Possible aspiration...

[JFay]

Hello everyone. I have a baby squirrel he weights 90 grams. We are unsure how old he is. We found him 4 days ago when our dog saved him from a hawk. Luckily I have esbilac on hand. I did not give him any esbilac the first 24 hours I only gave him sugar and saltwater, then the next day I started the esbilac 3 Parts water 1 part formula. I have fed him very slow and I'm not even sure if he has aspiration he's still eating and drinking like crazy however he kinda bubbles up at the mouth every once in awhile. I dont hear ANY clicking noises and he isn't lethargic, if you put him down he will walk around but he sleeps alot. I'm really worried about the aspirating problem. Unfortunately we live so far from the city about 31/2 hours I tried to have a rehabilitator come get him but with Covid I can't seem to get through to anyone. I do have Amoxicillin 500 capsules but I am unsure of a dose for a little squirrel and like I said idk if he's actually aspirating but on the odd chance he starts showing signs I'd like to know what to do! Any help would be great!

[JFay]

Hello everyone. I have a baby squirrel he weights 90 grams. We are unsure how old he is. We found him 4 days ago when our dog saved him from a hawk. Luckily I have esbilac on hand. I did not give him any esbilac the first 24 hours I only gave him sugar and saltwater, then the next day I started the esbilac 3 Parts water 1 part formula. I have fed him very slow and I'm not even sure if he has aspiration he's still eating and drinking like crazy however he kinda bubbles up at the mouth every once in awhile. I dont hear ANY clicking noises and he isn't lethargic, if you put him down he will walk around but he sleeps alot. I'm really worried about the aspirating problem. Unfortunately we live so far from the city about 31/2 hours I tried to have a rehabilitator come get him but with Covid I can't seem to get through to anyone. I do have Amoxicillin 500 capsules but I am unsure of a dose for a little squirrel and like I said idk if he's actually aspirating but on the odd chance he starts showing signs I'd like to know what to do! Any help would be great.

[Spanky]

Hello everyone. I have a baby squirrel he weights 90 grams. We are unsure how old he is. We found him 4 days ago when our dog saved him from a hawk. Luckily I have esbilac on hand. I did not give him any esbilac the first 24 hours I only gave him sugar and saltwater, then the next day I started the esbilac 3 Parts water 1 part formula. I have fed him very slow and I'm not even sure if he has aspiration he's still eating and drinking like crazy however he kinda bubbles up at the mouth every once in awhile. I dont hear ANY clicking noises and he isn't lethargic, if you put him down he will walk around but he sleeps alot. I'm really worried about the aspirating problem. Unfortunately we live so far from the city about 31/2 hours I tried to have a rehabilitator come get him but with Covid I can't seem to get through to anyone. I do have Amoxicillin 500 capsules but I am unsure of a dose for a little squirrel and like I said idk if he's actually aspirating but on the odd chance he starts showing signs I'd like to know what to do! Any help would be great.

I'd recommend using a 1ml syringe for feeding, this is the best way to avoid aspirating the baby. The larger the syringe, the greater the risk. You can use a 3ml syringe once he is 120gram or more... when YOU are comfy with that.

If he starts clicking / looses appetite / becomes very lethargic, come back post his current weight and someone will help with dosing.

While amoxicillin is better than nothing, it is not very effective on Aspiration Pneumonia so the best thing you can do right now is try to locate Cipro or Augmentin. Check the cabinets, call family friends and neighbors. You need only 1 pill.. always a great idea to have on hand since AP will take them down within hours.

[Mel1959]

Sorry your thread got overlooked. How’s the baby doing? Do you hear any clicking? Sometimes they’ll snort milk while they’re eating. This does not mean they’ve aspirated. I tip them in a head down position and wipe their nose when it happens.

If your baby isn’t clicking you don’t need antibiotics. Hold the baby up to your ear like a phone to determine if it’s clicking with each breath. Let us know how things are going.

[Spanky]

I merged the duplicate threads for this squirrel so everything is together... :thumbsup

[JFay]

Hi everyone thank you so much for replying. I'm so happy to inform everyone that Skippy is GREAT! It wasnt aspiration at all he was really dehydrated the tap water here is horrible so I went and got some Pedialyte after a couple hours of Pedialyte he perked right up back to normal. He's eating great he's drinking great he's pooping and peeing great he's playing like crazy! I also figured out that he needs 20 minutes a day of direct sunlight which I didn't know. He is doing fantastic now. Got him some rodent blocks he loves them, loves Apple's too... Thank you everyone for all your help! Skippy thanks you as well... 😊😊😊

[Spanky]

I also figured out that he needs 20 minutes a day of direct sunlight which I didn't know.

