Adult squirrel with head trauma?

[tamsenmc]

My boyfriend found (rather, was found by) an injured squirrel today, just a few hours ago. It looks like it escaped being eaten by something. It's missing a whole lot of fur and skin off of its tail, at least one front paw is bloody, and one ear is bloody. We're guessing it has head trauma because it can't stand or sit up straight and keeps flailing around or going in circles. Otherwise, it seems to be in fairly good condition.

He called the emergency vet and was told most (all?) vets just kill them because they are considered nuisance animals, so I don't know if I will even be able to find a vet to check the little lady (?) out and get some medicine to help her.

He was able to get water in her. She happily drank out of a bowl when he held her up to it, so we can at least get water in her. We gave her a cucumber and a couple carrots just to see if she will eat, but she hasn't been interested in either so far. Maybe there is something she will be more interested in?

We have some medicam that I got for one of our rats. In another thread people were saying it is okay. The dosage for the ~375g rat is 5ml twice daily. Should we weigh her and give her an equivalent dosage?

Finally, what are the chances she will be able to recover from these kinds of injuries? If I can't get a vet to see her, then I probably can't get her any antibiotics. Mainly, I wonder if she will recover from the head trauma. If she can't sit up and eat, I don't know if we'll be able to take care of her well enough. I'd like to try and find someone that will take her, but if the vets just want to kill her, it doesn't sound like I have much chance of finding someone that can take care of her.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[astra]

Thank you so much for caring and finding the board.:Welcome :thankyou

Yes, with the injuries you described, vets and wildlife centers will euthanize her without hesitation.

all our experts are asleep now...

if you have metacam for pain, you can weigh her and dose it for a rat, I guess.
Or if you have infant ibuprofen, you could use that

It could be a car accident, too (and the missing fur you are seeing is what they call "car rash" or something like that).

If the trauma is not severe, some squirrels do recover from it.
But generally, it is very rare that a squirrel recovers from such a head trauma.
Most likely, she won't be able to recover 100% enough to be returned to the wild... again, I am saying "most likely" not "for sure"...
Most of the time, such squirrels become non-releasable, ie. someone gives them a forever home.
Does it always work for a squirrel?... it all depends on the squirrel.
A lot of squirrels are very aware of their limitations and adapt very well to the indoor life - lead a happy content life as NRs.
There are some, however, that cannot adapt, become restless and miserable and therefore, get put to sleep...
Sometimes, if the trauma is severe and there are severe internal injuries, such squirrels gradually deteriorate and pass away on their own....
But in any of the above situations you cannot predict - the only way to know is to take the squirrel in, start caring for him/her and see how s/he does.

So, as you can see - no easy answer.
She has a chance - that's for sure, but it depends if she can have a forever home.
If she has mobility in her legs and arms, and her only problem is wobbliness, she won't require super extra care (once she gets stable, of course). Just to accommodate for her wobbliness and that is it (to ensure that her environment won't provoke her to fall and injure herself further etc).
It's when they are paralyzed that a lot of extra care is required.

There are a few people here who have been handling wobbly and head trauma squirrels, so if you choose to keep her, you will get a wealth of experience, support and knowledge here.

For now, if she was cat-caught (but you don't know, right?) she will definitely need antibiotics or she will surely die.
Do you have any ABs from your rat?
Some human ABs will do, too: cipro, for instance.
Do your friends have pets? Maybe, they may have some ABs left?
Or some of your human friends may have cipro? or some other ABs?

For neuro traumas there is a small window during which steroids could be administered and that increases the recovery success, but they should be administered asap. If that window is missed, after that only prolonged care will show how far the recovery will progress.

See if you can find any antibiotic, human or animal, post its strength, form, etc etc - all the info, and her weight, and one of the experts will be able to dose it for you tomorrow.

Is there a way you could post pictures? videos?

:grouphug

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome :wave123
please give us all the info that is on the metacam label..
We will help you with the dosing..
We also need a weight in grams if possible, and a pic will also help the rehabbers.
Thank you so much, boy friend too.

Can you place a heating pad half under the container you have her in, set on low. or a sock filled with dry rice, tyed off and heated in micro for 20-30 seconds..
let her cuddle up with some healing heat..

Is she dehydrated? have you done the pinch test?
gently lift the skin between the shoulders
if it relaxes , she is fine , if it stays tented, she needs hydration.
1 quart warm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
it is recommended to use a syringe to feed with if possible..
or the bowl:thumbsup

Thank you for finding TSB /help:bowdown

[island rehabber]

tamsenmc, you now have full access to the board so you can post pix, send private messages, etc. You have gotten outstanding advice so far.....:thumbsup:thumbsup

[tamsenmc]

I talked to a vet clinic this morning and was told they aren't allowed to treat wild animals. I was also told there are no mammal rehabilitators in the state, so I guess she's bunking at our place.



if you have metacam for pain, you can weigh her and dose it for a rat, I guess.
Or if you have infant ibuprofen, you could use that
Which would be preferable? She weighs about 170g.



But generally, it is very rare that a squirrel recovers from such a head trauma.
Most likely, she won't be able to recover 100% enough to be returned to the wild... again, I am saying "most likely" not "for sure"...
Most of the time, such squirrels become non-releasable, ie. someone gives them a forever home.
We noticed she is not really using one of her back legs, so her instability might stem more from that. It doesn't appear to be broken, as far as we can tell, so we're hoping that will heal in time. If she is never releasable we'll keep her and figure something out.



For now, if she was cat-caught (but you don't know, right?) she will definitely need antibiotics or she will surely die.
Do you have any ABs from your rat?
Some human ABs will do, too: cipro, for instance.
Do your friends have pets? Maybe, they may have some ABs left?
Or some of your human friends may have cipro? or some other ABs?
We had antibiotics for a rabbit, but got rid of it because we didn't think we'd need it again. I'm not aware of any friends that would have needed antibiotics for pets or themselves recently, but I can check around. What do I do if no one has any antibiotics? The bf is checking into getting something from Canada, but I don't know if that will pan out. He found Clavamox for dogs.



For neuro traumas there is a small window during which steroids could be administered and that increases the recovery success, but they should be administered asap. If that window is missed, after that only prolonged care will show how far the recovery will progress.
I'm not sure how much is head trauma and how much is related to her leg now. I will see about getting a video of her shortly.



please give us all the info that is on the metacam label..
We will help you with the dosing..
We also need a weight in grams if possible, and a pic will also help the rehabbers.
I misremembered the information a bit (It's a 5ml bottle). It says, "Give 0.05ml by mouth once daily for 3-4 days for pain and inflammation. Give after feeding a meal or a snack." It was obtained about a month and a half ago and does not expire until the end of April next year.



Can you place a heating pad half under the container you have her in, set on low. or a sock filled with dry rice, tyed off and heated in micro for 20-30 seconds..
let her cuddle up with some healing heat..
We can't find the heating pad we had, so we'll go to the store and get another today. She likes to hang on to a log we put in there. It keeps her stable. I don't know if she'll want to hang onto a warm sock buddy instead, but we can give it a try.



Is she dehydrated? have you done the pinch test?
The bf did the check and she's hydrated. She got a bunch of water this morning when we checked on her.

We fed her raisins. She really likes those. I saw carrots mentioned somewhere. Various nuts (walnuts?). We were thinking of getting her sunflower seeds. Is there anything else we should get her to eat?

She seems a little better today. She was able to sit up and crawl up our hands and arms a little better. We'll get some pictures and video shortly.

[tamsenmc]

Uploading these videos is taking me a while. These are 2 of 3 that I took.

The first video is just her drinking for a while.

Drinking (http://tinypic.com/r/23sao8i/6)

The second video is her moving around a bit so you can see how she moves. She uses her left hind leg a little, but usually she just lets it drag.

Moving (http://tinypic.com/r/pucgo/6)

In the third video you will get a better look at her left hind leg and her tail.

Closer look at tail and hind leg (http://tinypic.com/r/33capna/6)

[astra]

sorry, didn't get to see the videos yet.

But about food;

please no raisins, no dried fruit at all - too much sugar for sqquirrels.
Since she might stay with your longer, good nutrition is the key to the best recovery. Please check this link Healthy Diet for Pet squirrel:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

Thanks so much for caring!
Very few people would do that!:grouphug

[astra]

checked the videos!
She is so precious! Poor baby.

For now, I would say - do not let her climb anything.
What cage/container is she in right now?
Any climbing will put unnecessary stress. Right now she needs to heal - so no climbing, no running, no vigorous activity at all.

Another question: i could not tell, but is that grey stuff shavings? Is that in her cage/container?
Shavings are not usually used for squirrels b/c they can be either toxic, or lead to respiratory problems (allergies etc).

You can line your cage/container with fleece pieces, or old t-shirts - anything that does not have loops, like towels, so that her nails do not get caught.
Put a lot of that in there for her to burrow and hide.
Squirrels need to hide to feel secure and protected.

Please check back often - our experts will be able to advise more:grouphug

[tamsenmc]

please no raisins, no dried fruit at all - too much sugar for sqquirrels.
Since she might stay with your longer, good nutrition is the key to the best recovery. Please check this link Healthy Diet for Pet squirrel:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

Thanks so much for caring!
Very few people would do that!:grouphug
We'll get her some better nummies. I just wanted to get some food in her. We have http://www.thecraftyrat.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FS_05lb&Category_Code=FS for the rats; and squirrels are even mentioned on the site. Would this be okay to feed her?




For now, I would say - do not let her climb anything.
Trust me, it's all her idea. We're trying to keep her just down in the cage.



What cage/container is she in right now?
She is in a 25 gal (20 - 30, not sure of the exact size) glass tank.



Any climbing will put unnecessary stress. Right now she needs to heal - so no climbing, no running, no vigorous activity at all.
She can't do very much on her own, she just likes to try and climb up when we adjust her. We'll do our best to keep her resting.



Another question: i could not tell, but is that grey stuff shavings? Is that in her cage/container?
Shavings are not usually used for squirrels b/c they can be either toxic, or lead to respiratory problems (allergies etc).
It's Carefresh. We were just thinking of something soft. I forgot to ask about the best bedding for her.



You can line your cage/container with fleece pieces, or old t-shirts - anything that does not have loops, like towels, so that her nails do not get caught.
Put a lot of that in there for her to burrow and hide.
Squirrels need to hide to feel secure and protected.
We'll get some fleece today.



Please check back often - our experts will be able to advise more:grouphug
I will! I just hope she heals up okay and we can let her go again. <3

Is it very easy to tell the difference in sex in adult squirrels? We think she's a she, but maybe she's a he?

Is there anything special I should get for her to gnaw on to keep her teeth worn down? The lab blocks are pretty hard and she has the logs in there. Will that be enough?

[Milo's Mom]

As long as there is NO FRAGRANCE in the carefresh bedding it should be fine.

Yes, the hard blocks will help with her teeth. Many people here feed HT to their squirrels. However, you may want to try Henry's Healthy Blocks...they are made specifically for squirrels.

Branches will also help with her teeth. So will clean seashells & rocks (just make sure they are big enough she cannot swallow them).

Can you post a picture of her lower belly area? We can tell you for sure if she's a she or a he. After you know for sure, you will never forget and you'll think it's easy.

[tamsenmc]

As long as there is NO FRAGRANCE in the carefresh bedding it should be fine.
I switched it out for some fleece anyway. The fleece is a little easier to deal with.

I was able to get some ciprofloxacin, 500mg tablets. They are from 2006. Will this work? We gave her 0.025ml of metacam today. Will antibiotics be okay with the metacam, or should we only give her the antibiotics? Should I get her some yogurt as well?

I attached a picture of her underside. I hope it is clear enough. I'm not sure how the attachment will appear, so this is a test. Yay. It works.

She ate some walnuts and the lab blocks we have. She did not seem to be interested in green bell pepper, mushroom (white mushroom?), and romaine. Are there any greens that they usually like more than others, or should I just keep trying different greens?

[island rehabber]

SHE is adorable. :D As others have said above, it's difficult or impossible to tell how much she will improve, but a safe environment and good nutrition are your very best course of treatment. If she will eat lab blocks, thank your lucky stars and keep giving them to her -- that is your #1 way of getting good nutrients into her. Avoid high-phosphorous foods like peanuts, sunflower seeds and corn (the junk that 'everyone' feeds squirrels in their back yards). I think the metacam will help her, so yes I would give it to her for a couple of days at least.

[Milo's Mom]

Congratulations! It's a GIRL!

Squirrels are funny this way...one day they LOVE something and the next they act like you're feeding them poop. Some of the favorites of my guys are: romaine lettuce, avocado, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, apples, pears, blueberries, watermelon, raspberries, mushrooms, chicory, wild greens like dandelion & fresh pinecones, locusts (as in the big flying bugs), maple tree helicopters.

[tamsenmc]

Does anyone have any advice on ciprofloxacin dosage? We won't have a scale that will measure in mg amounts, but we have one on its way. We were going to try just scraping a tiny bit off of a 500mg tablet (we came up with 0.84mg to 2.55mg dosage for her) and start with that. I'm really worried about infection.

[jbtartell]

you can also give her kale and turnip greens,, They are good in calcium, so is brocoli.. no penuts.. and you can giv a nut or so a day. It is like candy to them so just make it a treat.:wave123

[Nancy in New York]

Does anyone have any advice on ciprofloxacin dosage? We won't have a scale that will measure in mg amounts, but we have one on its way. We were going to try just scraping a tiny bit off of a 500mg tablet (we came up with 0.84mg to 2.55mg dosage for her) and start with that. I'm really worried about infection.

Hold off giving her anything right yet, I will contact another member who is excellent at figuring this out.
Just to double check, your squirrels weighs 170 grams and your cipro is from 2006 right, and you have a 500 mg tablet?

[Jackie in Tampa]

it's too old, it has no healing value.
You need fresh ABs..
I am sorry.
I will call my pharmascist in 40 minutes to double verify.

[tamsenmc]

you can also give her kale and turnip greens,, They are good in calcium, so is brocoli.. no penuts.. and you can giv a nut or so a day. It is like candy to them so just make it a treat.:wave123
I bought broccoli, cauliflower, and iceburg today to try. Oh, and a little avocado, to share. She will happily eat the block food and walnuts, so she is getting food.


Hold off giving her anything right yet, I will contact another member who is excellent at figuring this out.
Just to double check, your squirrels weighs 170 grams and your cipro is from 2006 right, and you have a 500 mg tablet?
That is correct.


it's too old, it has no healing value.
You need fresh ABs..
I am sorry.
I will call my pharmascist in 40 minutes to double verify.
Are you sure? I don't really know that many people, so I don't know how to get anything else. I had antibiotics just 7 months ago, but I took them all. :( I had no idea I might need one later.

I found one place listed as a rehabber in Alaska, but I called and they don't take in squirrels. I don't think there's anywhere I could take her that could get her some medical care.

[Jackie in Tampa]

yes, I am sure.
we need an update please.

[patjones]

Cute cute little girl Sorry I can't help not an expert but good luck I hope it turns out well for her.

[tamsenmc]

She's acting more like a squirrel today! She tried to, unsuccessfully, escape the cage and she has started really burrowing.

[tamsenmc]

I found her dead this morning. :(

[Itchiku's dad]

I'm so sorry to hear this.