Lethargic, panting, low appetite, limping, PLEASE HELP

I have 3 grey squirrels that are approx 6.5/7 weeks old.. I have been feeding them esbilic puppy formula (mixed 1/2 & 1/2) every 4-6 hours.. The two that aren't having any issues eat approx 10 ml at each feeding.. I also recently added ox bow hamster/gerbil food to their cage and they've been nibbling on it..
Unfortunately we have a mouse infestation and the squirrels were screaming the other night (2 nights ago), I ran into the room, a mouse darted past me and one of my babies (Serena) had blood next to her mouth. I attempted to clean it with soap and water and she seemed fine.. (very shook up, but fine).
At her next feeding, she didn't eat much, approx 5 ml, but I figured it was because of the sore.. At each feeding, she ate less and less until last night she only ate 3 ml and today she wouldn't eat at all.. When I took her out this morning for her feeding, she was very... Un-energenic. She ate 1ml and was limping around.. I noticed her breathing very heavy and she's been sleeping, not moving around, all day.. I have been giving her pedialyte every two hours.. She doesn't even pick up her head anymore to take it.. She'll take approx 3 ml at a time.. Now she won't even limp around.. If I move her off the heating pad, she just stays where i put her.. I have managed to get her to eat approx 3 ml of formula total today.. I also crushed up an emergen-c (500 mg calcuim) and mixed it with the pedialyte.. She's had maybe 1/5 of that.. I also read that colloquial silver would help and I got some of that today.. I've given her 2 drops twice today.. I called the vet but the earliest they could see her is Tuesday late afternoon.. She does not have the clicking noise associated with pneumonia and I do not think she's aspirated.she cries every time i try to move her. Also, she has been peeing and pooing & she's not "cold" (i always keep them on a heating pad). I'm thinking this has to be from the mouse attack.. The antibiotics that I have on -hand are :
Amoxacillian 400/5ml liquid (prescribed for my daughter) or
Amoxicillian 500mg tablets (prescribed for me).
I've tried to call wildlife rehabilitators and gotten no response.. I don't know what to do anymore or if one of these antibiotics can be given, or how much to give.. Please help me.. Right now it doesn't look like she'll make it through the night.

Hang with me and don't leave OK!
I'm confused about the formula. Mixed half and half. What does that mean? How are you mixing the formula?

:hello

I might have to sign off before you come back to your thread. I have to go to work tomorrow.
If the Oxbow is a seed mix, it's the wrong type of food. You need Oxbow rodent block which is an extruded block. Hamster/gerbil food is usually the wrong one.

The babies should be in a Sterilite/Rubbermaid plastic bin with a lid. The lid should have 1/2 holes drilled in it for air. This would keep the rats away. I would remove food at night also.

I believe Serena does need antibiotics. If that's all you have we can dose it. Do you have a weight on Serena?

I would offer her hydration around the clock. Is she dehydrated? Does the skin tent on the shoulders when pinched up? If it tents/ stays up, she is dehydrated and needs hydration fluid. If she is limp she is probably dehydrated. If necessary, I would offer drop by drop.

The Esbilac should be mixed 2 parts water to 1 part powdered Esbilac. It should be mixed in very warm water and allowed to sit for at least several hours to go into solution.

Unfortunately i don't have a weight.. I don't have a small enough scale to weigh her.. I did add a lid to the box with holes.

Can you post a pic of her next to a familiar item like a Coke can or something else to get a size reference? This is for a weight estimate.

Sorry, i was trying to reply before you took off.. She's not dehydrated..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS

:hello

I might have to sign off before you come back to your thread. I have to go to work tomorrow.
If the Oxbow is a seed mix, it's the wrong type of food. You need Oxbow rodent block which is an extruded block. Hamster/gerbil food is usually the wrong one.

The babies should be in a Sterilite/Rubbermaid plastic bin with a lid. The lid should have 1/2 holes drilled in it for air. This would keep the rats away. I would remove food at night also.

I believe Serena does need antibiotics. If that's all you have we can dose it. Do you have a weight on Serena?

I would offer her hydration around the clock. Is she dehydrated? Does the skin tent on the shoulders when pinched up? If it tents/ stays up, she is dehydrated and needs hydration fluid. If she is limp she is probably dehydrated. If necessary, I would offer drop by drop.

The Esbilac should be mixed 2 parts water to 1 part powdered Esbilac. It should be mixed in very warm water and allowed to sit for at least several hours to go into solution.

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I'm still here.

Attachment 2924198

Thank you. I sent dosing in a Private Message.

Good luck with this baby.

By the way, if she is on formula you don't need to supplement with calcium.

I'm assuming that she is not eating nuts, right? I would buy a rodent block tomorrow. Mazuri, Oxbow or Harlan Teklad are all good rodent blocks. The Harlan Teklan can be bought online, the other 2 locally. You might want to consider buying Henrys Healthy Pets high protein blocks for baby squirrels as well. They are also available online.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS

By the way, if she is on formula you don't need to supplement with calcium.

I'm assuming that she is not eating nuts, right? I would buy a rodent block tomorrow. Mazuri, Oxbow or Harlan Teklad are all good rodent blocks. The Harlan Teklan can be bought online, the other 2 locally. You might want to consider buying Henrys Healthy Pets high protein blocks for baby squirrels as well. They are also available online.

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I wasn't supplementing with calcium until today.. The symptoms sounded like mbd so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to add calcium. She's not eating nuts.. I looked for rodent blocks at pet smart and couldn't find them.. Would they be labeled that "rodent blocks"?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS

:hello

I might have to sign off before you come back to your thread. I have to go to work tomorrow.
If the Oxbow is a seed mix, it's the wrong type of food. You need Oxbow rodent block which is an extruded block. Hamster/gerbil food is usually the wrong one.