It does not have to be direct sunlight, and be very, very careful because squirrels can easily overheat and get sunstroke in direct sunlight especially in the heat of summer... ALWAYS make sure the squirrel has access to water and can retreat to shade whenever they (or their cage) are placed in the sunlight.

[JFay]

I dont put him directly in the sun. He sits with me on my deck under the awning. Quick question... He's fully hydrated now with Pedialyte for 24 hours he passed the pitch test so can he go to regular spring water now?

[Spanky]

I dont put him directly in the sun. He sits with me on my deck under the awning.

:thumbsup


Quick question... He's fully hydrated now with Pedialyte for 24 hours he passed the pitch test so can he go to regular spring water now?

Yes, the pedialyte should be stopped after 24 hours and (spring) water can continue to be given between formula feedings if needed.

[CritterMom]

Yes, absolutely. We normally don't like giving pedialyte for more than 24 hours.

[JFay]

Hey guys, so I'm pretty sure Skippy started the clicking noise which I'm at a loss for how exactly. I have fed him pretty much 1cc at a time super slow and at no point did any fluid ever bubble out of his nose he also is breathing at a semi fast pace. Ive called every vet within driving distance no one has a wildlife license so they pretty much told me I'm on my own, one lady even called him a rodent which really upset me. Literally the only antibiotic I have is Amoxicillin Trihydrate 500mg capsules. I've literally called every friend within driving distance to ask them if they had any Bactrim with no luck. I cannot order the Baytril offline because I'm in Canada and you have to have a license here to get Baytril. I dont know what to do any help would be great!

[Mel1959]

You will need to post the strength of the medicine and the weight of the squirrel for someone to provide proper dosing.

[Spanky]

If he starts clicking / looses appetite / becomes very lethargic, come back post his current weight and someone will help with dosing.

I sent dosing for a 105gram squirrel, if this is way off you must update us with the weight information in order for us to provide proper dosing.


While amoxicillin is better than nothing, it is not very effective on Aspiration Pneumonia so the best thing you can do right now is try to locate Cipro or Augmentin. Check the cabinets, call family friends and neighbors. You need only 1 pill.. always a great idea to have on hand since AP will take them down within hours.


I've literally called every friend within driving distance to ask them if they had any Bactrim with no luck. I cannot order the Baytril offline because I'm in Canada and you have to have a license here to get Baytril. I don't know what to do any help would be great!

Ask folks if they have Augmentin or Cipro, which in addition to Bactrim and Baytril are effective for treating AP.

You can also buy Baytril from All Bird Products.... I bought some just to test buying from them. My purchase was made on the 1st of September and arrived September 5. The 3rd & 4th was a weekend, I had it sent first class. Using Priority mail I expect it would have been here in 2 days or less.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-2-5

Edit: I also liked that after I added Baytril to my cart and selecting check-out the site suggested the use of pro-biotics with Baytril... and of course offering to sell me some. :thumbsup

[Spanky]

Hey guys, so I'm pretty sure Skippy started the clicking noise which I'm at a loss for how exactly. I have fed him pretty much 1cc at a time super slow and at no point did any fluid ever bubble out of his nose he also is breathing at a semi fast pace. Ive called every vet within driving distance no one has a wildlife license so they pretty much told me I'm on my own, one lady even called him a rodent which really upset me. Literally the only antibiotic I have is Amoxicillin Trihydrate 500mg capsules. I've literally called every friend within driving distance to ask them if they had any Bactrim with no luck. I cannot order the Baytril offline because I'm in Canada and you have to have a license here to get Baytril. I dont know what to do any help would be great!

If they have AP, almost all of the time they will click constantly. They cannot not click. The click originates in their chest... so if you hold them to your ear like a phone and you can usually hear the AP click in their chest. Often you will hear a rattling raspiness... sort of like the sound Rice Crispy makes in milk?

Also, most baby squirrels will "click" after eating... this is a different "click" from the AP click and typically will go away 30 minutes or so after eating (drinking). This "click" is more of a nasal click.

If you listen to them breathing while they are sound asleep and there is a persistent clicking, good chance that is AP.

If you want to be prepared, order some Baytril now so you have it IF and when your baby needs it. Even if you have started the Amoxil, switching to Baytril when it arrives would be a good idea IMO.

Other signs of AP include lethargy (but hard to know with babies since they already sleep so much) and loss of appetite.