any advice for injured

[avatarjl]

Hello everyone,

If anyone can share some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. I have a squirrel that fell from a tree and must have landed on my fence. He has a small wound in the middle of his back and cannot seem to move his back legs at all. I visited your board late last night and got him setup as well as I could.

Currently he has survived the night. I have him in a box with some towels food and water. No rice so I have warmed him several bottles to get him through the cold night. He seems to be alert this morning and has had bowel movements. He's eating the sunflower seeds I gave him (it's what I had on hand from my birds) so I am trying to be optimistic.

I'll be running to the store shortly to pick up some things and if there is something I should pick up for first aid please let me know. My plan is some better food and neosporin or some such cream to try and put on his back. I have some concerns about handling him considering the obvious trauma. I know someone that rehabs some wild animals, but pretty sure they'd just put him to sleep if he can't walk. I have no idea what I'm doing here so really, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

[CritterMom]

Pick up a bottle of Ensure - the food replacement shake at the store - any flavor, though vanilla and strawberry seem to be favorites. It is highly concentrated nutrition and can be fed by syringe if need be.

Do you or anyone you know have any prednisone? It is upper respiratory sickness season and pred is commonly prescribed for that. If the not walking is caused by swelling that is interfering with the spine, the pred will help it.

Also, replace the towels with old t shirts or sweatshirts, or anything you have that is made of polarfleece type material. They can snag their nails in the terry loops on a towel and really get themselves into trouble.

[avatarjl]

ok, old Tshirts - check.

Prednisone isn't currently available.

Any pointers on how to best get some ointment on his back? He's wild and scared so seems like I don't exactly want to be that close to him at this point. Should I just put the gloves on and hope for the best? He stays calm while his head is hidden, but as soon as I pull back the fabric he gets pretty upset. I'm sure that when I make contact with the wound he'll be a bit perturbed. Same with the ensure...hopefully the syringe will keep his attention there though.

[farrelli]

Just keep his head covered. Lots of animals tend to remain calm if their face is covered even when some things are being done to their body. Hopefully someone else will be more help.

[tomcics]

:wave123 Avatarjl, I am from Michigan too, I have placed a call to a squirrel rehabber to see if they could help but no call back as of yet. Sometimes a rehabber will take in a wounded squirrel and keep it if it can't be released, wish we could find someone in your area that could help.

I meant to ask, what is the position of the back legs, does he seem to have any control over them or are they just looking sprawled out?

[avatarjl]

I want to start by thanking everyone for taking a moment to respond.

Beyond all that, his legs don't appear to move at all. He was on my fence when I first noticed him (no way he was able to climb up there in his current condition, hence why I think he just fell on it). My memory tells me he was trying to use them, but I may just be fabricating that at this point. I know that he couldn't get himself over and his legs ended up hanging down. When I went to get him, he let himself fall and just started dragging his back end across the snow. I'm really not even sure how bad the wound is at this point. I know that he was bleeding a fair amount but nothing that appeared critical. I haven't spent a lot of time evaluating him because I wanted to give him some peace and quiet at first. I know I'd be terrified if I was in his shoes. I just got back from my run to the store and will be trying to put this cream on his wound. I'll respond again to let you know if I think he had any control at all.

His legs aren't sprawled out though except when he was dragging himself along. He just lets his hind end sit to the side.

[tomcics]

Thanks for the reply, so happy you were there to help him out and he must be very terrified and wondering what is going on, such a sudden change in his world. I found a grey squirrel in similar shape a couple years back, he could only drag his back legs and therefore could not climb a tree or escape. He had no control over back legs at all (sprawled out and twisted) and a nice rehabber took him in and kept him/took care of him. That squirrel was very close to his mother (a regular visitor to my place for treats), so it was heartbreaking to take him and put him in a cage but the alternative was a sure death if I left him there. Pray your little guy can be OK and understand you are just trying to help him. Keep us posted, thanks

[tomcics]

Here is a link to Michigan rehabbers licensed, not sure what is close to you, note some specialize in certain mammals (ex. squirrels). I did try to contact Sally on this list but awaiting a call back. Not sure their all active.

http://www.michigandnr.com/dlr/

[avatarjl]

The good news is that I was able to get the cream applied without having my arm chewed off :thumbsup

There is definitely no movement at all in his rear legs or even tail from what I can determine

I understand that they can mask pain, but he truly seems to be full energy. To the point where the ensure is just going to have to wait. I did give him some pecans to improve his selection of food. I dropped a strawberry in as well, but he doesn't seem interested in that at all.

He'll stay pretty calm out from under the bedding now and even eat with me standing right there, but if I move anywhere near the box...it's on and he's ready to fight.

A couple of the rehabbers on the list are nearby. I'll try reaching them and see what they say.

