5-6 week old baby constipated and not eating

[JoJo Raven]

So to give the full rundown, I discovered the baby squirrel after he had fallen from a tree in my backyard with his sibling. I gave it a good full day for the mom to come back, and while she did come and get one she did not come back for the other. I tried the next morning but after a couple of hours I began hydration. I hydrated for a day and once the little guy had perked up and his skin passed the dehydration test then I moved on to watered down Esbilac. I slowly increased to full strength over the course of the day until FV 20/50 arrived. Then I worked on transitioning him over to FV by slowing changing the mixture of Esbilac to FV. However, he has not pooped in at least the last 3 days that I could tell. He weighs 115g and I was giving him 7cc of formula. I stimulate him at every feeding with a warm microfiber cloth, and I gave him some diluted apple juice (which he did not like) and a couple warm baths to try and get things moving.

His appetite and activity has been super perky and normal since he's been in my care, but I was worried about the lack of poop so I took him to the vet yesterday. The vet checked him out and said that he was fine and everything appeared normal. Once we got home, he immediately started pooping and I was so happy! It was so much poop that it kept coming. They were hard little mustard looking pellets. I thought all our worries were over at that point. Well, he still was acting like he had more, he kept rubbing his anus on the floor and I could tell he was straining to try and push something out. So I gave him another warm bath and he took just a little bit of apple juice. He was pretty tired after all that pooping, so I just let him sleep until his next feeding. By his next feeding his appetite was way down and he only took about 2cc. His energy was also down.

I was able to give him some apple juice this morning, about 1cc, but he is very weak and lethargic. When I've tried to feed him formula he takes it for a little bit, but I do see a bubble come out of his mouth and then he stops. I don't know if he is just that backed up? I've tried to put my ear to him to listen to his breathing but I don't hear any clicking, so I don't think it's pneumonia. But not sure if I should try antibiotics just in case? Should I change his formula to 50% Esbilac and 50% FV 20/50? Thanks so much everyone!

[Spanky]

His poop being mustard color (formula) and not black (mommy's milk) indicates he was "empty" on intake. It is not uncommon for it to take 3 days for the first formula poop.

Focus should be on making sure he does not bloat... constipation not so much... we see this a lot and folks get into a vicious cycle of not feeding, feeding apple juice, causing diarrhea and then back to "constipation".

I would give a big thumbs up to 50% Esbilac and 50% FV 20/50, which is what I prefer and use 3 weeks until weaning.

The fact that mom did not come back may be indicative that there is something else going on with this little one... or she may just be inexperienced and / or unable to care for the entire litter for caring for him.

What antibiotics do you have available?

[JoJo Raven]

Thank you for the encouraging words! I do not have any antibiotics on hand. Since I just saw the vet yesterday, I was going to call them and see what they could offer depending on little man's diagnosis. Just now at lunch I started to give him some Pedialyte because I'm worried about him getting dehydrated and he really took to that. But after a couple of ccs he started to throw up globs of formula. It looked kind of like cottage cheese. He perked up a little after that, so I might focus on hydration before I start reintroducing food. Could he have a blockage?

[CritterMom]

How are you storing your formula?

The formula POWDER - whether it be Esbilac or Fox Valley, needs to be kept at least refrigerated and is best kept in the freezer. It mixes exactly the same as room temp, BTW. The powder will go rancid. If you haven't kept it this way, I strongly suggest you STOP using it until you can get new. Most big chain pet stores have the Esbilac...

[JoJo Raven]

I am storing my powders in the refrigerator. I stuck the Fox Valley in there as soon as I received it it, so it should still be fine. Could the formula not be mixing properly and separating in his stomach? Thank you again!

[JoJo Raven]

I don’t think he’s going to make it. He’s gone downhill so fast. I just don’t understand, if anyone has any advice I would appreciate it.

[Spanky]

Call family friends and neighbors for antibiotics, just 1 pill. Even though he may not be clicking, this might be a Hail Mary attempt to save him.

Just ruling out possibility that he was overloaded with electrolytes; Pedialyte should not be given for more than 24 hours (and never mixed in formula).

If his stomach is bloated and hard, simethicone (Gas-X Infants drops) will help).

If he is not maintaining his body temperature and feeling cool, get him on some heat / heating pad.

Any other info you might be able to offer, or pictures, might help figure what is going on... as I said earlier the fact mom did not retrieve him may mean she knows something we have been unable to figure out.

[JoJo Raven]

Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately he did not make it. I wish I had gone ahead and asked the vet for an antibiotic just in case, but by the time he started going downhill it was after hours and I couldn’t find anyone to help. i didn’t start administering Pedialyte until today at lunch, and it was less than 1cc, so I don’t think he was overloaded. I am heartbroken. It all happened so fast.

[BigHeartedSquirrelDad]

So sorry for your loss. He probably had internal injuries from the fall that were not evident that you could do nothing about. You did the best you could. Thank you for caring for him and being with the little guy until the end.