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Thread: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

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    Default Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    I have a 6-7 month female gray squirrel. Usually very active. She started laying around some yesterday but was eating and drinking good. This morning total opposite. She is laying around not eating none but us drinking water and her calcium supplement. I have human antibiotics levofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole as well as prednisone(steroid). I have not gave her any of these as not sure she can take any.She is breathing differently too. Any help appreciated

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Need more info. Does she live inside or outside? What does she eat and does she have access to anything she shouldn't eat? You mentioned calcium supplement - how much does she get a day and why?

    What is different about her breathing? Does she seem to be in pain?

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    She lives inside every time we tried to release her the squirrels that live in front of our house physically attack her !

    Her breathing is labored
    She eats nuts sweet potatoes zucchini

    She has a light she enjoys sitting under that is uv light
    She gets a tiny calcium supplement in a tablespoon of water each day because she had a deficiency of it

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    How many milligrams of calcium per day?

    Her diet is really not good at all. She needs to be on squirrel blocks - we all use these: https://www.henryspets.com/diets/

    I am concerned that she may still be deficient.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Between the labored breathing and lethargy that strongly suggests that the squirrel may have aspiration pneumonia.

    Don't mean to step on any toes, but AP is serious stuff.

    Baytril (animal)/Cipro (human), Clavamox (animal)/Augmentin (human) are drugs that are used frequently for upper respiratory infections.

    Levoflaxacin is a member of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics. Cipro is also a member of the fluoroquinolone class. So, hopefully it should be similarly effective at treating respiratory infections. You will need to check this with an administrator that is familiar with these medications.

    Since aspiration pneumonia acts so quickly and fatally in the worst case, if this were a squirrel in my care, [and I have lost one to AP, it is brutal] I would treat as soon as an admin gives you the proper dosage.

    In the meantime, keep the squirrel warm and I recommend positioning them on your person in between layers of clothing or at least in an upright posture on you. This posture facilitates breathing in the event of fluid in the lungs, keeps the fluid at the bottom so that oxygen can still be exchanged at the top of the lungs.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    She has Mazuri primate diet and rodent block but she takes one bite and has never wanted them too

    I will go ahead and order the one you sent but I’m worried about what to do now

    Could she have bortotella?

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    You will need to give the admin the squirrel's weight, so I would get that now, in order to have every thing ready. Hopefully you also have a small syringe, 1 cc or 1/2. If the admin approves the use, they will PM you with specific preparation instructions.

    You will need also to get all of the specs from the prescription bottle, like its concentration and expiration date.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    I will go ahead and order the one you sent but I’m worried about what to do now

    Could she have bortotella?
    I would treat immediately with the antibiotics that you have. PM some adminstrators. There is one currently active on a thread somewhere, don't know where.

    It sounds like some sort of respiratory infection. I would treat immediately and then I would try to figure out how it occurred once treatment has been initiated.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    I cannot emphasize enough how quickly AP can act. My squirrel, Oscar, was fine the night before and by the morning he was barely alive. He got AP from either inhaling his food or because he aspirated while drinking water from a jar lid. He didn't get it being fed from a syringe, because I didn't have one, I had only found him a couple of days before.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Could this be Bordeteila????I’m desperately trying to locate the antibotics since I have none right now
    I have human bactrim

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    Could this be Bordeteila????I’m desperately trying to locate the antibotics since I have none right now
    I have human bactrim
    You said you have levoflaxacin, use that, it is the same class as Cipro which has proven to work well in squirrels treating respiratory infections. Scroll back through this thread and read all of my posts. Human antibiotics are regularly used on squirrels. An administrator will need to give you the proper dosage, adjusted for the weight of the squirrel.

    Don't mess around trying to find something else if this is AP you do not have the time.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    She weighs 354 grams any dosage info for giving her the Bactrim?

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Rock Monkey View Post
    I would treat immediately with the antibiotics that you have.
    Antibiotics are hard on a squirrel's system, we do not recommend giving antibiotics without determining first
    what it is we are attempting to treat. Antibiotics will do nothing for the treatment of MBD!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    Her breathing is labored She eats nuts sweet potatoes zucchini.
    ~ She gets a tiny calcium supplement in a tablespoon of water
    each day because she had a deficiency of it
    Nuts rob the body of calcium! Giving a calcium supplement and feeding nuts is counter productive.
    Sweet potato, zucchini, should only be fed in liminted amounts as they both are high in fats, starches, and oxalates.


