Illinois HELP Underweight Special needs Squirrel

[B&Maple]

Hello,
A couple days ago I found a baby squirrel who seems to have no use of his back legs and is very lethargic. I did contact my local rehabilitation and she helped me a little bit to get started with him but mostly the only help I have had is research. Maple is a very sweet boy and I love him and I see improvements but I am very worried about his weight. He is 42 grams. I know he needs to be almost 3x that much. I have been adding full fat yogurt and calcium supplement to his food. Is there anything else I can do to help him?

[Nancy in New York]

How much are you feeding now?
What formula are you feeding?
WOW, tiny is right.
I will come back with some advice, once
I know what and how much he is eating, and
how often.
I wouldn't put calcium supplement in his food.
The formula has enough in it.

I will be back and forth
on the computer. BUT I will check back every 15
minutes or so.

[B&Maple]

It is a puppy milk replacement by PetAg with yogurt mixed in. He takes it well most of the time. As recommended by a rehabilitator I am feeding him about every 4 hours. He is not interested in any of the solids I have given him with the exception of pecans and apple sauce. He eats about 5-8ccs at a time. He potties just fine especially now that he isn't dehydrated anymore but it was an issue for about the 1st 24 hours.

[Nancy in New York]

It is a puppy milk replacement by PetAg with yogurt mixed in. He takes it well most of the time. As recommended by a rehabilitator I am feeding him about every 4 hours. He is not interested in any of the solids I have given him with the exception of pecans and apple sauce. He eats about 5-8ccs at a time. He potties just fine especially now that he isn't dehydrated anymore but it was an issue for about the 1st 24 hours.

Is this the formula you are giving him?
The rule of thumb is to feed 5-7% of their body weight.
So your little one should be taking between 2 and 3 cc's per feeding.
I'm surprised that he will take as much as you are giving.
How are his poops, I would watch for whiteish poop which is indicative
of overfeeding.
I would feed smaller quantities at once but more often.
Is his tummy hard when you are done feeding?
That just seems like his little tummy wouldn't even take that
much.
You should only feed nuts as a treat and then only 1 per day. Otherwise he will not eat
the foods which are good for him.
He will need a good quality squirrel block.
I suggest HHB's growth formula, he will do great with these, as they are
specifically homemade for squirrels.
http://www.henryspets.com/

[B&Maple]

Is this the formula you are giving him?
The rule of thumb is to feed 5-7% of their body weight.
So your little one should be taking between 2 and 3 cc's per feeding.
I'm surprised that he will take as much as you are giving.
How are his poops, I would watch for whiteish poop which is indicative
of overfeeding.
I would feed smaller quantities at once but more often.
Is his tummy hard when you are done feeding?
That just seems like his little tummy wouldn't even take that
much.
You should only feed nuts as a treat and then only 1 per day. Otherwise he will not eat
the foods which are good for him.
He will need a good quality squirrel block.
I suggest HHB's growth formula, he will do great with these, as they are
specifically homemade for squirrels.
http://www.henryspets.com/

The formula I have is similar to that but it is a liquid not a powder. I haven't been able to get anything else but now that it's the weekend I will be able to get to a Petsmart. He really does eat well considering his size. His tummy is full but not overly tight after I feed him and his poop is small and brown....and frequent. It seems healthy to me compared to the small dry black pellets when I first found him. I will cut back on the nuts! He really has not interest in solid food though. I have tried apples, grapes, cereal, oatmeal, carrots, spinach, pasta noodles, and a little bit of the lab block I feed my pet rats. Is it normal that he isn't interested? There are definitely little teeth in there! How often do you suggest I feed him during the day? And through the night? Thank you so much!

[farrelli]

The liquid Esbilac isn;t as good. Go out and get this powder. He should be getting 5-7% of his body weight about every 4 hours, so 2.1 - 3 CCs.

He's hydrated, right? Gently pinch the skin between the shoulders and see if it tents. It should go right back down like on the back of your hand. If it tents, he can't properly digest his food.

Right now he should be on formula and nibble bolcks but not really be eating aything else.

Wile at the pet store, get some puppy/dog Nitra-Cal. It helps pack on the pounds for sick and unerweight animals.

[B&Maple]

Yes, he is hydrated. He is becoming more active and believe it or not he has gained weight since I found him. My nearest Pet store is an hour a half away so for now we are stuck with the liquid but I will try to get there ASAP. Is it possible that his back legs aren't working because he is so underweight? I would really like to be able to release him so he can be a happy normal squirrel someday but so far his only movement is kind of like a bear crawl.

Thank you for all your help! You would think there would be more help for Maple in a town that is famous for it's albino squirrels! So frustrating.

[farrelli]

Really push the paralysis thing. I forgot about that and am busting ass to get ready for a meeting. Ideally he should see a vet or a rehabber and possibly prescribed drugs to try to help with that. He probably fell or soemthing. If you have not specified where you are, do so and hopefully someone will try to find a rehabber near you. Always be careful before turning over so that they don;t just euthanize. Make sure you can follow up for updates if htey want to take them.

