Need a squirrel safe vet recommendation in Washington State

[fernthesquirrel]

Hello Squirrel loving friends,

Long time lurker, first time poster on this wonderful and helpful message board. I am overwintering a squirrel who we found in August as a baby in our yard. She has been healthy and active for months but suddenly seems to have persistent diarrhea that will not go away with probiotics and such. She is still behaving fairly normally but I am very worried that she will deteriorate and want to find a squirrel friendly vet (squirrels are illegal to keep in wa state) to prescribe antibiotics or other medication. If anyone know of any please let me know. Also any recommendations on home care in the meantime would be wonderful.

Her normal diet consists of fresh veggies from the safe squirrel list at henrys, henry healthy blocks (2x per day) and harlan teklad 2018 rodent blocks

Fern the squirrel and I thank you for your assistance in this time of crisis!

[CritterMom]

I sent you info on a WA State rehabber who may be able to help you. In the meantime, some questions:

How long has the diarrhea been going on? Is the squirrel kept caged or could she have gotten into something in her environment to make her sick? Do you clean out her food stashes regularly? They can stash and eat things that have gone bad and get sick just like a human would.

Have you tried anything other than probiotics? You can give them Pepto Bismol, immodium, and Kaopectate - we would need her weight to give you an accurate dose.

Very important with diarrhea is to push hydration constantly, even if you have to do so by syringe.

[fernthesquirrel]

Thank you for the private message and this reply.

She has had diarrhea for maybe 5 days? It seemed like it was getting better but now seems to be getting worse again.

She is kept in a 2 level critter nation cage but gets out of cage playtime daily under supervision. We do clean out her stashes but I suspect she may have gotten some old avocado she will even stash that around the room when she is out playing.

We have not tried any medications just probiotics mixed into a boo-ball and cut out avocado and fruit and other things that I thought might make it worse. I can try to get a weight on her but she is not terribly cooperative with being weighed anymore.

What would you suggest for rehydration at this stage and how often?

[CritterMom]

For rehydration you can use pedialyte if you have some, plain water or water with a little touch of honey or sugar just to make it more attractive to her. Warm it up like formula.

Is she a gray squirrel or a foxer? Even an approximate weight will do.

[fernthesquirrel]

She is a eastern grey squirrel and we just did a weight on her and she is approximately 640 grams

[CritterMom]

Do you have regular Pepto, Kaopectate, or Imodium?

[fernthesquirrel]

Do you have regular Pepto, Kaopectate, or Imodium?

I don't but can get any of those that you think is best. I assume liquid is the way to go?

[CritterMom]

I don't but can get any of those that you think is best. I assume liquid is the way to go?

Yup. I prefer Pepto - I have had really good luck with it and it is super gentle. I will dose it in a PM, but this is how it works. If this squirrel is an indoor baby and not outside where she could get into contaminated water and parasites, a lot of time they eat something bad, get the runs, and by the time whatever makes them sick is out of their system, their digestive tract has been so inflamed from the diarrhea that it just keeps going and going. The pepto (and kaopectate works the same way) actually has claylike ingredients that mix with the excess water in the gut from the diarrhea and s-l-o-w down the passage through the gut, which allows it some time for the inflammation to calm down.

Pepto has bismuth in it and bismuth will make the poop really dark - sometimes almost black - nothing is wrong, and it is actually helpful. Once you start seeing dark poops you know it has run all the way through and that is about the time you want to start watching for a change in texture. Technically you can give it 4 times a day but I prefer to time how long it takes to go through the squirrel and use that time as your time between doses. Once you see it forming into actual poops, stop the pepto and usually within a half day or so things go back to normal. Food mostly blocks and go easy on the veggies and fruit until you see normal poops. If you have given 4 doses and seen no improvement, you may have something else going on that may require vet help.

[island rehabber]

fernthesquirrel, please forgive me for the following question: is the poop yellow/mustard in color and toothpastey in texture? Is there a sickeningly sweet smell? could be coccidia, a common parasite that must be treated with totrazuril...

OR...

Is it grayish green and oily and smells like death? That's giardia, also must be treated with meds.

OR

Is it whiteish in color? That can be overfeeding of formula.

[fernthesquirrel]

fernthesquirrel, please forgive me for the following question: is the poop yellow/mustard in color and toothpastey in texture? Is there a sickeningly sweet smell? could be coccidia, a common parasite that must be treated with totrazuril...

OR...

Is it grayish green and oily and smells like death? That's giardia, also must be treated with meds.

OR

Is it whiteish in color? That can be overfeeding of formula.

I would say it is more brown/tan yellowish toothpastey in texture yes and perhaps a bit of a sweetish smell. It is not green or oily but there is quite a bit of mucus with it. The pepto doesn't seem to be doing a whole lot but she also is very resistant to taking it. On the bright side she seems to adore strawberry flavored pedialyte and has been happily accepting that several times a day.

