Moribund baby. Help!

[Joojie]

I am a registered vet tech. A client just brought in a baby squirrel, adolescent perhaps. Poor little thing is cold and barely moving. I was about to euthanize her, but I couldn't bring myself to do so after noticing she was absolutely CRAWLING in lice. She's very pale. I applied Revolution and gave her some subcutaneous fluid (she was quite upset with that and squeaking, which gives me hope she has some fight in her.

Is it possible this little one is just overwhelmed with a severe lice infestation? We're warming her and I only got about 4ml of SQ fluids into her. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

[CritterMom]

Good start so far - warm first, then hydrate and then start feeding. Right now, go for Esbilac powdered puppy formula as it is available locally at Petco type pet stores and Tractor Supply.

You can also give him some Capstar. It will immediately kill fleas and lice and can be given with Revolution. It only lasts a day but if you wipe out the ones on the baby now, the Revolution will pick up any later hatches. A real small baby with a ton of lice could very well be being sucked dry by lice.

You can try giving her some oral hydration, too. It will help get her used to the feeding syringe, too. I don't know how many baby squirrels you have nursed but please use a syringe, not a bottle.

[Joojie]

Good start so far - warm first, then hydrate and then start feeding. Right now, go for Esbilac powdered puppy formula as it is available locally at Petco type pet stores and Tractor Supply.

You can also give him some Capstar. It will immediately kill fleas and lice and can be given with Revolution. It only lasts a day but if you wipe out the ones on the baby now, the Revolution will pick up any later hatches. A real small baby with a ton of lice could very well be being sucked dry by lice.

You can try giving her some oral hydration, too. It will help get her used to the feeding syringe, too. I don't know how many baby squirrels you have nursed but please use a syringe, not a bottle.

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[CritterMom]

As an admin here I was able to read your deleted post. Yes, you can offer veggies now but I would go with fruit instead - hydration and sugar which would probably help now given her condition.

If you can, do try some formula. Especially given the way she grabbed the syringe, she may be happy to take some and it is full of nutrition and easily digested. Esbilac is usually diluted at 2 parts water to 1 part formula powder - I would start this little one a 3 parts water to 1 part powder to ease her back onto food, and gradually work her up to the 2 to 1.

[Joojie]

As an admin here I was able to read your deleted post. Yes, you can offer veggies now but I would go with fruit instead - hydration and sugar which would probably help now given her condition.

If you can, do try some formula. Especially given the way she grabbed the syringe, she may be happy to take some and it is full of nutrition and easily digested. Esbilac is usually diluted at 2 parts water to 1 part formula powder - I would start this little one a 3 parts water to 1 part powder to ease her back onto food, and gradually work her up to the 2 to 1.

Thanks! I deleted it because I accidentally attached a photo of a dog tooth instead of the squirrel picture, lol. I thought I pasted the text when I reposted, but I guess not.

She has gained back SO MUCH energy, just from being warm and a bit hydrated. She has little bursts of energy, but then gets a bit limp again. Her heart rate has increased, it was very very low before. I honestly didn't have much hope, but something told me not to euthanize her.

I don't have any puppy formula only kitten, and I know that's a no-go for squirrels They only have enormous cans of it at stores near me, and they're extremely expensive.

She took the Capstar very well crushed in a bit of water and there are no signs of live lice on her now, just nits.

I'll nurse her overnight and arrange bringing her to a wildlife rehab sometime this weekend 🙂

[CritterMom]

You caught her in the nick of time I think. They really, really want to live and can come back from amazing things.

If you have never spent a lot of time one on one with a baby squirrel, beware. They are magical and can suck you in like nothing I have seen. I came here with a little baby in 2009 and here I am, 15 years later, still under the spell.

BTW, don't get the liquid Esbilac. One would think it is simply reconstituted version of the powder, and one would be very wrong. Many different ingredients, almost always causes diarrhea... It is so much cheaper than the powder it is tempting if you don't know.

[Joojie]

You caught her in the nick of time I think. They really, really want to live and can come back from amazing things.

If you have never spent a lot of time one on one with a baby squirrel, beware. They are magical and can suck you in like nothing I have seen. I came here with a little baby in 2009 and here I am, 15 years later, still under the spell.

BTW, don't get the liquid Esbilac. One would think it is simply reconstituted version of the powder, and one would be very wrong. Many different ingredients, almost always causes diarrhea... It is so much cheaper than the powder it is tempting if you don't know.

I just found some decently cheap esbilac and doordashed it from petsmart �� I had a long day at work and didn't want to go back out. Edit: damnit! I ordered the liquid. Should I not even bother??

Yeeeeears ago I rehabbed a much younger baby who unfortunately passed after 2 weeks of raising him. A couple years ago I had a 4-5 week old baby for a few nights before bringing him to a rehabber.

This little one appears to be about 7-8 weeks old.

