Aspiration pneumonia!!! PLEASE HELP

[Ashleyab]

I have a baby squirrel around 7-8 weeks old that was separated from her mother. She has aspiration pneumonia from formula feeding, I wasn’t aware of this beforehand until I looked up why my lethargic baby squirrel was making a clicking noise. I don’t have the money for the vet and the rehabs around me are closed I’m not really getting any help so I read a lot on here. The only antibiotic available was Duramycin (oxytetracycline) 200 mg/mL antibiotic To help and I don’t know how much dosage she needs or how to dilute it it’s a liquid. She was fine yesterday and playful until I went to go feed her around 10:am today and she was being lethargic and clicking so I researched ALL DAY and this website is the only thing helpful! She didn’t want to stay awake when i first noticed it earlier this morning but we’ve been feeding her pedialyte 15 minutes before her formula she’s only ate twice today she hasn’t eaten yet because I’m trying to find out how much dosage of oxytetracycline to give her she is being a little more active after giving her pedialyte throughout the day and she is willing to eat fruits or her formula but I’m not sure that means she’s okay yet bc she’s still clicking and acting lethargic and has been glued to the heating pad all day she’s just a little more alert she has a brother as well he’s fine but compared to him she’s at about 40% please help !
Age- 7-8 weeks
Weight- 28.5

[Spanky]

I do not have dosing parameters for oxytetracycline but will try to find that... while I do we need to address the weight. What is 28.5, is that supposed to be grams, ounces or something else?

Also, is she clicking constantly with each breath? Do you hear that when you hold her up to your ear like a phone... a persistent clicking?

Edit: Is this a flying squirrel or a grey (or something else)?

[Ashleyab]

She is 28.5 grams and yes the clicking is persistent with each breath.

[Ashleyab]

She is a flying squirrel!

[Ashleyab]

Idk if they’re messages I am not seeing after the first thing you said but she’s trying to still her brothers pecan she comes out the beanie on the heating pad to pee and she’s coming out when she here’s the bag move which is weird I think the pedialyte was helping but I don’t want to chance not giving her the medicine and she ends up worse right now she is looking for food and it’s probably because I’m waiting to give her her next feed.

[Spanky]

Do you actually have the Duramycin (oxytetracycline) in your possession... and if so is this in a vial for injection?

I have no idea if oxytetracycline will be effective in treating Aspiration Pneumonia (AP). We have used an related medication, tetracycline, as a last resort with very mixed results... using it is a last resort only for AP.

Have you checked your cabinets, called family, friends and neighbors to see if they have any leftover antibiotics? There are so many common human antibiotics that would be much, much better at treating AP.

Just read your message about her being hungry.. that is a good sign. In addition to the persistent clicking, AP also usually results in lethargy and a loss of appetite.

But pecans, they could not be eating many pecans (or any sort of nuts) as that can result in Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). How many nuts a day do they eat?

[Ashleyab]

It is a vial for injection it’s a bottle you have to stick a needle into, it’s a 100 mL bottle containing 200 mg per mL and I have called family members and checked in my cabinets for antibiotics I don’t have bactrim , baytril, amoxicillin, terramycin, and i don’t know what other antibiotic I could use. I did read that one girl on here used it and hers was better the next day. Is it harmful at all it’s all I have for her in my possession and we give them a little flake that could fit in the palm of their hands and if they cannot eat nuts what’s a good nutritional diet for them?

[Ashleyab]

And nuts aren’t something we have done much with them the last but they had before today was a couple days ago but I will not feed them nuts if they cannot have them! They’re still on formula should I be weaning them by now ? They drink water when it’s offered

[Spanky]

I will send you the dosing information in a PM... you will NOT be injecting the medication. The injectable medication can be given orally per Plumb's Veterinary Handbook. I will need a few minutes to write up the instructions. You will need the needle to remove the medication form the vial, but remove that needle and give the medication by mouth. It is bitter, so have some water or honey water ready as a "chaser".

And I would continue to try to find a different antibiotic that might be a more proven and effective treatment for AP.

At 7 - 8 weeks old they should still be getting formula (Fox Valley 20/50 or Zoologic 33/40 IMO). We recommend the first and only solid foods are a high quality rodent block. Only after they are eating rodent block are vegetables then fruit then protein (for flying squirrels) introduced.

Here is a thread on flyer diet:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ght=flyer+diet

Here is a general diet pyramid for squirrels... flyers are much the same except needing additional protein.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

Give me a few minutes on the instructions.

[Ashleyab]

Thank you so much for the help! Although I do not have a needle to get the medication is there any other way I can get the medication out? If not Where could I purchase one? What medication could I get that’s accessible for me? Also sorry for so many questions but will this medication at all help her through the night ? And if she’s acting a little more alert and eating should the dosage be smaller then what they would usually administer for aspiration pneumonia?

[Spanky]

Thank you so much for the help! Although I do not have a needle to get the medication is there any other way I can get the medication out? If not Where could I purchase one? What medication could I get that’s accessible for me? Also sorry for so many questions but will this medication at all help her through the night ? And if she’s acting a little more alert and eating should the dosage be smaller then what they would usually administer for aspiration pneumonia?

I am not sure of how else to get the medication out of the vial without a needle and syringe (as it was designed). Maybe puncture a hole through the rubber stopper?

You will need a very small syringe for dosing as well, a 1ml or 0.5ml syringe. Tractor supply does have syringes with needles, but they are usually large syringes for cattle and horses, but they will have the needle. You may need to visit a pharmacy and ask for a 1ml syringe... tell them you are feeding a neonate kitten or something (easier than explaining squirrels).

The dose would not change, she is either sick or she is not sick.. the dose is for a sick squirrel. If she is not sick she should not get the medication.

You can buy Baytril, which works extremely well on AP, from the All Bird Products (link below), but a squirrel with AP will die before the medication will arrive in the mail. AP kills very quickly. Anyone raising squirrels should have this medication on hand IMO.
https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10

[Ashleyab]

She is a lot more alert then earlier but I kid you not she is playing tricks on me she was so sick earlier and very lethargic couldn’t keep her body heat up and would just let her brother climbed next to her without moving she would even lay on her back flat but I think that was bc she wanted to cool herself down a little. She was matching every sign of aspiration pneumonia and I feel like that is it because she would spit milk out her nose and I wasn’t as cautious about it when feeding her but we’ve been cautious about it all day and she’s been taking pedialyte and formula very well and seems a little more curious to what’s going on but I don’t understand how she seems so much better without having any antibiotics yet