J D MARX, Multiple Seizures - Advice ?

[RamaMama]

Over the last 5 or more days JD Marx has had multiple seizures..... mostly in the late
mornings.... but had a major one last night around midnight.

JD has had seizures since he was a baby...... it has been kept under control by giving him
Magnesium.... one drop every morning, one drop every other night......
several days after I realized the seizures were not stopping I upped his mag to
two drops per day....... THIS DOES NOT include what he gets in his HHB's and
also cal/mag added to his food.
Usually, after the seizures abated, they would ONLY be brought on by situations
which "stressed" him.

Could tell he has not felt great.... plus the extreme heat of 100 or more outside on lanai ( at times his cage being out there) has taken a toll .... but he still wanted to eat and play until this morning.... all he ate was an HHB, 1/2 a slice of apple, and half a leaf of romaine....
he just lays on his log..... usually he is very active.

THEN....... I heard a "thump" behind me...... his front end had fallen off the log..... his head
and most of his body was hanging down off the log........ I ran to him and both Stosh and I
began to talk to him.
He seemed to 'wake up' and got back up on his log to lay down again..... He seemed a bit
confused. I could not SEE that he'd had another seizure, but some thing did happen.

He has been put into a small room, in his cage, with the air-conditioning on..... he has
climbed into his cube.
Now I can't see him, but at least he won't fall to the bottom of his cage if anything else
happens.

Does any one have experience with squs having seizures and what might bring them on?
These are NOT the kind of seizure where the body shakes or trembles.... what happens
is like his brain shuts down....... like sleeping wide awake and he drools.... many times
seeing the drool smeared all down his neck, or chest when it is really bad, is the only way
I know he has seized.

He also shakes one foot when he gets excited.....

I know we make a lot of requests, but our squs are non release and are aging and they are
our children.

Thanks

[HRT4SQRLS]

Rosie, I wish I had an answer. I believe aging in general will aggravate chronic conditions but there isn’t a thing we can do about that. I wonder if the heat is the trigger. Is it possible to do his lanai time in the early morning before the heat makes things miserable. He might need to be inside the house during the heat of the day.

I don’t know if you have these in Costa Rica. Could you give him a daily almond? The almonds are the same basic idea as the magnesium but in a more natural form. If you need to, I think it’s OK to slightly increase the magnesium if it will help as long as it’s not causing loose poop. It’s pretty common for the body to build up tolerance and no longer work at a current dose.

[RamaMama]

Rosie, I wish I had an answer. I believe aging in general will aggravate chronic conditions but there isn’t a thing we can do about that. I wonder if the heat is the trigger. Is it possible to do his lanai time in the early morning before the heat makes things miserable. He might need to be inside the house during the heat of the day.

I don’t know if you have these in Costa Rica. Could you give him a daily almond? The almonds are the same basic idea as the magnesium but in a more natural form. If you need to, I think it’s OK to slightly increase the magnesium if it will help as long as it’s not causing loose poop. It’s pretty common for the body to build up tolerance and no longer work at a current dose.

I wondered about the possibility of "....building up tolerance ....."
We can get California almonds here. I don't know if they are roasted or raw, but they are
without a shell and NO SALT. Plain.

I am more than happy to give him one a day and see if he improves. Will also see about
keeping him cooler. It is noon here and 92 in our living room. non of them like it....
We are 'dripping'....... I will put the air on soon, and then bring him back in with us.
I keep checking him every 10 min..... just to be sure he is okay, as best as I can tell.

I did reach in and stroke his muzzle which was sticking out of his cage, he cried for a moment, but then relaxed. He has become quite sweet............. most of the time. Still cautious tho.
Thanks

[RamaMama]

Following the above post JD ate 1/2 of an almond.

He'd did not have any thing since late this morning......
if I touch his cube he cries a whimper....
this afternoon Stosh tried to get him to come out, he refuses.

About an hour ago I gave him a little cooked squash off a spoon with a small amount of
cal/mag added.

I just now gave him several cc of coconut water....... he needs to hydrate...
but as he was drinking it was as if he would drift off and forget to swallow. I would
talk to him and move the syringe gentle and he would rouse, but not like totally
with it.

I am greatly concerned. I spent this past year working with him and he has become
such a little sweety........ most of the time, but not enough that I can reach into
his pouch and pull him out to check him as I can with Rama and Luna.

I might have to put on Stosh's welder's gloves and pull him out........ I hate to do
that as I do not want to traumatize him.

Does any one have any suggestions as what course to take..... leave him be for the night..???
see what comes in the morning ??? Take him out? but what then...... what could I possibly
DO? since I don't know exactly what all is happening.

?????

[Chirps]

I hate to be negative, but how old is he? Is there a reason to take him out, like to give him something? If he would be comforted by being taken out, sure I guess, but it sounds like he wants to be left alone. I hate to say what that may probably mean though.

