed in the last century, and tree squirrels in this century to be highly prone to stone forming when the mean urine pH produced from their diets are higher than 7.0 (neutral), or lower than 6.0) not just in a small percentage of their populations as is in humans.

All raw leafy greens, and vegetables are high in pH. To reduced the pH of raw stalked and tap root vegetables, which are also generally are higher in oxalates than calcium, boiling 20 minutes will reduce both their pH, and the level of oxalates that they contain by flushing out the insoluble oxalate (CaOx), and degrading the soluble form (oxalic acid) also.

Prolonged boiling of dense vegetables sources will also deactivate another calcium anti-nutrient known as goitrogens, that lowers iodine uptake to the parathyroid gland, which in turns lowers the PTH hormone that signals the kidneys to produce, 'Calcitriol’ (the natural form of D3 produced by the kidneys), the hormone responsible for the uptake of calcium into the bloodstream.

Immature leafy greens, that are nil in oxalates having nearly all bioavailable calcium content, include: lettuce varieties, arugula, escarole, watercress, garden cress, chicory leaf, mizuna, radicchio are too to feed. Blanching greens (1 1/2) min. is still recommend, for this reduces the otherwise very high pH of these sources that allows more by weight to be fed. Likewise this deactivates goitrogens, makes the greens more digestible which increases mineral availability, and destroyed bad bacteria.

For the heavier mature leafy greens of headed cabbages, Napa cabbage, endives, turnip greens, kale, mustard greens, Bok Choy, Pak Choy, and other Asian cabbages, boiling (5 min.) up to (10 min.) for the heaver leaves.

Lowering the alkaline pH of leafy greens and vegetables to the mid 6 range is needful to support urinary tract health, for mean urine pH greater than (7.0) (neutral) will cause calcium loss from the meal, and promote the formation of Calcium phosphate crystals (stones) in the bladder and Kidneys as a result.

Likewise, diets that falls in the 5 range, that is highly acidic, usually from feeding too many nuts, will promote the formation of Calcium oxalate kidney stones, and MBD concurrently.

Diets that promote a mean urine pH that falls within (6.2 to 6.9), not higher or lower, will inhibit the formation of urinary calculi, both in the kidneys and the bladder. pH urine testing strips are available on Amazon.com

[Diggie's Friend]

Lower for rats and tree squirrels is under 0 to 5, moderate around 10 to 15 mg., and moderately high above 15 up to 20, and over 20 up to 50 high, and over 50 extremely high. Raw vegetable sources that are generally high in oxalates should be boiled to reduce their oxalate content below 20 mg. per 100 grams. Of course this is for 100 grams by wt. the actual weight then far lower.

Most N.A. tree fruits are lower in oxalates as are ground melons, squash, pumpkins. Moderate you find most cherries and some berries, and moderately high include blackberries and raspberries up to 20 mg. . Other that are higher I don't recommend to include in the whole foods portion of the diet. ,

When it comes to nuts and seeds, these need to be limited to those sources lower in oxalates, as it supports the calcium that they have in a negative ratio to phosphorus to begin with. Soaking nuts and rubbing the skin off, then drying them in the oven on low for 18 min. reduces both oxalates and phytates, another anti-nutrient that binds up the availability of minerals in grain sources. Adding yogurt to the water to soak them in will also support reducing both oxalates and phytates.

Lowest in oxalates and closer in ratio also include: organic English Walnuts, and pecans. almonds though they have a better Calcium to phosphorus ratio have a high oxalic acid content that negates most or all of the calcium that they contain.

For the highest source of magnesium in cultivated seeds, that is also low in oxalates, pumpkin seeds have been found to provide the highest amount of magnesium by weight. They are though very high in phosphorus to calcium, so don't feed them more than a couple of seeds daily on days you don't feed other nuts. Limiting the measure for nuts to 3/4 Tsp. for the larger midsized N.A. tree squirrels, and to 1/2 Tsp. for grays in the southern region of the Midwest to eastern US.

[Diggie's Friend]

In referring to specific nuts as "lower", or "lowest" in oxalates than other nuts, this is by way of comparison of oxalate levels they have based upon human serving portion, not 100 g.wt.. This is why you will see very low, low, medium or moderate, moderately high, high, and extremely high noted by the USDA food references; also why dieticians classify foods by specific volume portion measures that are not always the same volume measures.

This has been done to support humans who are stone formers to make good daily choices in their diet so that they don't go over their daily allotment of oxalates.

[Jeltje]

Well I guess my researching days ARE NOT over! The longer I have this little boy, the more I understand how very difficult it is to have a squirrel child. My human babies were easier to take care of!!! Thank you for taking the time to share that wealth of info.
I am determined to give him only the best nutrition so to try and keep him as healthy as possible. Being paralyzed (broken back) and not being able to eliminate on his own, in my opinion constitutes even more vigilance on my part.
So glad that I found you guys! He wouldn’t be with me today had I not.
XXOO💜🐿☮️