Swollen Eyes

[kirbike]

Hi
I like to introduce you to Earl. His eyes and face have become swollen and possibly infected. We've raised him from about five weeks old and has been introduced back too the wild since the beginning of October. He's still very friendly and comes around everyday. We feed him almonds, walnuts and peanuts and he's been in full on hoarding mode for the last few months. We noticed the hair around his eyes and left side of his face was coming off and in the last week starting to swell, otherwise he's pretty healthy I've posted some pictures and was wondering if anyone has seen this. He is catchable if any treatment is possible. Winter is upon us but I'm reluctant to bring him indoors incase it's mange. I could bring him into the garage if necessary.

[kirbike]

Sorry about the huge images. Not sure how to downsize them.

[rozdow]

This looks like infection to me. Can you get abs. from a vet or rehabber? I'd keep him warm & well hydrated. Is he getting high quality rodents blocks to eat (nutritionally complete?)

[rozdow]

Actually, the second pix looks a bit like mange. Do you see it around his ears (mange often appears as a "crispyness" there? I have treated mange with ivermetin (sp.) but it must be handled carefully (too much will kill!).

[CritterMom]

If you can get your hands on some Revolution it is much safer and easier than ivermectin. It is a prescription med for dogs - one of the topically applied meds. Don't use Advantage or any of the others, just Revolution. If you have a dog or friends with one, perhaps they can get some through their vet. A drop or two on the skin between the shoulders and that is it.

[mugzeezma]

If you can get your hands on some Revolution it is much safer and easier than ivermectin. It is a prescription med for dogs - one of the topically applied meds. Don't use Advantage or any of the others, just Revolution. If you have a dog or friends with one, perhaps they can get some through their vet. A drop or two on the skin between the shoulders and that is it.
That nodule in front of his left eye tells me it may be Pox...bring him into shelter and feed him and water him. Revolution will surely not hurt him in fact it may help set rid of parasites so his body can fight the pox virus

Pox is a virus spread by biting insects and takes 5 days to 2 months to become symptomatic ... there is no treatment other than support and treatment for secondary infections

[mugzeezma]

That nodule in front of his left eye tells me it may be Pox...bring him into shelter and feed him and water him. Revolution will surely not hurt him in fact it may help set rid of parasites so his body can fight the pox virus

Pox is a virus spread by biting insects and takes 5 days to 2 months to become symptomatic ... there is no treatment other than support and treatment for secondary infections

Let me restate that there is no PROVEN CURE only some treatments for pox with limited success.

acyclovir or interferon can be tried if you can get hold of some. IT's early enough that if given a good diet and kept stress free it may run it's course.

There is certainly room for argument

[island rehabber]

Those eyes need to be treated ASAP with antibiotic drops or ointment before his vision is damaged: Neo/Poly/Bac is excellent if you can get some from a vet. I'm not certain that this squirrel has pox from what I can see on these pix. Are there any warts/lesions on his paws? Typically that's where pox starts; mange, on the other hand, begins on the eyes and ears. Revolution would be excellent, as others have stated.

[kirbike]

No warts/lesions anywhere, just what you see in the pictures. It started with with hair loss on the left side of his face, like it was warn off. We have seen him rubbing his face on the ground near where he buries his food, but I assume thats some kind of instinctual marking thing. I've been at work for the last five days, so I haven't seen him in that time. There was no swelling or crustiness five days ago. He usually comes when you call him and that was no different today, I actually had him in his old cage for a bit, he didn't like too much, after all he is a wild squirrel. I will get the antibiotic drops on him right away in any case.

[kirbike]

I was able to get some antibiotic ointment from a vet. Now i just have to get him still enough to apply it.

[Mrs Skul]

Has any one thought of Squirrel Pox???:thinking
Rocki eye started swelling just like that.
She only had the pox on her eyes. Still has a scar.
I hope things work out for your little one.:grouphug
Your in my prayers. CM918

PS.
Can some one resize the pictures.:thankyou

[stosh2010]

Hope these smaller images help to diagnose the problem---
Praying for a quick recovery....
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%
Stosh >>> Keeper of the KING ( of Costa Rica )

[stosh2010]

Here are some close ups of the infected eyes---

Hang In There Earl...

[island rehabber]

The situation looks pretty much confined to his eyes, to me. I think getting antibiotic drops in them is your best approach, if you can. Maybe wrap him up burrito-style and have another person drop the ointment in real quick & easy? (I know...SOUNDS quick and easy until you try it ).

[kirbike]

Thanks for downsizing the pics....gotta figure out how to do that.

Anyway Earl seems to be doing much better on his own, although we've been able to put a drop or two of eye drops in. Swelling is down, no more discharge and it looks like the fur is growing back. He was very active and in a playful mood yesterday till about 3pm, after that most squirrels around here pack it in for the night.

[island rehabber]

Damn, you guys are good! Think about forming a Mobile Vet Service for Wild Squirrels -- your talents are sorely needed. :thumbsup
Hope he continues to improve....bless you for helping him.

[stosh2010]

Thanks for downsizing the pics....gotta figure out how to do that. .
USUALLY--while you are viewing your photos--Right Click >>on PHOTO you want to resize. Click on >>Resize Pictures...
Select>> SMALL...Select >>OK.
This will AUTOMATICALLY send a smaller version of the same photo to the END of the folder of photos you were looking at.
Scroll to the last Smaller photo. It will have the same file # but will say ( small). click on it to SELECT

USUALLY !!

[mugzeezma]

Has any one thought of Squirrel Pox???:thinking
Rocki eye started swelling just like that.
She only had the pox on her eyes. Still has a scar.
I hope things work out for your little one.:grouphug
Your in my prayers. CM918

PS.
Can some one resize the pictures.:thankyou
Thank you Mrs Skul
I actually said it WAS Pox...there appeared to me to be a small nodule in front of the left eye if I remember correctly.
Another rehabber that anonymously reads this forum called it to my attention.
She would know too.
Eye drops will help any secondary infections of the eye but will not cure it.
since Pox is spread by ectoparasites I would have treated with Revolution to prevent the spread of the virus to any other animals.
any immune boosters and dietary support will help the recovery an prevent it from getting worse.

[Mrs Skul]

Thank you Mrs Skul
I actually said it WAS Pox...there appeared to me to be a small nodule in front of the left eye if I remember correctly.
Another rehabber that anonymously reads this forum called it to my attention.
She would know too.
Eye drops will help any secondary infections of the eye but will not cure it.
since Pox is spread by ectoparasites I would have treated with Revolution to prevent the spread of the virus to any other animals.
any immune boosters and dietary support will help the recovery an prevent it from getting worse.

Thank You Stosh! :thankyou
A lot of my wild Squirrel only had Eye POX only. Some looked just like that. They were healthy.
The un healthy wons were the worst. Pox every where. :eek: Some just had a few spots.
I would put Echinacea Extract in the water to boost their immune system. :thumbsup
I Would Keep A Close Eye Out For POX This Spring. :thinking Good luck

[kirbike]

Update on Earl

His eyes have cleared up, most of the fur has grown back, still a big scab behind his left eye that looks like it will drop off soon. I wasn't able to get the antibiotic suave on him, so he basically healed up on his own. We found out where he's living....he took over a nest in the neighbours tree....we see him working on it for time to time. He still comes when he's called. It's been fun looking after this little guy. I'll post some new pictures when I get them.