I literally had the syringe if euthanol in my hand ready to go and something told me it wasn't time for this little one. Glad I gave her a chance ��

[CritterMom]

I would pass on the liquid. We see so many babies on here with the runs from the darned stuff.

If you have a reasonable grocery store nearby you can make a formula with goats milk, heavy whipping cream, and yogurt. 3 parts gpats milk, 3 parts yogurt (get the highest milkfat yogurt you can find - a flavor is fine as long as there aren't fruit chunks in it) and 2 parts heavy whipping cream. If you can' get fresh goats milk, you can use dried or the canned evaporated - just mix them per the package directions and then use them in the recipe.

[Joojie]

I would pass on the liquid. We see so many babies on here with the runs from the darned stuff.

If you have a reasonable grocery store nearby you can make a formula with goats milk, heavy whipping cream, and yogurt. 3 parts gpats milk, 3 parts yogurt (get the highest milkfat yogurt you can find - a flavor is fine as long as there aren't fruit chunks in it) and 2 parts heavy whipping cream. If you can' get fresh goats milk, you can use dried or the canned evaporated - just mix them per the package directions and then use them in the recipe.

I got off my butt and went to Petsmart and returned the liquid. (It's not that far, but after a long day at work my body doesn't want to move) I've only managed to get her to take about 0.5ml of the formula, slightly more watered down than the mixing instructions. She seems to have moments where she's very bright and other moments where she's completely flat. Fingers crossed she perks up more with this formula on board.

[Joojie]

Well, little Louise (a play on "louse") is doing much better even than a couple hours ago. She just gobbled down 4ml of formula very enthusiastically. I had to pace her, she was trying to chew the syringe. I'll probably get up once through the night to feed her. She's set up in a nice warm cat carrier with a big fluffy blanket that she tries to burrow in.

Thanks for your help!

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[CritterMom]

Aw, look at that little champ! You saved a beautiful little life!

So...as I said, I have been here a long time and I don't believe I have ever seen or heard of a black color phase eastern gray on the west coast. Do you have a population of these guys in BC?

[island rehabber]

So happy to read of this excellent turnaround! You were helped by one of our best and brightest, Joojie.

CritterMom, do you remember Nature's Gift, (Mandy), a member for years here? She lived in Missouri but was originally from Alberta Canada. She told me that growing up, all the squirrels around her were black, and she was so fascinated by our differently colored eastern and western grays after moving to the Midwest. 😊

[Charley Chuckles]

:w00t

[Joojie]

Aw, look at that little champ! You saved a beautiful little life!

So...as I said, I have been here a long time and I don't believe I have ever seen or heard of a black color phase eastern gray on the west coast. Do you have a population of these guys in BC?

We have lots of them in the Vancouver area. My husband is from Seattle and I'm originally from Toronto. Most squirrels in the Toronto area are black. My husband was mystified by the black squirrels when he first visited Toronto...so I guess they don't make it much further south than Vancouver.

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[CritterMom]

She is so cute. She is going to be salt and pepper it looks like.

I knew Toronto had them, but I didn't know they were as far west as you.

She is looking awfully good for a "moribund baby." Boy I am glad. :w00t

[Joojie]

She is looking awfully good for a "moribund baby." Boy I am glad. :w00t

I actually thought the client was bringing us a dead squirrel when they walked in with her in a little plastic bag. For the amount of bugs on her I don't blame them for putting her in plastic, they were jumping everywhere. (Her head was out) I'm still psychologically itchy (hopefully...there better not be lice on me)

She's still quite dehydrated, very exaggerated skin tent. She just took 4.5ml of formula, she gets sleepy after about 4ml. She's 120g so I know that's not quite enough per feeding for her, but I don't want to push it. I gave her an extra 0.5ml of warm water just for the extra hydration. I could try SQ fluids again, but she made horrible sad noises the first time and it broke my heart. She has had a few little dry poops and she just peed for the first time....on me 🙃

[CritterMom]

She can probably take more hydration than that in between feedings. When they are that "dry" it doesn't seem to do anything to their appetite - I think they are just little sponges. I am sure you know that stuff like pedialyte shouldn't be given past 24 hours due to all of the sodium in it. At this point, plain water or water with a little sugar in it is probably better. I am honestly surprised you have seen poops already - that is a good sign!

[island rehabber]

The lice are species specific. They don't go on anything else but squirrels.

[Joojie]

The lice are species specific. They don't go on anything else but squirrels.

I figured they were...but they definitely were jumping onto me, one was even down my shirt, hence the psychological itching 😬

I know they won't take up camp on me or anything, but they definitely were crawling on me.

[island rehabber]

Hey I jump out of my skin even when one is on my hand for a second. And I work in a nature center where I unpack thousands of crickets and superworms for our critters, and handle them too-- but when they're in my house I'm a total wuss. :rofl4

[Joojie]

Well little Louise has been dropped off at CritterCare. Hopefully she does well and is able to be released 😊

[CritterMom]

If they will give you updates, we would love to know how she does. Little scrapper!