What is on this squirrel??? Please help FAST!

[Michele&Angie]

We didn't see it this morning! I don't know if the pic came on here ok. It's about the size of a penny. Is this flesh eating disease?
It's white around the outside and red in the middle. I hope the pic works.

[CritterMom]

Is this your baby with the broken leg?

Could this be a drag sore or possibly self mutilation? Is it on the injured leg?

[Michele&Angie]

No, he's leg is healing fine and he was using it. He's not dragging. He's not biting himself either. We didn't notice this earlier.
I'm wondering if it's flesh eating disease or something. It grew to that FAST!

[CritterMom]

What do you have him housed in? That looks like he was skinned. Look for sharp things.

[CritterMom]

For now, put a little Neosporin on it.

[island rehabber]

Put gloves on and gently press on the area from both sides......is it oozing anything?

[CritterMom]

Is it flat or raised - it is hard to tell from the pic.

[Michele&Angie]

It's raised. I'll go squeze him. :(

[scoobysnack]

Any chance it could be a spider bite? You may want to very carefully go through the cage and surrounding area to see if there is any evidence of a spider. Not trying to scare anyone but that hole in the middle raised around the edges raised red flags. Also the rate at which it's growing.

[momma2boo]

I consulted with a rehabber friend of mine and he sent me this. This is what a brown recluse spider bite looks like after 48 hours.

[scoobysnack]

Here's another photo of a brown recluse bite.

[SkweeksMom]

My day job is a pest control inspector in the Mid-Atlantic. I can tell you that brown recluse spiders would be found in Canada only via outside transport. They are not native as the weather is much to cold to allow them to survive. winter.

"The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is native only to the South and central midwestern states (circumscribed by southeastern Nebraska south to Texas, east to Georgia/westernmost tip of South Carolina and southernmost Ohio"

Have any new plants or flowers been delivered or have you recieved any shipments from the Midwest or Southern US?

[scoobysnack]

Can't any spider bite cause this kind of wound.

[SkweeksMom]

All spiders have some type of venom. They usually cause swelling at the location of the bite that can then spread out to a more generalized swelling. There may be heat, redness and pain, possibly even some itching, (like with a bee sting). Most spider bites don't cause necrosis. I am not a Dr. but, I really don't think this is insect related.

[scoobysnack]

http://pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/spiders.htm

The House Spider is brown in color and its body is about 3/8-inch long. Its abdomen is spherically shaped, and is white to brown in color with several dark markings. Males are smaller than females, and their legs are orange in color. The female's legs are yellow. This spider is the most common type of comb-footed spider, a group that includes the black widow species. They are urban pests named after the comb-like row of bristles located on the tarsi of their fourth pair of legs. House spiders are common throughout the world, and their webs are most often found in corners, basements, crawlspaces, under furniture and around windows. The venom is necrotic, causing open, localized wounds that may be slow to heal but Despite its aggressive nature, reported bites from this spider are relatively rare.

[SquirrelLove]

Is it possibly a Bot Fly? Looks a lot like a bot fly to me, but then I can't see how raised up it is. Where is Anne when you need her lol!

[island rehabber]

May I point out that, at least on my screen here, the squirrel's wound appears to be red on the OUTSIDE and white on the INSIDE, despite what may have been written? It looks like an abcess to me.......:dono

[scoobysnack]

Could be. Just throwing stuff out there to think about. I've never seen a bot fly deal either but did think of that as well.

[momma2boo]

Is it possibly a Bot Fly? Looks a lot like a bot fly to me, but then I can't see how raised up it is. Where is Anne when you need her lol!

I don't think it looks like a bot fly but I could be wrong.

[mugzeezma]

I don't think it looks like a bot fly but I could be wrong.
Need more pix
Is it oozing? is it dry?
It looks a lot like something just came and took a chunk off of him from this picture! Is it a rounded bump?
If it were flesh eating bacteria or a spider bite this animal should be pretty critical by now don't you think?

[scoobysnack]

It's just so oddly symmetrical. I dunno. Could be an abscess but she said it was very rapidly growing. *shrugs*

If it were a very venomous spider yes I would think critical. There are spiders who can cause the wound without a neuro toxin or other effect.

[island rehabber]

Michele? Angie? Any update??
BTW I researched "necrotizing fasciitis" (flesh-eating bacteria) and the absolutely horrific images did not resemble this wound at all. Just my two cents; I am not a veterinarian.

[scoobysnack]

Agreed about the flesh eating bacteria. Doesn't look like it to me at all.

[Michele&Angie]

Ok sorry for the delay.
I squeezed the wound and nothing came out. (sorry sounded gross.)
I looked up flesh eating disease and I don't think it's that as well now.
But I was freakin' out so I typed it wrong, It was red on the outside and white in the middle.
Anyway I decided to take him to the wildlife Arc centre in Victoria. It is about 45 minutes away (plus we got a flat tire on the way). :shakehead
The lady gave us crap because we had him for a week. I said my dd wanted to try to help him ourselves which she responded 'Next time YOU be the Adult!' I told her we were looking after him well and feeding him properly etc. She said she thinks this wound is because of us not bringing him in for xray and maybe the broken leg was rubbing him from the inside. ????
I then asked her if she is a vet.
No, a volunteer with knowledge of biology. (She's about 18).
From what I learned through you real knowledgable people, it's probably a spider bite. I did put polysporin on it.
But we are allowed to phone the wildlife place tomorrow and ask a REAL vet how Theodore is doing. Also what the vet thinks it is.
BTW - his leg was totally healing well, he was using it nicely and normally.
My husband is pround of me for not losing it on that little biotch. (I didn't want her taking it out on our baby!)
This is a very sad family tonight.
But I really think bringing him to this wildlife place is what is best for him. This will integrate him into the forest when he's 4 months. I'll ask if we can be there for that. :sad

Thank you for helping me with all the info you are offering here on this website! mjs I totally appreciate it!

Michele

[island rehabber]

Michele please keep us posted on how he's doing, and what the vet says, ok? You are right to consult one because he may need antibiotics if it is, indeed, an insect bite of some kind.

Sorry you had an altercation with the volunteer. It's true, and we've all experienced it at one time or another: some people who work in such places get a truly self-righteous attitude. BUT, I do remember screaming at a woman once who had let her overbearing husband starve a baby squirrel because he didn't feel like buying formula: "YOU'RE the one with the OVARIES, aren't you? WE are supposed to know better than that!!!" :rotfl:rotfl:rotfl

Good luck today. :thumbsup

[Momma Squirrel]

You and your husband did a great job and the right thing by getting little Theodore help. I sure hope the Vet will let you know what it is and is much nicer than the volunteer.

Keeping fingers crossed you can experience the release. It is such a bitter sweet and wonderful feeling knowing that you were such a part of this little creature making it to the wild :grouphug

[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

I am going to have to agree with the 18 year old volunteer to a certain extent. To me it looks like an abcess do to internal infection ( broken bone can easily do this, surgery gone wrong etc) Even if his leg healed it could heal the wrong way. If it is an abcess from the inside it would have to be lanced to drain and depending on if the bone is infected it could cause more serious problems. Not saying that is what it is 100% I just personally haven't seen many insect bites looking like this on a squirrel but anything is possible. I am glad you cared for him as well as you did but I hate to say she is right in the sense that people trying to care for them on their own is wrong and can be more dangerous to the animal even if they get the correct diet etc. She shouldn't have been nasty to you about it but also think about how she see's it and feels bad for the squirrel who is probably in a lot of pain and deals with people who try to take care of them on their own constantly. You did the right thing by bringing him there and getting him help to begin with and I applaud you for that :)

[Michele&Angie]

I spoke to the Vet at the Wildlife centre.

She thought his cut was either due to a spider bite or a cat claw. (We don't have a cat so it must be the spider bite.)
She put him on antibiotics for it.
Broken leg was healing (calcifiying) just fine. (broken femor). No need for a cast.
Also pain meds because of the 'cut'.
I'm not put off because the volunteer told me to bring a squirrel in right away, it's the bitchy things she also said.

Next time, I will just bring a squirel or other animal right to the place BEFORE I show my 9 yr old.
Anyway, the vet was really nice and she will give us a heads-up when they are about to release Theodore to the wild. She said he will go off with about 10 others at the same time.
I am very happy knowing he is getting the best care possible.
Thank again!
Michele

[scoobysnack]

I'm glad Theodore (great name) is going to be ok. My rehabber friend was just sure after seeing the photo that it was a spider bite. I didn't mean to be so persistent but after seeing the many photos I had to agree with him. I've seen lots of abscesses and it just didn't look like the average sort. It was so symmetrical with that raised edge. That's pretty indicative of spider bite.

Cat claw abscesses tend to be flatter and much deeper. Like a hole that just keeps opening. Or at least the many I've seen working for vets and having owned cats over the years have looked very different than what you posted.

As for the bone, Jack felt that the positioning wasn't correct for it to have been the cause of that particular wound. I also thought that there was no way he'd not have been in excruciating pain if the bone had been the cause.

[island rehabber]

Cat claw abscesses tend to be flatter and much deeper. Like a hole that just keeps opening. Or at least the many I've seen working for vets and having owned cats over the years have looked very different than what you posted.


Not necessarily, at least on a squirrel. Russelle's cat claw abcess was a large, raised lump that made her head appear misshapen.

At any rate it is very good news that Theodore got the help he needed!

[momma2boo]

I'm glad Theodore (great name) is going to be ok. My rehabber friend was just sure after seeing the photo that it was a spider bite. I didn't mean to be so persistent but after seeing the many photos I had to agree with him. I've seen lots of abscesses and it just didn't look like the average sort. It was so symmetrical with that raised edge. That's pretty indicative of spider bite.

Cat claw abscesses tend to be flatter and much deeper. Like a hole that just keeps opening. Or at least the many I've seen working for vets and having owned cats over the years have looked very different than what you posted.

As for the bone, Jack felt that the positioning wasn't correct for it to have been the cause of that particular wound. I also thought that there was no way he'd not have been in excruciating pain if the bone had been the cause.

Great job, Scoob. Funny how we both immediately contacted Jack for help on this one. He's such a smart cookie. :D Gotta love that brain of his. The man knows his squirrels.

[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

Any abcess I have ever dealt with was not flat. An abcess fills with puss becoming swollen and larger, how would they stay flat?
Anyway glad its just a spider bite. If X rays showed the broken leg not causing this then maybe a bite would be my next guess, just doesn't look like the ones I or the rehabbers I know have seen. shrug.

[scoobysnack]

I meant not raised around the edge like that and all sunk in the middle. Not that it was flat. Geez guys seriously?

Usually with the abscesses I've seen they are loaded with puss and very warm to the touch. This thing didn't look puss loaded, it looked necrotic. Anyhow.. I won't nit pick wording.

[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

right.. orry about misreading what you meant. Not being able to tell if the center was pussy or not (underneath) thats the only thing it resembled to me. I have have abcesses with raised edges although I will admit not as much as the picture, and have had some odd shaped ones. That picture showed indeed a very perfect circle, have never seen any spider bites like that around here though. Just odd. Good info and picture to have on record :)

[Momma Squirrel]

OK I dropped the ball, going to move this out of Emergency since Theodore is out of danger and will have a happy ending :thumbsup