Help!!

[Diabla]

I have a 64g baby with pneumonia and all I have is 500mg capsule amox, and amox pot clav 875-125 tab I can't figure out the dosage though can anyone help??

[CritterMom]

Dosing for the Amoxicillin clavulanate sent by PM. It is the better of the two drugs you mentioned for a/p.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I have a 64g baby with pneumonia and all I have is 500mg capsule amox, and amox pot clav 875-125 tab I can't figure out the dosage though can anyone help??

Hi Diabla:
Thanks for finding The Squirrel Board! What is it that leads you to believe that your baby Squirrel has pneumonia? Also, are you familiar with baby Squirrel care? I am pasting some information for you from Henry's Pets that can be a guide for you in your care for this baby. If you are not familiar with Squirrel Care please read this immediately and even if you are, I would suggest reading this anyway! The only issue with Henry's Guide for care is their inclusion of Fox Valley 32/40 as a formula accaptable for babies. This particular formula had been found my a number of our members to NOT be appropriate for babies and should be avoided! Al of the other information in Henry's Guide is very good, appropriate and quite concise but inclusive! I have also pasted a cheat sheet for calculating the proper amount of formula to feed your Squirrel with each feeding for a particular day based upon a morning weight which should be determined with a digital scale before the first morning feeding each day.

Baby Squirrel Care; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

Here are links to some Squirrel Board Feeding guides as to amounts and frequency of feedings:

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...7&d=1683845752

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...6&d=1683845745

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

Dosing for the Amoxicillin clavulanate sent by PM. It is the better of the two drugs you mentioned for a/p.

Thank you

[Diabla]

Hi Diabla:
Thanks for finding The Squirrel Board! What is it that leads you to believe that your baby Squirrel has pneumonia? Also, are you familiar with baby Squirrel care? I am pasting some information for you from Henry's Pets that can be a guide for you in your care for this baby. If you are not familiar with Squirrel Care please read this immediately and even if you are, I would suggest reading this anyway! The only issue with Henry's Guide for care is their inclusion of Fox Valley 32/40 as a formula accaptable for babies. This particular formula had been found my a number of our members to NOT be appropriate for babies and should be avoided! Al of the other information in Henry's Guide is very good, appropriate and quite concise but inclusive! I have also pasted a cheat sheet for calculating the proper amount of formula to feed your Squirrel with each feeding for a particular day based upon a morning weight which should be determined with a digital scale before the first morning feeding each day.

Baby Squirrel Care; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

Here are links to some Squirrel Board Feeding guides as to amounts and frequency of feedings:

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...7&d=1683845752

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...6&d=1683845745

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Thank you so much for all the info. My baby has a clicking sound when he breathes which is leading me to believe he may have aspirated as well as loosing his energy. He was eating and very active (I have ordered him fox valley formula it should be here today) I have been giving him esbilac puppy formula in the mean time and he is well hydrated.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Thank you so much for all the info. My baby has a clicking sound when he breathes which is leading me to believe he may have aspirated as well as loosing his energy. He was eating and very active (I have ordered him fox valley formula it should be here today) I have been giving him esbilac puppy formula in the mean time and he is well hydrated.

Thanks Diabla! Please keep us updated on your Little One!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

It's been a few days now and the clicking has stopped thank goodness. He's on the antibiotics but he dropped weight as well as bloating. I have been giving him warm baths to help but he doesn't want to drink anything I have offered him.(formula at first now I'm trying to give him water or pedialyte) everything is heated up for him so its not cold but im not sure if im doing something wrong? He seems very weak now.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

It's been a few days now and the clicking has stopped thank goodness. He's on the antibiotics but he dropped weight as well as bloating. I have been giving him warm baths to help but he doesn't want to drink anything I have offered him.(formula at first now I'm trying to give him water or Pedialyte) everything is heated up for him so its not cold but im not sure if im doing something wrong? He seems very weak now.

Hi Diabla:
What is the name of you little Squirrel? Sorry to hear that there are still some problems! What are you feeding your Squirrel. Bloat is commonly associated with formula issues over-feeding or feeding too frequency. Another possibility is that the baby may have been allowed to get cooler than he should be. The baby must be kept warm (NOT hot) at all times and a cool baby will not be able to absorb and utilize the formula he is fed so if he will eat, he will likely become bloated.