[TubeDriver]

Rosie, I would not forcibly take him out of his cube since this could agitate him and cause worse seizures.


I would continue to offer him coconut water and really anything else that he likes to eat but in the comfort of his cube where he feels safe and secure.

:grouphug






Following the above post JD ate 1/2 of an almond.

He'd did not have any thing since late this morning......
if I touch his cube he cries a whimper....
this afternoon Stosh tried to get him to come out, he refuses.

About an hour ago I gave him a little cooked squash off a spoon with a small amount of
cal/mag added.

I just now gave him several cc of coconut water....... he needs to hydrate...
but as he was drinking it was as if he would drift off and forget to swallow. I would
talk to him and move the syringe gentle and he would rouse, but not like totally
with it.

I am greatly concerned. I spent this past year working with him and he has become
such a little sweety........ most of the time, but not enough that I can reach into
his pouch and pull him out to check him as I can with Rama and Luna.

I might have to put on Stosh's welder's gloves and pull him out........ I hate to do
that as I do not want to traumatize him.

Does any one have any suggestions as what course to take..... leave him be for the night..???
see what comes in the morning ??? Take him out? but what then...... what could I possibly
DO? since I don't know exactly what all is happening.

?????

[RamaMama]

I offered JD some Boo Ball which he loves....... he perked up some... a short time
later I offered more coconut water.
this time rather than his eyes being slits and acting spaced out he grabbed the syringe
and drank readily... 6 cc's.
Later will give him water with just a touch of apple juice to hydrate him a little more; if
he will take it. Don't want to give too much coco water, don't need him to get diarrhea.

I am feeling just a little bit better.
Hope the morning will bring good news..............

JD turned 5 this past March or late Feb. That isn't too old is it...... for a squirrel?

How long can squirrels live, more or less, that keep having seizures? ? ? ? ? ? ?

[Chirps]

I offered JD some Boo Ball which he loves....... he perked up some... a short time
later I offered more coconut water.
this time rather than his eyes being slits and acting spaced out he grabbed the syringe
and drank readily... 6 cc's.
Later will give him water with just a touch of apple juice to hydrate him a little more; if
he will take it. Don't want to give too much coco water, don't need him to get diarrhea.

I am feeling just a little bit better.
Hope the morning will bring good news..............

AMEN!!!

[RamaMama]

This morning JD came out of his cube.... ate some and was active. Gave him time in a playroom
........ workmen came and started using a "blower" on the roof cleaning gutters....
I couldn't get JD into his cage fast enough. Closed the sliders to limit the sound as much as
I could.

Hope he will be okay.
So far today he seems pretty good.
:serene

[Chirps]

So good to read this! Anymore it's kind of scary to check for updates. So glad JD is feeling better! :w00t

[RamaMama]

JD seemed pretty good today considering how bad he was yesterday,
it was a frightening day.

He was moving a bit slowly late this afternoon and seemed just a bit
nervous or jumpy, but he wasn't freaking out.
Hope he stays on an even keel.

Would still like to hear how long squs usually live when they have
seizures rather often if any one has had experience with this.

I will sign off here for now unless he gets really bad again and we need direction.
There are so many who need help.
Thanks so much

[RamaMama]

JD has had several bad days..... not eating nor drinking much .... forcing him to drink....
finally a little better yesterday although did not want to eat except oatmeal.... so
he got oatmeal morning and afternoon. He was allowed out again but moving rather
slowly, a little spacey, ... and I think he is coughing? sneezing?

Today he is somewhat better. Stosh got him to come out of his nest....... he was given
homemade cooked rice cereal... and a little oatmeal....
later he ate a couple pcs of fruit.

rice cereal -- I ground up raw brown rice then cooked it into a porridge.....

I know he has problems with sugar..... can't process and probably has diabetes...

I was concerned that he was going into diabetic ketoacidosis but he does or did not
have the right symptoms......

Checked his teeth yesterday morning - for almost a week he has been rubbing his
cheeks and mouth repeatedly......... teeth were too long (we think ) so yesterday
they got trimmed.

I also wondered if he might have had a sore throat due to his not wanting or being able
to swallow......... plus he keeps snorting or sneezing off and on. ???
He ate some today, more active, but absolutely snorting or coughing.

Not sure if maybe he has a cold??? or could the teeth have caused the snorting....

We simply do not know what to think.
I weighed him today...... realized he had not been weighed since Aug 2018 yikes.

2018 his weight was around 704
Today JD weighed 665
He has lost a bit of weight over the last few days also, but he
'looks' better than he did in 2018. Not so chunky.

I hope he will continue on the upswing. Not sure if he should be on meds or see if
he continues to improve. ????

( I have not been on here much of late due to multiple on going migraines over the past week -
still dealing )