Bacterial Skin Infection

[Legomom]

My mom & I got two new babies last Tuesday. They were found in the Wal-Mart parking lot & brought to us. Poor little guys were ice cold. We were having some nasty wind that day & I'm sure they were blown out of the tree.

Anyway, Wally & Marty warmed up very nicely & we started hydrating them. Mom got them switched over to Esbilac by Wednesday & they were doing well. Late Wednesday, early Thursday morning, these tiny bumps start showing up all over their little bodies. Mom & I are freaking out!! They aren't bug bites & they have no fleas...we start thinking, "Can pinkies have sq pox"? So, I take pics & fire them off to a few other TSBers & all agree they are not pox. Thank God!

I email the pics to my vet & wait. In the meantime, I hear from a TSBer who has seen this in baby bunnies & one pinky in the past. None of them survived. But, still no definite conclusion as to what it is.

Finally, talk to the vet Friday morning. He's seen it before, but not this bad. It is a bacterial skin infection that is caused by stress depressing the immune system. No technical name, just a skin infection. We are told to dose them with one drop of amoxicillin mixed with their formula twice per day for five days. It is not contagious to humans, older sqs (this was a concern because my mom also has, Nuudge, a 9-10 week old in the house) or other animals.

The clue to the spots being what the vet referred to as 'bacterial blooms' is that in the very center of the spots, you can just barely see a hint of darkness.

Today, the bumps seem to be drying up & going away. The boys have had no ill side effects from the medication and are doing very well.

I just wanted to share this with all of you. I'll be introducing the boys (all 3 of mom's babies) very soon.

Here are some pics of the bumps. The first three are the day that the bumps appeared. The last three are from today. :grouphug

[LynninIN]

One of TSB's very experienced rehabbers, Secret Squirrel posted pictures of a squirrel with skin lesions that looked just like that over a year ago. She said they were fire ant bites.

Here are her pics:

[Tomo]

Wow, those poor little ones. Hopefully, these bumps will go away quickly and have no side effects on these babies. Did the vet say that this is a regional type of bacterial infection or could this happen anywhere? Also, what medicine is used to clear them up?

[Tomo]

One of TSB's very experienced rehabbers, Secret Squirrel posted pictures of a squirrel with skin lesions that looked just like that over a year ago. She said they were fire ant bites.

Here are her pics:


What a creepy thought to think of fire ants biting little babies! Ouch!!

[Legomom]

I thought that it might be at first, but the bumps didn't show up for almost 36 hours after they were indoors and in a nursery box. Their skin was totally unmarked upon their arrival and there was no redness to these bumps at all which is common in fire ant bites.

Did she say what she treated them with, if anything?

[LynninIN]

Finally found her thread. I had saved the pictures in a rehab file and remembered them when I saw the pics of your little ones.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11978&highlight=Ants

[TexanSquirrel]

I hope they aren't itchy or sore or anything! And that they heal up quickly. Thanks for starting this thread for us all to learn from. :thumbsup

[muffinsquirrel]

Somewhere I have better photos of this baby, but I don't know where. This is a flyer pinky that I raised after he was bitten by fire ants.

Fire ant bites often don't show up until at least a day after the bite.

muffinsquirrel

[Anne]

Thanks for the perfectly clear pictures. Another learning experience. Bless their little hearts, hope these bumps aren't painful. Shannon, you and your Mom are God sends for all little animals,:bowdown :bowdown :bowdown :thankyou :thankyou :bowdown :bowdown for being there and caring for these babies.
Love, hugs and kisses to all of your's.

[4skwerlz]

I vote for fire ant bites too. The bumps don't show up until a day or so later. If they seem at all uncomfortable, a little baking powder in water makes a soothing wash for the bites. I've been bitten quite a few times by fire ants....poor babies!

[LynninIN]

I just read through Secret Squirrel's link that I posted. Please note the squirrel died from internal injuries and not the fire ant bites. It's possible they are fire ant bites with a secondary bacterial skin infection so I would not stop the antibiotics prescribed by the vet, after all he's examined the babies in person.

[Jackie in Tampa]

they do look like ant bites...:dono
how are they Shanon? and when is my girl coming for a visit??????
?
I love their names!:rotfl
Wally and Marty!:D

[Buddy'sMom]

Poor babies. :grouphug :grouphug

[Legomom]

I love their names!
Wally and Marty!

What else would we name them?? They were found at Wal - Mart!! :rotfl :rotfl


It's possible they are fire ant bites with a secondary bacterial skin infection so I would not stop the antibiotics prescribed by the vet, after all he's examined the babies in person.

Could be. :dono Not taking any chances though.

The boys are doing well & moving around a bit more each day.
They don't seem uncomfortable, thankfully.
They will take their last dose of antibiotic tomorrow morning.

Thanks for all of the prayers & healing thoughts for mom's boys. :grouphug

[Jackie in Tampa]

:thumbsup Love good news...but where are the pictures?

[muffinsquirrel]

In case you run into this problem, for animals or people...as soon as you get bitten, moisten the areas where they bit you and sprinkle meat tenderizer on it. It will help enormously with the itching and pain, although it will take a few minutes. When I had young kids, I just kept a jar of it in my purse! (Yeah, we DO have a fire ant problem down here!)

muffinsquirrel

[Ontario Rehabber]

Poor little babies! Fire ants are one of the few biting bugs we don't have up here. I've been to Florida and do remember their bite - extremely painful. To have that many bites on their tiny little bodies must have been horrendously painful for them.

I don't remember what the bite looked like, is it possible that what we are seeing in the pics could be a reaction to the bites? Just wondered?