8ish week old baby wheezing HELP

[Squirelly-Mama1993]

We have an approximately eight week old, red fox, squirrel, named Ace. This evening when feeding him we noticed wheezing. Not constantly but every minute or so or when he gets really worked up and runs, he will wheeze.
I am trying to get a hold of some medication. We’ve had baytril and clavamox before for our dog Thor and we don’t have any left.
Is there anything I can do to help him get through the night? It will be difficult to find a vet in my area right now. And I don’t really know anyone that has pets that I’ve recently had medication. Is there any human antibiotics I can use checking my cupboard now.


Please help us we don’t want to lose our baby boy!!

[Squirelly-Mama1993]

I have one half of a chewable tablet of Baytril. It was originally 136 mg so I have 68 mg left how much to give him he weighs 214 g. Also, how do I mix it with formula with water and how much of the tablet to how much water mixture please?
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/member.php?u=5614

[Charley Chuckles]

I'm bumping your thread and hopefully someone here can dose for you👍

[CritterMom]

I have sent you dosing for the Baytril you have.

Before you jump into dosing, give us some more info. You described him wheezing with exertion. Other than that, how is he? Eating normally or has it dropped off? Happy and playing or lethargic? The very first signs of aspiration pneumonia is a crash in appetite and lethargy. The clicking shows up later and they have been sick for a while before it does.

If this baby is playing and eating normally then this could be something else. Make sure there are no obvious allergens around. No plug in air fresheners (or any other kind), no perfumed detergent used for washing bedding, etc.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

We have an approximately eight week old, red fox, squirrel, named Ace. This evening when feeding him we noticed wheezing. Not constantly but every minute or so or when he gets really worked up and runs, he will wheeze.
I am trying to get a hold of some medication. We’ve had baytril and clavamox before for our dog Thor and we don’t have any left.
Is there anything I can do to help him get through the night? It will be difficult to find a vet in my area right now. And I don’t really know anyone that has pets that I’ve recently had medication. Is there any human antibiotics I can use checking my cupboard now.


Please help us we don’t want to lose our baby boy!!

Hi Squirrely-Mama and welcome to the The Squirrel Board:
Are you able to take a relatively close-up video with sound included of little Ace "wheezing?" Also, do you have a stethoscope with which to listen to Ace's chest and his neck region? A "wheezing" sound does not always originate from the lungs and in an animal such as a Squirrel where they normally breath only through their noses, wheezing very often originates from the nasal passages and if so, can indicate narrowing or obstruction in one or both nasal passages that can be caused by swelling (allergy, dental abscess, odontoma, foreign body, etc). Wheezing after feeding is often a sign of aspiration into the trachea which can result in a reactive response and protective response from the vocal folds or lining of other breathing passages which will restrict some airflow to an extent and result in "wheezing." Please also note whether the wheezing is heard with inhaling, exhaling or both. Also, with that in mind, try to look into his tiny nostrils to see if there may be a blockage from his bedding material, food or whatever and also see if there is any nasal drainage. Wheezing does not in itself imply an infection; it usually results when airflow through breathing passages within the chest or the upper airways (the nasal passages or throat or windpipe) are impeded or restricted and rather than the air flowing easily, this tends to cause a form of fluttering in the narrowed airways resulting in the sounds we call wheezing. Please let us know what you find!

Please also respond to CritterMoms questions as they are very pertinent!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Squirelly-Mama1993]

So we noticed that at the feeding at 3:30 this morning there was no wheezing. Still very playful and energetic and eating well. We are still gaining weight with every weigh in . We did just wash his bedding with gain laundry detergent. I will have to buy some non scented detergent for her. Yes I just discovered today. It’s actually a little girl lol. It’s definitely not super embarrassing or anything. It is my first rodent/small animal that I’ve ever had as an adult.

