Baby squirrel nipple latching issues

[TamG13]

Hi all,

I have a strange issue... hoping someone might know how to remedy.
Background:
2 weeks ago I took in a horribly malnourished, dehydrated & freezing cold little grey. The person who found her told me he'd found her 3 weeks prior and that she was a pinky at the time.... he'd been feeding her esbilac (reheated several times) and poweraid (orange flavor) and kept her in a cardboard box with no heat source... Basically doing everything on the list of what not to do. Suffice it to say, her first few weeks were rough.

This is my 3rd baby rescue, so I knew enough to get her warm and rehydrated. Luckily, I had FV 23/40, 20/50, electrostat, ultraboost & probiotic digestive aid all on hand. She's currently eating 23/40 + ultraboost.

But, she is not eating enough, isn't gaining as much as she should be & has a major tendency toward bloat. (I've been able to manage the bloat... but, it is recurrent.) The thing is, she refuses to latch on to any nipple (I've tried all types I'm aware of) and actually suck the formula into her mouth. So, I mostly just dribble it on her tongue and she swallows it... I'm thinking this may be causing her to swallow a lot of air, thus... bloat. Her poop went from resembling extra mucus-y meconium to soft but firm mustard color. Now it's turning more reddish-brown and way too firm! I've tried gas drops. I've tried adding the FV Probiotic powder to her formula. Nothing is helping. The only thing I haven't tried is adding some esbilac formula to her feedings... my previous babies all became constipated when switching to FV, if done too quickly. So, I'm thinking the esbilac formula might help loosen the stool for this one. I'm going to give that a shot tonight.

Anyone have any suggestions or crazy revelations that could help? She's such a sweet little girl. I really want to help her grow into a sweet BIG girl!

Other potentially pertinent info: she was 45g when I got her. She just hit 90g 2 days ago, but hasn't gained anything since. She also just finished a round of sulfameth. (1wk)

Thank you in advance.

[stepnstone]

Hi all,

I have a strange issue... hoping someone might know how to remedy.
Background:
2 weeks ago I took in a horribly malnourished, dehydrated & freezing cold little grey. The person who found her told me he'd found her 3 weeks prior and that she was a pinky at the time.... he'd been feeding her esbilac (reheated several times) and poweraid (orange flavor) and kept her in a cardboard box with no heat source... Basically doing everything on the list of what not to do. Suffice it to say, her first few weeks were rough.

This is my 3rd baby rescue, so I knew enough to get her warm and rehydrated. Luckily, I had FV 23/40, 20/50, electrostat, ultraboost & probiotic digestive aid all on hand. She's currently eating 23/40 + ultraboost.

But, she is not eating enough, isn't gaining as much as she should be & has a major tendency toward bloat. (I've been able to manage the bloat... but, it is recurrent.) The thing is, she refuses to latch on to any nipple (I've tried all types I'm aware of) and actually suck the formula into her mouth. So, I mostly just dribble it on her tongue and she swallows it... I'm thinking this may be causing her to swallow a lot of air, thus... bloat. Her poop went from resembling extra mucus-y meconium to soft but firm mustard color. Now it's turning more reddish-brown and way too firm! I've tried gas drops. I've tried adding the FV Probiotic powder to her formula. Nothing is helping. The only thing I haven't tried is adding some esbilac formula to her feedings... my previous babies all became constipated when switching to FV, if done too quickly. So, I'm thinking the esbilac formula might help loosen the stool for this one. I'm going to give that a shot tonight.

Anyone have any suggestions or crazy revelations that could help? She's such a sweet little girl. I really want to help her grow into a sweet BIG girl!

Other potentially pertinent info: she was 45g when I got her. She just hit 90g 2 days ago, but hasn't gained anything since. She also just finished a round of sulfameth. (1wk)

Thank you in advance.

First thing I would do is hydrate to flush her system and get her off the 32/40. It has been known to not digest well with young babies and sit like cement in their system.
I would use the 20/50 without the additives at least until her eating (& gut) is stable and able to process through what is being fed.
I have personally had success getting babies to latch on the nipple by dipping the tip in honey a few feeds.

It also sounds to me that this baby possibly could not be fully hydrated.

[TamG13]

Oh, wow! I didn't know there were potential issues with the 32/40! Thanks for the heads up! How many feedings (I'm feeding every 4 hrs, or so) do you recommend I hydrate before starting back with formula? I'll move her to the 20/50 after that! I have some already made for my 9wk old, anyway. It'll be nice to make only one variety, now! : )

As for the latching, I'm using the mini miracle nipples with her. (Of all the options, these seem to be the easiest with her.) She allows the entire pointy end in her mouth, with her lips brushing up against the wider base of the nipple, but doesn't attach her mouth to the nipple. She just opens and closes her mouth on the pointy end, never creating a seal to suck... kinda like the fish-mouth, milk-comma maneuver some babies perform. My 9wk used to do the milk-comma thing... this really is different. She's not nodding off and she is definitely still paying attention.

Thanks again for the response and info on the 32/40!

[stepnstone]

Oh, wow! I didn't know there were potential issues with the 32/40! Thanks for the heads up! How many feedings (I'm feeding every 4 hrs, or so) do you recommend I hydrate before starting back with formula? I'll move her to the 20/50 after that! I have some already made for my 9wk old, anyway. It'll be nice to make only one variety, now! : )

As for the latching, I'm using the mini miracle nipples with her. (Of all the options, these seem to be the easiest with her.) She allows the entire pointy end in her mouth, with her lips brushing up against the wider base of the nipple, but doesn't attach her mouth to the nipple. She just opens and closes her mouth on the pointy end, never creating a seal to suck... kinda like the fish-mouth, milk-comma maneuver some babies perform. My 9wk used to do the milk-comma thing... this really is different. She's not nodding off and she is definitely still paying attention.
Thanks again for the response and info on the 32/40!

Yes, I would recommend hydrating a couple times to flush her system then start back on formula, it may also help to hydrate in between formula feedings at least until she is stable.
I just went through the milk comma scenario with a new intake, we call it guppy mouth. It scares the hell out of some people not having experienced it before. With my little wiping her mouth would bring her out of it, usually I could just tap on a head to bring them out but this little girl had to be different.

Do you have a weight on her to know how much she should be eating between the 5-7% rule?
I'm attaching a chart below that will give you a better idea on amounts and how often one needs to feed. The age is going to tell you what they should be up to but always feed between the 5-7% according to current weight and not suspected age.

[redwuff]

I think as soon as you get your baby hydrated and on 20/50 she will latch on. Stepnstone was perfect in his assessment. Stop using 32/40 immediately and Switch over slowly to the 2050 taking today to do it.

Also check to see if she is doing any clicking. We would love to see a picture of her.

[HRT4SQRLS]

This is just an idea. I haven’t had much success with the mini Miracle nipple. You might want to try the regular Miracle nipple and see if she accepts that better. It just floors me to see a tiny baby seemingly swallow that long nipple down their throat and happily consume their formula.
It’s worth a try.