Gabapentin dosage- Neuro baby squirrel seizures

[Squirrel1]

Hi all, can someone please help me? I’ve been taking care of a baby squirrel with a head injury for about a month now. She is fully blind and recently started showing signs of neuro injuries (she was fine for the first few weeks despite having a head injury). Anyways, she’s starting to get seizures and with the help of a Facebook group, I have been told she needs gabapentin and prednisone. I have managed to obtain the gabapentin for now and can likely get prednisone tomorrow. Can someone please help me with proper dosage? 100 ml gabapentin capsules and baby weighs 110 grams. Thank you!!

[CritterMom]

Dosing sent by PM

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi all, can someone please help me? I’ve been taking care of a baby squirrel with a head injury for about a month now. She is fully blind and recently started showing signs of neuro injuries (she was fine for the first few weeks despite having a head injury). Anyways, she’s starting to get seizures and with the help of a Facebook group, I have been told she needs gabapentin and prednisone. I have managed to obtain the gabapentin for now and can likely get prednisone tomorrow. Can someone please help me with proper dosage? 100 ml gabapentin capsules and baby weighs 110 grams. Thank you!!

Hello Squirrel1:
I am still at work but kinda "checked in" on TSB and noticed your post. Thank you for finding The Squirrel Board!

Do you have any experience taking care of a Baby Squirrel? It is not difficult or complex but it is when you first go about this and much of what people do in care of a Baby Squirrel is based upon popular misconceptions! I am placing a link to Henry's Pets Baby Squirrel Care Guide. This is 6 pages of essential information! Right now, only the first 3 pages are necessary to read! The only issue that exist with this Guide is something that needs to be revised but hasn't been yet and that is their recommendation for using Fox Valley 23/40 as an option for Squirrel formula and many of us have had serious problems with using this particular formula and my recommendation is to just never use it! The rest of the Guide is superb! https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

What was the nature of the head injury? How do you know that your Squirrel is blind? What specifically are you feeding this baby? Seizures and neuro problems can be diet related as well as related to a head injury and there may actually be components of both! One of the most common diet related problems is Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)! This is very serious and can cause weakness, paralysis (especially involving the hind end), decreased or loss of appetite, poor coordination that can resemble blindness and a host of other problems and can easily be fatal! MBD results from insufficient Calcium or excessive dietary constituents such as phosphorus that will interfere with both absorption and utilization of Calcium in the body, or usually some of both! Here is a link to Henry's Pets Information on MBD and I have also pasted the link to their Emergency Treatment of MBD. I would suggest reading the one page of information on MBD and then read the Treatment page and my recommendation would be to begin the treatment for MBD immediately. If this is MBD, the treatment could literally save the life of your Squirrel and if it is determined that MBD can be ruled out and that there are no nutritional issues that could lead to MBD; the treatment is essentially harmless and will not hurt your Squirrel!
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
https://henryspets.com/emergency-treatment-for-mbd/

Another thing I would like to mention in regard to seizures and what you have available. Gabapentin can certainly help and I would recommend starting this ASAP but if it is determined that the seizure are going to be recurrent, we will probably need to find some means for you to get one of several different "better" maintenance (long term use) anticonvulsant medications such as phenobarbital. Gabapentin is certainly is worth beginning now as it can help, it is proven to be quite safe to use with Squirrels and you currently have this on hand! Do you by any chance have any access to Valium (diazepam) as this is ideal for emergent treatment of seizures!

I have at least two cautions to give you also; one is that should NEVER give food, water, medication or anything by mouth when an animal is seizing. They loose all of their protective functions when they seize and they can and will aspirate (get it into the lungs) whatever it may be that you are trying to deliver into their stomachs! The other caution or bit of MHNVO (my humble non-vet opinions) is to NOT use prednisone or any steroids for any animal with a history of a head injury and having seizures! One of many recognized major side effects of using steroids (and there are many!) are seizures following head trauma! I would recommend NOT giving steroids to this Squirrel!

Please answer the questions that were asked to better help understand more of what is going on and this will help us to help you and of course, your Squirrel! Please also read the three links and please ask any and all questions you may have and please provide updates on your Squirrel's condition. Also, with your assessment of blindness, this Squirrel obviously cannot be released. Do you intend to provide a Forever Home for this baby Squirrel?

Thanks and regards,.
SamtheSquirrel