Squirrel v Toilet

[akh]

I'm feeling pretty terrible this morning... Our little boy is 2.5 years old and we are obsessive about keeping toilet lids down. Somehow we missed one and found our little guy in the toilet when we woke. He was obviously wet but thankfully it's fairly shallow so he could keep his head above water while standing on the base. He was cold and we immediately dried him and held him close to us to help him warm. He's now mostly dry and no longer shivering. However, when he runs around it's like his back end and front end are on different tracks... he's not keeping his body in a straight line.

Wondering what possible complications we could encounter, what I should watch for, and how to assess his needs. I'm hoping to keep him close to monitor for the day, although now that he's feeling a little more lively he keeps trying to leave my shirt and go find somewhere to curl up for the day. (I can lock him in his cage if I have to but thought it would be nice to keep him close for now, if he cooperates).

Thanks for any help you can provide. I'm thankful he didn't drown but know from our work on the farm that sometimes the initial event is the 'easy' part and the road to recovery can be long.

[Spanky]

Can you post a link to a video of his walking; I think that would be very helpful.

Here is a trick you may want to consider (and a must have for flyers IMO):
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?30728-Squirrel-Ladders-SAVE-LIVES-!!&highlight=toilet

[akh]

Thank you so much for the link! We'll definitely be adding those throughout the house...

I've been trying without success to get a video. The good news is that I'm having trouble because he's gotten much faster AND he seems to be walking almost completely straight now :) I can detect just the slightest bit of slowness in his back end but I think we may have gotten lucky... For what it's worth, immediately after being rescued when he would try to run his front end was normal, but his back end was off the the side- almost like his body was at a 30 degree angle off straight. But again, that seems to have resolved with perhaps just a tiny bit of weakness remaining and I'm optimistic that he'll continue to improve. For now, he's locked in his cage and curled up in his box with some squirrel blocks and a grape.

I really appreciate the reply. We've known from the start that toilets are dangerous and how this one was left open is beyond me, but we feel very blessed that we found him before he gave up.

[Mel1959]

I’m gonna say that the rear end off kilter could be from being in the cold water. The muscles and joints probably were stiff and not moving well. Watch and listen for any congestion in his lungs, runny nose, loss of appetite, and extreme lethargy. All can be signs of an upper respiratory infection that would require an antibiotic. Please have on hand some type of antibiotic in case it’s needed. Baytril (animal) and Ciproflaxin (human) as well as Clavamox (animal) and Augmentin (human) are ones that will work.

I don’t think it’s a good idea that he be left out of his cage overnight when you’re sleeping and he’s unattended. There’s too many things that he could get into or chew on. Some squirrels sleep all night, but I know some get up in the middle of the night and eat or pee.

[akh]

Thanks for the 'watch out' list. I'll definitely be keeping a close watch on him for the next few days. Our vet isn't a squirrel expert but is always willing to learn so knowing what to have will be great for sharing with her.

I am with you 100% on the overnight cage time.... unfortunately it's one of the primary disagreements in our house :/ Here's hoping that after this scare my hubby will be a little more willing to contain him. I love him to pieces but he's a little terror sometimes, even when we're awake to supervise!

[Mel1959]

I hear you about being a terror! Emphasize to your husband that it’s really in his best interest to be caged when unsupervised. :grin2

[akh]

Can anyone provide the dosage of liquid Clavamox for a 60 gram squirrel? Or is there a dosage chart somewhere in the files that I'm missing? Thanks!

[Mel1959]

The strength of the Clavamox is needed. 60 grams? So, this is a flyer you’ve been posting about? I was thinking it was a grey since you didn’t specify. You are VERY, VERY LUCKY he didn’t drown.

[akh]

Sorry, been playing phone tag with the vet. She's concerned that the Clavamox she has on hand may be too strong to dilute down but gave me some other options as well. She has Clavamox available at 45 mg/mL or a basic amoxicillin at 25 mg/mL. She's also waiting on a call back from her wildlife colleague to see what else is available locally or can be ordered overnight. Since he's acting fine it's more of a precaution than anything but as she said better to prevent possible pneumonia than try to treat it after the fact....

[CritterMom]

Sorry, been playing phone tag with the vet. She's concerned that the Clavamox she has on hand may be too strong to dilute down but gave me some other options as well. She has Clavamox available at 45 mg/mL or a basic amoxicillin at 25 mg/mL. She's also waiting on a call back from her wildlife colleague to see what else is available locally or can be ordered overnight. Since he's acting fine it's more of a precaution than anything but as she said better to prevent possible pneumonia than try to treat it after the fact....

So the normal suspension we use has a strength is 62.5mg/ml and is dosed at 20mg/kg orally twice daily. However one of our brilliant folks here can help you to properly dilute and dose pretty much any form you end up with. I would definitely go for the clavamox over plain amoxicillin which is not nearly as effective on pneumonia.

[akh]

Thank you all SO very much for your help and support. Just got another call from the vet and her wildlife contact is helping us out with a course of Baytril. It's a precaution more than anything but better safe than sorry. Lesson learned... squirrels belong far away from the toilets...