paralyzed squirrel

[ravenlaws32]

hi , im a rehabber in nc . only a year under my belt but has have rehabbed squirrels before. i have alittle gray squirrel that was given to me about a month ago .was doing so fine and soon to be released. well im heart broken we got back home last night he was paralzed could not move back legs or tail, but the tail hair did rise up some . i have no idea im stunned and hurt. i drove hour to raliegh nc to have him looked at and they said paralzed but wouldnt do xray !!! . i took him this morning to an all animals vet and he said he has zero chance of moving his legs . but no xrays !!!! why is it some doctors wont help a damn thing !!!!!!! he is about 10 weeks old and kinda late bloomer and has always been a little clumsy so i was waitng til he showed he could be released .im just heart broken . i cant put him to sleep .but there is no good dcotrs around me .they did give him cortisome shot and enough for 3 days . but i heard from another rehabber they dont work . i have no problem caring for him the rest of his life but i just need some pointers and what to do .can anyone help ? or live in nc ?? or can phone me to help ? yesterday he as sooo much squirrely running around his room and happy 3 hours later i went to check on him and he was paralyzed . i also feed him nutballs i make from clarrisa nutball recipe for squirrels . im thinking about taking him to another vet and make them take xray to be sure .i mean he has no feeling in rear end .can anyone help ????????????

[island rehabber]

Ravenlaws I am SO sorry this happened to your little squirrel! While you were out he may have had a fall somewhere and that is what caused the paralysis -- damage to his spine maybe? It is very difficult to say whether he will recover or not, and of course it is your decision as to whether you would keep him if he is paralyzed for life. Are you consulting wildlife vets, or just regular cat&dog vets? There is a huge difference and only a wildlife vet can give you the right prognosis for him. In the meantime, I believe there are folks on this board who have raised paralyzed squirrels who did quite well -- hopefully they will have some practical advice for you. If you're in NC, the big universities should have veterinary or wildlife experts somewhere if all else fails....

[Squerly]

I'm not sure why the reluctance to xray him? My wife had a dog that hurt its back so badly that she couldn't move her legs. Drug them around behind her for weeks. I knew the dog was a gonner but didn't have the heart to tell her. Then one day we came home from work and the dog was walking around normally. Who would have thought? Perhaps a pinched nerve or something. But give the little guy some time and call a few of the vets before you waste your time driving over. Best of luck.

[CliffordandDaisy'sDad]

Raven, the first thing I would do is get him on a good, easy to digest, calcium supplement with vit D.
Second, make a few phone calls to other rehabbers in your area and locate a better vet.

This is the Ca sup I use.

[Momma Squirrel]

Raven, I am certainly far less experienced than the others on this board but Squerly is right about my dog, I put her in a confined area for about 3 weeks so she wouldn't over do and keep from any further injuries and to keep her quiet. After that 3 weeks we saw much improvement, let her out and she was fine. Also have seen in squirrels when they have a fall that they are what seems to be paralyzed but I think it is temporary shock, they pull out of it and live a very happy and carefree life. I am hoping this will be the case for your little guy. Keep the chin up and find a good vet. Please keep us posted. I forgot to mention, he had stepped on one of our female flyers and it took her several hours to shake it off, not to mention she was really miffed at his size 11's hehehe on her body. It surprises me what nature can go through and still pull out of it, my thoughts are with you.

[Timber]

Raven, there are two things I have seen. One is if the squirrel is in to small of a cage and got rambucious and while jumpin got the foot or leg caught and made a quick turn there by hurting its spine this can cause paralization. But the most common cause for paraliztion particulaly to the hind quaters is caused from calcium problems! First thing my Vet does is give tham a shot of Calcium and this usually revives them with in 24 hours if it doesn't then they x-ray or test for other nurological problems. And I have taken in Wild squirrels that I have found sick with these problems. Yes even the wild ones have these problems we just don't usually see them because they have them out of our sight and some other creature gets them before we know about it. And if you don't have or can't find a good "exotic" pets Vet then you usually have to tell them what you think the problem could be and tell them what they need to do. But here again that is if you have a good Vet who is willing to admit that they don't know eveything and is interested in learning something new even from a lay person. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Gunner]

Hi,
I found an adult paralyzed squirrel a few days ago and took him to a rehab center. He was still alive and doing a little better the next day and they were going to send him to the next level from there. A specialist.
The guys name is Jim Dunlap and I think he is the main man at the rehab center. His picture was all over the place. His number is 469-752-1194. That is in Plano Tx. I am sure he will have good advice for you. Good luck

Debbie

hi , im a rehabber in nc . only a year under my belt but has have rehabbed squirrels before. i have alittle gray squirrel that was given to me about a month ago .was doing so fine and soon to be released. well im heart broken we got back home last night he was paralzed could not move back legs or tail, but the tail hair did rise up some . i have no idea im stunned and hurt. i drove hour to raliegh nc to have him looked at and they said paralzed but wouldnt do xray !!! . i took him this morning to an all animals vet and he said he has zero chance of moving his legs . but no xrays !!!! why is it some doctors wont help a damn thing !!!!!!! he is about 10 weeks old and kinda late bloomer and has always been a little clumsy so i was waitng til he showed he could be released .im just heart broken . i cant put him to sleep .but there is no good dcotrs around me .they did give him cortisome shot and enough for 3 days . but i heard from another rehabber they dont work . i have no problem caring for him the rest of his life but i just need some pointers and what to do .can anyone help ? or live in nc ?? or can phone me to help ? yesterday he as sooo much squirrely running around his room and happy 3 hours later i went to check on him and he was paralyzed . i also feed him nutballs i make from clarrisa nutball recipe for squirrels . im thinking about taking him to another vet and make them take xray to be sure .i mean he has no feeling in rear end .can anyone help ????????????

[Timber]

Wow Gunner; that is one of the reasons that I love this site. If one of us doesn't have a good answer there is usually someone who knows of someone that maybe of help. Who knows who else may bennifit from that number!
Not to mention you just meet some of the nicest people here.

[muffinsquirrel]

Here are a few pix of Dusty (I hope)





muffinsquirrel

[Momma Squirrel]

Dusty is beautiful and looks very healthy despite his handicap. They are just like humans, they learn to work with what they have, just glad there is someone to house him to allow him to be a squirrel alot longer than the wild would have allowed. for being there for him, I know you truly enjoy every minute with him. He looks like he has everything a growing squirrel needs, nice berries

[Squirrelly]

Dusty is just beautiful, what a nice setup he has. You're lucky to have each other! BTW, did you name him Dusty because he "dusts" as he goes along?

[thundersquirrel]

i always like to think that there is hope for paralyzed animals. sometimes it's permanent, but sometimes they just need a little extra care and time to heal.

i do, however, think you'll end up keeping him as a pet, if you're willing and able. unless this squirrel makes a miraculous recovery in the next couple of weeks, it's likely that you'll be spending so much time with him that he'll become too tame to be released. you can give it a try, though, if you'd rather see him in the wild. since you're a rehabber, you probably already know the techniques for keeping the wild in a squirrel.

i read somewhere that massaging can help speed up a recovery from paralysis. anyone have any thoughts on that? it would feel good anyway, i bet. lol

does it seem to hurt him when you touch/rub him?