How to get squirrel to take oral antibiotics?

[Rocktrail]

I have SMZ- TMP DS for aspiration pneumonia.
The squirrel is approx. 5 weeks old and weighs 107g.
I gathered from another thread:
Cut pill in 1/4, dissolve in 5ml of water
Feed .01ml per 25g so in this case feed .04ml of solution twice a day.
If this is correct, how do I get her to take it? The taste must be bad and I don't know how warm I can make the solution without compromising it.
It obviously can't be forced as that would make aspiration pneumonia worse
Suggestions? Thank you so much in advance!

[Mel1959]

Don’t dose until you get verification of the right amount. You must list the strength of the SMZ pill you have for it to be properly calculated.

What makes you think your squirrel has AP? SMZ is not an ideal choice for this because it takes awhile to begin working. Can you locate any Ciproflaxin (human)/ Baytril (animal) or Augmentin (human)/ Clavamox (animal)? Both of these drugs work faster and are effective treatment for AP.

And yes, you give oral meds by just squirting it in their mouth. Ideally the amount is so small that it’s only a drop or two.

[Rocktrail]

Don’t dose until you get verification of the right amount. You must list the strength of the SMZ pill you have for it to be properly calculated.

What makes you think your squirrel has AP? SMZ is not an ideal choice for this because it takes awhile to begin working. Can you locate any Ciproflaxin (human)/ Baytril (animal) or Augmentin (human)/ Clavamox (animal)? Both of these drugs work faster and are effective treatment for AP.

And yes, you give oral meds by just squirting it in their mouth. Ideally the amount is so small that it’s only a drop or two.

Thanks for your reply! I had the SMZ-TMP DS on hand, I am worried I won't be able to get the any of the other medications in time.
It is 800mg SMZ/ 160 TMP for a total of 960mg.
I saw some formula bubble out the nose and I can hear the clicking when she breathes.

[Rock Monkey]

Yes, with AP, given its quick, lethal potential it is better to treat sooner rather than later.

Hopefully, an administrator can PM you the proper dosing soon.

[stepnstone]

Thanks for your reply! I had the SMZ-TMP DS on hand, I am worried I won't be able to get the any of the other medications in time.
It is 800mg SMZ/ 160 TMP for a total of 960mg.
I saw some formula bubble out the nose and I can hear the clicking when she breathes.

I will work this up and send dilution and dosing to your private messages...

The squirrel is approx. 5 weeks old and weighs 107g.
I gathered from another thread:
Cut pill in 1/4, dissolve in 5ml of water
Feed .01ml per 25g so in this case feed .04ml of solution twice a day.

This is two of the reasons why tsb does not dose on the open board.
Unless a pill is purposely scored to be cut / seperated one can not be
assured the components are being evenly distributed.
Proper dosing amounts per weight can be just as important.

Dosing has been sent to PM

[Crystalrx]

Don’t dose until you get verification of the right amount. You must list the strength of the SMZ pill you have for it to be properly calculated.

What makes you think your squirrel has AP? SMZ is not an ideal choice for this because it takes awhile to begin working. Can you locate any Ciproflaxin (human)/ Baytril (animal) or Augmentin (human)/ Clavamox (animal)? Both of these drugs work faster and are effective treatment for AP.

And yes, you give oral meds by just squirting it in their mouth. Ideally the amount is so small that it’s only a drop or two.

I have a question about the use of Cipro in any infant, child, baby squirrel.. it is contraindicated in human children bc it affects the growth of the bones.... Is this a case of the benefits outweigh the risks???

[Spanky]

I have a question about the use of Cipro in any infant, child, baby squirrel.. it is contraindicated in human children bc it affects the growth of the bones.... Is this a case of the benefits outweigh the risks???

That is correct, and the risk is more associated with long term use... we typically don't want to give for more than 5 days. Their are safer, effective medications like Bactrim (although slower acting) the rate of success in treating AP with Cipro/Baytril is phenomenal.

[Olskar]

Hi. I am new here and unable to start a new post yet and I have a similar situation to this post. I have a 4-5 week-old orphaned squirrel and the person that found it gave it regular milk and I'm afraid she has AP. She now has milk boogers coming out every time she eats and rapid breathing, not a lot of clicking yet but I can faintly hear it starting. Since today is Labor Day I'm struggling to find help and hoping I can get it here. She's 106g and I have a 100mg(gen) tab of amoxicillin on hand as well as Benadryl (I read that Benadryl can help in addition to the amox.) Can you help me find the appropriate dosage for her?

