Babies in need!

[brokenarrow]

Had a pair of babies fall out of my front oak a week ago. Eyes closed, bottom teeth present. Called the vet to ask about feeding. Received "recipe" for

4 oz. evap milk
4 oz. water
1 tsp karo syrup
1 crushed human multi vitamin

Was going fairly well like that, though I did notice three days ago, that they started eating less at each four hour, around the clock, feeding. Was averaging maybe 3 cc each feeding. I have cancer and had medical procedures the last two days so I got my adult daughter to care for them for the last two days. They came home this evening. They have been kept together and that wasn't a problem before now but, when I got them up at 8:00 PM to eat and such, one was bleeding from his bottom and maybe his hind feet a little too. Not active bleeding but enough to smear the paper towel he was on. Very reddened bottom. Suspect that the other has been nursing him so I separated them. That's not my worry as much as that they are both pretty lethargic and eating extremely little. The one that has such a bad bottom did finally eat a little over one cc at 11:00 PM but the other one, which actually wasn't as lethargic, (still lethargic but not as bad), may have swallowed three drops. If they make it until morning I'll get them up to the vet to get her opinion but I'm worried that they won't make it that long. Anybody got any good advice for me on this one. BTW they are gray squirrels. Eyes are still not open.

[hazel]

:Welcome

Sorry to hear that your babies aren't feeling well. Did your daughter mention if they'd been having diarrhea? Often prolonged diarrhea will cause their bottoms to be sore, even to the point of bleeding.

In the meantime, I'd keep them together for comfort (unless you actually observe one sucking on the other) and it's important that they have a heat source such as a heating pad placed under half their enclosure.

We recommend feeding Esbilac puppy formula available at most pet supply stores. Syringe feeding is much safer than bottle feeding.

Do you have pedialyte available ? If not, you can make a substitute:

1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons sugar
1 quart warm water (mix and keep refrigerated)

[brokenarrow]

I'm sorry. I failed to mention their home. I've got them in cardboard, filled with paper towels, half on a heating pad at medium heat. Low wasn't enough, their little feet would still get cool so I have been keeping it on medium with good result, I think. Anyway, yes, they both had diarrhea so maybe I suspected wrong. I will put them back together.

On the pedialyte, I'll have to mix the recipe but are you suggesting that I stop the other recipe that I was given and feed the pedialyte until I get the esbilac? I would be feeding again at 4:00 if they were healthy but now should I try more often?

[hazel]

Good job on the heat! Depending on the container and on the bedding, a low setting may not always be enough.

Unless they're very soft, paper towels seem like they could be a bit harsh. Old clean t-shirts make a nice bedding. If you do make a change, keep in mind that you may need to adjust the heat!

Keep their bottoms clean using moist paper towels or baby wipes and you can apply vaseline to protect their skin.

If you have any active culture yogurt (no artificial sweeteners!) you can give them some of that to help with the diarrhea. Otherwise I would recommend only the pedialyte substitute until you are able to get the Esbilac.

Be sure to warm the electrolyte mixture. Give them as much as they will take every couple hours. If you have apple juice you can add a little for flavor.

I'll stick with you, so if you have any questions feel free to ask! :thumbsup

[brokenarrow]

Thank you. You're very kind.

[brokenarrow]

I have a cracker barrel store around the corner. I'm going for the yogurt. They may have the pedialyte too... and coffee. I'll update in a little while. Thanks again.

[hazel]

You're very :Welcome !

Forgot to mention that at the pet supply store you should get a product called Benebac. It's a probiotic gel in a dispenser that looks like a large syringe. This is a more concentrated form of the beneficial bacteria that's in yogurt. The babies should be given this once a day for at least 3 days or until the diarrhea has stopped. Give a glob about the size of two bb's. I've had great success controlling or avoiding diarrhea in my babies using similar products.

Do you know to feed them in an upright position? It's very important that they not be on their backs like a human baby. Don't be shy about holding their heads between your thumb and forefinger to keep them steady while you give them a bit at a time. Sometimes stimulating them to urinate before attempting to feed them helps put them in a better mood to eat.

Do they have fur? If so, item number three on your shopping list is a plastic flea comb - very inexpensive. If furred they should be checked for fleas and/or fly eggs as soon as possible.

[hazel]

Thinking...:thinking .....always thinking....lol...

You have Karo syrup. Mix 1 very small part Karo with 3 parts water and give each 3 or 4 drops of this mix. If their blood sugar is low this will help and if it's not low, no harm done. For now, you only need to do this once.


So, the shopping list for the pet supply store is:

Esbilac (we like the powdered type)
Benebac
plastic flea comb


How'd it go at Cracker Barrel?

[brokenarrow]

Cracker barrel is obviously more concerned about beer gas and cigarettes. The only useful thing I found there was the apple juice. No yogurt. No pedialyte. I thought I had vaseline but now I can't find it. I mixed the pedialyte substitute and put a tbsp of apple juice. Again the one that seems the worst to me, (like I won't be surprized if the next time I touch him he's stiff), took about three or four swallows and the one that seems a little better, (like he might make it until morning), took none. I did put them back together. They do have hair but I have found no parasites on very close inspections. I have been feeding them upright accidentally. I didn't know that I was supposed to, but just happened to do so. My daughter may have inverted them to feed them, I don't know. I'm assuming they will aspirate the formula if fed upside down? I will have approach this very carefully to find out. The way my luck usually goes in handling such is that I will alert her that she did something wrong then the babies will die and she'll be unhappy with herself. Well, growing pains...

So, anyway, I'll try the D50W(karo, water, water, water) to make sure that they aren't hypoglycemic. Otherwise, I guess I'll keep trying every couple of hours to get them to take some of the pedialyte substitute.

[hazel]

But what about coffee? Did they have some for you??

In a very quiet area you can hold each of the babies chests up to your ear. Normally you would hear a very fast heartbeat and not much else. If you hear a lot of other sounds pneumonia may be an issue. Try this and you'll be able to assess the situation without having to worry your daughter.

Do you have any OTC antibiotic ointment? It's OK to put that on to protect their skin - just not more that necessicary to get the job done.

Could you use a hug ? Here's one for you. :grouphug

[brokenarrow]

Yea, they had the coffee. I put neosporin on their bottoms. It just looks like it's got to feel better. I think you've hit the nail on the head with the pneumonia. What can be done about that?

[hazel]

Did you listen to their chests? Describe, please.

Also, do you have a health food store you can get to in the morning?

[brokenarrow]

Their breathing is like they hold their breath for a half second each breath and kind of puff. I don't hear any gurgling or anything like that but it certainly seems their breathing is labored.

We have a drug store. They have vitamins and supplements and such. Probably not what you mean.?.

[hazel]

Hmmm. I've been trying to find out if Louisiana is a squirrel friendly state or not. Not so easy to do!

Would you by any chance have a vet that you KNOW would see them? Many won't, even in squirrel friendly states.

Are you in a small town? How close or far is a larger one? No, I didn't mean a pharmacy.

Are they sucking their bellies in when they breathe in?

[brokenarrow]

No, I'm not sure if the vet will see them or not. I'll have to find out in the morning.

No paradoxical breathing or belly breathing. More like a grunt but not using the vocal chords for the groan part of the grunt. Hope that helps explain it.

Think I'm gonna try to get a short nap and get back up. Chemotherapy yesterday is catching up with me. Thank you so much for taking the time to try to help.

[hazel]

Understandable.

I'll be checking back for a post from you later on.

:thankyoufor helping these babies!

[hazel]

Update:

Brokenarrow and I pm'd for another 30 minutes. He is a medical professional and was able to give the babies sub-q fluids prior to getting some well deserved rest.

