Help needed in Reno Nevada-2 broken legs

[swellegant]

Hello. This is my first time here so I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong location. We found a squirrel in our back yard and we're pretty sure he has two broken legs. He is just dragging them while he tries to move. We're trying to keep him in a warm, dark, and quiet place (we're using a water bath heater we use to keep baby birds warm). Does anyone know of any rehabbers in Reno Nevada? Also, does anyone have any suggestions about how we should take care of him in the meantime? It looks like he had some skin scraped off so we have put some ointment on that foot injury (ointment we have used on birds with a similar problem) and wrapped it in some gauze. Should we try to set the leg or will this just cause more stress?

We've never found a squirrel in our yard before so this is our first non-avain rescue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

You should call a wildlife rehabber to arrange for treatment of this squirrel.

Nevada, Northern region, Washoe County (Reno)..... 775-284-WILD

John (Executive Director), Wildlife Rescue Foundation
jpotash@wildliferescue.com
Wildlife Species: all


In the interim, keep it in a quiet room, do provide the supplemental heat. You can also provide hydration (water in a dish) to help begin the rehydration. If it is a youngster or having trouble getting to the bowl, you can use an eyedropper, or syrenge (no needle) and try to get it to drink.

[Legomom]

You are in the right place! :thumbsup
:thankyou for trying to help this little guy!

What kind of container do you have him in? Make sure, even though he is impaired, that you have a lid on the box & that it has air holes. It could be that his legs aren't broken, but that he has spinal trauma/damage. How long have you had him? Any idea how old he is? If you can take pics of him & his injuries without stressing him, that will help the rehabbers to help you with him.

Here's one listing that I've found so far in your area.

Wildlife Rescue Foundation
1265 Tyler Way
Sparks, NV 89431

By Phone:
(775) 284-WILD

By e-mail:
JPotash@WildlifeRescue.com

I don't know if anyone on TSB is near you, but I'm sending emails to find out.

You are doing the right things for him right now. Calm, dark & quiet.

Hang in there & we'll have some more help for you very soon! :grouphug

[swellegant]

I just tried the number and get the message that this mailbox does not exist. Would you happen to have any alternate numbers?

[swellegant]

We have no idea how old he is and will be taking pictures soon and post them momentarily. It does look like the legs are broken beneath the knee. He moves his tail and we can see him move the back legs but everything below the knees are what appear not to work, which makes us think it is two broken legs.

We are keeping him warm in the water bath double boiler we use to keep found baby birds warm. It is composed of two different plastic cages that fit within one another with a heated water bath. It's a homemade incubator that some bird rehabbers suggested.

[Legomom]

I don't know if any of these are anywhere near you, but you could start making calls. Most rehabbers know others in the area or will have suggestion for you. The other option would be to start calling local emergency vets & see if they know of anyone in your area who could take him. Did you check with your bird rehabber friends? You'd be surprised at who they might know.

Nevada Department of Wildlife 2005 - 2006
Name/Address Name/Address
Bentz Robert A
7801 Homestead Rd #1
Pahrump NV 89061
Phone: (775) 727-4922

Dean Phyllis
556 E Charlwood Ct
Spring Creek NV 89815
Phone: (775) 753-6657

Inskeep Donald
PO Box 190
Lund NV 89317
Phone: (702) 872-9309

Laird Nancy
2920 Eagle St
Carson City NV 89701
Phone: (775) 849-0345

Pickels Evelyn
230 Imperial Wy
Dayton NV 89403
Phone: (775) 883-8658

Ross Lisa
4232 Tuffer Ln
Las Vegas NV 89130
Phone: (702) 238-6570

Stefanatos Joanne
1325 Vegas Valley Dr
Las Vegas NV 89109
Phone: (702) 735-7184

This is an old list that I got off of the NV Dept. of Wildlife website. I'll keep searching.

[Legomom]

I don't know if Tahoe is an option for you, but it would be worth at least a phone call. They may have contacts closer to you.

CALL LAKE TAHOE WILDLIFE CARE:
530.577.CARE (530.577.2273)
1485 Cherry Hills Circle
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150-4921
http://www.ltwc.org/wildlife.html

[swellegant]

I talked to the rehabber in Carson City (which is the only one within an hour of Reno) and they do not rehab small animals. They will only euthanize it as they do not have the budget for rehabbing small animals (their interests are with eagles and other large predatory birds) and they are afraid of the plague. The Reno number for the wildlife rescue organization given earlier is no longer current as that organization has lost its license (this information came from the person in Carson City).

[Legomom]

How close is Lassen County California?

California, Northeastern region, Lassen County (Westwood)..... 530-256-2744

Pam Yeates, Wildlife Rehab
yeates@frontiernet.net
Wildlife Species: raptors, small mammals and songbirds

[swellegant]

I called and left a message with the rehabber in Dayton (it's pretty far but we'll do it if we need to) and talked to the one in Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe said that they would take it if the rehabber in Dayton cannot take it on though they did say that they don't hold out too much hope for it if it does have two broken legs.

I've hopefully attached the best picture we could of the squirrel (it looks like it's the common CA ground squirrel).

[swellegant]

Sorry, forgot to resize the picture.

[JLM27]

Oh no! It looks like it's just a baby! Are you feeding him or giving him any liquids? He may be dehydrated and he looks as though he might be in shock. Pedialyte would be the thing and you may need a syringe from a drugstore to get it in him. That may be more urgent than his legs at this point.

[Legomom]

Thank you for being willing to do everything possible for this young one. I agree, he does look to be 6-8 weeks old, maybe. He seems very skinny as well & may be in shock. Is he warm when you hold him? Can you perform a pinch test to see if he needs to be hydrated? Here's the info on rehydrating:


How to Check for Dehydration
Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: pale grayish gums, dry mouth, sunken eyes, whites around eyes showing, rough spiky fur, dry scaly skin.
NOTE: If baby is badly dehydrated, he will need subcutaneous fluids, which can only be given by a rehabber or vet.

Supplies You Will Need:--Pedialyte (any flavor)*
--Plastic syringes (1 cc size; no needles. Ask the pharmacist to get these for you) An eyedropper can also work.
These are available at most drugstores.

*If you can’t find Pedialyte at the store, here is a recipe for homemade Pedialyte:

1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator.

How to Prepare the Pedialyte
Use a plastic syringe (with or without a nipple). Never use pet nursers or doll bottles. They will choke the baby. Fill a coffee mug with hot water. Fill the syringe with Pedialyte and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes. Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot. It should feel barely warm on your skin.

Proper Position
A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand. A baby with fur can lie on a flat surface on his stomach. A baby that can walk can be held upright or he can drink sitting up. Hold the syringe so the tip points UP to the baby’s mouth and the handle is down. Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.

How to Feed Fluids
Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste. Don’t squirt a steady stream. Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more. GO SLOW! It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on. Hairless babies are fed drop by drop. With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze more.

If fluids dribble out his mouth or come out his nose, you are going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck like you would a human baby). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower. NOTE: There is now a chance your baby will develop aspiration pneumonia from inhaling fluid in his lungs. This is fatal. Please contact a rehabber or vet, or the people at The Squirrel Board, for assistance.

[swellegant]

We are in the process if mixing the homemade pedialite now and will feed him. We last gave him some water about an hour ago but he didn't want any at that time. We'll keep it up and periodically looking at the boards this evening for any further advice from all out there and keep everyone in the know.

One more big question. The connotation from my phone calls is that they will most likely just euthanize the squirrel due to current budgetary constraints with most of the animal rescue organizations. We don't mind taking the animal to the vet ourselves to see if something can be done (we have a small animal vet that is close). Does anyone here think that this will be any help to the animal other than making its final hours a bit more comfortable? We're not really familiar with the recuperative abilities of squirrels (as I said previously, we're more familiar with birds) so we don't know how serious of an injury this is for the little fellow. We'll still do everything we can to make it comfortable and follow our vet's advice.

Thanks to all for your help and advice.

[Legomom]

If your vet & you are willing, I'd check with him first. I'm getting the same feeling you are...euthanizing may well be in his future due to 'budget issues'. :( Squirrels really are amazing healers. Unless the bones are crushed or twisted, the best bet (in my opinion & keep in mind I'm not a lic. rehabber, but a squirrel orphan mommy) will be pain meds, maybe an injection of dexamethasone for inflammation & lots of quiet & feeding - you can find a lot of info on feeding in our 'Nutrition Forum'. It's not unheard of for a squirrel to recover from a broken leg & be released to the wild.

Has your vet dealt with squirrels before? If so, I'd definitely get a consult with him before turning him over to one of the rehabbers. Just my .02.

If you need info/advice for the vet...we have a few members with great contacts. Just ask & thanks again for helping this sweet baby. :bowdown

[swellegant]

He's not that interested in fluids right now. He did take a little water earlier. We just had a call back from the rehabber in Dayton. She suggested that we just keep him quite overnight and to see if he makes it (she thinks that with two broken legs there might be internal injuries as well). We'll try to give him fluids again a little later and will let everyone know how he made it through the night.

[island rehabber]

This poor baby does look debilitated. Keep trying, as suggested, to re-hydrate him with Pedialyte or homemade solution. Keep him warm -- heating pad is best, and in a dark and quiet part of your home. If for some reason you cannot get him to take any fluids soon, he will need to be sub-Q'd or dehydration will definitely accelerate and possibly kill him. I would get him to a vet you trust as soon as possible, most importantly for the fluid therapy and pain management and then to assess the fractures. Legomom is correct -- squirrels actually heal pretty well from fractures and go on to be released to the wild. The hardest thing about treating their fractures is getting them to stop tearing their splints to shreds :D. Good luck with him tomorrow -- I hope your vet can find a happier solution....as my vet likes to say "You can only euthanize once. Why not try one or two other things first?"

[Legomom]

Good luck. I'll be thinking of you. Please, let us know how it goes overnight and with the vet. :grouphug

[FallensMommie]

I remember when Smoknbunny took care of Nicky when she found him with two broken back legs, his bones were protruding through the skin and he was a wild caught squirrel and still young, I think about 16 weeks...all things are possible it's just finding somebody to help. Any TSBers close to him that could help :dono

[pfukuda]

Squirrels do heal pretty quickly. He could use some pain meds for sure to keep the anxiety down. For the hydration, try water with a little honey in it, warmed to room temp. My squirrels do have a sweet tooth! It doesn't take much at first, they just have to get used to the syringe and realizing they can get water from it. Get a little taste on his lips, he will perk up after a few tries. The first couple of days are a slow & careful process. Then, you will see the improvement. My little Miss Astor was 8 weeks old when we got her after Hurricane Ike. She had an injury on her tail, she either got it smashed by a falling tree limb or almost caught by a predator. (Squirrel tails are bone, so the injury was probably a fracture with broken skin & bleeding). She was lethargic and looked like she was in shock. The people who found her gave her to me I think because they thought she was going to die- she would not eat for them. I took her, kept her warm, gave her liquids when she wanted it- she didn't want very much for the first few days. I just kept her calm, quiet & warm, reassuring her & keeping her close to me. Animals know they are being cared for- Especially babies, they really don't know much else. Within a week, Miss Astor was taking more & more water & milk. She got over the shock of the trauma that happened, and the pain must have started to subside. She is ruling our house these days, and lives the life of a queen! She healed perfectly fine. I know legs are more complicated. A vet would be necessary to help access the prognosis. I am giving my experience because of the trauma, healing process of a young squirrel. Good luck with your baby. His life really is in your hands. I will be praying for you guys:Love_Icon

[Tomo]

Just saw this now. Any word on the little baby? From the position of the legs, it doesn't look like there is paralysis, but there may be some nerve damage and effect this little one's ability to be wild. Hopefully, this little one will pull through. :grouphug

[swellegant]

Bad news. The little fellow didn't make it much past midnight. I want to thank everyone on The Squirrel Board for your helpful advice. I would like to think that, at the very least, we made his last few hours a little more comfortable.

Again, thank you for your help.

[Ontario Rehabber]

RIP little one:sad Often all we can do is make them more comfortable in the end. Thank you for helping this baby.

[JLM27]

Thank you for trying to save this little one and for making him feel comfortable in his last hours. He must have thought you guys were angels guiding him home. While we wish he could have stayed with us, we must be comforted by believing that he is safe now from all earthly pain and terror and is getting ready for his next journey. Rest in peace, little one.

[skippy]

:Love_Icon
What sweet words of comfort.
:Love_Icon

[Garden71]

Thank you for trying to save this little one and for making him feel comfortable in his last hours. He must have thought you guys were angels guiding him home. While we wish he could have stayed with us, we must be comforted by believing that he is safe now from all earthly pain and terror and is getting ready for his next journey. Rest in peace, little one.

:goodpost
RIP little one. :sad