The babies should be in a Sterilite/Rubbermaid plastic bin with a lid. The lid should have 1/2 holes drilled in it for air. This would keep the rats away. I would remove food at night also.

I believe Serena does need antibiotics. If that's all you have we can dose it. Do you have a weight on Serena?

I would offer her hydration around the clock. Is she dehydrated? Does the skin tent on the shoulders when pinched up? If it tents/ stays up, she is dehydrated and needs hydration fluid. If she is limp she is probably dehydrated. If necessary, I would offer drop by drop.

The Esbilac should be mixed 2 parts water to 1 part powdered Esbilac. It should be mixed in very warm water and allowed to sit for at least several hours to go into solution.

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Attachment 292420
This is the ox bow food.. Says no seeds

I looked up the ingredients. It is for grass eaters. It has a mix of Timothy hay, barley and oats. Squirrels aren't hay eaters.
A rodent block will say either rat block or rodent block. I have found Mazuri in PetsMart

Gave Serena the antibiotics last night and this morning.. She is now "clicking"😓 She also has diarrhea.. It looks like a sticky clear gel.. My husband thinks this is her organs shutting down!? Will the antibiotics help if this is aspiration pneumonia? What else should I be doing? I need her to make it through this.. Do any squirrels actually survive aspiration pnuemonia? It seems as if all the pneumonia threads I've clicked on, they all pass eventually..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Amavity

Gave Serena the antibiotics last night and this morning.. She is now "clicking"�� She also has diarrhea.. It looks like a sticky clear gel.. My husband thinks this is her organs shutting down!? Will the antibiotics help if this is aspiration pneumonia? What else should I be doing? I need her to make it through this.. Do any squirrels actually survive aspiration pnuemonia? It seems as if all the pneumonia threads I've clicked on, they all pass eventually..

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No, squrrelscan (and should) survive AP. The real key is getting the antibiotics started early on before the AP has progressed too far along.

The amoxicillin you are using is not the "first choice" for AP and will be slower acting than Baytril (human form = Cipro) or Clavamox (human form - Augmentin). If you can find either of these it would be a good thing, but starting the amoxil right away is a good thing... if the AP is not too far progressed, the amoxicillin should do the job. Just be sure the amoxicillin is not expired.

Serena will also need supportive care:
1) I would stop the colloquial silver (where did you get the dosing for giving this? :thinking)
2) She needs nourishment / formula. Are you using the POWDERED Esbilac? As H4S said this needs to be mixed 1 part powdered formula to 2 parts hot water. Mixing it up ahead of time (hours) is best to allow it to more fully dissolve. The pre-made liquid Esbilac is not the same and can cause diaarhea.
3) If the AP is advanced, it will cause bleeding in their lungs which often ends up coming out their nose. You need to be mindful of Serena's breathing and try to keep her nostrils clear so she can breath through her nose. A vaporizer can help!
4) That Gerbil food is not suitable for squirrels.
5) Do not worry about extra calcium right now.. formula has the calcium she needs

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spanky

No, squrrelscan (and should) survive AP. The real key is getting the antibiotics started early on before the AP has progressed too far along.

The amoxicillin you are using is not the "first choice" for AP and will be slower acting than Baytril (human form = Cipro) or Clavamox (human form - Augmentin). If you can find either of these it would be a good thing, but starting the amoxil right away is a good thing... if the AP is not too far progressed, the amoxicillin should do the job. Just be sure the amoxicillin is not expired.

Serena will also need supportive care:
1) I would stop the colloquial silver (where did you get the dosing for giving this? :thinking)
2) She needs nourishment / formula. Are you using the POWDERED Esbilac? As H4S said this needs to be mixed 1 part powdered formula to 2 parts hot water. Mixing it up ahead of time (hours) is best to allow it to more fully dissolve. The pre-made liquid Esbilac is not the same and can cause diaarhea.
3) If the AP is advanced, it will cause bleeding in their lungs which often ends up coming out their nose. You need to be mindful of Serena's breathing and try to keep her nostrils clear so she can breath through her nose. A vaporizer can help!
4) That Gerbil food is not suitable for squirrels.
5) Do not worry about extra calcium right now.. formula has the calcium she needs

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Thank-you for your reply.. I am unable to find the other antibiotics but she has a vet appointment tomorrow.. I will continue with the amox until then, at least.. It is not expired, it's a brand new prescription.

The dosing for colloquial silver came from another board, not sure exactly now.. I zoomed and screenshotted for reference.. I will discontinue this.

I am using powdered formula, however, She has not taken much. I am using a 1ml syringe and she will a swollow a couple drops/hour. The rest runs down her chin..

She hasn't had any signs of blood this far.. She does randomly cry out often.. I'm keeping her on my chest now..

I will get rid of that food and order some from the site mentioned above..

Stopping calcium as well.

Thanks again for the reply! Praying my baby makes it!

How does the wound from the rat bite look?

The pain is confusing me. They rarely cry with AP. They just fade away unless treated. With timely treatment, AP can be treated successfully. If the wound looks infected, the amoxicillin is not good at all. I would ask friends or family for other antibiotics... either Augmentin or SMZ-TMP. Cipro would be better for the AP.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS

How does the wound from the rat bite look?

The pain is confusing me. They rarely cry with AP. They just fade away.

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The wound is not noticeable at all anymore.
That is strange.. She cries out AT LEAST once an hour

Can you get infant ibuprophen? It will help with pain. Others on the board can dose for you. I am at work. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS

Can you get infant ibuprophen? It will help with pain. Others on the board can dose for you. I am at work. :(

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Yes! I have 100mg/5ml ibuprofen
Also found 875MG augmentin

Baby weighs 120g.

Can anyone help with dosing for both?

Please