Hurt arm

[laurie bornstein]

Hi, My son found a baby squirrel back in June that had fallen out of a tree. No major injuries. He nursed it back to health and released him late August. He continued to return home every day just to play and an occasional treat. We built him a nesting box which he gladly accepted.However, a week ago he returned home with a hurt Rt. front paw and very swollen Rt. arm. It appears it may be broken.He can't seem to open his paw and the arm is still swollen.He is eating and climbing with some difficulty. My Son does and always has given him calcium supplements so I don't think it's MBD.The question is there anything we can do or give him for the swelling and pain? Rimadyl,clavamox or simplicef which we have on hand.Do you think this can mend on its own?I have raised many squirrels over the years but never had one that was this attached as he is with my son and my son is to him. I find myself outside most of the day making sure the Hawks don't get him! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.I have pictures just have to down load. Sorry this is so long. I'm new at it. Thanks

[farrelli]

Have you taken him back in? Apparently lots of squirrels come home when they're hurt, and when they're better, get re-released. Some don't even want to go back out after a bad experience and become forever indoor squirrels.

You probably can't post pictures given that you're new and your account probably hasn't been activated. You could email them to me and I'll post them. farrelli-at-rcn.com But I'm going out for maybe an hour in 15-30 minutes.

[Jackie in Tampa]

agree with farrelli, bring him inside if possible.
Offer him formula or any healthy foods to expedite healing...
adding protien to his diet is ideal and advised if possible.
great example would be pure whey protien powder sprinkled on food or added to formula if he will still accept... and never underestimate formula, some gladly will accept ahgain after being weaned and released, even years...
but not all sqs will...fingers crossed.
extra calcium now would also expedite healing if it is truly broke...

If it is impossible to bring him inside, adding feeding/watering spots where he can eat/drink without having to fend off others will help him to not reinjure...
also if nestbox is diffecult to get to for him, leaning a ladder may help.

is this a grey sq?
can you guess his weight in grams?

I would not give an antibiotic unless there is an infection, and clavamox is NOT tolerated well with sqs.
I can help dose the rimedyl with a miligram size, please check expiration date also...OR
I can help with ibuprofen dosing as well.

Of course in an ideal world, he would come inside, get in his cage full of fleece and enjoy a heating pad and room service...
but, as a wild sq... he may object to your hospitality...
go figure...
so you may need to dose his meds in a cracked nut...
can't wait for his happy updates and pics!

[laurie bornstein]

Thanks for quick reply. Yes he is a grey Sq.Approx.10 months old.Weight est.maybe 453 grams.He has been in his box for last 24hrs.and does not want to come out.I do not think he would come inside willingly.I will try formula and the pure whey protien powder. The Rimadyl I have is still good
until 2/14 (25mg. chewables maybe 1/8th of one?)He seems worse today but I have not been able to get him out of his box. He sticks his head out for food & water.

[CritterMom]

Can you get the box down with him in it?

[farrelli]

If he's bonded to your son, and you can't bring in the whole box, can your son entice him to come inside?

[laurie bornstein]

We will try thanks again!!!!!

[farrelli]

Here's the pic. Unfortunately, I can't tell anything from it. Perhaps someone more familiar with breaks can tell.

The good news, I think, is that someone is apparently very friendly with him, and judging from what I see here, should be able to get him indoors.

Btw, I left the pic large for examination purposes.

[Jackie in Tampa]

Thanks for quick reply. Yes he is a grey Sq.Approx.10 months old.Weight est.maybe 453 grams.He has been in his box for last 24hrs.and does not want to come out.I do not think he would come inside willingly.I will try formula and the pure whey protien powder. The Rimadyl I have is still good
until 2/14 (25mg. chewables maybe 1/8th of one?)He seems worse today but I have not been able to get him out of his box. He sticks his head out for food & water. have emailed my vet... thinking that would be too much medication...
I am thinking 2mgs/kg...4mg/kg tops...
so the amount you posted would be double...or worse...
This medication is hard on the liver, so would feel better with vet advise...
any animal should be highly hydrated to use rimadyl....
I myself would use a base dose of 1mg/kg to err on the safe side.

Ideally we crush tablets, add a specific amount of water to mke a dlution that can be dispensed to a sq. Sometimes it will need to be hidden in a food or a nut depending on captivity or attitude!:)
that old Mary Poppins saying.. a spoonful of... yep!

[laurie bornstein]

199223

199225
Hello, again taking the box down did not go so well.Mr. Jingles ran off before we could cover the hole up.He has not slept in the box sense. He did return home but now will not go in his box.He seems to feel better however is not using his rt.ft. paw/leg at all.We made a ladder for him to get to the box.But now worried where he is sleeping at night! I took a new picture of him, don't know if anyone can tell anything from it worth trying.He has been outside so long he is afraid to come in! Praying he will be okay!

[Milo's Mom]

One of my little guys hurt his front paw the other day too. He was not using it at all. Sometimes he would move it...sort of going through the motions but he was not putting any weight on it. He did use it to eat, although it was more so to support the food versus "hold" the food.

I watched him for a week, very very closely and after about 4 days, he started using it a little more each day. It's been about 2.5-3 weeks now and for the most part he is using it normally. I did notice yesterday when he woke up from his nap while coming down his tree he sort of had it out to the side like a wing.

I guess I'm just saying that it might just be a sprain and he should recover just fine. Make access to food and water super easy for him.

For what it's worth...

[kastillo]

You could try administering medication while he's outside.
Infant ibuprofen has a sweet taste and most squirrels will take it well on their on.
I'll let Jackie help you on the dosing, if she seems to think that's what he needs.

[laurie bornstein]

Update: Mr. Jingles did return home. Seems to be doing better! Still not using right paw much. he chooses to sleep in his box only during bad weather. Hopefully he will continue to get better. Thank's again for your help and prayers!:

[farrelli]

So you brought him back inside?

[laurie bornstein]

No I WISH we could have! He would have NO part of that! He seems to be more skittish now but is still very fond of my son, who will be leaving for the military soon! I hope Mr. Jingles will continue to improve and still come to visit me after my son is away! I have promised my son that I will look after Mr. Jingles while he is away. I love this little guy as much as my son does!