MBD baby

[Missinasworld]

So here is the story. I'm subbed under another rehabber and I only do a few squirrels a year. Well this year I am doing 11 and seeing them coming in way more sick than in the past. So she brought me a little male who was "being raised for a few weeks by a women feeding him esbilac". He came to me with a uri, dull eyes, dull coat, super underweight and malnourished. I honestly thought he died on me a few times the first day I had him. He was stiff, hard to wake up, difficult to feed, would not poop for anything,looked cold and looked like he was in pain. I started him on calcium and after 3 or 4 doses he began to wake up and move! Now he is putting on weight but not very much and I'm starting to think there is more going on with him.

Here are my questions:
1. How long do you keep giving the q4hr calcium? I started him on it thuraday night and hes not 100% yet but hes also not expelling any in his stool or urine.
2. I posted a video below, do you guys think he might also be a dwarf or do you think his size is more related to malnutrition?
3. He has bloated twice on me this weekend and I have fixed him with warm water soaks and baby smithacone but is there anything else I could try? He is only taking 3ml per feeding plus a small dose of liquid calcium and then his antibiotics twice a day. I did start him on probiotics as well.
4.He is getting fox valley 20/50. Would it benefit him with growth if I have him the fox valley 32/40 instead?

Below is a video I took after he started responding to the calcucim. Please ignore the mess!
https://youtu.be/IN-b8NRfZDA


Thanks in advance for any help or input

Missina

[CritterMom]

Don't use the 32/40. They made a change to one of the ingredients some years ago and many, many babies cannot digest it properly. I absolutely wouldn't give it to a bloat prone little emaciated thing like this little mite.

You may want to get a bag of this: https://henryspets.com/fox-valley-ul...r-weight-gain/ It is used to replace things like heavy cream to fatten up formulas.

[Spanky]

Here are my questions:
1. How long do you keep giving the q4hr calcium? I started him on it thursday night and hes not 100% yet but hes also not expelling any in his stool or urine.

Now that he is on proper formula with the correct amount of calcium I would wean down the calcium. It should not be necessary to supplement calcium when on the formula.

2. I posted a video below, do you guys think he might also be a dwarf or do you think his size is more related to malnutrition?

Malnutrition. Severe malnutrition. How old is he and how much does he weigh? I do around the clock feedings for these compromised, malnutrition-ed little ones... have received more than my fair share of these kids. There are at least 2 threads on TSB...

3. He has bloated twice on me this weekend and I have fixed him with warm water soaks and baby smithacone but is there anything else I could try? He is only taking 3ml per feeding plus a small dose of liquid calcium and then his antibiotics twice a day. I did start him on probiotics as well.

Which antibiotics and why? If they tend to bloat it is better to feed 1/2 the normal feeding amounts but twice as often.

4.He is getting fox valley 20/50. Would it benefit him with growth if I have him the fox valley 32/40 instead?

I second CritterMom's recommendation to stick with FV 20/50 but add Ultra-boost (1 part ultraboost to 3 parts FV 20/50).

[Missinasworld]

Malnutrition. Severe malnutrition. How old is he and how much does he weigh? I do around the clock feedings for these compromised, malnutrition-ed little ones... have received more than my fair share of these kids. There are at least 2 threads on TSB...

I would put him around 6weeks give or take. So hard to tell. He has upper and lower teeth but is so tiny. He was 61g before dinner last night.

Which antibiotics and why? If they tend to bloat it is better to feed 1/2 the normal feeding amounts but twice as often.

He came in with a bad uri so I have him on baytril. He is responding to it and breathing better with no more clicking.


I second CritterMom's recommendation to stick with FV 20/50 but add Ultra-boost (1 part ultraboost to 3 parts FV 20/50).
[/QUOTE]

Ty I will order some!


Missina

[Missinasworld]

Unfortunately we lost him yesterday afternoon. He wasnt doing as well as he had been starting yesterday morning and he just kept getting worse until he went to sleep and didn't wake up again. I'm sad but mostly angry. I'm angry because if I had gotten him when he was first lost his mom and someone hadn't kept him for weeks without knowing what they were doing...he would probably still be alive. GRR.
On the other hand, he was kind of weird looking and I cannot rule out that he wasnt a dwarf or had other issues he was born with. His genitles looked odd, his head shape was weird, his tail always stuck up and his eyes were always a little less bright than they should have been.

Missina

[Spanky]

Unfortunately we lost him yesterday afternoon. He wasnt doing as well as he had been starting yesterday morning and he just kept getting worse until he went to sleep and didn't wake up again. I'm sad but mostly angry. I'm angry because if I had gotten him when he was first lost his mom and someone hadn't kept him for weeks without knowing what they were doing...he would probably still be alive. GRR.
On the other hand, he was kind of weird looking and I cannot rule out that he wasnt a dwarf or had other issues he was born with. His genitles looked odd, his head shape was weird, his tail always stuck up and his eyes were always a little less bright than they should have been.

Missina

I am sorry that this little one's time on this earth was so short... I share your frustrations and anger. The burden placed on a competent, knowledgeable rehabber to save these little compromised babies is enormous... for no good reason. There is nothing more frustrating and enraging than a finder that only contacts help when the baby is too far gone to be saved but they (the finder) simply do not have the fortitude to see the baby across the rainbow bridge.

for being willing to take on this heart breaking task, you are appreciated. This baby knew love.

Know that all those things you described are indeed associated with severe malnutrition. It is amazing the will to survive these squirrels have. And even more amazing to see them turn around and thrive if they are handed over in time. If they are simply given what they need, they will thrive!

RIP Precious baby.