HELP NEEDED FOR RESPIRATORY ISSUES

[animo]

Good evening everybody and thank you for admitting me to your forum.

Animo has contracted respiratory issues. He is wheezing and has difficulties breathing. In our area, it is impossible to get him to an animal hospital. We have spent hours on the phone. We would need urgently some antibiotics but there is no prescription without a vet seeing him. It's a catch 22. Does anybody know how to get a prescription in this case?
Thank you very much,
best,
Animo

[CritterMom]

Check your own medicine cabinet and call friends and family and have them do the same. You are looking for leftover antibiotics for HUMANS. Cipro (ciprofloxacin) would be good, but find out EVERYTHING you can get, write the full name and pill size in milligrams and come back here and list them. If you can find anything that will work, we can give you instructions on how to properly dose your baby.

We will need to know the weight of your squirrel to do this. YOU will need a 1cc syringe with clear markings to administer it (no needle).

[animo]

Check your own medicine cabinet and call friends and family and have them do the same. You are looking for leftover antibiotics for HUMANS. Cipro (ciprofloxacin) would be good, but find out EVERYTHING you can get, write the full name and pill size in milligrams and come back here and list them. If you can find anything that will work, we can give you instructions on how to properly dose your baby.

We will need to know the weight of your squirrel to do this. YOU will need a 1cc syringe with clear markings to administer it (no needle).

Thank you so much for your prompt response. We have found Doxycycline 100mg. Animo weighs 700 grams. We have the syringe. Is it ok to give him albuterol through

[stepnstone]

I will send you breakdown and dosing to your private messages...
What is the approx age of this squirrel?

[animo]

6 years old approximately. We rescued him being months old and had no problems until now.

[stepnstone]

Animo has contracted respiratory issues. He is wheezing and has difficulties breathing. In our area, it is impossible to get him to an animal hospital.


6 years old approximately. We rescued him being months old and had no problems until now.

The underline comments throw up a red flag, particularly with an older squirrel.
The first thought is often fluid in the lungs (aspiration pneumonia) get them on an antibiotic.
With an older squirrel these are often the symptoms of teeth issues that are interfering with the sinus.

Sometimes it can be related to a diet that has been deficient in calcium.

Sometimes it can be related to an allergy to something in the squirrel's environment.

Having a better idea of what could be causing this could give one a better idea of what one is attempting to treat
so it can be addressed and treated properly. Each symptom listed above would be treated under a different protocol
or with a more suited antibiotic.

The first thing I would suggest to do is to check the squirrel's teeth/incisors. Do they line up top to bottom, are they too long,
are they short. (not growing) Do they exhibit the reddish orange coating on them?

What is the diet fed on a daily basics, how many nuts does the squirrel get?

With allergy we look at has anything changed in it's environment? Use of air freshener, different pan lining, wood chips, etc.
Even certain tree branches put in a cage can cause some squirrels to have an allergic reaction to them.
Change in laundry detergent, that sort of thing.

I have never heard of Albuteral use on a squirrel and would not suggest it's use without consulting with a veterinarian.

[animo]

Thank you so much for your input.

We are on the second day of antibiotic use. He accepts it very well and we will continue to administer it.

We checked his front teeth and they are short. We were already concerned about that. But they line up. How can we incorporate more calcium into his diet? The teeth have a reddish-orange coating.

He gets as many nuts as he wants. He usually has one walnut, one hazelnut, several pistachios, and pecans every day. Additionally, he has sunflower seeds. He gets a lot of vegetables and fruits too.

Concerning the allergies, we have not changed anything in his environment. We think it might have been triggered by fumes in the garage. He is very active and curious and rooms around the whole house. We don't allow him anymore in the garage. He has plenty of space to run in the house, he still is in very good spirits, eats a lot, but gets out of breath fast.

If it is aspiration pneumonia is the antibiotic treatment sufficient to cure it?

Thank you so much for your time and your support!

[CritterMom]

I don't mean to be dramatic sounding, but his diet is quite literally the kiss of death for a squirrel. Nuts should be used as a TREAT only. Like one a day at most. Sunflower seeds are so bad that most of us don't feed them at all.

Squirrels need a fair amount of calcium. Nuts are very low in calcium. Squirrels should NOT have a lot of phosphorus. Nuts have TONS of phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have even more. A diet high in phosphorus and low in calcium will result in the development of metabolic bone disease. The body, reacting to the lack of calcium which it needs, will begin leaching it from the bones. It causes the muscles to be unable to contract and work correctly, too. The skeleton becomes increasingly frail, the muscles won't work, paralysis sets in, and they die... It is one of the biggest issues we squirrel folk see here. This baby needs a diet change, stat.

