My neonate triplets tragedy
I want to recap how my 2014 season started off in hopes that it prevents more needless deaths.
On 24 March I received 3 neonate squirrels just over 10 days old. Temps were 22F, cold wind, they had fallen on bare ground when the man cut the apple tree down. Mom ran in the woods and did not return. The babies were lying exposed for as long as it took him to call Dispatch, for Dispatch to get a hold of Animal Control, for Animal Control to call him back to tell him she doesn't touch wildlife but might know somebody, and for her to finally call me. When I realized the babies were lying totally exposed I hung up on her and called him immediately and told him to get them off the ground and keep them warm. It was too risky to try and reunite, they were already compromised, so I took them in. I started protocol treatment and then eased them into FV 32/40. First two days, all was fine, then they started diarrhea. I switched formula to Esbilac/FV32/40 50/50 and added cream which had worked like a charm last year. It did not work. The diarrhea took on a moss green color and then started to show a gel like texture. I pulled out every trick of the trade but could not get the smallest boy on a 24 hour electrolytes only fast because he was already running on empty. NOTHING worked. I pulled out Albon, nothing. By now the diarrhea had changed to a rather bright yellow which left flecks all over the white fleece and was sticky where it touched their bodies. I changed the bedding hourly and cleaned them diligently. Last Friday I lost the largest boy, he went down fast. In a frenzy I went on FB to get some input. I was beyond tired, hadn't seen my bed in nearly a week, just snoozed on the couch and kept up the hydration regimen, yet they still looked like parchment. Saturday I was in no condition to drive to Tufts wildlife clinic which is an hour away, but Sunday morning I screeched down there. The intern insisted that this is strictly a food issue and to get away from Fox Valley and use Zoologic Milk Matrix instead. I asked for a fecal and she said it will show nothing, so they did not do one. Sunday night the little boy died. And Monday mid morning the one remaining girl also passed away. She weighed only 48 grams by then and should have been around 65-70.
I was furious with Fox Valley because this is my second year of diarrhea issues on their food although there had been no deaths the previous year. Called Nick and left a message, probably not very political, but understandable considering my exhaustion and anger over this lost battle that had lasted so long.
Then I contacted Shirley Casey of eWildAgain.org in Colorado and explained to her my situation because on their website I saw the flag on Zoologic. What IS safe to feed, I wondered? And who is accountable if formulas are messed with and wildlife is paying the price with their lives? Shirley had published an analysis in June 2013 on PetAg's Esbilac, KMR, Zoologic and Matrix, and Fox Valley 32/40 and 20/50. I needed to know what to feed.
Shirley called me back and we spent nearly 3 hours on the phone. I gave her a detailed description of how things had gone down and my observations about the poop. Below is a brief synopsis of our conversation. I hope this helps other rehabbers prevent such tragedy!
I just spent nearly 3 hours on the phone with Shirley Casey of eWildAgain.org. Here is a short recap of our conversation.
I will submit a sample of my FV 32/40 to her with a copy of the label and lot number for testing. eWildAgain contracts with the top laboratory in the country, they are what one could call the Consumer Reports for wildlife formula. They provide us with facts and are constantly searching for the ideal formula, but they also are the experts on squirrel rehabilitation for the country. Period.
My babies most likely died from Giardia. We discussed in detail the progression of the diarrhea and she concluded that death was inevitable without treatment, and it wasn't anything I did or caused. A fecal may or may not have detected the microscopic parasite, but the description I gave her and what she told me fit 100%.
How did they get it? Several possibilities, but most likely from shock due to the fall and exposure to the cold temperatures that day which cause a buildup of bacteria in a neonate's system. Only immediate treatment could have saved them, and since I had never dealt with Giardia before I did not recognize the problem.
Giardia is recognizable by moss green diarrhea which then turns gel-like and eventually a bright yellow, and it is continuous. A prolapsed rectum is also often the case. Mine didn't have that, but there was a lot of irritation and of course pain. Coccidia is an on again, off again situation with pasty yellow stool that smears all over everything.
I will make damn sure that I have the treatment drug of choice, Panacur, on hand from now on. It would have saved them...
As for the current squirrel formula, based on their research, it goes as follows, and I am using a 1 part basis here:
1/2 part FV 32/40
1/2 part Esbilac
2 parts water, at exactly 165-175F
1/4 part heavy whipping cream
How to mix:
Combine the dry ingredients.
Add 1 part of the water, stir with a wire wisk until you have a paste.
Add the remaining part of water and mix well.
Add 1/4 part of heavy cream.
IMPORTANT: LET THIS FORMULA SIT FOR A MINIMUM OF 4 HOURS, BETTER YET, 8 HOURS.
All the information can be found on their website which is chock full of how to information and reasons why the formula needs to be mixed that way. Look at the charts they publish, there is a wealth of info on their site, lots of videos, geared towards us rehabbers who don't have time to go on a long search.
The jury as to how much the formula is to blame is still out until the analysis is in. I ran into problems with it last year and these babies were not exposed to extreme cold like the triplets.
Conclusion: FV 32/40 is still in, but there is a right and a wrong way to mix it. I will update as I continue to receive new information. And if any of you ever receive a batch with dirt in it like I did a few years ago, preserve it, preserve the label which has the lot number, and send it to Shirley!!!
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Re: My neonate triplets tragedy
Originally Posted by SigridW
