Antibiotic help & dosing needed ASAP

[katreena70]

Hi all,

I've extremely new to squirrels. Short version: found mom dead outside my office. Seven babies in the nest. I believe they are about 8-9 weeks old. They were all in very good health, just hungry. Recently one morning a baby had a bite from another baby on his abdomen. I immediately separated him. I put a cone on him but he got the cone off and chewed the puncture into a hole. I put the cone back on so he started a new hole in a spot he could reach. I've shaved his abdomen and wiped his skin with betadine. I put butterfly strips on to keep the skin closer together. I was advised not to completely close the wound since it is in his abdomen. I wrapped him in gauze, which he promptly slides out of. I stayed with him through the night last night to ensure he did no further damage to himself. The original puncture and new scrape are crusted over now and looks a bit better. I'm extremely concerned with how deep the puncture went. He's still eating, drinking, peeing and pooping. His activity level comes and goes. I've ordered Baytril 10% after reading the forums but it's several days out. I have the following on hand. I'm sure they're not all good for squirrels; it's just what I have on hand. Please help with dosing, how to administer and any other info is welcome.

Amoxicillin 500mg caps
Amoxicillin - Pot Clavul 875 - 125 tabs
Sulfamethoxazole - Trime 800 - 160 tabs
Sulfameth/TMP 800/160mg Tb
Nitrofurantoin Monohyd Mac 100 caps

He weighs 84 grams. They look like Douglas squirrels. I will try to upload some pics of the wound originally and currently.

Thank you so much!

[katreena70]

This pic is from just after he got the cone off and chewed on the puncture. The puncture was just to the left of his penis when looking at him.

[katreena70]

This is what it looks like now. He hasn't been able to get to it since I started holding him yesterday evening. It was crusted over this morning and looks better this evening.

[Spanky]

I believe they are about 8-9 weeks old.....

He weighs 84 grams.

Are you certain this is the correct weight? They would have to be much younger to be this light...

[katreena70]

Picture of second sore that he began yesterday.

[katreena70]

Are you certain this is the correct weight? They would have to be much younger to be this light...

Double checking the weight now. Going to weigh one of the others as well for comparison.

[katreena70]

I show 85.5 grams that time but he was much less still. The first time I weighed him holding a Henry's Block and then weighed and subtracted the block. He held much more still while eating.

I weighed another one that is one of the large ones in the group at 97.5 grams.

I could be off on their age. I'm just guessing based on the info I've read on forums. I found them on Aug 21st and thought they were 5-6 weeks at that time.

[Spanky]

Dosing sent for Amoxicillin - Pot Clavul 875 - 125 tabs in a PM.

They open their eyes right around 5 weeks if that helps in aging them...

[Spanky]

Are you in the North? That looks like a red, which are a bit smaller...

[katreena70]

Sent PM, Spanky. Thank you so much for the assistance.

[CritterMom]

Spanky, Douglas squirrels are basically little red squirrels without the red coloration - weights would be right in line with reds.

Aw. He really doesn't look happy in that e-collar...

[katreena70]

Thank you so much for the support.

I've gotten him medicated and settled in. I'll stay up with him again tonight to make sure he doesn't chew anymore. We're taking it in shifts so there's always someone with him. I imagine that's not good for future release purposes but I'm concerned we may not get there at the rate he's chopping on himself.

Is there something topical that would help? I haven't put anything on since it was open but with it crusting over, I'm hopeful we could attack it from that angle also.

Poor little guy is quite the trooper. Not at all enjoying the e-collar but hasn't tried biting or any other things that we deserve for as often as we've pinned him down for treatment. So thankful for the quick feedback from Spanky!

I weighed the largest of the group and she is 105 grams. I ran to the store and got a second scale. The little guy weighed in at 85 grams on the second scale. I think they are just the little breed.

Thanks again for all of the help. We truly appreciate it!

[Spanky]

Spanky, Douglas squirrels are basically little red squirrels without the red coloration - weights would be right in line with reds.

Aw. He really doesn't look happy in that e-collar...

Haha.. I was reading Douglas but my mind was processing it as Sherman... Baby season really deprives us of far too much needed sleep!

[katreena70]

These are pics from today. He managed to scratch himself in a new spot *sigh*... The new spot looks like a scratch just to the right of his penis in the pic. Straight above it was the second chew spot. It was just surface damage so I'm hopeful it heals fast. The puncture wound is the one on the left when looking at the pictures. It's best seen in the pic where he's rolled over on his side. It looks like it's scabbing over now. He was up and playing this morning. I got these pics while he was sleeping. He's alert and moving when he's awake. Eating the Fox Valley, Henry's Blocks and drinking water well. Peeing and pooing frequently.

*I'm not able to get the best picture to load. I'll try again in a bit.

[katreena70]

This little guy appears to still be improving. The original puncture crusted up and the second hole he made had scabbed yesterday. He rubbed the scab off since, so it's open again but it's just surface level. I'm worried about the white bulge on his left side (right side in the pictures). If he were a human, I think we'd have him checked out for a hernia. We're continuing on the Amoxicillin. He has begun to drink far more water and urinate far more than he had been. I'd say maybe double the quantity. I'm not sure if that's something to be concerned about or if he's just feeling better so he's more active and thirstier.

I'd like to start him on probiotics. I know to give them at an offset time from the antibiotics. Is there a specific one that I should look for? There's Bene-Bac Plus from Pet-Ag at our local pet store as well as anything we can purchase at a pharmacy. I've read the forums, but many just say 'probiotics' and don't list specifics. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[CritterMom]

I always use a tiny pinch of the same probiotic capsule I take, which is whatever store brand is the cheapest. The powder inside is sort of sweet tasting, so you can even dust a tiny bit on fruit or dry food.

[katreena70]

Excellent. Thank you, CritterMom!