The easiest way to get what they need into them is to replace the nuts in the diet with these: https://www.henryspets.com/diets/ The first three items are what you want, and most squirrels prefer the hazelnut and the Picky Bites. "But wait, crazy squirrel person. Hazelnuts ARE nuts!" Healthy food is only healthy if the animal will actually EAT it. These all have nuts baked into them for that reason - and the calcium to phosphorus ratio is corrected with the addition of calcium to the recipe, so they taste good.

The person who came up with these and owns Henry's is a long time TSB member. Henry was her squirrel. The need for a squirrel dedicated food that was tasty AND had the calcium ratio necessary prompted the development of them. 2-3 blocks per day plus healthy vegetables, limited fruit, and VERY limited treats gives them pretty much what they need.

Squirrels do eat nuts in the wild, but nuts are only available to them for short periods each year. The rest of the year they are eating all manner of other foods.

For the sake of your baby, please address this right now. It is obvious that you love him.

PS: The Henry's food has NO preservatives. When you get them, put them in the freezer and store them there. I take 2 or 3 days worth out and keep them in a container in the refrigerator side. No preservatives also means you need to make sure your squirrel isn't stashing them to possibly eat much later. They WILL go bad left out for long periods.

[stepnstone]

The above post is not "dramatic sounding," it's a spoken truth! That "diet" will eventually kill your squirrel!

A squirrel has a high calcium requirement for it's nutritional intake...
One may see a squirrel sit at a bird feeder or other source pigging out on nuts and seeds. What most captive squirrel keepers don't understand and /or don't take in consideration is that a squirrel in the wild with it's natural instincts eat a virarty of many things in the wild from bark, insects, assorted leaves, berries, dirt, etc. They even chew on types of stones for the minerals in them. They know/learn what to eat and how to eat to balance their nutritional requirements. In captivity we have to balance those requirements with what we know and how to feed. The most important food source for a squirrel in captivity once it has weaned is a good quality rodent block which should be the first solid food introduced.

" A diet high in phosphorus and low in calcium will result in the development of metabolic bone disease. The body, reacting to the lack of calcium which it needs, will begin leaching it from the bones. It causes the muscles to be unable to contract and work correctly, too. The skeleton becomes increasingly frail, the muscles won't work, paralysis sets in, and they die... It is one of the biggest issues we squirrel folk see here. This baby needs a diet change, stat."

This mineral is also required for nerve and hormone function, and blood pressure regulation.
Another serious symptom of calcium deficiency: Respiratory or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, labored breathing, wheezing. Sound familure...

Considering the diet, there is not much doubt in my mind there is a calcium deficiency!
Although your squirrel has not (to our knowledge) shown the usual symptom of mbd that we often see, there is no doubt in my mind there is a calcium deficiency!
I'm going to post the link below for the mbd protocol and suggest you get him on it asap to get his calcium levels up. It may or may not repair six years of damage but it definitely will assist in his quality of health.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?17680-Emergency-Treatment-for-MBD-(Updated-3-31-09)

[animo]

Thank you so much for your responses and we apologize for our ignorance. We will address his nutrition immediately. Animo came to us when he was a baby and he would have died of thirst, maggots, and malnutrition that next day. We have had him so many years not knowing we were doing wrong. We hope it is not too late.

[animo]

Do we stop the doxy treatment?

[CritterMom]

Do we stop the doxy treatment?

This is so terribly common. People just naturally associate seeds and nuts with squirrels.

I would give him the full course of the doxy, since we really have no way to tell whether he is actually ill or if this is associated with the diet.

Did you read the MBD protocol? Starting that would be a good idea. Lots of squirrels actually LIKE the fruit flavored Tums (don't get peppermint - rodents hate it) so you can just break bits off and hand it to them. If not, crushing it and hiding it in food will work, too.

[animo]

We just bought three types of blocks and MBD treatment. We are also giving him 600mg of Calcium crashed in juice. We hope he gets used to the blocks because he is a picky eater.

Are tomatoes bad? Which vegetables are best?

Thanks again.

[animo]

This is so terribly common. People just naturally associate seeds and nuts with squirrels.

I would give him the full course of the doxy, since we really have no way to tell whether he is actually ill or if this is associated with the diet.

Did you read the MBD protocol? Starting that would be a good idea. Lots of squirrels actually LIKE the fruit flavored Tums (don't get peppermint - rodents hate it) so you can just break bits off and hand it to them. If not, crushing it and hiding it in food will work, too.

Yes, we read the protocol and started it. Thank you.

