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View Full Version : Baby Eastern Gray has Pneumonia.



Fuzzy_Fae
06-14-2022, 09:25 PM
I've been helping take care of a litter of squirrels, aged (our estimate) 6 or 7 weeks old, and a girl ended up imprinting hard on me. So I've been keeping Fae healthy and happy, until today. She was active as normal and ate in the morning, but was making a clicking with her breathing. After her second feeding of the day, (which she did not eat as much as usual) she was very lethargic and just wanted to ride on my shoulder and hold to my neck, heat conserving. So after a while of clicking and increasing lethargy, I treated her with amoxicillin.

I've never treated a squirrel for pneumonia, so I'm looking for some experiences answers on what else to look for, what to expect for either recovery or further decline, and anything else I should know. She is now napping and I'm keeping her close and warm, all advice appreciated, and please pray for my furry friend's recovery .

Spanky
06-14-2022, 10:06 PM
If this is AP the clicking is persistent and not a thing that comes and goes; it happens non-stop. Most squirrels will have a clicking sound after eating, especially after drinking formula (wet food). The "post-feeding" click comes from their mouths while an AP click is actually from their lungs (where the infection is located).

That she had an appetite is good, since squirrels with AP lose their appetite and stop eating.

Amoxicillin is not a great choice for treating AP... I trust you have expert help in calculating the dose based upon her weight that is being administered. While amoxicillin is not great, it is better than nothing. Better options include SMP-TMZ (Bactrim), Baytril (Cipro) or Augmentin (Clavamox).

A 6 - 7 week old squirrel this time of year is quite young.

Fuzzy_Fae
06-18-2022, 06:04 PM
Thank you very much for your response, I'm sorry I didn't update this thread sooner.
Heartbreakingly, Fae passed away the same day I made the original post. She had been clicking since her morning feeding that day, and her lethargy and labored breathing just continued to increase into the afternoon. She wanted nothing but to go to sleep.
I didn't want do give her amoxicillin as a first choice; I was trying to find Baytril or in my area and nobody could find it fast enough. In the end amoxicillin was all I could get my hands on, and her dose was calculated perfectly. For a while her breathing slowed and she seemed to click quieter, but in the evening she began open mouth breathing and passed shortly after.
Her brother Frankie is doing extremely well, has been wonderfully healthy besides being small for his age, no clicking or lethargy, and no other signs of sickness. Healthy amounts of playing activity, eating, drinking and sleeping. He's doing everything a squirrel his age should, and he's very sweet as well. I'm extremely thankful for that, and hoping he continues to thrive. If he doesn't, I'm prepared and am doing even more research than I did before on anything that could go wrong and what to do. Better to have a plan if anything goes wrong.

I am not exactly experienced in raising squirrels, and I wish I could've helped Fae better. However I am experienced in a lot of animals and living on a homestead, and I know they all need to have their individual needs met by species. I plan to give Frankie the best care that I am capable, and make sure that I am doing my research and not ignorant about his needs.