Hey Guys,

Been a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve had my hands super busy with my new little neuro. For those of you who want to know her backstory, you can check out my last post here: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...t=#post1186436

That was well over 2 months ago, and my little grey is still with us. With any luck I will be able to get some kinds of video or pictures up soon. So far, it’s been quite a journey. She’s learning to walk a little better now, but she’s still very ataxic; she always leans to the left and after just a few seconds winds up on her side before struggling to right herself and move forward again. It’s a little better than the donuts she used to get stuck in (we’ve been doing light ‘physical therapy’ with her), but we still have a ways to go and I’m really not sure what her overall mobility capabilities will turn out to be in the end.

She also has severe malocclusion and we’ve had to have her teeth ground down a couple times already (none of her front teeth meet where they should and one tooth actually grows back toward the roof/back of her mouth). Our vet is working with us to figure out what our options are. Thus far he’s had to put her down every time he works on her, and none of us feel comfortable with that being the case on such a frequent basis. To make matters worse, she refuses to acknowledge solid foods, which might at least help her wear down the teeth that aren’t turned backwards. Therein lies the crux of my real problem…

She’s approximately 16-17 weeks old now, and has no interest in solid foods at all. We don’t really have any difficulty in fitting her formula feedings into our schedule or anything, but because of her jaw, her ‘lean’, and overall wobbly-sometimes unpredictable nature, it’s next to impossible to ensure she isn’t aspirating any formula ever. To make matters even worse, she has a slight but distinctive slant to her muzzle and face, which makes me suspect there’s some deviation with her septum or possibly more (though I’m not at all very familiar with squirrel skull structure or how that might impact feeding).
Anyway, there are some days when feeding her goes fine and just as one would expect, and other days where she seems to have regressed mentally, seemingly forgetting how the syringe works and, despite out best efforts, she sometimes sucks on the nipple hard enough to draw up more fluid than I’m comfortable with her taking at a time. I’ve worked with her to get her to lick it from the tip to avoid this but, as I said, there are whole days when she refuses to eat this way (she still has nursing ‘comas’).

I recognize that with her teeth growing in the way they do, some foods are not very good options for her. At this point though, I’ve offered her every conceivable food I can think of that ’should’ in theory be edible for her and she shows no interest at all. I leave Henry’s Healthy blocks in her cage and she just climbs over and pees on them (offering them by hand just results in an upturned nose as if I'm crazy!). Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about her slowed development in this area so much if it weren’t for the fact that she’s already come down with a mild case of pneumonia, which we are treating with antibiotics and prescription nebulizing treatments every 12 hours. I just can’t help but feel that eating primarily solid foods (or ANY, really) would be a lot safer for her- even if some formula feedings are still necessary in order to meet her nutrition needs for the next however long (oh- interestingly, we have seen her lick the tip of her water bottle on occasion- so, while I wouldn’t count on her being able to get all her fluid this way initially, it does mean there’s some hope of her figuring out how to hydrate herself eventually).

She’s an absolute doll, and I love her to pieces. And in all other respects she shows a lot of growth and improvement, surprising just about everyone considering the seizures and non-responsiveness of just 2 months ago. This morning she was jumping around like a drunken, but spry little monkey, so I think she’s just about over her initial bout of illness… I just get worried sick that she’s going to end up struggling with respiratory issues again if we can’t work out a better method for feeding her.

Has anyone with a little neuro ever dealt with this kind of issue before? Any suggestions? Am I perhaps expecting a little too much at this stage of her development? We’re taking her for her 6th (yes, 6th!) visit to the vet for a check up later this week, so if there’s anything I should be asking him about, please let me know.

Thanks all! I know I can be very wordy, but I appreciate anyone who reads this/any advice you can give me.