[CritterMom]

Just don't lose your mind! There is a HUGE, nearly unavoidable temptation to go way the other direction and stuff more calcium into them that you should! The easiest way to determine the amount is to keep an eye on his poops. If they begin to look almost like they have been dusted with powdered sugar, you are seeing unused calcium being leeched out. That is a sign to start reducing the amount you give him. If it isn't being utilized by the body there is no reason for him to have it. Once you get the Henry's food, you will be able to further decrease the additional calcium you are giving him. TWO of the blocks contain approximately 275mg of calcium providing the squirrel eats ALL of them. Which of course they don't - lots of crumbs, etc left. I would guesstimate that two blocks eaten by a normal, messy squirrel will provide about 200mg of calcium.

[Mel1959]

We just bought three types of blocks and MBD treatment. We are also giving him 600mg of Calcium crashed in juice. We hope he gets used to the blocks because he is a picky eater.

Are tomatoes bad? Which vegetables are best?

Thanks again.

Most of us know exactly how frustrating it is to deal with a picky eater whether they be kids, reptiles or squirrels. :grin3 The best way I’ve found to deal with it is to offer a WIDE variety of veggies because you never know what your little one will like. Case in point….chayote squash are listed as an acceptable vegetable. I have tried them with every squirrel I’ve rehabbed (which isn’t a ton) but not a single one would eat it. However, I have read posts on numerous occasions where someone’s squirrel adores it….go figure?! I’m attaching the link for the Healthy Diet for Squirrels. It lists all sorts of veggies and fruits that are healthy. :grin2 https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[CritterMom]

After this point, please divide the calcium into multiple small amounts instead of one big one. He will just pee most of it out.

[animo]

Most of us know exactly how frustrating it is to deal with a picky eater whether they be kids, reptiles or squirrels. :grin3 The best way I’ve found to deal with it is to offer a WIDE variety of veggies because you never know what your little one will like. Case in point….chayote squash are listed as an acceptable vegetable. I have tried them with every squirrel I’ve rehabbed (which isn’t a ton) but not a single one would eat it. However, I have read posts on numerous occasions where someone’s squirrel adores it….go figure?! I’m attaching the link for the Healthy Diet for Squirrels. It lists all sorts of veggies and fruits that are healthy. :grin2 https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

This was so helpful!! I wish I had known this before.

[animo]

After this point, please divide the calcium into multiple small amounts instead of one big one. He will just pee most of it out.

That is what we are doing. Of course, he doesn't want to take it. But we are administering it little by little.
Thank you so much again for all your advice.

[Mel1959]

That is what we are doing. Of course, he doesn't want to take it. But we are administering it little by little.
Thank you so much again for all your advice.

Try mixing the calcium with a little Nutella or almond butter. Crittermom says her squirrels love Nutella…I’ve never tried it. :dono. Some folks take the full daily dose and mix it with something like that and then divide that into 4 or 5 smaller single serve balls to feed. I know it’s hard to dose a squirrel with anything so experiment. Most squirrels love avocado (no skin or pit) so that might also be a way to conceal the calcium.

[animo]

We give him vitamin D with Nutella. For the calcium, we have diluted 600 mg in his water and he is drinking it. He learned soon about the syringe and he does not want to see it. We don't want to do it when he sleeps.
I think he sounds much better, but it is going to take him a while to adapt to a new diet.

[Charley Chuckles]

We give him vitamin D with Nutella. For the calcium, we have diluted 600 mg in his water and he is drinking it. He learned soon about the syringe and he does not want to see it. We don't want to do it when he sleeps.
I think he sounds much better, but it is going to take him a while to adapt to a new diet.

Just a thought on the syringe, have you tried the burrito method? Take a small blanket, piece of fleece whatever works best for you....wrap him up completely even cover his eyes, just enough to be able to get to his mouth, then you have the control.
This may take two people.
First when you wrap him hold him awhile to reassure him your just loving him 😉
The burrito method has worked for many and don't give up if it doesn't work the first time and he wiggles out 👍

[CritterMom]

We give him vitamin D with Nutella. For the calcium, we have diluted 600 mg in his water and he is drinking it. He learned soon about the syringe and he does not want to see it. We don't want to do it when he sleeps.
I think he sounds much better, but it is going to take him a while to adapt to a new diet.

PLEASE be very careful with the vitamin D, and once he starts eating the Henry's stop it all together. The reason we recommend using Tums instead of calcium supplements for humans is because the amount of D in the human supplements is way too much for a squirrel. It was actually used as a rodenticide at one time! They need it, but not in nearly the amounts that are safe for us. The Henry's has what they need. I would honestly drop the D and use the nutella for the calcium if I were you, since he likely isn't getting much from the water (it precipitates out - calcium doesn't dissolve well). And as any chemistry major will tell you, "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate!"