DEX AND HEAD TRAUMA

[island rehabber]

Dexamethasone, a steroid, is sometimes recommended for squirrels who come in presenting with signs of head trauma: swollen head or face, circling or other neurological pattern behavior, or bleeding from nose/mouth. "Dex" can be very successful if administered within the first 48 hours, HOWEVER: Dex should NOT be used if there is any bleeding present, as it may increase both external and internal bleeding.
Special thanks to foxsquirrels for bringing this to my attention. I learn something every day from TSB.

[4skwerlz]

Dexamethasone, a steroid, is sometimes recommended for squirrels who come in presenting with signs of head trauma: swollen head or face, circling or other neurological pattern behavior, or bleeding from nose/mouth. "Dex" can be very successful if administered within the first 48 hours, HOWEVER: Dex should NOT be used if there is any bleeding present, as it may increase both external and internal bleeding.
Special thanks to foxsquirrels for bringing this to my attention. I learn something every day from TSB.


How would you know if there's intercranial bleeding though? Wouldn't it be likely with neuro symptoms?

[foxsquirrels]

Dexamethasone is most effective for spinal injuries in the first 48 hours. Head trauma is a whole different ballgame. Dex for head trauma should only be administered by a veteranarian. None of us are trained well enough to hand out a diagnosis whether there is intracranial bleeding or not. The Vetri-DMG is the only thing I'm comfortable handing out to the general public. IR, maybe we should run this by Dr. Pilny and ask him where we should draw the line for advice on head trauma without a vet being involved. We see so much of it, it would be nice to have his opinion.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I remember he told me not to give it to Charm? And that was before we even knew what was wrong with her.

[island rehabber]

Great minds think alike....I've emailed Dr P for his opinion on this really good question.

[Jackie in Tampa]

Dex FAQ
DEX is never given with metacam
tramadol is perfered to most for pain with dex, per Dr.Maulman and Dr.Gray and others

[Tomo]

Great minds think alike....I've emailed Dr P for his opinion on this really good question.


I think Dr. P may tell you that Xing had Dex long after his back injury and it appeared to help him. But I wouldn't advise administering it after 48 hours unless done so by an experienced vet.

[venice kelly]

Hi Guys-

I am new to this forum but have done squirrel rehab for 10 years as a licensed rehabber. Here in Colorado many of us use homeopathic remedies to treat squirrels. We use Arnica Montana as a remedy for head trauma. It can be used for any trauma. We stopped using dex years ago because the arnica is so effective and safer to use.

V

[island rehabber]

Hi Guys-

I am new to this forum but have done squirrel rehab for 10 years as a licensed rehabber. Here in Colorado many of us use homeopathic remedies to treat squirrels. We use Arnica Montana as a remedy for head trauma. It can be used for any trauma. We stopped using dex years ago because the arnica is so effective and safer to use.

V

:Welcome venice! Always nice to have a new member and rehabber on board. We are very open and interested in homeopathic remedies as well as traditional ones here on TSB, so if you'd like to provide a little more info about how you used the arnica -- how often, delivered in what way, etc -- that would be great!

[Anne]

:Welcome Venice! We are always happy to greet a new member and especially a rehabber:thumbsup :thumbsup We do use all types of medicines here, just that we are more familiar with some than we are with others. We belong to the board to learn and help each other. I hope you become one of us regulars:wave123 :grouphug :grouphug

[Jackie in Tampa]

Does anyone have any info on what long term dex does to a sqs long term health?
How it effects the liver, the immune system....

[venice kelly]

hi,

this is in reply to how to give the arnica to squirrels for head trauma.
most often i use a 1M potency and usually only need to give one dose. i dissolve a few of the pellets in a little water and pull it up into a 1cc syringe. then i make sure at least one drop gets in the mouth. if you can't get 1m potency arnica you can use a 30C potency. usually that needs to be given 3 times spread out over several hours. all along you are watching for improvement. sometimes i need to switch to another remedy to continue the cure. most often the arnica will do the trick.
i should mention that when i first get a baby into my facility i give a remedy called aconitum. i give a 1M potency. this is to help the baby to feel less fearful. i have had young squirrels who didn't want to be handled and with in a few minutes of having the aconitum they let me handle them. so i give this first then 15min later i will give the arnica.

i have been lucky to take several classes on using homeopathy in wildlife rehab and my vet also knows homeopathy. i use remedies for diarrhea, bloat, lack of appetite, urinary tract infections, broken bones, pain. i have been amazed and now i can't imagine doing rehab with out these remedies.
but it does take practice to learn how to use them and when to switch to another remedy.

[Legomom]

Does anyone have any info on what long term dex does to a sqs long term health?
How it effects the liver, the immune system....

I don't know about sqs, but I do know about humans & am going to guess that it's similar.

Immune system is suppressed. Dex affects the production of white cells, the infection fighters. Calcium depletion is very common in long term use. Those are the two biggies....I'll do some searching, see if I can find anything out.

:grouphug

[Anne]

Venice, we have a wonderful member named Mars. who has helped many of us with these medicines. I would love to know more about the , when, where, homeopathy can be studied, especially for use with animals. We all need to be well armed with everything to help our babies. :thankyou :thankyou For your continued posting.:grouphug :grouphug :Love_Icon

[4skwerlz]

I've read that manitol is given to cats and dogs with head or spinal trauma. Anyone ever use that?

[venice kelly]

ann, in reference to your questions about the where and when of homeopathy, there is a wonderful web site my friend shirley casey has. the web address is Ewildagain.org and she has several articles published in Homeopathy Today on using homeopathy with wildlife. they are very informative. she also teaches classes on the use of homeopathy in wildlife and i believe her classes are now being taught on line so she doesn't have to travel so much. she is a squirrel rehabber, but can consult on any wildlife. i have taken all of her classes. check out her web site when you have the time.

venice