Dosage help please

[BubblesMom]

Hi there. My non-release is about 1.5yrs old. Out of the blue this morning, he dove into his nest and when he came back out, his head was tilted and he had lost all ability to walk straight. I was advised to give him gabapentin. I have 100mg and 300mg tabs, but not sure how to dilute it or how much to give for a 300g squirrel. Please help.

[CritterMom]

I can help you dose this but can you tell us who suggested gabapentin? Also, what makes him an NR? Is it any sort of neurological issue? Could he have hit his head?

[CritterMom]

I have sent dosing to you by PM, but please respond to the questions so we can make sure this is the right med...

[McCarthy]

Hi there. My non-release is about 1.5yrs old. Out of the blue this morning, he dove into his nest and when he came back out, his head was tilted and he had lost all ability to walk straight. I was advised to give him gabapentin. I have 100mg and 300mg tabs, but not sure how to dilute it or how much to give for a 300g squirrel. Please help.

He probably ran into his nest AFTER something happened. Was the cage open? Did he fall? Did he run into a window glass? Had you been around?

[BubblesMom]

He probably ran into his nest AFTER something happened. Was the cage open? Did he fall? Did he run into a window glass? Had you been around?

I was watching the entire time. He woke up, crawled out of his log nest and into his pouch nest just fine, then fell asleep for a bit longer. The next time he woke and tried to crawl out of his pouch, he almost fell out because of this issue and that's when I grabbed him. I've been holding him ever since, so I know he hasn't hit his head. I'm wondering if his bottom teeth could cause this because they've grown long again and I've been afraid to clip and break them again.

[BubblesMom]

I have sent dosing to you by PM, but please respond to the questions so we can make sure this is the right med...

Crittermom, Sorry, I'm not real sure how to reply on this.. hopefully I'm doing it right.

I volunteer at a wildlife rescue and this squirrel was turned in by his finder at about 4 months old. He presented with MBD at that time and after taking him home, I followed the protocol for the next year. The vet confirmed the MBD was gone. He has a malaclusion that I've clipped this entire time, but since his teeth are so week, they split and caused an infection a few months ago that caused a small seizure. He did a course of clavamox and they fixed his tooth and he was fine. Then all of a sudden, this morning he dove into his nest pouch and when he came out, he was wonky. He falls over to the left when he tries to stand up and star gazes and flips when he tries to walk. I sent a pic to the rehabber and she said gabapentin, but didn't give the dose and now I can't get ahold of her because she's at work. The vet can't see him until Wednesday and since I have the gabapentin on hand, I wanted to get him on it right away. Any advice?
Thank you for your help!

[CritterMom]

Honestly, I have no idea.

If this was the result of a fall or other head strike which commonly causes symptoms like this, I would absolutely suggest steroids - prednisone, prednisolone, etc. But given that you seem sure this didn't happen, it almost sounds like a stroke, and if that is the case, prednisone is NOT recommended. I see that gabapentin is used for pain issues after stroke, not for the stroke itself, so it is at least not contraindicated for stroke - won't cause more problems. You have the dilution and dosing info for it and given that tomorrow is Sunday I doubt you will get any help from the vet. I don't *believe* it will be a problem but I want to stress that I really don't know...since I have no idea WTH is actually happened to him!

Please keep us updated. This is a real mystery, and the answers to those are really helpful to the folks on here that try to help with the medical issues. I hope the poor guy is okay - it sounds like he has had a long, hard road and deserves a break!

[BubblesMom]

UPDATE: Fidget went to the vet and they ran all the test. Everything came back normal and they aren't sure what's wrong. There was no sign of brain injury. Overall diagnosis was vascular. They started him on a different antibiotic specifically for ear infection, an anti-parasite just in case and meloxicam for inflammation. He's back to his energetic self and trying to climb and jump (wich scares the crap out of me), but he's still got the major head tilt. We will keep treating with the meds and see if he gets better... if not, we plan to modify his environment to make it as safe as possible for him. We are still waiting back for the blood test results. Will keep you updated if anything changes. Thanks to everyone for trying to help!