Rapid breathing 6-7 week old.

[Lydyoungblood]

Hello!
New squirrel momma... And I'm already so attached!!
Our baby is 6-7 weeks old. I feel he is breathing pretty rapidly. Yesterday he drank his formula a little too fast and was clicking... We were so worried, we called a vet friend and she said to dose him with amoxicillin ( that's all we had on hand) ..today the clicking is hardly at all ... Some diarrhea. But he is eating and drinking Pedialyte fine... Breathing still seems deep and fast to me.. is that normal? Any suggestions?? Thanks,!

[stepnstone]

Hello!
New squirrel momma... And I'm already so attached!!
Our baby is 6-7 weeks old. I feel he is breathing pretty rapidly. Yesterday he drank his formula a little too fast and was clicking... We were so worried, we called a vet friend and she said to dose him with amoxicillin ( that's all we had on hand) ..today the clicking is hardly at all ... Some diarrhea. But he is eating and drinking Pedialyte fine...
Breathing still seems deep and fast to me.. is that normal? Any suggestions?? Thanks,!

This is what happens when fluid goes to the lungs, the click is the obvious sign. It's called Aspiration Pneumonia.
The best meds for AP is Baytril (animal med) or Ciprofloxacin. (human med) Cipro is used by many woman and often will have a pill or two in surplus. Both are faster acting.
I would call around to family friends and see what you can come up with. You would only need 1 pill. We can tell you how to breakdown and dose.
Amox can help but is hard on their stomach and gut flora, this can explain the diarrhea. It is always recommended to give a probiotic two hours before or two hours after giving an antibiotic. Diarrhea causes dehydration, it is also very important to keep baby hydrated.
Do you have a weight on this baby? Squirrels are dosed by body weight. What form and milligram is the Amox and how was the Amox dosed?
Pedialyte should not be given over 24 hours, too high in sodium and they don't need the dyes in it. Best to go with the homemade hydration solution listed below.
Also important, what is the formula baby is on?

Homemade hydration fluid:
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 quart water.

[Javarat]

Note that when they sneeze milk out of their nose, they will almost always click for a while.
When I feed my bunch I almost always wind up with a few that click for a bit.
So listen for clicking noises just before a feeding when their nose is dry.

[stepnstone]

we called a vet friend and she said to dose him with amoxicillin ( that's all we had on hand)
..today the clicking is hardly at all ...

I will surmise this clicking wasn't just for a short period after feeding, also deep and fast breathing is not normal.
With starting antibiotics the click is the first to subside that does not mean he is out of the woods, so please
don't dismiss this as a fluke. AP is serious and it is life threatening.