Pinky with pneumonia

[Animal Lover]

Hi. Last night I took in a 3 day old pinkie brought in by the finder's dog. He wasn't punctured or noticeably injured, was moving and squeaking but was clicking breathing in and out (pneumonia was my guess). I have both SMZ and Baytril on hand. Did not know which was better or what the correct dose would be - or if you could even give a baby so tiny any meds at all? I couldn't get to the forum as my password was incorrect and wasn't reset until this AM. I Googled it and couldn't find anything specific to meds and pinkies. I finally got a hold of a Vet Tech friend that wasn't sure if he could be dosed either but at that point she said his prognosis wasn't good and it couldn't hurt to try. I opted for SMZ as its a bit milder than Baytril and just dunked the top of the cannula filled with formula in the SMZ liquid. He did drink a little formula but by the 9:00 PM feeding he was gone. Can someone please tell me what I should do about dosing a pinkie or what I could have done differently to save him in case I ever run into this situation again? Thanks a lot.

[island rehabber]

I am so sorry your little one didn't survive. Bless you for trying.
Honestly, given my experience with pinkies I believe he was too far gone with pneumonia to save. I would be happy to write more about it but I'm at work right now.

[Animal Lover]

Yes please. Any information to help me help them better is most greatly appreciated!

[island rehabber]

Yes please. Any information to help me help them better is most greatly appreciated!

Here is the handout from a presentation on pinkies I gave at one of our Gathering of Nuts years ago. It may have a few things that have been tweaked since, but I think it's got the basics for anyone new to rehabbing pinky squirrels.:)


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4fU88wUkyk1TVZtby1MelRTaW1jNmxZbWhRVXFIQQ/view

[Animal Lover]

Thank you very much. This is a great help!

[CritterMom]

Thank you very much. This is a great help!

Please note: The Fox Valley 32/40 referenced here has undergone a formulation change since this presentation was written and we no longer recommend it for pinkies or babies. Pinkies should be on Esbilac with pre andprobiotics - the powder, not the premixed stuff in the can. After 6 weeks or so, you may want to transition them to part or all Fox Valley 20/50. It does not seem to have the issues that the 32/40 does now.

[SammysMom]

Also possible is internal injury from the dog. Unlike cats, the injury caused most by dogs is more of a crushing injury or also shaking. Either of these can leave a baby looking ok on the outside, but not at all ok on the inside.
Thank you for showing the little one love and comfort in the end. :Love_Icon
Godspeed sweet innocent...:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[island rehabber]

Please note: The Fox Valley 32/40 referenced here has undergone a formulation change since this presentation was written and we no longer recommend it for pinkies or babies. Pinkies should be on Esbilac with pre andprobiotics - the powder, not the premixed stuff in the can. After 6 weeks or so, you may want to transition them to part or all Fox Valley 20/50. It does not seem to have the issues that the 32/40 does now.

Thanks, CritterMom -- exactly right. Also I should add that there's no need to get opossum attachment nipples anymore; we have The Miracle Nipple, regular and mini-sized, and they are.....a miracle! Order through henryspets.com.

[Animal Lover]

Also possible is internal injury from the dog. Unlike cats, the injury caused most by dogs is more of a crushing injury or also shaking. Either of these can leave a baby looking ok on the outside, but not at all ok on the inside.
Thank you for showing the little one love and comfort in the end. :Love_Icon
Godspeed sweet innocent...:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

Thank you ❤

[Animal Lover]

I have looked at the Pinky presentation and would love to download it for my reference. The file is locked for printing or downloading. Could you please send me a printable version to my email? kerriperucki@yahoo.com. Thanks!:w00t