[Buddy'sMom]

:Welcome Brokenarrow and babies. I hope they are doing better this morning with the pedialyte-substitute over night. And that you are doing ok this morning as well. You were in great hands last night with Hazel! :bowdown


Hmmm. I've been trying to find out if Louisiana is a squirrel friendly state or not. Not so easy to do! ...
No, sadly, Louisiana very much is NOT squirrel friendly. Brokenarrow, what that means is that (by law) the public is not permitted to have a squirrel -- and a vet would not be permitted to help you with the babies. There surely are some vets who would anyway, but it is a very tricky situation. Finding a licensed animal rehabilitator that would be able to help you would be a much better option -- both because of the laws and also because the rehabbers are trained to know exactly how to help baby squirrels and most vets are not.

Can we help you find a rehabber in your area of the state, to at least consult about the babies? Caring for a healthy eyes-closed baby is hard enough, but if they get sick, especially if it is pneumonia, they can go downhill very quickly. A rehabber would know what to do. (Also, they require a lot of care, as you have seen. Not everyone's life-situation can be turned upside down to suit the squirrels' needs -- if you need to focus more on caring for YOU right now, that is very understandable. We would not think any less of you for finding a rehabber that will be able to care for them. :grouphug But if that isn't an option, please stay here and you will continue to get whatever help and support TSB can provide. :) )

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[island rehabber]

Beautiful work done here, Hazel & BuddysMom....:bowdown:bowdown
brokenarrow, we're here for you whichever path you end up following :)

[thundersquirrel]

wow....poor babies!

the diet prescribed by the vet is probably what's hurting them. and possibly pneumonia, if they've aspirated at all.

we just need to get them back on the right track and hope we've done it in time!

you've done very well so far, BA. what dedication, staying up that late! stick with us, we'll help you. :)

[jules]

:Welcome BA!:wave123

I think you're doing a wonderful job, helping to save these babies!:thumbsup
God bless you!:grouphug
And please be reassured that we are all here for you!
My thoughts and prayers are with you all!
:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

Jules. :Love_Icon

[brokenarrow]

Hazel, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you staying up with me and trying to guide me through the night. Unfortunately, the first one died around 4:30 and the other died about 11:30. I was able to hydrate the latter with the subQ fluids and I was able to convince a vet to hook me up with antibiotics, even though I was not able to get more than a few drops of the antibiotics in the little fellow. The last couple of hours were so pitiful that I anguished over consideration to go ahead and put him down. I guess I should have but the little guy had done fought so hard to that point I had to let him have every chance. He just couldn't make it.

Well, that said, I guess that this particular thread should close with parting words for the "Little Rascals". I'll see y'all in other threads later.

R.I.P. Little Rascals

[hazel]

:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

I'm so very sorry to hear your sad news, brokenarrow! I know exactly what you're talking about. Baby squirrels show so much spirit! The Little Rascals were safe and they knew they were loved, which is the single most important gift you could have given them!

Your willingness to help these babies was exemplary. Few people are willing to go the distance that you did. You're a special person and I'm sorry that you're suffering this loss now. :Love_Icon

We hope that you'll consider staying with us. You already know enough to help others. Someone with your knowledge would be a blessing to TSB.

Take good care of yourself. :grouphug

[pamela lee]

Rest in Peace Little Rascals.:grouphug :grouphug

[island rehabber]

brokenarrow, I am so sorry....you tried very hard to save them, even with your own problems and you did a valiant job. It just wasn't meant to be. Our prayers are with you and the Little Rascal Angels -- they'll be waiting for you one day over the Bridge. :sad

[scoobysnack]

I'm so sorry... you did your very best...they went peacefully, warm, hydrated and not being tortured by some predator. You gave them a comfortable end and sometimes that's all we can do.

Thank you for all your effort and most especially for your kindness to these "Little Rascals".

[jules]

BA,

I am so sorry to here your news. You did everything you could and they knew that!
:thankyou for caring for these little babies!:grouphug

R.I.P Little Rascals!
:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[Buddy'sMom]

So very, very sorry to hear this sad news. RIP Little Rascals. :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

You did a very wonderful thing rescuing and caring for them. :bowdown It is a great gift to provide and safe and comfy and loving home to these sweet little orphans, to give them a chance at life. They clearly spent their too-short lives in a very good and loving home, and surely knew they were in good hands. :)

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug