ADULT SQUIRREL VOMITING

[pepper’s mom]

hi everyone! i am in need of some urgent help!!! my pet squirrel (pepper) is 2 years old and i’ve had her since she was approximately 5 weeks old. she is non-releasable...that’s a whole different story. at the time when she was rescued, no rehabbers in my area could take her, hence why she’s with me.
she started eating her squirrel block like normal yesterday morning so i thought all was well. when i got home from work around 3:15, i realized something was wrong. her squirrel block only had a couple bites out of it and there was vomit on one of her blankets. her breathing was labored too. she drank some coconut water and has had bits of water since then, but she can’t keep anything down. she did eat a few nibbles of some cooked sweet potato that i hid some benebac in last night, but that came up too.
she spit up again this morning after drinking some water. she obviously doesn’t feel well, but is still being sweet with me. her eyes are clear and she’s still alert. to my knowledge, she hasn’t urinated since sometime yesterday before say 4pm. i am monitoring that. she has pooped twice...just two little turds and the turds are sticky (just trying to give all the info i can think of).
i have talked with a couple of trusted rehabbers and the consensus is that i need a vet! the problem is that i am in an area where no one will see her! i am happy to give anyone with any info on a vet who will see her my location privately. i am open to any and all suggestions/advice!!! i just need to get my pepper better. thank you!!

[Mel1959]

I am reaching out to a member in Alabama to see if she knows of any vets within the state that will see squirrels. Are you near the border to an adjoining state that you could travel to?

[pepper’s mom]

thank you so much!!! tennessee would be the closest.

[pepper’s mom]

awesome! i’m on hold with them now.

[Mel1959]

Glad you’re going that route. Alabama is not looking very friendly about seeing squirrels.

[Mel1959]

How’d you do? There’s another member that might have another vet resource if necessary.

[pepper’s mom]

sorry i had to wait for them to call me back! they can see pepper at 3pm so i’m trying to make plans to make the trek. i will keep y’all posted!!

[Mel1959]

I’m glad you got an appointment for today.

[Mel1959]

Any update?

[pepper’s mom]

Any update?

sorry it’s been a busy day! so i made plans to make the trek to tennessee and my dad was going to go with me - we had everything ready. pepper decided she did NOT want to go anywhere and evaded me for an hour as i could not lure her into the travel cage - she’s a sassy gal when she wants to be. during the chaos, she stopped for a potty break and finally urinated!!

by this time, we would have been late because there is a time change between me and the vet. she showed a lot of “pep” avoiding the travel cage so i guess that’s a good sign. i called the vet and made an appointment for tomorrow.

to my knowledge, she has not thrown up/spit up since early this morning. she has had a few bits of watermelon throughout the day and has kept that down so far. she also pooped a couple more times. we aren’t out of the woods yet, but i’m hopeful!

thank you SO much for checking back and helping me!!!

[pepper’s mom]

How’d you do? There’s another member that might have another vet resource if necessary.

also, if it’s not too much trouble, i would be interested in the location of another vet resource (if possible) just out of curiosity. i am elated to have the information on the first one you gave me, but if the other one happened to be closer, it might be helpful in the future. i needed a vet when she was a baby, but couldn’t find anyone so i figured it out on my own, but other than that, i’ve never needed a vet! this threw me for a loop and i want to fully prepared if we ever have an emergency! but no worries if it’s too much trouble! i truly appreciate your quick responses and information.

[CritterMom]

So now, you need to begin "policing" her cage and areas she has access to. She likely ate something she had stashed and it made her ill. If you are feeding the Henry's food, it is all natural and has no preservatives, so it WILL get moldy and nasty. She shouldn't be allowed to stash nuts, either - they get very possessive and crazy over them. It may be easier to go through and clear stuff out while she is elsewhere (plausible deniability).

[Mel1959]

also, if it’s not too much trouble, i would be interested in the location of another vet resource (if possible) just out of curiosity. i am elated to have the information on the first one you gave me, but if the other one happened to be closer, it might be helpful in the future. i needed a vet when she was a baby, but couldn’t find anyone so i figured it out on my own, but other than that, i’ve never needed a vet! this threw me for a loop and i want to fully prepared if we ever have an emergency! but no worries if it’s too much trouble! i truly appreciate your quick responses and information.

Info sent in a pm.

[pepper’s mom]

So now, you need to begin "policing" her cage and areas she has access to. She likely ate something she had stashed and it made her ill. If you are feeding the Henry's food, it is all natural and has no preservatives, so it WILL get moldy and nasty. She shouldn't be allowed to stash nuts, either - they get very possessive and crazy over them. It may be easier to go through and clear stuff out while she is elsewhere (plausible deniability).

yes! i do this on the daily with her - she’s always stashing things. and you’re right - it’s always better when she doesn’t see me doing it! 😂

[lukaslolamaus]

How is Pepper doing?
Did she see the vet?
By the way we love squirrel pictures