Possible Pneumonia/phenoxymethyl

[KimBT]

Hi I have been rehabbing a 4 week grey squirrel in a country that is not squirrel friendly. It has been a bit isolating. I have read every post on this board and have been feeding esbilac and using a heating pad etc etc. She weighs 92 grams now. Last night she suddenly went off her formula. I noticed this morning she has a slight click in her breath and her breathing is rapid.

I have phoned the vet and been told off and told to take her to the rspca (which will end in euthanasia) and I phoned another vet who said they would get back to me. In the mean time I've phoned every friend and pne has phenoxymethyl pennicilin 250 g tablets. Would that work in this desperate time.

Thanks so much for this brilliant forum which has been a fantastic help
Kim

[KimBT]

Update- have managed to get a vet appointment after much phoning around and begging. They have agreed to give me baytril ! I realised I’m in a different time zone and will hopefully have managed to sort out my baby by the time everyone your side of the pond wakes up. Again this board has been invaluable as I see penicillin is toxic for squirrels from reading wildly.
Thanks again

[redwuff]

Let us know if you need any help. If you want, we can double check the dosage used for the Baytril. So glad you found a vet!

[KimBT]

I'm so glad I found a squirrel tolerant Vet (I'm going to be moving my other pets to this practice!). He didn't even charge me for the consult just the baytril! I got 7 days of baytril.
Fingers crossed I caught this in time. Is pneumonia always due to aspiration? I have been so careful with feeding. Only a syringe (1cc) for the first day and then I managed to get a miracle nipple. I am experienced at syringe feeding all types of rodents (guinea pig, rat, mouse, hamster, harvest mice, and birds), although it's been a while but I'm sure I would have noticed the aspiration. The squirrel was found on a road by a friend of a friend and was ice cold by the time she arrived in my care.
Anyway I suppose I can't second guess myself but can make sure I'm extra careful going forward.
Any recommendations on extra probiotics? There is in the formula and I do have some RodeVit Gastro which is a gut function vitamin with probiotics.

[KimBT]

Also the vet prescribed 2.5% baytril 0.1 ml once a day is this correct?

[island rehabber]

Also the vet prescribed 2.5% baytril 0.1 ml once a day is this correct?

Kim, you gave me a start with that one because normally the Baytril dosage with baby squirrels is 0.01 once a day. Then I realized you have a strength of 2.5%, not the usual 22.5% we see around here. If yours is truly 2.5% then I believe that 0.1ml is correct. Correct ME, folks, if I'm wrong, ok?

[Milo's Mom]

Uhm I think Baytril 2.5% is Baytril 25. So a tad stronger than our normal 22.7.
Baytril 10% is Baytril 100
Baytril 2.27% is Baytril 22.7

So going on that I would say that Baytril 2.5% is 25mg of Baytril in 1ml...which means the dose is way too much.

[Milo's Mom]

Kim, what does your little one weigh in grams? In what form is your Baytril? Liquid? Tablet?

[Milo's Mom]

Also, if possible take a picture of what you have (medicine bottle) and post it. The vet may have done a dilution.

I see your little one is 92 grams.

[redwuff]

I'm so glad I found a squirrel tolerant Vet (I'm going to be moving my other pets to this practice!). He didn't even charge me for the consult just the baytril! I got 7 days of baytril.
Fingers crossed I caught this in time. Is pneumonia always due to aspiration? I have been so careful with feeding. Only a syringe (1cc) for the first day and then I managed to get a miracle nipple. I am experienced at syringe feeding all types of rodents (guinea pig, rat, mouse, hamster, harvest mice, and birds), although it's been a while but I'm sure I would have noticed the aspiration. The squirrel was found on a road by a friend of a friend and was ice cold by the time she arrived in my care.
Anyway I suppose I can't second guess myself but can make sure I'm extra careful going forward.
Any recommendations on extra probiotics? There is in the formula and I do have some RodeVit Gastro which is a gut function vitamin with probiotics.

Babies can come in with pneumonia, especially when cold or in poor condition, so it would not necessarily be AP but it is still treated the same way.

[KimBT]

I’ve attached the photo of the bottle
She weighed 100g on his scale. Last weigh by me was last night at 92g, glad she has put on it it may be scale differences
Oh and it’s liquid baytril

[Milo's Mom]

Okay, thank you.

The dose would be 0.04 ONCE a day
or
0.02 TWICE a day.

Personally, I administer Baytril once a day.

[KimBT]

Ok I’ll adjust it.
I had already given her a dose today 0.1 in the car park actually after seeing the vet. I didn’t want to wait. Hope that initial high dose won’t be too harmful?

[Milo's Mom]

Ok I’ll adjust it.
I had already given her a dose today 0.1 in the car park actually after seeing the vet. I didn’t want to wait. Hope that initial high dose won’t be too harmful?

It could or it could not. That is a wait and see kind of thing. Don't give anymore today. Wait till you hit the 24 hour mark from the first dose and then go to the new amounts.

My gut is telling me it's ok, it was high but not ridiculously so. And it's already in so there's nothing that can be done. Just move forward and love on the little cutie.

[Spanky]

The vet may have done a dilution.

I would call the vet and ask about possible dilution... I sometimes get handed things labeled with the original strength from my vet when I know they diluted it because I watched them dilute it! I always have a conversation about the meds so I correctly update the label when this happens because I typically use WMB dosing versus the more "casual dosing" some of the vets use.

[KimBT]

I will call the vet tomorrow before the next dose.
The good news is that she is eating more. Not as much as usual but I’m letting her have what she wants. She is averaging 2cc every 1.5 hours. I think this is fine while she is unwell. Makes for a sleepless night ahead though.
Attached a photo of her after dinner snuggle

[redwuff]

cuuute

[KimBT]

Quick update ‘Willow’ (I don’t even think I told you her name) managed though the night with 1,5 hour small feeds which is all she could manage (1.5-2ml) feeds at a time, her last feed she had a lot more. She loved a light brush with a soft toothbrush to help circulation and is all round doing much better.
Still a light click but breathing is less rapid.

[redwuff]

She is beautiful! What a lucky baby to have such a great mom

[Nancy in New York]

Quick update ‘Willow’ (I don’t even think I told you her name) managed though the night with 1,5 hour small feeds which is all she could manage (1.5-2ml) feeds at a time, her last feed she had a lot more. She loved a light brush with a soft toothbrush to help circulation and is all round doing much better.
Still a light click but breathing is less rapid.

Willow you are absolutely precious!