Injured Wild Grey Squirrel - How to help

[KDubU]

Hi everyone, this is our first post as we are unsure of what to do and found this forum searching for answers. We are located in southern Maine and have multiple squirrels visiting our bird feeding area. A number of days ago one grey squirrel we noticed moving slower and cannot use its left front leg really well. We then noticed a large lump on the side of its neck and my wife thought tumor and I thought perhaps swelling. Upon closer inspection with binoculars, I could see what appeared to be a red gash or slice close to the lump but I was difficult to make out as she left. We watched for her the next day and she comes to feed daily and then drinks water in a marsh area not far from our house. Each day we try to see Norse detail through the binoculars and it looks to us she may have had a hawk encounter. One day late last week I saw her sitting on a branch after feeding and she scratched the swollen area and clear liquid spilled out. So I was guessing that is good and now she’ll start to heal…well not she has gotten worse. It seems she is scratching the area badly and now has no fur on her neck and top of her head around her eye. The gash in her neck has shown blood droplets so her scratching seems to open it up daily. We had hoped as long as she is able to move and climb and eat and drink, it’s best to leave her be. But now with daily view of her she seems to be getting worse. So our question is whether there are meds we could give in small doses to help her heal? We have Metacam and could pickup something non-prescription but don’t know what. We have read about nut butter balls that we can make but again the meds are the question. Or do we do nothing or do we try to trap her and take to the wildlife facility we have about 20 minutes away?

Sorry we do not have pics but will see if we can get one today to post here. Any info would be appreciated! Tks

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi everyone, this is our first post as we are unsure of what to do and found this forum searching for answers. We are located in southern Maine and have multiple squirrels visiting our bird feeding area. A number of days ago one grey squirrel we noticed moving slower and cannot use its left front leg really well. We then noticed a large lump on the side of its neck and my wife thought tumor and I thought perhaps swelling. Upon closer inspection with binoculars, I could see what appeared to be a red gash or slice close to the lump but I was difficult to make out as she left. We watched for her the next day and she comes to feed daily and then drinks water in a marsh area not far from our house. Each day we try to see Norse detail through the binoculars and it looks to us she may have had a hawk encounter. One day late last week I saw her sitting on a branch after feeding and she scratched the swollen area and clear liquid spilled out. So I was guessing that is good and now she’ll start to heal…well not she has gotten worse. It seems she is scratching the area badly and now has no fur on her neck and top of her head around her eye. The gash in her neck has shown blood droplets so her scratching seems to open it up daily. We had hoped as long as she is able to move and climb and eat and drink, it’s best to leave her be. But now with daily view of her she seems to be getting worse. So our question is whether there are meds we could give in small doses to help her heal? We have Metacam and could pickup something non-prescription but don’t know what. We have read about nut butter balls that we can make but again the meds are the question. Or do we do nothing or do we try to trap her and take to the wildlife facility we have about 20 minutes away?

Sorry we do not have pics but will see if we can get one today to post here. Any info would be appreciated! Tks

Hi KDubU:
Thanks for finding The Squirrel Board and thanks for caring about this apparently injured Squirrel! Photos of the involved area with as much detail as possible along with a photo of the entire Squirrel would be ideal for further assessment of what might be going on. If you noticed a mass that is now it is draining clear fluid; this suggests that this is what is called a seroma. A seroma is "pocket" that contains fluid originating from within and around cells. It can certainly result from an injury. A seroma itself is potentially much better to have than an abscess which is a pocket filled with pus and indicates an infection. The fact that your Squirrel is apparently unable to use his left forelimb suggest that there may be more extensive injuries such a fracture although I using this just as an example. In the wild, animals are often their own "surgeons" and will instinctively chew through a mass in attempts to permit a fluid filled mass to drain. This is often a cure for an abscess!

Metacam is an antiinflammatory/pain medication in the NSAID family of medications as is Ibuprofen. Metacam has an extensive use history with Squirrels and an estimate from photos of the Squirrel and knowing average sizes of Grays; a fairly good estimate of dosing of Metacam can be formulated. What is the strength of the Metacam that you have available? Also, do you have any antibiotics available from your own stash or from friends or family (it does not need to be a Veterinary brand of antibiotic and most of the antibiotics that are dosed through advice from TSB are antibiotics that were originally prescribed for humans)?

Trapping is an option but it is very stressful to a Squirrel and most animals. My suggestion would be to obtain as best as you can; some high quality detailed photos of this injured Squirrel.

What is the name of the Wildlife Facility you mentioned?

If an animal is given to a Game Warden or government wildlife department or Animal control, this will invariably lead to confiscation and the animal being euthanized! Don't use any of these agencies!

If this is an Animal Rehabilitation Facility, you still need to be careful and while ultimately trust is what it will take, they need to be vetted and all questions as to what they would intend to do with or for the Squirrel should be answered to you satisfaction before giving them any identifying information and certainly before relinquishing the Squirrel to them!

Thanks again for your caring for this Squirrel! I will be working most of today and will check-in on your thread as time permits. Many others are also available here on TSB for their values comments and suggestions!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[CritterMom]

A picture sure would help if you can get one. I live near you - I assume you are referring to Saco River Wildlife?

This time of year, you *could* be seeing a bot fly warble - normally I would say no but we really haven't had much of a winter this year. They burrow into the flesh and anchor there to mature into a fly. The wounds like big sort of conical lumps with a hole in the middle (think volcano shaped). The hole is a breathing hole for the fly larvae. They weep serous fluid as you described.

If it is a single lump with no breathing hole in the middle it is very likely as Samthesquirrel just described - the result of an abscess. We just in the past couple weeks went through the mating stuff up here and the makes get into some nasty fights...and those long, pointy teeth are just perfect for pushing bacteria deep into a wound they are making and thus setting up a perfect opportunity for an abscess. As was described, these often resolve with the squirrel's intervention.

[KDubU]

Here are some pics. Hard to get close and this is the best for now. She looks better today than yesterday with a lot of pink skin showing, scabbing but no blood or open wound. Not easy to view but you can see her eye (we are assuming female as we are calling her Daffodil) and then the pink skin around her eye and near her neck dark scabbing.

[KDubU]

A picture sure would help if you can get one. I live near you - I assume you are referring to Saco River Wildlife?

This time of year, you *could* be seeing a bot fly warble - normally I would say no but we really haven't had much of a winter this year. They burrow into the flesh and anchor there to mature into a fly. The wounds like big sort of conical lumps with a hole in the middle (think volcano shaped). The hole is a breathing hole for the fly larvae. They weep serous fluid as you described.

If it is a single lump with no breathing hole in the middle it is very likely as Samthesquirrel just described - the result of an abscess. We just in the past couple weeks went through the mating stuff up here and the makes get into some nasty fights...and those long, pointy teeth are just perfect for pushing bacteria deep into a wound they are making and thus setting up a perfect opportunity for an abscess. As was described, these often resolve with the squirrel's intervention.

Hi, we are down in Kennebunkport and we’re thinking the Wildlife Center in York who take care of tons of birds and animals. https://www.thecenterforwildlife.org/

I thought of the Bot fly but do not think it’s that. I agree it could be a nasty fight between a couple of them, a hawk or maybe a Stout/Ermine as we have one here. Saw it kill a chipmunk in seconds last summer but they usually nocturnal although that attack was during the day. They don’t usually miss though once they latch on.

[CritterMom]

Yes, I know them - I am in the Portland area. I had a stoat in my basement! I walked down there to get something and walked into a bit puddle of blood in the middle of the floor (nothing scary about that) and then saw one racing...somewhere, likely with whatever it drained in it's mouth!

She is pretty torn up. Are there any wounds or anything else on her that looks like that? Just the mess on her face/head? That makes it more likely than not that it was either as the result of an attack or an accident of some kind. They usually get really nasty looking because they weep fluid which gets dirt and leaves stuck in it and soon you have this plastered up looking mess. Antibiotics would be great as a precaution but getting them into a wild squirrel is difficult - most require twice daily dosing, for a period of days, and you can't just put it in the food and hope they get it. But if you can give her as much food as possible - you can make special goodies like walnut halves glued together with peanut butter blobs or the like. The idea is to fill her up so she goes home to sleep, which is what they do if they don't have to forage.

[KDubU]

Yes, I know them - I am in the Portland area. I had a stoat in my basement! I walked down there to get something and walked into a bit puddle of blood in the middle of the floor (nothing scary about that) and then saw one racing...somewhere, likely with whatever it drained in it's mouth!

She is pretty torn up. Are there any wounds or anything else on her that looks like that? Just the mess on her face/head? That makes it more likely than not that it was either as the result of an attack or an accident of some kind. They usually get really nasty looking because they weep fluid which gets dirt and leaves stuck in it and soon you have this plastered up looking mess. Antibiotics would be great as a precaution but getting them into a wild squirrel is difficult - most require twice daily dosing, for a period of days, and you can't just put it in the food and hope they get it. But if you can give her as much food as possible - you can make special goodies like walnut halves glued together with peanut butter blobs or the like. The idea is to fill her up so she goes home to sleep, which is what they do if they don't have to forage.

All the damage is at her neck on her left side and on her head. There is some scabbing on top of her head so am thinking she is healing and know where she lives at the very top of a spruce close to where she drinks water. We are
making sure she has plenty of food and water and will try to your idea of peanut butter balls. The challenge is getting to her and not the other 6 squirrels around. Tks for the info and think we’ll watch her a couple more days to see if she heals more.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

All the damage is at her neck on her left side and on her head. There is some scabbing on top of her head so am thinking she is healing and know where she lives at the very top of a spruce close to where she drinks water. We are
making sure she has plenty of food and water and will try to your idea of peanut butter balls. The challenge is getting to her and not the other 6 squirrels around. Tks for the info and think we’ll watch her a couple more days to see if she heals more.

Hi KDubU:
I appreciate CM's comments! Thanks for taking the photos! It's really difficult to take detailed photos of a small, fast moving Squirrel; especially with what most of us have available to take the photos and that is a cell phone! I can't magnify your photos very much without them becoming pixilated but I can certainly see where the injuries are located and with you comments and description; an idea of your injured Squirrels injury status and a general time-frame for all of this transpiring. It would certainly seem that you are correct in that with some scabbing of the wounds, this did not just occur. I tend to agree with CM's suggestion of antibiotics but animals can exhibit extraordinary degrees of recovery to injuries that we might easily assume to be fatal (and these don't appear to be anywhere near that degree) and they do this in the wild without antibiotics! Your plan to observe for a day or two before considering an intervention may very well prove to be a good plan! If you might be inclined to do so, a search for antibiotics would IMO be worth indulging in now and then if it might appear that antibiotics may provide the optimal chance of benefit; at least you would have the antibiotics available and need to do any hurried searching!

Please keep on with the updates and thanks again for your care of this injured little Squirrel!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KDubU]

Update on the little grey. She continues to visit and it looks like she is healing with all the scabbing. I am wondering whether this may be mange from mites and the injury we saw was from her scratching herself raw? With this winter being warmer and little snow I know the mites tend to be around and we saw a second more mature squirrel who is missing a patch of fur on the back of it’s neck with a scab so it is definitely from scratching for that one. I can tell that while our smaller grey appears to be getting better, she does not act like a regular healthy one. Right now she is sitting in the sun amongst some oak leaves resting which is not what we see other squirrels doing. While she can climb trees as her nest is about 35’ up a spruce, she does not traverse using trees and their limbs and rather hops/walks on the ground. So she is obviously still fighting something.

[CritterMom]

If that is the case, you can easily treat them. If you have any horse related business around you - tack or feed shops, etc., you may fine ivermectin there. If no, the Tractor Supply on Route 1 in Scatborough has it: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...aste-187-608-g

That is in stock and the price is a lot better than the others. They are ALL the same. Just make sure whatever you get is just overmectin - they sometimes add other ingredients and you don't want that.

While you are out, pick up a little bag of pecan halves and if you don't have any, some peanut butter.

For each dose:

Squirt a teeny, tiny bit of the paste out onto a place or something smooth. Using a toothpick or a pin gather a bit of the paste the size of an UNCOOKED grain of rice. If you have rice, use it as a comparison. It is a very small amount. When you have molded your rice grain, gather it with your toothpic and shove it into the wrinkles of the pecan. Place a small smear of peanut butter on top of the pecan where the wormer is. You now have a really awesome squirrel treat that will wipe out mange mites.

Dose is 1 of those treats ever 7-10 days if you possibly can. It doesn't kill eggs, so you need at least one follow up and 3 total over 3 weeks is better.

Cap the ivermectin and hide it in the fridge where nobody will throw it away (or eat it).

You might want to get the affected squirrel used to the idea of you tossing them something good - if they come running to you for treatment instead of you having to hunt them down, it is a lot easier! Start throwing just those guys some walnuts or pecans or something else you know they love. It takes very little time for them to figure out that you have something good!

Try not to double treat anybody. You might want to make a little journal with when you were able to dose each one.

[KDubU]

If that is the case, you can easily treat them. If you have any horse related business around you - tack or feed shops, etc., you may fine ivermectin there. If no, the Tractor Supply on Route 1 in Scatborough has it: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...aste-187-608-g

That is in stock and the price is a lot better than the others. They are ALL the same. Just make sure whatever you get is just overmectin - they sometimes add other ingredients and you don't want that.

While you are out, pick up a little bag of pecan halves and if you don't have any, some peanut butter.

For each dose:

Squirt a teeny, tiny bit of the paste out onto a place or something smooth. Using a toothpick or a pin gather a bit of the paste the size of an UNCOOKED grain of rice. If you have rice, use it as a comparison. It is a very small amount. When you have molded your rice grain, gather it with your toothpic and shove it into the wrinkles of the pecan. Place a small smear of peanut butter on top of the pecan where the wormer is. You now have a really awesome squirrel treat that will wipe out mange mites.

Dose is 1 of those treats ever 7-10 days if you possibly can. It doesn't kill eggs, so you need at least one follow up and 3 total over 3 weeks is better.

Cap the ivermectin and hide it in the fridge where nobody will throw it away (or eat it).

You might want to get the affected squirrel used to the idea of you tossing them something good - if they come running to you for treatment instead of you having to hunt them down, it is a lot easier! Start throwing just those guys some walnuts or pecans or something else you know they love. It takes very little time for them to figure out that you have something good!

Try not to double treat anybody. You might want to make a little journal with when you were able to dose each one.

Thank you! We are heading out this afternoon and will hit the Tractor Supply or possible the Agway in Biddeford. We’ll make sure to get it at one place or another.

[KDubU]

An update on Daffodil. She looks better and is more energetic. The fur that was hanging off her neck has come off and now it and the left side of her face are bare skin. There are a few scabs still but those look a lot better too. She bows comes to the feeders early in the morning like the other squirrels and only this morning after she fed, I watched her through the binoculars as she drank water from the marsh near her nest and then gather up a bunch of leaves in her mouth that she brought to pad her nest with. She climbed much faster and actually hopped from branch to branch rather than the slower climbing she was doing. We’ll keep monitoring her and hope she continues to improve.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

An update on Daffodil. She looks better and is more energetic. The fur that was hanging off her neck has come off and now it and the left side of her face are bare skin. There are a few scabs still but those look a lot better too. She bows comes to the feeders early in the morning like the other squirrels and only this morning after she fed, I watched her through the binoculars as she drank water from the marsh near her nest and then gather up a bunch of leaves in her mouth that she brought to pad her nest with. She climbed much faster and actually hopped from branch to branch rather than the slower climbing she was doing. We’ll keep monitoring her and hope she continues to improve.

Thanks KDubU! It certainly seems that Daffodil is improving! Did you end up giving her any medication? Please keep on with the updates!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KDubU]

Thanks KDubU! It certainly seems that Daffodil is improving! Did you end up giving her any medication? Please keep on with the updates!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Yes we did. As @Crittermom suggested we went to Tractor Supply last Sunday to get the Invectin and then went and got some pecans. We were able to place the tiny amount of med in a crack in the nut, then peanut butter over top and placed it strategically in her spruce tree. We are fairly certain she at it as I watched for a while and eventually from afar saw her chewing on a pecan.