Large, open wound on back. Urgent help needed!

[Farani]

Hi everyone. I haven't been on here in a long time, but a squirrel I've been feeding for almost five years now is in some trouble. Recently, she had a small wound on her back and the fur was gone. It looked to be getting better until today. It is extremely large now and lots of fur is missing, and I don't know if there is anything I can do to help her. Is there any possible antibiotic I could get? I would be able to give it to her as she comes to the door. Any help would be appreciated; it's hard to have to sit idly by and watch her deteriorate.

[stepnstone]

:sanp3 Good pictures, I'm sure someone in the know will be along shortly and can advise you. I'm curious as well to hear opinions on this. Thank you for careing about this fur baby.

[madtowntom]

I'm not an expert but that looks like some type of parasite to me - most likely mange. Do you see it scratching frequently? I assume it takes nuts from you? Let's see what others have to say, but you might need to give it a dose of ivermectin or Revolution

[Farani]

We named her Ruby. Just thought I should mention that. She's an amazing squirrel.

I haven't seen her scratch it yet. She comes right to the door & takes nuts. I'll do whatever it takes to help her. Trap & sedate if need be.

[lilidukes]

Looking at the head, ears and neck that looks like mange. I do not have personal experience with it so I would rather let someone who does guide you.

Ruby is a beauty:grouphug

[pappy1264]

Was thinking mange, too. Do you see her scratching alot? Others should be on soon with maybe a little more insight. You said before it was a cut. Was it an open wound or more like these, from scratching? If she had a bad cut to begin with, it could be it is infected, too. But where she has some other spots fur is missing, makes me think more mange. And she is an older squirrel, too. If you had to, could you catch her to put revolution on her?

[Mrs Skul]

Can you trap this squirrel? :thinking
It does not look infected to me. I would think Mange.
You need to put some Revolution on her back, between her shoulders and head. You will have to repeat this treatment every month for 3 treatments. That should take care of all the new hatching eggs. :eek: I would get the revolution for the smallest dog. Then put the whole tub on her.
Let it dry for 1 to 2 hr. Then release her. Watch to see changes. Then repeat the treatment 1 time a month for the next 2 months. :thumbsup
Some times when the mange get this crusty and it has gone on for so long. They might not scratch so much.
I hope this helps.

PS
Putting the whole tub will not hurt her. :nono
It is a alcohol base product.
It is just giving the whole dose.
I have put the same on Rocki and a few other Squirrels when needed.
Good Luck Christal

[Farani]

Do you guys think an oral treatment would be sufficient enough, or will it have to be topical? Trapping her won't be easy, she's a very tough squirrel. I would no doubt need to sedate her in some way if this is necessary. Are there any good threads on here about trapping?

[Farani]

Was thinking mange, too. Do you see her scratching alot? Others should be on soon with maybe a little more insight. You said before it was a cut. Was it an open wound or more like these, from scratching? If she had a bad cut to begin with, it could be it is infected, too. But where she has some other spots fur is missing, makes me think more mange. And she is an older squirrel, too. If you had to, could you catch her to put revolution on her?

I haven't seen her scratching before, but she had this wound on her back, only it was a lot smaller, several weeks ago and it looked to be getting better. Then today she showed it looking this bad. I believe her wounds have always been from scratching. The missing fur on the ears and neck has been going on for a while now. I had no idea that this was mange, and had I known, I would have treated her long ago. I feel terrible about it now.

[madtowntom]

I have no experience with Ivermectin - just Revolution, but you could check out this thread -Link (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24900)

[Farani]

I have no experience with Ivermectin - just Revolution, but you could check out this thread -Link (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24900)

Thank you so much! I'm going to try the Ivermectin route first and see what happens.

How do manage to get revolution on the squirrel, though? It seems extremely hard. How can I go from trapping them to applying this to her back?

edit: okay i didn't realize the revolution was just a matter of dropping it on them like flea and tick medication.

Is it only available with an Rx, though?

[madtowntom]

Yes - you need a vet to prescribe Revolution - it is very easy to use though. I have used it on wilds. You can net them and and then hold them down with heavy gloves for the 60 secs it takes you to put a drop of Revolution between their sholder blades. Usually all of their hair returns in 3-4 weeks, but it may require a second dose.

I know others have had success with putting the ivermectin on a nut and feeding them

[Farani]

Thank you guys so much for the help!!

I just ordered some ivermectin paste from amazon w/ overnight delivery. So, hopefully by Tuesday I'll be able to get some to her!!

[mugzeezma]

Ivermectin paste dewormer for horses 1.87%

use .05cc or a dab the size the grain of rice

follow up in 14 days to kill off any hatched larvae


you can also use Revolution orally

place a dab on a nut

[Farani]

Thank you so much, that's exactly what I bought and the amount I read to use. Makes me feel better!! Ruby and I and my family appreciate all the help! We're all worried sick about her.

[mugzeezma]

Thank you so much, that's exactly what I bought and the amount I read to use. Makes me feel better!! Ruby and I and my family appreciate all the help! We're all worried sick about her.
She clearly scraped all of the hair off of her back...the good news is that warm weather is upon us and she will have every opportunity to recover

[Farani]

She clearly scraped all of the hair off of her back...the good news is that warm weather is upon us and she will have every opportunity to recover

Yes, so happy it's not winter!! I figured she did it, but I didn't know why. I feared things were much worse than they seem to be. I'll keep you guys updated!

[Busysqrl]

Oh bless your heart for helping Ruby. It's so hard to see the regulars suffer. Just be careful the with the Ivermectin. It's easier to overdose with that than Revolution. Revolution can also be given orally. I'm praying for your sweet Ruby :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[mugzeezma]

She probably has all kinds of gunk holding her fur on. If she was eluding a predator, got grabbed , scooted under something, the fur would have easily pulled off.
It's truly amazing how tough these little critters are so don't feel bad.
A long winter sharing nests with all those parasites will take it's toll.

[Fireweed]

Hey, Farani. So sorry to see Ruby is in such shape. Poor girl. :(

I hope you and she will feel better in no time. :grouphug :grouphug

[Farani]

Hey, Farani. So sorry to see Ruby is in such shape. Poor girl. :(

I hope you and she will feel better in no time. :grouphug :grouphug

Thanks Fireweed! It's been a long time...hope things are well for you!

[Farani]

Just thought I'd post a quick update. Ivermectin arrived yesterday, but no luck seeing Ruby today. She was by yesterday before it came for some food. Will try again tomorrow!

[BHO]

As far as I know, Revolution is a topical medication and not to be given orally. Also there are different dosages of Revolution out there and even the smallest revolution dosage for dogs, you do not use the whole tube.

I forget now how much per kg of body weight. Perhaps someone can chime in., When i find out I will post

[squirrelfriend]

I have had lots of experience with mange and that looks a lot like it. She needs either Ivermectin or Revolution. Both work great and work fast. Redosing will need to be done in 2 weeks.

Hope your little gal gets better. Poor little thing. That has got to hurt and itch like crazy!

[Farani]

UPDATE: Ruby ate her Ivermectin yesterday!!! Now we just need time for it to work, and re-dosing.

She was here this morning, and I was told she was scratching her back a lot.

[Fireweed]

Oh, yay! Glad to hear she took it. Go, Ruby Bums! :alright.gif Must be a big relief to you, Farani!

[madtowntom]

Good job Farani!

Keep us updated as to how it works!

[SquirrelsinSingapore]

Farani: hope u have all the help you need.. Ruby looks like she badly need a warm bath to sterilize bacteria or the bad skin condition...

keep us posted we r with you.....

[Farani]

Farani: hope u have all the help you need.. Ruby looks like she badly need a warm bath to sterilize bacteria or the bad skin condition...

keep us posted we r with you.....

Thank you guys so much! I'm just glad I will be able to give her a chance. I almost broke down the day I posted this...I thought she was a goner!

She's very touchy, so I'm worried anything major we'd have to do to her may push her away from us...in my mind those things are a last ditch effort. I figure I'll give the Ivermectin time to work, and if it doesn't then I'll move down to the next thing on the list, each progressively more involved and abrasive.

Do you guys think the Ivermectin is enough? Or is there something else that absolutely HAS to be done at this point to help save her?

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!

[Fireweed]

I'm no expert, dig? But I would suggest just giving the ivermectin time, like you said. And try to get her to take good foods: HHBs or other rodent block, pieces of different veggies, and fruits. Try everything--find what she'll eat. I don't know what you are feeding her now (if at all) but healthy treats could really help her. :dono And fresh water, too. :)

Get well soon, Ruby Bums.... :grouphug

[Farani]

I'm no expert, dig? But I would suggest just giving the ivermectin time, like you said. And try to get her to take good foods: HHBs or other rodent block, pieces of different veggies, and fruits. Try everything--find what she'll eat. I don't know what you are feeding her now (if at all) but healthy treats could really help her. :dono And fresh water, too. :)

Get well soon, Ruby Bums.... :grouphug

We exclusively feed the gang of 30+ squirrels just peanuts right now. I'll definitely try some veggies, though! WHat are HHBs? Thank you again!

[Fireweed]

I would ditch the peanuts for now. Check out the nutrition forum for ideas regarding veggies and fruits and other nibbles. HHBs (Henry's Healthy Blocks) are a type of rodent block that you feed along with other healthy foods--there is a recipe in the nutrition forum for how to make them yourself or you can buy them online. You could also make a sort of chow 'ball'--recipe found in that forum, as well. You could buy a rodent block like Harlan Teklad, Mazuri, Kaytee-Forti etc. at a feed/pet store--but the wild squirrels usually don't eat those unless you mush them up and add stuff to them. (see nutrition forum for more info on that, as well :D ).

Wild squirrels can be super picky, so be ready for Ruby to snub everything... but if you take the nuts away, she'll start eating a block or veggies or whatever. I usually provide one thing (like a block) and when that's gone, another (veggie), and then another (fruit), and lastly, a nut or two... But see what works for you and Ruby, of course.

Anyway, here's a good starting point: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16093
It's the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels... I know Ruby isn't captive--but you'll be able to see which veggies and fruits and nuts, etc. are best for squirrels. And like I said, there are recipes in that forum for HHBs and, what some like to call, Booballs.

Good luck. :grouphug

[Farani]

Thanks for all the info!!! She was here today. Her back is still looking bad...but she's still here.

[SquirrelsinSingapore]

We exclusively feed the gang of 30+ squirrels just peanuts right now. I'll definitely try some veggies, though! WHat are HHBs? Thank you again!
Yes i agree with Fireweed.
Definately mix veges. These sqs are very picky. Fruits are good too but they like variety. So have a combi of everything. Different cut fruits, etc.

Wow you are so fortunate having that many 30 sqs near by.......
:yeahthat Almost like a army platoon size :D
I have just a couple very shy mjs that just won't come down their tree. :rotfl
Gladly swap place with you :multi haha....

30 of them is so much fun!

:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel :Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel
:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel :Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel
:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel
:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel:Squirrel

[Farani]

Things are getting better & better! She took her second dose yesterday, and the wounds on the upper part of her back are gone. Her lower back was the worst, and it to is starting to scab. Can't wait to see how she looks in a few weeks. Thank you all!

[Farani]

Wow you are so fortunate having that many 30 sqs near by.......
:yeahthat Almost like a army platoon size :D
I have just a couple very shy mjs that just won't come down their tree. :rotfl
Gladly swap place with you :multi haha....

30 of them is so much fun!


We're lucky to have a little forest area right next to our house...no neighbor on that side, so there are a lot of squirrels who live in those trees. I'm sure the daily nuts we have been putting out for years have helped them thrive somewhat, too!