[CritterMom]

I would like to see this little guy get some anti-inflammatories into him. They can have infant ibuprophen (infant motrin) - it is available as a liquid. Since I am sure you probably can't get an accurate weight on him, can you either post a picture or tell us - is this a gray or fix squirrel, and is it an adult? We would need this to give you an idea of how much to give him. It is sweet, since it is made for babies, and they usually like the taste so it isn't a huge battle to give it to them.

You would need the infant ibuprophen and a 1cc syringe to dose it with. If you tell you pharmacist that you are trying to feed a newborn kitten that was rejected by its mother they can usually be relied on to give you a couple 1cc syringes.

[avatarjl]

It's a gray squirrel and my guess would be adult. He's definitely not a baby. I noticed the group that comes by to raid for seeds has brought some newcomers recently and they appeared to be smaller. I just didn't think they would have had any recent litters (winter and all).

I'm certainly willing to give it a try. I thought about trying to grind up some baby aspirin as a pain killer, but I'm sure the anti-inflammatory is a much better idea. I know dogs can't have ibuprofen so wouldn't have tried it without some assurance.

With regard to all this syringe stuff. Is there any trick? Will he settle down after a minute if I grab him? I definitely don't want to aggravate anything in his back if I can avoid it, but there's no way he'll let me close enough to him to get a syringe in his mouth. I raised a couple of kittens that were abandoned by their mother so I have what I'd need...just thinking it's going to result in him coming right up my arm.

With his head under the bedding he was fine with me putting cream on. That trick just can't work if I'm trying to feed him.

[CritterMom]

OK, I would try this: First, pull up .17cc of the infant ibuprophen in a syringe. Then, pull the plunger out a little further so you pull some air into the barrel of the syringe. Turn the thing point down and tap on the barrel until that air bubble changes places and is against the black plunger. That way when you depress the plunger in the animals mouth the air bubble will shoot ALL of the liquid into the mouth with a little velocity!

Then I would put a small amount of peanut butter on the outside of the syringe tip - you are going more for smell here than taste.

Put an old t-shirt or whatever you are using for bedding completely over the top of him and let him relax like that for a couple minutes. What you want to try to do is uncover just his nose and mouth (but not his eyes) get that syringe down there and into his mouth and push that plunger. If you can do this without picking him up - while he is laying in his bedding - it will be your best bet - so approach from behind. It may not work but I am hoping that the yummy smell of the peanut butter, having everything laid out and ready and being fast will help. The ibuprophen will probably make him a little sleepy, which is good. He can have it every 4 hours - and he may take it easier the second tome - like I said, it tastes good.

Good luck. Poor baby...

[avatarjl]

Just to update for the evening. I was able to get the ibuprofen in...not on the first attempt mind you but we got there. He appears to be adjusting to me a bit. I haven't heard back from the most local rehabber yet, but considering it's Valentines today I hope to have more success tomorrow

[tomcics]

Great job there Avatarjl, I know that must of been difficult to get him to take that medicine (excellent advice CritterMom). So happy your able to be there for him and show your love/care while he is suffering. I can't imagine what would of happened had you not found him. Good luck getting a hold of the rehabbers and thanks for the update..

[tomcics]

Avatarjl, How is the little guy today?

[avatarjl]

He seems to be doing pretty well. Is sitting different when I just got home but didn't try to make him move so I'm not sure if he has any control yet. He appears to be sitting on his hind end, but may have just backed himself into that position. Will update more shortly.

[tomcics]

That sounds promising, let us know how things are going and if you heard anything back from the local rehabber.

If you want to talk directly to Sally on that rehabber list let me know and I will PM number to you, she left me a voicemail with a more direct phone number. From my recollection, she takes care of unreleasables.

[avatarjl]

OK, so rehabber verified my fears. Basically she would xray him and if she didn't think he could be reintroduced into the wild they would euthanize him. She also made it a point to explain that it is illegal for me to keep him. So...this leads me to ask, is it inhumane to try and keep him as a pet if he cannot walk?

Basically, I want him to have his best shot at healing which is with someone that is appropriately trained to deal with him medically. I don't feel like his life would be over though if he couldn't be returned to the wild. Am I wrong on this? I don't want to do the wrong thing here, but this has been my experience with wildlife rehabilitation before. I appreciate their caring and concern, but with limited supplies/space etc, they pretty much make a judgement call and euthanize most animals.

I also get the idea that unfortunately she would not return him if I let her try to work with him. He's a squirrel, which is basically a rodent, not unlike a hamster/guinea pig/mouse/rat etc which are all potential pets. It just doesn't seem like it would be hard to give him a good life. It would be sad if he can't return to the wild and climb trees etc, but is dying the next best thing?

[avatarjl]

If Sally would be willing to handle even if he is unreleasable or even return in that event. I'd be happy to speak with her.

[CritterMom]

OK, so rehabber verified my fears. Basically she would xray him and if she didn't think he could be reintroduced into the wild they would euthanize him. She also made it a point to explain that it is illegal for me to keep him. So...this leads me to ask, is it inhumane to try and keep him as a pet if he cannot walk?

Basically, I want him to have his best shot at healing which is with someone that is appropriately trained to deal with him medically. I don't feel like his life would be over though if he couldn't be returned to the wild. Am I wrong on this? I don't want to do the wrong thing here, but this has been my experience with wildlife rehabilitation before. I appreciate their caring and concern, but with limited supplies/space etc, they pretty much make a judgement call and euthanize most animals.

I also get the idea that unfortunately she would not return him if I let her try to work with him. He's a squirrel, which is basically a rodent, not unlike a hamster/guinea pig/mouse/rat etc which are all potential pets. It just doesn't seem like it would be hard to give him a good life. It would be sad if he can't return to the wild and climb trees etc, but is dying the next best thing?


We have a saying around here: "You can only euthanize once."

Squirrels are individuals. Some completely wild squirrels that are NR due to injury are currently living very happy lives as pets. They are very smart and seem to understand that they are being helped. We have little three legged squirrels, semi paralyzed squirrels all here on the board right now. Also, you may be surprised at the degree to which he is able to heal with time and good food and love. I would not turn him over to someone who will euthanize.

[tomcics]

Avatarjl, I just PM'd you Sally's number.

I can tell you Nick Jr. (grey with no use of back legs, unreleasable) has lived what seems to be comfortable life with a rehabber for well over a year.

[MJS]

PLEASE DO NOT LET HIM BE PTS...SOMEONE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE HIM IF YOU CAN'T...THEY HAVE INCREDIBLE HEALING POWERS!!! SOMEONE WILL TAKE HIM FOR SURE...LET US KNOW.

[avatarjl]

Thanks Tom - will reach out to Sally on my break tomorrow.

At this point he can have whatever home suits him best. Since he ate through every rice buddy I gave him he now has a room in the house (only way to keep him warm enough). I'll just talk to Sally tomorrow and decide from there. I need to go one way or the other because the temporary home is just cardboard and needs serious updating.

At this point still no movement in his back legs and I just worry that there is something else I should be doing for him. He has relaxed his temper a bit and enjoys being scratched behind the ears.

[farrelli]

If you're interested in a thread showing a great life lived by a paralyzed squirrel, see the link below:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36547

[sid'smommy]

2nd hand ranch ?? did anyone ask her about taking this little guy in ?? Amicus the rat will heal him up :) lemme know if you need help with a squirrel train...

[tomcics]

Wow, I am super impressed he let you scratch his ears, what a good boy. I have known squirrels for years that will still growl if I try to stroke their tail:dono

[patjones]

Great work so far they have amazing healing capability I had a baby that I literally snatched out of a dogs mouth totally dead from the waist down she never came back 100% but she has a wonderful life and has made a squirrel mommy very happy
Here is a link to her thread
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37018

[avatarjl]

Just to update...I wasn't able to reach Sally, but did leave her a message and will try when I get out of work today.

Per my son (surogate in my absence) his tail will twitch today when you touch it. This is completely new as there has been no hint of any movement in legs or tail up to this point.

So...all in all a little bit of hopeful news. I can't wait to get home and see it for myself. I'll update again once I'm home tonight.

[SammysMom]

That would be so encouraging! :grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[tomcics]

Very good news :wott , hope the little guy continues to show progress

[avatarjl]

Unfortunately things seem to be heading in the wrong direction as of this point in time. My little guy seems to be without any energy. The tail reaction is definitely there so he must have some sensation (I touch the tip and he twitches it repeatedly).

However, he has no energy at all. He can't even roll over at this point. I don't know if he has really been drinking (doesn't seem like it) so I have spent the last hour and a half making sure he has water and gave him some ensure (both via dropper). I've tried to reach Sally and she returned my call earlier today and left me a message while I was at work. I haven't been able to speak with her yet though. I'm still waiting on a return call.

Maybe this is just a result of whatever internal trauma he has from the fall and considering the wound on his back. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to reply and let me know. I'll be here refreshing and reading as many threads as I can.

[CritterMom]

Continue to hydrate him. It will knock them back really fast if they get dehydrated - the ensure is good, too. You may be right, but it may also be that he needs a different set up for liquids - because he is impared it may be hard to move to it...

Keep him nice and warm, too.

Poor baby. :grouphug

[avatarjl]

Do I need to be careful of how much ensure I give him? As of this point I've given him a couple ml of it but I don't know if there are any nutrients in there that could be overdone. He was certainly eager to suck it down.

[CritterMom]

No, let him have what he will take.

[tomcics]

Thanks again for keeping everyone posted Avatarjl, hopefully he will bounce back. Wish everything can turn out
well.

Thanks CritterMom for continuing to provide instructions.

[tomcics]

AvatarJL, and updates to share? Hope all is well.