Squirrel wheezing and twitching

[supersquirrelgirl]

Trimethoprim is the TMP part of the well-known antibiotic SMZ-TMP, very effective on soft tissue injuries or infections. Also known as Bactrim. It's quite safe for squirrels... not sure whether it would be as effective without the SMZ but it won't hurt her.

Hello IR,

I have only SMP/TMP combo dosage info. Might you have dosage info for only TMP ?? (maybe in the WMB book ??)

Please send PM if you (or anybody) knows the dosage.

Thank you!

Mr.SSG

[Risu]

Risu, please check pill is as follows:

Trimethoprim 200mg Tablets are white, flat beveled edged tablets, engraved with 'MT200'.

I'm familiar with the combo SMZ/TMP antibiotic and dosage for squirrels. I need to ask assistance for TMP only dosage.

You will get Private Message (PM) with instructions and dosage for TMP when confirmed.

The tablet I have is white and has beveled edges but it’s engraved with TMP 200 instead and is about 4mm thick.

[supersquirrelgirl]

The tablet I have is white and has beveled edges but it’s engraved with TMP 200 instead and is about 4mm thick.

Perfect! Working on dilution instructions now and will send by PM soon.

Do you have a 1ml syringe ??

Any guess on squirrel weight ??

[Risu]

Perfect! Working on dilution instructions now and will send by PM soon.

Do you have a 1ml syringe ??

Any guess on squirrel weight ??

Thank you so much. I’ve ordered a syringe and it should arrive sometime tomorrow. Unfortunately I have no idea what her weight is. I got some more videos of her today so I’ll attach them in case they might help.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ExI...w?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19iz...w?usp=drivesdk

[supersquirrelgirl]

OK. Hang tight

I will send dosing info later as I'm having some offline discussions.

I'll review pictures and video and give a best guess at weight.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Risu,

Mixing and dosing instruction sent by PM for 200mg TMP tablet.

If you have questions on syringe measurements, please ask.

Suggest using a 1/2 walnut or 1/2 pecan in shell. Drip meds on nut and give to squirrel first.

Mr.SSG

[Risu]

Risu,

Mixing and dosing instruction sent by PM for 200mg TMP tablet.

If you have questions on syringe measurements, please ask.

Suggest using a 1/2 walnut or 1/2 pecan in shell. Drip meds on nut and give to squirrel first.

Mr.SSG

Thanks very much, I’ll start giving it her tomorrow.

I also have a question about her teeth, in the video I attached recently, her front teeth seem to be a little long although I’m not 100% sure. She hasn’t been able to have any nuts with shells since she can’t seem to crack them/ fit them in her mouth and I’m a little worried she hasn’t been able to grind her teeth down. Would it be worth getting her something like in the picture attached?

[supersquirrelgirl]

Wild squirrel general chew on anything to trim their teeth. My gang using the lawn sprinkler heads I'm sure she has a spot to grind teeth somewhere..

You can always buy other things as treats. Up to you.

[Risu]

Risu,

Mixing and dosing instruction sent by PM for 200mg TMP tablet.

If you have questions on syringe measurements, please ask.

Suggest using a 1/2 walnut or 1/2 pecan in shell. Drip meds on nut and give to squirrel first.

Mr.SSG

Wild squirrel general chew on anything to trim their teeth. My gang using the lawn sprinkler heads I'm sure she has a spot to grind teeth somewhere..

You can always buy other things as treats. Up to you.

Good to know, thank you.

I managed to get some more videos of her again today. Tried giving her a hazelnut without the shell; she managed a small bite but ultimately couldn’t eat most of it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FFQ...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16uC...w?usp=drivesdk

[supersquirrelgirl]

I use whole walnuts cut in half and dribble AB on nut. All squirrels here go crazy eating it.

Its good that she continues to come daily.

[Risu]

She took the walnut with the AB today!
I’m hoping she managed to eat all of it but I’m not sure, there were a lot of other squirrels here today so she took it and hid away. I know she ate at least some of it though which is good.

Hoping she eats it somewhere I can see her properly tomorrow.

[BigNibbler]

Risu - one photo you posted shows her right by your open window. That is where you should be feeding her.
She will feel safest there... step back a little IF you feel she prefers that. But you really need to observe her... is she eating the medicine or deftly spitting that part out? If she buries it, most will rub off or go into the soil. Did you dry it as I suggested?

