Extremely bloated stomach on 6 wk grey

[xsiwix]

Good evening,

I have a problem with one of my two 6 wk old grey squirrel brothers. He was initially the hardy, extremely hungry one of the two, but a couple weeks ago everything changed. The first thing that set off any worry was the blood coming from his mouth once during a feeding. I figured he was teething and didn't think much more of it. Then he was off, he was a lot less active and didn't want to eat very much (going from 6 - 8 mls a feeding down to at the most 2.5). Although he never became dehydrated during the time, his stomach has become extremely extended. As of Monday, I started a round of panacur dewormer to see if worms were the case. He has started perking up and eating more, but his stomach is still extremely extended (way past his knees).

Does anyone have any experience or ideas as to what this might be?

Thanks

[HRT4SQRLS]

to TheSquirrelBoard

That does sound very odd. What are you feeding the babies? Could you post a pic?
I agree with your assessment of the blood from the mouth. It was probably teething. We see that often and usually people panic but it's nothing to be concerned about. This distended belly does cause concern. Are the bowel movements normal? Are you still stimulating after feeding?

[Nancy in New York]

What formula are you feeding?
It should be Powdered Puppy Esbilac like the photo below,
and not PetLac.
Can you post a photo of your little one.
This sound serious.

Do you have any infant gas drops, (simethicone)?

[xsiwix]

Some days he has normal stools and other days we battle the diarrhea. Both brothers have diarrhea sporadically though. They are currently on Fox Valley, a mix of the Day One and the older formula, but have been on FV since I received them 4 weeks ago. The dewormer has seemed to help with his lethargy and lack of appetite, but not the stomach distension. Here are a couple of pics that I just took.

[Nancy in New York]

Is this Fox Valley 32/40 or 20/50?
I'm not sure what you mean by a mix of one and the older one?
WOW that poor little tummy is HUGE.
Did he just eat?

[xsiwix]

Yes, I have heard of gas drops (mainly because I had to use them on my rabbit not too long ago). Although I wonder if it is gas since it has been going on for a couple of weeks now. I stimulate him still after every feeding, but he has been using the bathroom on his own quite frequently now.

It is a mixture of both. Usually I make enough for the three squirrels I have so that there are two scoops of the 32/40 and three of the 20/50.

Sadly no he hasn't eaten in 5 hours so this is the normal look for him. I feel awful for him.

[Nancy in New York]

Yes, I have heard of gas drops (mainly because I had to use them on my rabbit not too long ago). Although I wonder if it is gas since it has been going on for a couple of weeks now. I stimulate him still after every feeding, but he has been using the bathroom on his own quite frequently now.

It is a mixture of both. Usually I make enough for the three squirrels I have so that there are two scoops of the 32/40 and three of the 20/50.

Sadly no he hasn't eaten in 5 hours so this is the normal look for him. I feel awful for him.

OK the 32/40 is garbage. This has killed many squirrel on the board.
They cannot digest it and they bloat.
I'm not sure this is his only problem but I would stop the 32/40 immediatley.
Give him a couple drops of gas x if you have them.
Is he pooping?

Do you have a vet?


Here's a thread about it.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...x-Valley-32-40

[Nancy in New York]

A suggestion from Chris at Squirrels and More


This is not normally seen on arrival but may occur if an animal has been fed an improper formula or overfed. Be sure to follow the feeding instructions closely and the improper formula will not be an issue. If the baby does bloat, don’t feed or offer water until its resolved. You can offer a few drops of human baby gas drops (simethicone) to ease the gas. You can also soak the baby’s lower half in a warm water bath while you massage his tummy. Do this for 5 minutes or so, then dry the baby and let him rest in a warm spot for 15 minutes and try again. Your goal is to get the baby to pass stool, gas or urine, and relieve the bloat.

[Nancy in New York]

What does this little one weigh, and how many feedings per day were you giving?

[xsiwix]

I can get some gas drops today when I go to the store. I currently feed them about every 4-5 hours and he currently weighs roughly 140g.
Can bloat continue to go as long as two weeks? I would have thought that, heaven forbid, that he would be dead by now.

[Mel1959]

The Fox Valley 32/40 sits and seems to solidify in their gut and is very hard to digest. This could be why his belly isn't going down. I have seen it recommended to try to flush the stuff out with water. I'm not sure if you should continue to feed him or not. Especially DO NOT feed anymore of the 32/40.

I hope others will chime in on what the best course of action is for you. I hope this little one recovers quickly

[TubeDriver]

I believe with bloat you want to skip a feeding and just feed water instead. That helps to flush out the undigested formula and gas. Then restart formula at the next feeding time but I would use Esbilac or a 50/50 mix of Esbilac and 20/50 FV.

The Fox Valley 32/40 sits and seems to solidify in their gut and is very hard to digest. This could be why his belly isn't going down. I have seen it recommended to try to flush the stuff out with water. I'm not sure if you should continue to feed him or not. Especially DO NOT feed anymore of the 32/40.

I hope others will chime in on what the best course of action is for you. I hope this little one recovers quickly

[xsiwix]

With the Esbilac, do you add the heavy whipping cream or just straight esbilac mixed according to the can instructions?

[Nancy in New York]

With the Esbilac, do you add the heavy whipping cream or just straight esbilac mixed according to the can instructions?

Just mix according to the directions on the can. 1 part formula to 2 parts hot water.
We typically let it set in the regrig 6-8 hours so it fully absorbs. Stir/shake it well before
feeding, draw up from the bottom to avoid the air bubbles on the top.
Make sure you get the right Esbilac, it should say dried whey protein as the third ingredient,
and be the dried powder, not the canned liquid.

[xsiwix]

Just mix according to the directions on the can. 1 part formula to 2 parts hot water.
We typically let it set in the regrig 6-8 hours so it fully absorbs. Stir/shake it well before
feeding, draw up from the bottom to avoid the air bubbles on the top.
Make sure you get the right Esbilac, it should say dried whey protein as the third ingredient,
and be the dried powder, not the canned liquid.

Great thank you so much! I did give him the simethicone last night and his stomach almost looks bigger. We are transitioning to the Esbiliac today.

[Mel1959]

How's your little one doing? Any change in the bloat?

[KarmaKay]

Hope your baby is doing better!

[xsiwix]

Little Duke's appetite has gotten better but his stomach still hasn't decreased in size. All three of my boys are having diarrhea at the moment probably because of the milk change. I have tried the giving him water as one meal and it hasn't helped. He is still gaining weight but not nearly as quickly as his brother. Any other suggestions?

[TubeDriver]

How much weight has he put on? Have you seen any evidence of parasites in his poops (eggs, worm segments)?

Little Duke's appetite has gotten better but his stomach still hasn't decreased in size. All three of my boys are having diarrhea at the moment probably because of the milk change. I have tried the giving him water as one meal and it hasn't helped. He is still gaining weight but not nearly as quickly as his brother. Any other suggestions?

[xsiwix]

How much weight has he put on? Have you seen any evidence of parasites in his poops (eggs, worm segments)?

I weighed him this morning, and he weighed 170g. No parasites have been observed and I have given all the littermates 5 days of pyrantel according to weight thinking it was parasites. It didn't help though.