[farrelli]

Found this:

http://dnr.state.il.us/law3/Document...mitHolders.pdf

[farrelli]

Btw, if you're near Princeton, IL we have a great rehabber there:

http://www.2ndhandranch.com/

[B&Maple]

I have contacted my local rehabber and she was not super interested in caring for Maple. She did help me in giving me a syringe and a bit of advice though! Princeton is unfortunately too far for me. Maple and I do a little bit of squirrel PT each but I am afraid if I take him to a vet they will take him away from me. Or euthanize him. Which is not okay.

[farrelli]

Do you happen to have any prednizone? We could dose if so.

I wish someone with experience in paralysis would show up. If they haven't, I should be free in a few hours and I'll try and contact them.

[farrelli]

Would you mind listing your city?

[island rehabber]

I have contacted my local rehabber and she was not super interested in caring for Maple. She did help me in giving me a syringe and a bit of advice though! Princeton is unfortunately too far for me. Maple and I do a little bit of squirrel PT each but I am afraid if I take him to a vet they will take him away from me. Or euthanize him. Which is not okay.

B&Maple, it is entirely possible that Maple may regain strength in his legs as his nutrition steadily improves. The fact that he can pee and poop on his own tells me the spinal cord is not severed, therefore there is more hope than usual with these cases. To be so underweight he must have been alone a good long time without his mom. Definitely do PT with him: hold him facing you with one hand and let his legs droop......then push the palm of your other hand up against his hind feet, bringing his knees up to his chest, and slowly let them down. This will give you an idea of how much mobility he has in those legs at all. Pinch a back toe, watch for the reaction. Do right and left feet separately and see if they differ from each other. These little exercises will help you see what he's capable of. And yes, DON'T drop him off at a "wildlife center" unless you have previously cleared that they will work with him and give him a chance. Most won't.

[B&Maple]

B&Maple, it is entirely possible that Maple may regain strength in his legs as his nutrition steadily improves. The fact that he can pee and poop on his own tells me the spinal cord is not severed, therefore there is more hope than usual with these cases. To be so underweight he must have been alone a good long time without his mom. Definitely do PT with him: hold him facing you with one hand and let his legs droop......then push the palm of your other hand up against his hind feet, bringing his knees up to his chest, and slowly let them down. This will give you an idea of how much mobility he has in those legs at all. Pinch a back toe, watch for the reaction. Do right and left feet separately and see if they differ from each other. These little exercises will help you see what he's capable of. And yes, DON'T drop him off at a "wildlife center" unless you have previously cleared that they will work with him and give him a chance. Most won't.

Especially today, he has been a lot more active. I was worried at first about kidney failure but I have been peed on more than once in the last day so I would say he's doing well in that department. He does try to kind of kick back when I move his legs and he can hold up his tail if he's having a spurt of energy. His movement altogether is pretty erratic but he can wiggle into his nest and hold small pieces of food sometimes. Just today he has been trying to groom his fur.

[B&Maple]

Would you mind listing your city?

I haven't been able to find any prednisone and I am from Olney IL.

[island rehabber]

Another PT exercise my vet showed me: hold him gently around the middle and let his four legs hang down, then lightly 'bounce' him on a soft surface like your bed, as if he was walking or hopping himself while you are actually holding his weight. This strengthens his back and hip muscles, and 'reminds' them of how they are supposed to work. (My vet called it the "downward-dog", lol)

[lilidukes]

I'd really like to see a bunch of pictures of Maple
from different angles.
From the pic you've posted I don't see any lump
or bump on the spine. But would like to see more.

ir has given you great advice. The legs need to be
worked so blood flow continues. Being able to
poop and pee on his own is very encouraging to
hear.

A splash of heavy whipping cream in his formula
may help.

Where their any visible wounds when you found him??
Are the rear feet(the pads) warm and a little almost
like sticky feeling or do the feel dry???

Sorry tons of questions.

Maple

[B&Maple]

I'd really like to see a bunch of pictures of Maple
from different angles.
From the pic you've posted I don't see any lump
or bump on the spine. But would like to see more.

ir has given you great advice. The legs need to be
worked so blood flow continues. Being able to
poop and pee on his own is very encouraging to
hear.

A splash of heavy whipping cream in his formula
may help.

Where their any visible wounds when you found him??
Are the rear feet(the pads) warm and a little almost
like sticky feeling or do the feel dry???

Sorry tons of questions.

Maple

Maple's spine definitely feels spiney but I don't feel anything like bumps or weird protrusions. But then again I'm most definitely not an expert on squirrel spines.

When I found him he didn't have any visible wounds, I have since then checked him out super thoroughly and I removed a tick in his armpit area and we have finally gotten all the fleas out. The rear pads do not feel noticeably warm but they do seem tacky to the touch. He doesn't seem to have any muscle in is hind legs though. He is underweight for sure but he's a boney little dude back there. I have 3 pet rats and I kind of assume he should have some little muscles in his legs like my rats do.

[Anne]

Check out this thread for some therapy treatments you can try with Maple. This little guy is a lot older than Maple and has hind leg issues from an entirely problem, but the water therapy is a good one, I use a similar treatment with my littles with problems.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...O!!!!-bad-MBD-!!!