[olorin19]

I treated a wild named Mama Squirrel with antibiotics back in 2020.

One thing that helped was to have the antibiotic on the nut ready to go. I would keep the next dosed nut in the refrigerator so I could get it quickly whenMama Squirrel appeared. (This was right when Covid hit, so luckily for Mama Squirrel I was home every day and she already knew where to stand so she was visible from my desk.)

Since there were days where I did not manage giv8ng her two doses (or even one on some days), I kept the antibiotics going longer.

Details here -

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ured-front-paw

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi Rizu,

Glad she came today. Its hard to see the walnut in the picture.

I take a whole walnut and cut in half along the split line with big knife (be careful). I add AB to the walnut half still in the shell. (shell acts like a cup as AB drips) Sometimes, I even reuse the half shell and pack walnut pieces tightly into the shell. Then add AB dose. The key is to get the squirrel to eat the walnut pieces and lick the inside of the shell. TMP meds is not bad tasting so squirrel with like it. (some AB are really yukky!)

The dose prescribed is for 1X per day (wild squirrel) and boosted 50% to account dribble margin and loss. IF you can get her in the doorway, window, or a private corner, you can watch her eat.

Another tip: Take solution out of frig and hold container in your hand to warm it. While in your hand continue to shake it good. So after 10~15 mins, open container, use the syringe to stir it up and immediately draw a dose.

Mr.SSG

[Risu]

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

She came and took the walnut with AB on today and ate the corner of it but then dropped it. Tried giving the same one to her again inside a walnut shell (my mum bought walnuts with shells today) but again she dropped it after a while of rolling it around. Maybe she’s licking it? I’m not sure, there do seem to be bite marks on it. I’ll try packing a walnut in tighter tomorrow, just didn’t have time today.

The squirrel rehabber contacted me and suggested I spread some Nutella on the nut to get her to eat it, would that be worth trying? She did eat a raspberry today, perhaps she may eat more if the AB was on a raspberry?

I make sure to put the AB on the walnut the night before and put it in the fridge. Should I be letting the AB soak a little and then drying it off after a certain period of time? It’s also difficult to always have her eat by the window all the time, whenever there are other squirrels she tends to go and hide away and my dad also doesn’t like me opening the window too much.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11i7...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Bw...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v3H...w?usp=drivesdk

All videos are of the walnut with AB on it.

[olorin19]

Maybe try adding the AB to a small batch of sunflower seeds?

[BigNibbler]

Early on I suggested a pecan half. Use a knife point to score a deep groove in the pecan. May need practice not to go too deep and to find the right part to do this on.
The AB should be dispensed into that groove.
Then drop on top of the AB nut crumbs... the same as that which scraped off with the knife. Can use any pecan for that.
Dry the whole thing. It must be dry.

The medicine is a measured amount and unless it is all consumed, it won't be sufficient.

In one video it looked like she dropped the nut due the bad medicine taste.

I have not had much luck with nutella. I use concentrated Pecan flavor.
But you could try it on an untreated nut.
Don't waste the medicine. You will run out.
See first if she likes the nutella taste.

Not recommending berry. She may flick off the skin - and besides it will be more difficult to dry and can easily be peeled.

[BigNibbler]

Pecan nut meat is softer and less brittle than walnut meat.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Risu,

Dosing wild squirrels is always trial and error to find best method. Try walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, whatever that works.

The dose amount is boosted 50% to account for margin that is happening with eating partial nut and some licking the shell. (see your videos) If you find a solution that she eats all the nut and still licks the shell, its fine. TMP is not bad tasting and you can mix with whatever. There is more than enough AB solution for twice the dosing duration.

You can prepare different type nuts and try each to find which works the best. Keep any used AB nuts for the next day or if she comes back later in the day, give it to her.

In the past, I prepare backup nut for times when other squirrels were around the target squirrel and the wrong squirrel grabbed the AB nut. Just keep doing your best. I'm encouraged she comes back each day.

Looking at your videos again, I suspect the twitching is really her coughing.

Mr.SSG

[Risu]

Alright, I’ll try the AB with a pecan tomorrow and if it doesn’t work I’ll try again with sunflower seeds, etc. She didn’t eat much today but I’m hoping she might’ve licked enough off since she seemed to get it all around her mouth in one of the videos.

I wonder what could be causing the coughing. I’ve made sure to put a small container of water out for her in case it helps but she always goes and drinks from the bird bath ahah.