    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    How many milligrams of calcium per day?
    Her diet is really not good at all.
    The above question needed an answer!
    A squirrel has a high calcium requirement, an improper diet void of this daily nutritional requirement will lead to Metabolic bone disease.

    Symptoms of MBD: general body soreness, activity levels decline, lethargy, drop in appetite, labored breathing. (indication of pain)
    Untreated MBD can lead to increased severity to seizures and or paralysis, death if not treated.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rock Monkey View Post
    Between the labored breathing and lethargy that strongly suggests that the squirrel may have aspiration pneumonia.
    There are many illnesses that this can be credited to as well as pain that causes the same.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rock Monkey View Post
    Don't mean to step on any toes, but AP is serious stuff.
    You are stepping on toes when an educated experienced member is already helping and asking pertinent questions that goes unanswered due to your constant bumping of posts with your consistent Aspiration pneumonia theories. Everything is not AP!
    Mbd is serious and Yes, AP is serious! So where are the pertinent questions you should be asking to make this determination before your deciding an antibiotic should be given?
    Aspiration Pneumonia Symptoms:
    Early stages include a barely audible rhythmic ‘clicking’ sound coming from the nose or chest, coinciding with inhaling and exhaling. A caregiver might notice a mild vibration or rattle in the chest. Squirrels with more severe and advanced cases of aspiration or pneumonia may have labored, shallow, and difficult breathing. The squirrel may breathe through an open mouth rather than through the nose. The respiratory rate may be abnormally rapid or slow. They may be weak and even collapsed. Coughing is possible, but not common.

    Lisap, The diet strongly suggests a calcium deficiency.
    Please examine both symptoms listed and elaborate on what you are experiencing with your squirrel.
    Last edited by stepnstone; 01-23-2021 at 10:32 PM. Reason: spl
    Step-N-Stone
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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    She is not making any strange noise just sneezing. Her calcium supplement is called squirrel-cal
    Mix 1/2 tsp for lb of food and sprinkled on her food daily
    That’s what directions said to do. It calcium carbonate 94% on container.
    She is drinking good
    Has nibbled some
    Then back to laying down

  16. Serious fuzzy thank you's to Lisap from:

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    You have twice asked about bordetella - and yes, squirrels CAN get this. Has she been exposed to it?

    Does the calcium container say anything anywhere about how many milligrams of calcium is in a serving? I found it online at exotic nutrition but they don't have any info. BTW, they really have pretty crappy squirrel food - I was very disappointed in their stuff.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    You have twice asked about bordetella - and yes, squirrels CAN get this. Has she been exposed to it?

    Does the calcium container say anything anywhere about how many milligrams of calcium is in a serving? I found it online at exotic nutrition but they don't have any info. BTW, they really have pretty crappy squirrel food - I was very disappointed in their stuff.
    New to posting here sorry some stuff may be duplicate . Supplement says nothing about milligrams

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    New to posting here sorry some stuff may be duplicate . Supplement says nothing about milligrams
    We have a small house dog that started sneezing and in past has been treated for it

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    We have a small house dog that started sneezing and in past has been treated for it
    Well your squirrel could very well have picked it up from the dog. What meds did they give you for him? The SMZ-TMP you PMd me about isn't the best choice for it.

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    This morning she is drinking lots of water.
    She drank a second time and threw the water back up. Thus I’ve never seen before.
    Any suggestions as she don’t want food.
    Can I give her ensure or pedi?
    She is so sweet and it breaks my heart to see her sick

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    Default Re: Laying around not eating and sneezing help

    Quote Originally Posted by Lisap View Post
    This morning she is drinking lots of water.
    She drank a second time and threw the water back up. Thus I’ve never seen before.
    Any suggestions as she don’t want food.
    Can I give her ensure or pedi?
    She is so sweet and it breaks my heart to see her sick
    Still sneezing a little too

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