Need help~ please

[reenie5892]

I found what looks like a grown squirrel, im not sure what happen but it seems the poor things back is broken. its not bleeding and its moving its legs a little but it's seriously crying! there are tears forming in the poor little guys eyes! im not sure what to do. i put him in a box wit a towel and leaves. i couldnt leave him outside to be eaten or killed by these rotten kids around the neighborhood. i did call a couple vet hospitals and they told me they didnt help wild animals and i should call a wild animal rehabilitation center. the ones i did find are either too far away for me to go or didnt answer the phone. I was wondering if anyone could help me by educating me in how to keep it comfortable, what to do and what not to do. should i feed it? does it need a water bottle for it to drink? how do i make this poor, helpless creature better??:(

[gs1]

for now ...just dark, warm and quiet....

it is in serious pain ... which is why it is crying....

until we can figure out if there is anyone there that can help you ...this is the best you can do ....

no feeding it or water for a while....

it's probably dying and so you don't want to stress it out any more....:grouphug

do you have a heating pad that won't shut off....

you could put it half under the box

this is hoping that it's a plastic box...not under a cardboard box....

regardless i wouldn't do very much for now.... not even move him into a plastic box till some experienced rehabber comes on....


:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug



ps for future .. old tshirts work better than towels... doesn't pull on their nails.....

[gs1]

:grouphug still no help... ???

how is the squirrel doing?

:grouphug

[astra]

how much does the squirrel let you handle/touch it?...
You could give it INFANT ibuprofen (infant, not children's). You, probbaly, would not be able to weigh him/her right now, but just estimate the weight (an average grey squirrel weighs about a pound) and you can dose it:

(copying this from CrM's post in Grrr's thread):
If you decide to use it, here are weights and amounts:

100 grams - .025cc
150 grams - .037cc
200 grams - .05cc
250 grams - .062cc
300 grams - .075cc
400 grams - .1cc
500 grams - .12cc
700 grams - .17cc
1000 grams - .25cc

You will need a syringe for this, 1cc syringe is the best. Most pharmacies can give you a few for free if you tell them you need to feed a newborn kitten (another CrM's suggestion;-))>
If he does not take the syringe, dose the med with the syinge and mix it in some peanut butter or something like that.
This can alleviate the pain.

Warm, dark and quiet.

As for giving/not giving water - sometimes, opinions are divided.
But what you could do is put some water in a shallow dish and put some marbles/pebbles in it, so that the pebbles are just covered in water. This way he won't aspirate (inhale the water) and it will be more difficult to overturn the bowl.

The fact that he has some movement in his back legs is a good sign - that he has a chance to recover with the proper care.
However, if you bring him to a wildlife centre or something like that, be prepared that they will put him to sleep, most likely, as 100% recovery rate for squirrels with such injuries is not high, and if they do not recover 100%, they cannot be released back and wildlife centres almost never keep non-releasable animals, they put them to sleep. Also, such injuries do take much care and time to heal - another thing (staff and resources) that most centres do not have.

You could try and look for a rehabber who would be willing to give him a chance, but again - he might end up being put to sleep.

So, just keep him warm, dark and quiet for now.
You could put a shallow dish of water with pebbles in it (stress and pain dehydrate a lot)
You could try giving him Infant Ibuprofen - that can alleviate his pain.
He must be in a lot of pain, prey animals do their best to appear as normal as possible, and when they do not appear normal, when they cry - it means that things are really, really bad and painful.

So, do that for now, and let's wait for the exp. rehabbers to get on here.

:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[lilidukes]

This is not my normal answer but in this case if this baby is crying out loud a lot please take it to the nearest vet and have it euthanized. I really think the spinal cord is severed and it is going to die. Please have mercy on this poor baby.:sad :sad :sad

I have dealt with a number of paralyzed squirrels and will be the first to try to save them so I do not offer this advice lightly.:grouphug :grouphug

[stepnstone]

Warm, dark, quiet and I would definetly go for the infant ibuprofen, If a syringe is not obtainable a dropper will do in a pinch, poor thing is in pain!

[gs1]

thanks astra and lilidukes... you've both got very valid points....

if it's suffering and beyond help ...it makes sense to put it to sleep .... but if it's just in 'medium' pain then it might be helped.....

it's a very, very hard decision to make...

:grouphug

astra thank you for all that information i'll make sure to keep it.....

[Milo's Mom]

Any updates?

[lilidukes]

A picture would help.

[pappy1264]

This baby needs to be seen and evaluated by a vet, who works with wildlife, to decide if he can be helped or should be euthanized to end his suffering.

[UDoWhat]

I would go with the Ibuprofen as others have said but at double the dose for a 400-500 gram squirrel. These doses are verrrrry conservative and can be doubled. We need pain relief here. I would also give water in a syringe. We don't know how long this poor squirrel has been down. I would also look for a Vet who will euthanize this sweet baby as Liildukes has suggested. Especially if we can not get this pain under control.

Marty

[Jackie in Tampa]

Thank you for helping the sq and bringing him inside, keeping warm and safe...
Can you give us an update?
If he has made it thru the night I may have some numbers for you to call for help..
again, thank you:Love_Icon