[CritterMom]

Hi. I am new here and unable to start a new post yet and I have a similar situation to this post. I have a 4-5 week-old orphaned squirrel and the person that found it gave it regular milk and I'm afraid she has AP. She now has milk boogers coming out every time she eats and rapid breathing, not a lot of clicking yet but I can faintly hear it starting. Since today is Labor Day I'm struggling to find help and hoping I can get it here. She's 106g and I have a 100mg(gen) tab of amoxicillin on hand as well as Benadryl (I read that Benadryl can help in addition to the amox.) Can you help me find the appropriate dosage for her?

Dosing has been sent to you by PM.

[Squirrely4Squirrels]

It obviously can't be forced as that would make aspiration pneumonia worse
Suggestions? Thank you so much in advance!

@Crittermom just helped me with our little guy and an amoxicillin dosage. The amox has a very strong smell/taste. I just dipped the tip of the syringe into a sprinkle of sugar enough so that were a few grains stuck to it. He hasnt even reacted at all the 3x he's taken it. Its such a small amount that I think the few grains of sugar cover the taste completely.

[Lisaloves]

Dosing has been sent to you by PM.

Hi i have the same dosing Question. This little girl is 4 weeks old she weighs 80 grams And is breathing rapidly can faintly hear clicking, i only have one Clindamycin pill and dont know how to calculate the dose to give her , i went to the vet but they only sent me away with no qustions answered..

[Lisaloves]

4 weeks old 80 grams breathing hard clicking can i give her Penicillin V Potassium? I only have it in a pill form .

[island rehabber]

'Cillins are not good for squirrels. Can you possibly get Cipro, an antibiotic that many people have in their medicine cabinets? You don't need much to make enough for your squirrel. Check friends and family with pets; many people have leftover meds. Amoxicillin, Clavamox , SMZ-TMP are all possibilities but Baytril or Cipro are the best fpr aspiration pneumonia.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

'Cillins are not good for squirrels. Can you possibly get Cipro, an antibiotic that many people have in their medicine cabinets? You don't need much to make enough for your squirrel. Check friends and family with pets; many people have leftover meds. Amoxicillin, Clavamox , SMZ-TMP are all possibilities but Baytril or Cipro are the best fpr aspiration pneumonia.

Hello:
I just want to make a comment about the above; I believe that what IR is saying is that medication labeled as being true "Penicillin" such a Penicillin G or worse yet Procaine Penicillin would NOT be recommended! For one thing, these medications are meant to be given on IM (intramuscularly) and while I am not aware of any specific cases to cite; Procaine Penicillin has been reported by a number of reputable sources (including one of the premier medication references, The British Small Animal Veterinary Association Exotic Animal Formulary) to be toxic and potentially fatal for Rats so this should be warning enough to NEVER use this medication with Squirrels! While Penicillin V is dosed orally and may be safe, I do have any first-hand experience using it and I subscribe to a number of Exotic Animal Formularies and this is not ordinarily a considered a first-line antibiotic for the Rat or Mouse (so Squirrels also!) patient! I have never utilized any of the true Penicillins (including Penicillin V) myself for treating rodents nor does anyone I know use these particular Penicillins for treating Squirrels or other Rodents! The semi-synthetic Penicillins such as Amoxicillin and Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate (Clavamox is a Veterinary Brand and Augmentin is a Human medicine brand) are better absorbed from the gut than True Penicillin, are commonly prescribed and it rare for anyone not to be able to find from self, family or friends; at least one tablet (one pill is all that would ordinarily be needed for a full dosing regimen)!

Just in summary, there are a number of antibiotics including the Amoxicillin and Clavamox (Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate) that end in "cillin" that are very safe for Squirrels and are often recommended as first-line antibiotics depending of course, on the condition being treated! I strongly concur with IR in that the medications that are labeled as "Penicillin" would best be avoided and NEVER consider using Procaine Penicillin with rodents under any circumstances!

No offense meant, IR; I just wanted to clarify what might have resulted in a misconception by some readers! I knew what you meant!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel