Porch Squirrel may Have Mange

[Kristal]

Well, I have been getting to know my friendly porch squirrel better. He is actually a SHE. And I can hardly believe that I made that mistake either... She has prominent lady bits, and must have been sitting in a funny position (is all that I can come up with as an excuse) :p It explains why she is so close to the juvie-adult male, though. He must be her son. I thought it was weird to see buddies of different ages, but that makes sense if he is her only surviving son from the summer.

She is getting calmer with me and more gentle. I see her most days, and she will let me look at her very, very closely and even touch her a little, now.

She is losing fur and has dry and scabby skin on one of her shoulders. It's not bad at all (yet), but I see her scratching every few steps, poor dear.

From just a little bit of reading (not much at all) I can gather that mange is just an external parasite similar to scabies. That somehow a weakened immune system plays a role in getting mange. (Now this I don't understand at all since scabies are an external parasite that anyone will get if they are exposed, regardless of immunity. How does immunity even come into it??) And that ivermectin is the preferred treatment (this I don't understand either. Shouldn't we use a topical treatment like revolution against external parasites? Isn't ivermectin a poison that they have to ingest?)

Ok, so obviously I have a lot of questions about mange. If someone can refer me to a good page that will explain it better, that would be great.

More importantly, how can I help porch squirrel? She is really an exceptionally bright, sociable and intuitive little one. We have quickly developed an understanding that has gone from gimme food to hello friend. She seems to be as interested in me as I am in her. I like her a lot. She somehow knows that she can trust me, but I have no idea how. She seems to trust me really a great deal. I would say that she trusts me almost as much as my house squirrels do.

It would be terrible if she lost more fur over the winter. It's not bad yet, but I am worried. As to what I can get her to eat, she eats all nuts. Sometimes I can persuade her to eat boo balls from my fingers, but she usually holds out for nuts. I *think* she may eat boo balls, avocado and fresh coconut if I leave it out on a plate for her and she can't see me. But if I am there, she will ignore those things and call me over asking for nuts. *Someone* eats the slightly more healthy things when I am not looking, though. I just cannot be sure it is her :p. She is the only squirrel who regularly forages on my street. Sometimes I see her son here with her. But I think he forages on the next street over. It's *probably* her eating the stuff that I put out on a plate, but I cannot be sure.

Being a city squirrel in my neighbourhood is very hard, indeed. These are the first two squirrels that I have seen living next to me ALL YEAR. I think many died in the last winter because it was unusually cold and long. There is almost nothing to eat here. I wish the city would plant nut bearing trees for the squirrels and birds. They starve, and the city destroys their dreys if they make them in street trees. It's sad :(

So what can I do for porch squirrel? I plan to keep feeding her, of course. Will that get her immunity up and help her beat the mange on her own? If not, can I get the ivermectin into what I can get her to eat? Would revolution work if I can find it? I can touch her enough to give her a dose of that without much difficulty. What can I do? :dono

[SammysMom]

I am NOT an expert, but did use Revolution on my Sammy for mange. Could you put a drop on her without a huge fight? I would think it would be the way to go if you can.
Keep in mind that I am not an expert and I am sure an expert will be along soon. Good luck!
I believe you can get Revolution online.

[astra]

Hi Kristal,

if you can get Rev - that will be the best.
You can put a drop between her shoulders, but you need to part fur for that, so that the drop lands on her skin. Repeat it in 2-3 weeks, 3 doses total (4 could be ok, too). If it does not cure completely, take a break for a couple of weeks and repeat the course.

Rev. can also be put on a nut - a drop of it. I would scrape the nut a bit creating a rough surface so that the drop does not roll off it. But you need to administer it almost right away as it evaporates fast.

Ivermectin can also be used. Liquid is only by prescription, I think. But you can get horse paste at a horse supply store, or tractor supply. But I think, tractor supply is more of a US thing... I forget what the Canadian equivalent woudl be, but I did get mine at a horse supply store in Toronto.
Are there horse supply stores in Montreal?... I'd assume, there must be somewhere.

if you get the paste, the dose is the size of an uncooked rice grain, very small, on a nut again. Watch her making sure she eats it. You need to make sure you know if she ate the dose. Otherwise, it won't be effective, or you might end up overdosing her.
Repeat one dose per week for three weeks.
If it didn't completely cure, take a break for a week or two, and repeat the course.

Yes, mange is primarily due to weakened immune system.
Best, is of course, to strengthen their immune system and reduce stressors, if possible. But, certainly, reducing stressors for a wild squirrel is nearly impossible, as we cannot control their environment.
If it's not too bad, you could take some time, feed her, provide water and all and see if she recovers on her own.
However, if it progresses faster than her immune system strengthens, then, intervention might be needed, especially, in view of the upcoming Canadian winter.

[astra]

actually, now I remember one exp. person telling me that the-drop-between-shoulders dose can be repeated every two weeks (and even every one week in severe cases)

[iwonka]

Ivermectin can also be used. Liquid is only by prescription, I think. But you can get horse paste at a horse supply store, or tractor supply. But I think, tractor supply is more of a US thing... I forget what the Canadian equivalent woudl be, but I did get mine at a horse supply store in Toronto.
Are there horse supply stores in Montreal?... I'd assume, there must be somewhere.

It's the Bimectin Paste.




Hi Kristal.. I think Scooterzmom would help you with this! I sent her a private message.

[Kristal]

OK, it seems like revolution can indeed be used... and that would be my first choice.

Yes, I can get very close to her. She even jumped on my shoulder once and then leaped off in a panic right away :p I can get her to crane her neck by tempting her with a nut and then drop the revolution on her neck. That's how I got a good and careful look at her shoulder, in fact. She eats readily from my hand and will come right up to me when called. :Love_Icon

I would be concerned about overdose. Is it a big risk? This is going to be dosed for cats, or maybe kittens, if I am lucky, and she is much smaller than a cat, so is it easy to overdose? How about if she is pregnant? Would it be really bad for the developing kits?

Also, it does not look like this stuff is very cheap. Where is the cheapest place that you all have found to buy it online? I sure need to save as much money as a I can!

[Jackie in Tampa]

:wave123 HI K..
just skimming thread
Revolution topically...
Ivermectin orally...
K, there has been many who will try to convince you that REv can be used orally...this is not advised not even by the manufacturer.

Hope that the sq participates with you and thank you:Love_Icon :wave123

[mpetys]

:wave123 HI K..
just skimming thread
Revolution topically...
Ivermectin orally...
K, there has been many who will try to convince you that REv can be used orally...this is not advised not even by the manufacturer.

Hope that the sq participates with you and thank you:Love_Icon :wave123

There are many medications that are used in ways not advised by the manufacturer. These are considered off label uses. Using Revolution on squirrels (or on anything besides dogs and cats) is considered an off label use and not advised by the manufacturer. I called Pfizer several years ago about treating a rabbit for mites with Revolution and they will not even discuss it except to say they do not recommend it. They did, however, recommend that I discuss this matter with my veterinarian. Of course, when I discussed this with my veterinarian, I found that Revolution was his choice to treat mites in rabbits. I believe that it is for legal reasons that Pfizer will only discuss using Revolution for what it has been approved, even though they know their product is being used successfully, "off label". They know it works for rabbits (and others) but it has not been approved for such.


When searching on TSB, I found a thread in which this was discussed and apparently recommended: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29079&highlight=campus+squirrel+mange


ivomec (Ivermectin) or selemectin (Revolution) can be given orally, and correct dosage is critical with the ivomec.


I've had good results with both for wilds. I use just a pin drop of Ivermectin and take a small drill bit to a peanut and drop it in the hollowed out hole.
Revolution is the same. I also follow up with another dose within 10-12 days.
I do make sure that the target squirrel is the one that gets the meds, and I should add that it is an open peanut that I use.
Pennys dad

A while back when this came up on the board, I called my vets office and found that they do suggest oral administration of Revolution in the case of feral cats or wildlife that you cannot administer to topically. I did not talk to my vet but to one of the techs there.

From the insert that comes with Revolution:

DOGS: In safety studies, Revolution was administered at 1, 3, 5, and 10 times the recommended dose to six-week-old puppies, and no adverse reactions were observed. The safety of Revolution administered orally also was tested in case of accidental oral ingestion. Oral administration of Revolution at the recommended topical dose in 5- to 8-month-old beagles did not cause any adverse reactions. In a pre-clinical study selamectin was dosed orally to ivermectin-sensitive collies. Oral administration of 2.5, 10, and 15 mg/kg in this dose escalating study did not cause any adverse reactions; however, eight hours after receiving 5 mg/kg orally, one avermectin-sensitive collie became ataxic for several hours, but did not show any other adverse reactions after receiving subsequent doses of 10 and 15 mg/kg orally. In a topical safety study conducted with avermectin-sensitive collies at 1, 3 and 5 times the recommended dose of Revolution, salivation was observed in all treatment groups, including the vehicle control. Revolution also was administered at 3 times the recommended dose to heartworm infected dogs, and no adverse effects were observed.

CATS: In safety studies, Revolution was applied at 1, 3, 5, and 10 times the recommended dose to six-week-old kittens. No adverse reactions were observed. The safety of Revolution administered orally also was tested in case of accidental oral ingestion. Oral administration of the recommended topical dose of Revolution to cats caused salivation and intermittent vomiting. Revolution also was applied at 4 times the recommended dose to patent heartworm infected cats, and no adverse reactions were observed.

From that same insert:

ADVERSE REACTIONS:

Pre-approval clinical trials:

Following treatment with Revolution, transient localized alopecia with or without inflammation at or near the site of application was observed in approximately 1% of 691 treated cats. Other signs observed rarely (≤0.5% of 1743 treated cats and dogs) included vomiting, loose stool or diarrhea with or without blood, anorexia, lethargy, salivation, tachypnea, and muscle tremors.

Post-approval experience:

In addition to the aforementioned clinical signs that were reported in pre-approval clinical trials, there have been reports of pruritus, urticaria, erythema, ataxia, fever, and rare reports of death. There have also been rare reports of seizures in dogs


Here is a paper on the Efficacy and Safety of Selamectin(Stronghold®/Revolution™) Used Off-Label in Exotic Pets: http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/Beck%2087-96.pdf


Another paper, "A review of the off-label use of selamectin (Stronghold®/Revolution®) in dogs and cats" - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2612660/


Here is a study on "The acute effects of single-dose orally administered doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin on natural infections of Syphacia muris (pinworms) in rats." While I don't have access to the complete paper, the abstract states,

This study was designed to determine the acute effects of a single-dose of orally administered doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin on Syphacia muris infection in rats. Rats, naturally infected with S. muris, were divided into four groups: three different treatment groups (n=7) and one positive control (n=7). Cellophane tape preparations were obtained from the treated rats on day 0 pre-treatment and on days 2, 4 and 6 post-treatment. Syphacia sp. eggs were counted. Eprinomectin was found to be 100% effective in eliminating eggs on two post-treatment. However when egg counts on day 6 post-treatment were compared with pre-treatment egg counts, doramectin and selamectin were found to be 99.32 and 98.77% effective in eliminating eggs, respectively. On day 7 post-treatment, blood samples were obtained from all groups, and then the rats were necropsied. Doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin were found to be 100% effective in eliminating adult S. muris, when compared with the positive control group.

Here is the link: http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/19318096

I would think that any vet that recommends or suggests using Revolution, orally, does not do so on a whim, but after reading the medical papers and studies that are available to them. And just as we on this board can have different opinions on medications and treatments, I am sure vets are no different. I am not recommending the use of Revolution orally. I have never used it that way nor have I spoken directly to my vet to get his advice straight from him. But I know if I were presented with a squirrel or feral cat that needed treatment, it is something that I feel comfortable considering as an option looking in to.

[SammysMom]

I would draw up the dose you want to give in a small syringe without a needle on it. It would give you far more control for dosing and applying. It is how I dose my cats. I use the large dog dose broken into doses for them by using a syringe. Good luck! It sounds like this is a do-able option for you. It worked very fast on Sammy too. She will feel very relieved.:thumbsup

[CritterMom]

Regarding the topically applied vs. oral - topically applied meds only work if they can be absorbed through the skin and get into the bloodstream where they will be dispersed to all areas of the body - if they didn't you would have to coat the entire animal in the liquid (much as you have to spray them all over for fleas). So while the route is different - one in the mouth, one on the skin - once it gets there it works the same way.

If you opt for the ivermectin paste, which can be bought at any place that sells livestock stuff since it is a very common horse wormer, please remember to squirt then ENTIRE tube into some other container so you can stir it up. It separates in the tube and you could easily gove too much or too little (a horse gets the whole tube so it doesn't matter if it has separated).

[Jackie in Tampa]

Henryspets.com sell a safe dilution of ivermectin for sqs..
be very careful with ivermectin, it has killed many sqs if not properly diluted..
Thank goodness I have vets to help...I am terrified of this med yet know it's very safe if correctly dosed..
not stirring any pots..
I love sqs and just want you to know all the choices and make sure you know the precautions.
You are getting lots of good info...
jmo...if you can get that close..the rev topically would be my choice!:D
The decision is yours...thank you for caring!:alright.gif
are you freezing up there?
it's awesomely gorgeous here....79* and sunny!
:wave123 K!