Sneezing and Vet in Metro Detroit Michigan Area Treating Squirrels

[ldonnan2]

I am relatively new to the Squirrel Board but have been finding loads of great information on here through the great advise being given to others by the senior members and rehabbers. In fact, that is how I discovered Henrys Healthy Blocks!

We found our little Hazel on the ground with a broken leg, foot and hip back in October when she was approximately four weeks old. With the help of the Squirrel Board forums and Leigh from Henrys Healthy Pets, she is now a super healthy and active little girl! We often joke this is the home of the Hazel Raceway now!

We have noticed she has been doing little snits and sneezes lately. They are not severe or all of the time. Just little snits. I talked with Leigh on the phone and she confirmed Hazel's diet is great, we use only free and clear laundry products. I tried to determine what new things we may have introduced in the house and we did recently upgrade her to Henry's cage (which she loves!!) I would love to find a fleece cover for it at night when she goes to bed, instead of using a king sized sheet. Anyways, we did bring in some wood for her new cage. This is the only new introduction to the house. Through our conversation, Leigh thought it could very well be the dryer air in the house (we do have a forced air furnace with a humidifier on it and it keeps the humidity at 35% to 40%). The humidifier pad is clean, as is the furnace pad. Our ducts were cleaned two years ago, so they should not be so bad either.

Hazel's nose does not have anything in it, nor is it runny. She is bright eyed, zooming around and eating her healthy blocks, veggies, with her occassional fruits and walnuts or almonds as a treat.

Leigh did indicate there has been a lot of issues with squirrels sneezing this fall and winter and recommended that I place a post on here to reach out to all of you and see if anyone knows of a veterinarian in the Metro Detroit area that we can have on hand in case the sneezing becomes worse and we need to get her looked at. For now, it is really only little snits here and there but as Leigh stated, it is better to have knowledge of a vet in the area in case we ever need a vet for her.

I am going to head over to Target in the next day or two to see if I can pick up an air purifier/cleaner to see if that will help.

If any one out there knows of a vet in the Metro Detroit Michigan Area that will treat squirrels, please let me know!! We actually live about 20 minutes north of Detroit.

[island rehabber]

Idonnan2, we're so glad you found us and that your little one is doing well. I've checked our lists and haven't seen any vets in Michigan, but I do know a wonderful rehabber out there (PJ Garner) and will Facebook her to see if she would refer someone to you, God forbid you need one in the future.

Squirrels do "pfft" a lot as they explore things, but if you feel these are more than casual "pffts" you're right to keep an eye out.

[Duckman]

Hello and to The Squirrel Board! Thank you for rescuing Hazel and caring enough to give her the very best diet from the start. As you indicated, diet is the number one item that we control, but often people don't know what to feed, so you have already taken care of the most important thing!

That said, squirrels do snort a lot, similar to a dog (and for the same reason). When a squirrel sneezes, often it is because they are clearing the scent receptors in their nose (just like a dog). What you should watch for is any discharge from the nose. Rex got a cold a couple years ago, and had a runny nose (along with a lot of sneezing), but we just had to let him rest and the cold passed in about 10 days.

Since I am on the West Coast, I don't have any advice for Vets in your area. I'm not even certain of the laws in Michigan and don't know if it is legal for you to have a squirrel. Please be very careful about contacting a vet until you know what the laws are in your state, as we have had people take their squirrels to the vet (or a rehab center), with the best of intentions, only to have their squirrel put down because of the laws of their state. One happened here in my state less than a month ago. I don't want to see you go down the same path with Hazel.

[ldonnan2]

Hello and to The Squirrel Board! Thank you for rescuing Hazel and caring enough to give her the very best diet from the start. As you indicated, diet is the number one item that we control, but often people don't know what to feed, so you have already taken care of the most important thing!

That said, squirrels do snort a lot, similar to a dog (and for the same reason). When a squirrel sneezes, often it is because they are clearing the scent receptors in their nose (just like a dog). What you should watch for is any discharge from the nose. Rex got a cold a couple years ago, and had a runny nose (along with a lot of sneezing), but we just had to let him rest and the cold passed in about 10 days.

Since I am on the West Coast, I don't have any advice for Vets in your area. I'm not even certain of the laws in Michigan and don't know if it is legal for you to have a squirrel. Please be very careful about contacting a vet until you know what the laws are in your state, as we have had people take their squirrels to the vet (or a rehab center), with the best of intentions, only to have their squirrel put down because of the laws of their state. One happened here in my state less than a month ago. I don't want to see you go down the same path with Hazel.

Thank you for your quick responses! No, it isn't legal to have Hazel as a pet in Michigan and that makes me nervous enough to not want to make a cold call to vets!

I am hoping Island Rehabber will have success with reaching out to PJ Garner for some advice.