I did run the humidifier on low last night to try and help her. I think she makes a lot of little squirrel noises that I’m not used to as well. As a paranoid new squirrel mom I want to make sure that she’s OK at all times. I guess I don’t know what normal noises and Harmful noises sound like.

I will go to the store and change the laundry soap and re-wash all the bedding and see if that helps. Thank you so much for all of your recommendations. I will keep you posted.

I have sent you dosing for the Baytril you have.

Before you jump into dosing, give us some more info. You described him wheezing with exertion. Other than that, how is he? Eating normally or has it dropped off? Happy and playing or lethargic? The very first signs of aspiration pneumonia is a crash in appetite and lethargy. The clicking shows up later and they have been sick for a while before it does.

If this baby is playing and eating normally then this could be something else. Make sure there are no obvious allergens around. No plug in air fresheners (or any other kind), no perfumed detergent used for washing bedding, etc.

[Squirelly-Mama1993]

Hello and thank you!
I will take a video here in about 45 minutes at her next feeding. I do not have a stethoscope, but I did put her chest to my ear and listen intently and have my husband and daughter listen as well to make sure we all heard the same thing. When she is wheezing, it seems like it is mostly on the inhale. I will pay closer attention. Also at the next feeding if I hear anything.

Thank you so much for your help and advice. I really appreciate you all! I will get back to you shortly.

Hi Squirrely-Mama and welcome to the The Squirrel Board:
Are you able to take a relatively close-up video with sound included of little Ace "wheezing?" Also, do you have a stethoscope with which to listen to Ace's chest and his neck region? A "wheezing" sound does not always originate from the lungs and in an animal such as a Squirrel where they normally breath only through their noses, wheezing very often originates from the nasal passages and if so, can indicate narrowing or obstruction in one or both nasal passages that can be caused by swelling (allergy, dental abscess, odontoma, foreign body, etc). Wheezing after feeding is often a sign of aspiration into the trachea which can result in a reactive response and protective response from the vocal folds or lining of other breathing passages which will restrict some airflow to an extent and result in "wheezing." Please also note whether the wheezing is heard with inhaling, exhaling or both. Also, with that in mind, try to look into his tiny nostrils to see if there may be a blockage from his bedding material, food or whatever and also see if there is any nasal drainage. Wheezing does not in itself imply an infection; it usually results when airflow through breathing passages within the chest or the upper airways (the nasal passages or throat or windpipe) are impeded or restricted and rather than the air flowing easily, this tends to cause a form of fluttering in the narrowed airways resulting in the sounds we call wheezing. Please let us know what you find!

Please also respond to CritterMoms questions as they are very pertinent!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Shellysfriend]

So we noticed that at the feeding at 3:30 this morning there was no wheezing. Still very playful and energetic and eating well. We are still gaining weight with every weigh in . We did just wash his bedding with gain laundry detergent. I will have to buy some non scented detergent for her. Yes I just discovered today. It’s actually a little girl lol. It’s definitely not super embarrassing or anything. It is my first rodent/small animal that I’ve ever had as an adult.

I did run the humidifier on low last night to try and help her. I think she makes a lot of little squirrel noises that I’m not used to as well. As a paranoid new squirrel mom I want to make sure that she’s OK at all times. I guess I don’t know what normal noises and Harmful noises sound like.

I will go to the store and change the laundry soap and re-wash all the bedding and see if that helps. Thank you so much for all of your recommendations. I will keep you posted.

For Irrel I use the free and clear detergent and an extra rinse on the cycle and I don’t use fabric softener either, it’s more absorbent that way.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hello and thank you!
I will take a video here in about 45 minutes at her next feeding. I do not have a stethoscope, but I did put her chest to my ear and listen intently and have my husband and daughter listen as well to make sure we all heard the same thing. When she is wheezing, it seems like it is mostly on the inhale. I will pay closer attention. Also at the next feeding if I hear anything.

Thank you so much for your help and advice. I really appreciate you all! I will get back to you shortly.