Do you think I should continue with probiotics? Should I try to put a little bit of tablet pepto into a boo ball? I have cut out veggies and fruits entirely right now and am just feeding her HHB (3 per day) and the harlan teklad 2018. Are there any veggies that will help her tummy?

She was born last July I think and is no longer having formula but I do mix a bit of fox valley into boo balls if I make them for her. She still is behaving pretty normally but this persistent diarrhea is so sad :(. I just want her to be healthy again we are so close to spring and being able to set her free!! We love her so much...

[Spanky]

I would say it is more brown/tan yellowish toothpastey in texture yes and perhaps a bit of a sweetish smell. It is not green or oily but there is quite a bit of mucus with it. The pepto doesn't seem to be doing a whole lot but she also is very resistant to taking it. On the bright side she seems to adore strawberry flavored pedialyte and has been happily accepting that several times a day.

I'd treat her with medications... Panacur, Metronidazole, Sulatrim (TMP/SMZ). I have had a group of four fall 2021 babies (siblings) squirrels and a singleton from fall 2021 that only Metro was able to successfully treat (FWIW).

Can you post some pictures of the Poo? I know, gross.. but it is what we do here... :yuck


Do you think I should continue with probiotics? Should I try to put a little bit of tablet pepto into a boo ball? I have cut out veggies and fruits entirely right now and am just feeding her HHB (3 per day) and the harlan teklad 2018. Are there any veggies that will help her tummy?

Pepto can help with the symptoms but there seems something more that requires treatment (hence the suggestion of meds). Pumpkin can help (plain canned pumpkin, no the pumpkin pie mix), Sweet Potatoes and ripe banana. Again these may help the diarrhea but not the underlying cause for it.

[fernthesquirrel]

I'd treat her with medications... Panacur, Metronidazole, Sulatrim (TMP/SMZ). I have had a group of four fall 2021 babies (siblings) squirrels and a singleton from fall 2021 that only Metro was able to successfully treat (FWIW).

Can you post some pictures of the Poo? I know, gross.. but it is what we do here... :yuck



Pepto can help with the symptoms but there seems something more that requires treatment (hence the suggestion of meds). Pumpkin can help (plain canned pumpkin, no the pumpkin pie mix), Sweet Potatoes and ripe banana. Again these may help the diarrhea but not the underlying cause for it.

I will take a picture of the poop. In the meantime, I do have panacur but not the other two you mentioned. This one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028ZLD6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any idea what dose to give for a 640 gram eastern grey? If I needed to try those other medications where could I get them?

Thank you for your help!!

[Spanky]

I sent dosing instructions for the Panacur in a PM. Metro and Sulfaprim (AKA BActrim) are prescription meds, so you'd have to have a connection or find family/friends/neighbors that might have pill they'd share. Or vet that will help?

I'd really like you to post the poo pics... I have had kids with gut issues in the past 6 months with gut issues that I had never seen previously and only Metro resolved. I lost one little girl (and I still beat myself up about it almost daily) but was blessed that the metro saved her 3 siblings... that experience helped me later save another older squirrel that came to me with presenting the same symptoms. The pics will help me know if this is the same issue... I have had other rehabbers contact me encountering similar situations... I hope this is not something new we'll have to deal with routinely...

[fernthesquirrel]

Thank you to everyone who reached out to help and replied to this thread. Thanks to TSB I have been able to give Fern metro for 6 days now and her poop is back to normal and she is fired up with young, healthy squirrel energy again. I am really over the moon that she is feeling better and it is thanks to all of you caring, delightful people. :grin2

[Spanky]

Great news! :bliss

As I said, I have had a few squirrels (a litter of 4 and 1 adolescent) that were brought to me the past few months with unrelenting diarrhea and weight loss which only the metro resolved! I know I am repeating myself, but my hope is others will see this and if their squirrels are not responding to panacur (or whatever), don't wait too long, get them on metro!

[fernthesquirrel]

Great news! :bliss

As I said, I have had a few squirrels (a litter of 4 and 1 adolescent) that were brought to me the past few months with unrelenting diarrhea and weight loss which only the metro resolved! I know I am repeating myself, but my hope is others will see this and if their squirrels are not responding to panacur (or whatever), don't wait too long, get them on metro!

Fern has gotten quite a bit thinner I think over the course of her illness. Is there a healthy way to fatten her back up?

[Spanky]

Fern has gotten quite a bit thinner I think over the course of her illness. Is there a healthy way to fatten her back up?

The ones I have treated had loss a great deal of weight too. But after treatment they all had great weight gain and returned to a healthy weight after a few weeks without anything special for their diet. If she takes formula, you can add Fox Valley Ultra-boost (or full fat yogurt or heavy cream)... and / or feed her things like avocado and broccoli. Some folks on TSB feed "cheesy eggs" so you might see if that is something she shows interest in...

[CritterMom]

If you feed avocado, only give her the meat - no skin and no pit, and don't leave those where she can get into them. There is a toxin in the skin and pit.