I know that you said you had ordered FV 20/50 but that you had Esbilac Puppy formula. Was this the POWDERED Esbilac Puppy Milk or the liquid. There have been some significant problems with the liquid (it appears to be a different formulation than the powdered version) so the powdered Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer should be what you are using. This is mixed 1 part Esbilac to 2 parts water and mixed thoroughly by hand. The manufacturer recommends that you NOT use a blender. Also, this should site in the refrigerator preferably overnight but at least for several hours to help ensure that all of the powder has gone into suspension and there is no "raw" powder remaining in the mixture you prepared. The prepared Esbilac should be kept in the refrigerator and disposed of in 24 hours! You had mentioned that you had ordered FV 20/50. Changes in formula should be done gradually and not abruptly. You give a little less of what the Squirrel has been using while adding a little bit of the formula you want to transition to. In my opinion (and others here on TSB), you can hold the transition when you have reached 50% Esbilac and 50 FV 20/50 and then continue to feed 1 part Esbilac mixed with 1 part FV 20/50 (1/2 each) but this is extra cost (and work) and it is fine if you chose to complete the transition to all FV 20/50.

From the information you had links to at Henry's, you will note that your baby must be weighed accurately with a digital scale every day BEFORE the first feeding of the day. You will then calculate the amount of formula to give with EACH feeding during that 24 hour period. You will get the WEIGHT in Grams and use this number to calculate the Volume of formula in MILLILITERS based upon using a range of 5%-7% of the weight. As an example only; if your Squirrel weighed 100 Grams first thing in the morning, each feeding of formula would consist of 5 Milliliters to 7 milliliters of formula (5% of 100 is 5 and 7% of 100 is 7). You also have the "cheat sheet" for this so math will be eliminated but it is still important to understand the principles involved!

I would recommend AGAINST using Pedialyte in this case. Pedialyte and similar so-called rehydrating solutions contain a very high concentration of electrolytes such as Sodium, chloride and the like and if your Squirrel may be somewhat dehydrated (fluid depleted), he is not losing a significant amount of his electrolytes as he would if there was diarrhea so by using Pedialyte, you are supplying additional electrolytes which he does NOT need and which can lead to problems if their concentrations are excessive and you are doing this at the expense of your Squirrel not getting the plain water that he needs if he is fluid depleted. I would suggest stopping the Pedialyte now and use plain water (bottled water is a good choice) that is warmed but not hot! I use 104 degrees F (same as the formula) as rehydrating a formula feeding should be done carefully with a 1cc syringe (NO needle) the temperature within the syringe will drop to around 100 degrees before the fluid is gone from the syringe. Hold the Squirrel upright and go drop by drop or second by second if the Squirrel is avidly sucking the liquid!

Please keep on with the updates! I hope all will go well for your little Squirrel!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

My husband named him Crunchy(I use to call them that as a toddler) I feed him every 3 hours as of now offering him "sugar water" in between if he'll take it. I have noticed especially after last night that he sometimes moves away from the heat and was laying on top of his layers in the enclosure. He was pretty cold so I did warm him up right away and did another bath since le looked extra bloated. He had quite a bit of gas in him. I did get the powder formula upon reading and researching on here it seemed the better option. I weigh him every morning,mid day,and night. It might seem excessive maybe? But he dropped quite a bit and it scares me. He's staying at a constant weight now but still low. I have both the fv and the puppy formula in the freezer and refrigerate what I'm not using. Disposing after 24 hours. I did stop the pedialyte and am offering him water as mentioned before he doesn't seem to like it too much and drinks only a few drops that's why I added the sugar he drinks a little more but not much.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

My husband named him Crunchy(I use to call them that as a toddler) I feed him every 3 hours as of now offering him "sugar water" in between if he'll take it. I have noticed especially after last night that he sometimes moves away from the heat and was laying on top of his layers in the enclosure. He was pretty cold so I did warm him up right away and did another bath since le looked extra bloated. He had quite a bit of gas in him. I did get the powder formula upon reading and researching on here it seemed the better option. I weigh him every morning,mid day,and night. It might seem excessive maybe? But he dropped quite a bit and it scares me. He's staying at a constant weight now but still low. I have both the fv and the puppy formula in the freezer and refrigerate what I'm not using. Disposing after 24 hours. I did stop the pedialyte and am offering him water as mentioned before he doesn't seem to like it too much and drinks only a few drops that's why I added the sugar he drinks a little more but not much.

Thanks Diabla! Hello Crunchy! I meant to mention along with the recommendations for using plain water rather than Pedialyte is what you are doing anyway and that is sweetening the water to make it more enticing for Crunchy. I do not use actual sugar but do use molasses (my preferred sweetener) or syrup and add 1 teaspoonful of the sweetener to a cup of warm water and mix that.

Just another comment and that is in regard to your weighing Crunchy several times during the day. That in itself is fine but please do not use these "extra" weights for recalculating Crunchy's formula needs as this strategy could potentially tend to lead toward over-feeding and then bloating as you will be weighing Crunchy and the formula he has recently consumed just before the weighing and then you may actually be giving excessive formula on the next feedings. Just use the first morning, pre-feeding weight in your calculation of the formula to use for EACH feeding in that particular day and just update it each morning.

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

Thank you, I will try that. I don't change his formula after the morning check in but I was starting to think maybe I should change it. Glad I didn't. I'll see how he does with the syrup that's all I have at the moment.

[Diabla]

Last night Crunchy got very bloated and has been passing gas in his water baths since. He pooped at about 2 am and it was a dark brownish yellow color and very squishy looking? I dont know how else to describe it . Shortly after it changed to a more goldish color but still runny. Since then he has not pooped I can see he tries to and gas comes out but the spec of poop I see I can clean off with a q-tip and nothing else comes out. I've stopped the sugar water and have been offering regular water in between feedings if he'll take it. His formula I've watered down his formula 1 part powder 3 parts water hoping the water would get things moving but no luck. This morning I also gave him a drop of simethicone to help and again 4 hours later. When we found him he was skinny he does like his formula but I feel so bad for him it must be so uncomfortable😭

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Last night Crunchy got very bloated and has been passing gas in his water baths since. He pooped at about 2 am and it was a dark brownish yellow color and very squishy looking? I dont know how else to describe it . Shortly after it changed to a more goldish color but still runny. Since then he has not pooped I can see he tries to and gas comes out but the spec of poop I see I can clean off with a q-tip and nothing else comes out. I've stopped the sugar water and have been offering regular water in between feedings if he'll take it. His formula I've watered down his formula 1 part powder 3 parts water hoping the water would get things moving but no luck. This morning I also gave him a drop of simethicone to help and again 4 hours later. When we found him he was skinny he does like his formula but I feel so bad for him it must be so uncomfortable😭

Hi Diabla:
Is Crunchy still taking the Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate? If so, this may be responsible for his "gut issues!" Some sort of gut disturbance while taking this medication is so common that it might as well be expected and I apologize for not mentioning this earlier! One option that might be of help with this is to give Crunchy some Probiotics.

If Crunchy really did have aspiration pneumonia, it would probably be best to continue the antibiotics through 10 days although if this was not aspiration pneumonia or a bacterial pneumonia, ideally, the antibiotics should be discontinued. This poses a difficult decision as IF there was an aspiration pneumonia, this is an extremely serious concern and warrants appropriate antibiotic treatment. My humble suggestion would be to start Probiotics and continue additional between feeding hydration. I certainly agree with stopping the "sugar" in the extra hydration and IF there is true diarrhea or even "runny" stool, I would suggest using Pedialyte for the extra hydration given between formula feedings. Pedialyte or one of the similar generic electrolyte containing solutions would be more appropriate with "runny" stools as watery stools are often accompanied by loss of electrolytes (sodium, chloride, etc) along with the loss of water. NEVER mix Pedialyte and formula together as this changes the electrolyte make-up of both and can result in clumping of the formula or other problems as well!

Overall, it seems from what you have written that Crunchy has a good appetite. Is he urinating regularly and normally and is he active and otherwise behaving normally? These are all good signs!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

Yes he's still on it and now that I think about it he did start going downhill after he started taking it. Would it maybe be best to pause it for now? I dont hear anything in his chest anymore but his mouth is making a clicking sound when I handle him otherwise he's silent or making small chirping noises. I'm waiting on his Bene-bac to come in I couldn't find it near me so I've been giving him .5 of yogurt in the mean time. Would the homemade formula for hydration work? If not I will try to find some somewhere. Last night when I checked on him his head was drooping and he seemed like he was about to give up. I started hydrating him every 15-30 mins for a while and he seems to have perked up that by his breakfast time he accepted formula. He hadn't urinated more than a few drops until about 2 pm he finally urinated a good amount he's climbing around like himself again but I did notice when I give him his water bath to alleviate his bloating he starts getting fidgety and moving his mouth kind of funny. I'm not sure if it's just his way of telling me he's had enough or if something else is going on.

[Diabla]

By hydrating him I mean I was offering him fluids as he would take them. At that point I only wanted him to perk up and come back around and it seemed to work

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Yes he's still on it and now that I think about it he did start going downhill after he started taking it. Would it maybe be best to pause it for now? I dont hear anything in his chest anymore but his mouth is making a clicking sound when I handle him otherwise he's silent or making small chirping noises. I'm waiting on his Bene-bac to come in I couldn't find it near me so I've been giving him .5 of yogurt in the mean time. Would the homemade formula for hydration work? If not I will try to find some somewhere. Last night when I checked on him his head was drooping and he seemed like he was about to give up. I started hydrating him every 15-30 mins for a while and he seems to have perked up that by his breakfast time he accepted formula. He hadn't urinated more than a few drops until about 2 pm he finally urinated a good amount he's climbing around like himself again but I did notice when I give him his water bath to alleviate his bloating he starts getting fidgety and moving his mouth kind of funny. I'm not sure if it's just his way of telling me he's had enough or if something else is going on.

Hi Diabla:
I am in no position to advise you to discontinue or "pause" Crunchy's antibiotics and this would need to be a decision you make on your own. I believe that you did not actually witness an aspiration but you heard a "clicking" noise when Crunchy was breathing. I do not know for certain, where, in Crunchy's body, this Clicking originated. There are certain lung sounds that are classically associated with a pneumonia such as crackles (an older term still used for this is rales). These are literally crackling type sounds that are similar to the sounds made by rubbing some of your hair together near your ear. Other sounds originating in the lung that may be even more suspicious for a pneumonia are what are called tracheal, bronchial or tubular breath sounds and these are the sounds you may normally hear with a stethoscope placed over the windpipe but if you hear these same sounds over the lungs themselves; it suggests that that portion of the lung is consolidated and there may be a pneumonia there!

These sounds, Diabla are not usually audible by being nearby to even much larger animals than little Squirrels or even humans and to hear these abnormal lung sounds almost always requires a stethoscope or other means of amplification! Oftentimes an audible sound associated with a Squirrel's breathing are upper airway sounds that suggest swelling, foreign body or nasal congestion. Squirrels are obligate nose breathers and while they are able to breath through their mouths, they do not do it naturally and can't simple "change-up" as we adult humans can do and breath from either our noses or mouths. If a Squirrel has congestion of the nasal passages or the throat and needs to breath through his mouth, this usually results in obvious distress and often audible noises!

I wish I could tell you with certainty that Crunchy did not have a pneumonia or that it would be safe to discontinue or "pause" his antibiotics but I just can't do that without at least being there. I suspect from what you have described that it would be ok but I cannot feel comfortable actually making that recommendation. Of course, IF Crunchy does not have a pneumonia, there are only risks to using the antibiotics and no benefits. When an animal aspirates, it is so potentially serious and really life-threatening if an aspiration pneumonia develops that we usually start antibiotics just based upon the aspiration itself. Further on, the need for the antibiotics must be periodically reassessed and they should be discontinued if there really is not evidence of a pneumonia or other condition treatable with the antibiotics!

This is probably not very helpful but I'm not sure what else to say in answer to your question! Sorry!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Diabla]

It's alright you've been helpful with my concerns. I'll see how he does tonight and go from there. Thank you so very much!!

[Diabla]

Oh before I forget once I get the probiotic in what would the dosage be?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Oh before I forget once I get the probiotic in what would the dosage be?

Here's a link to PetAg Bene-Bac Info; https://www.petag.com/products/bene-bac-plus-pet-powder

StS

[Mel1959]

StS is giving you great advice. I would like to reiterate that pedialyte should be given for no more than 24 hrs. I would also advise against diluting his formula. If he’s not maintaining his weight it could be because he’s not getting enough nutrition. Any offerings of water should be between feedings and not in place of feedings. The yogurt should have active cultures for use as a probiotic and contain no artificial sweeteners.

Crunchy in a head down position and moving off the heat is not a good sign. Please pay close attention to him so you can help him stay warm.