Thank you Squirelly-Mama! I looked at your Profile and it appears that you have done Kitten rescue and while there are similarities with all baby animal rescues and rehabilitations, there are many aspects of care for each animal species that is unique and often specialized! Baby Squirrel care is definitely an intensive but wonderful endeavor! Are you planning on raising Ace for release or are you interested in having him transferred to a Squirrel savvy Rehabber? We can definitely help you with the first option and quite possibly with the second option.

For now, it is essential that this baby gets appropriate, healthy nutrition! Squirrels the age of Ace should be started on a "good" formula such as Fox Valley 20/50 as he is still far from the time he will be inclined to wean himself from formula. He should also have available quality Rodent Blocks such as Henry's Healthy Blocks (Can be ordered from Henry's Pets), Teklad 2018 (sometime available in reasonably small quantities on eBay or in much larger quantities form some feed stores or from the manufacturer which is Inotiv), or Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet (this is usually available at the large Pet stores such as PetSmart or PetCo). Henry's Pets website has some extraordinary information on Squirrel Care and in fact the owner is a long term member of TSB!

I am pasting links to Henry's Guide to Baby Squirrel Care and Henry's Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels. In reality, while it doesn't sound as nice as the word "pet," all pet Squirrels and all baby Squirrels being raised for release into the wild are actually captive Squirrels. I am not mentioning this to be judgmental or being politically correct or for any reason other than the fact that ALL captive Squirrels have nutritional needs that tend to be not what we would ordinarily expect. Wild Squirrels eat nuts but they have complete control of the diet while captive Squirrels are dependent upon us and for a captive Squirrel, nut are at best, a rare treat and should never be a regular part of their diet! The Henry's Healthy Diet is depicted in the form of a Pyramid with the wide base level being the most healthy foods and at this level you will find the Rodent Blocks. Each level above that consist of foods that are less healthy and should be given in lessor quantities and frequencies than the foods in the levels below. At the very tip of the Pyramid are nuts and other treats and these are fine if given to a healthy Squirrel in small amount on rare occasions but are not necessary and have the potential be detrimental to a Squirrel's health! It is essential that Ace, while in captivity, gets an adequate daily intake of Calcium and only enough phosphorus as would be required for health maintenance (if a Squirrel is only on a proper Squirrel formula, this is already taken care of in the design of the formula). Too much phosphorus in the diet will prevent even an adequate Calcium intake be effective and Calcium is a most necessary mineral as its presence in Ace's diet in adequate amounts (with ideally a 2 to 1 ratio of Calcium to phosphorus) to prevent a very serious problem called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) from developing. I will also post a link to Henry's information page about MBD. It is imperative that this condition be prevented by proper diet!

Link to Henry's Healthy Diet; https://henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/
Link to Henry's Guide to Baby Squirrel Care; https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
Link to MBD information from Henry's; https://henryspets.com/what-is-metabolic-bone-disease/

You can order Henry's Healthy Blocks from Henry's Website and this is a good choice for Blocks although they are highly concentrated and for most Squirrels, only 2 with a maximum of 3 should be given each day and these constitute full nutritional support. Other foods are necessary to the Squirrel to feel full. The other Blocks (Teklad and Mazuri and Oxbow Regal Rat Food can be free-fed and the Squirrel can eat as much as he desires).

You can also order Fox Valley 20/50 formula on Henry's website. Follow the directions exactly!

Please look over this information of Henry's Website and then plan what you will be doing for Ace's nutritional support. Just read this stuff (it is really a quick read, relatively speaking) and then ask any questions. Also, Of utmost importance right at the moment is for Ace to get fluids, preferably with his formula but he must have fluids to prevent dehydration. Do NOT use Pedialyte for normal hydration needs as this has a high concentration of electrolytes such as sodium and chloride and do NOT mix Pedialyte or any of the similar rehydrating fluids with his water or formula!

Well, there is a lot of information for you! Thanks for your care, concern and love of little Ace!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel