First leg is swollen now hand is swollen.

[ab3286]

Help. One of my yard squirrels was laying on the ground in a daze. The first vet told me to give her 24cc of water daily because it could be something toxic she ate. Two days later she had a high temperature so I took her to a different vet and they said her lungs were congested so they said to give her 2cc of SMZ. Two more days go by and her back leg is swollen. Back to a different vet and they told me it was abscessed and told me to give her Bactrium 2.5cc along with the SMZ. Today I noticed her hand is swollen. She is mentally sluggish and hops when she walks. Probably because of her swollen leg. What could be causing this?

[farrelli]

Is the squirrel inside or still in the wild? What is the concentration of the Bactrium and SMZ?

[farrelli]

Also, were they injected or are you supposed to orally dose him daily? Usually antibiotics are given as a course over several days.

[island rehabber]

If the leg was abcessed, did they locate the abcess and drain it? That is truly the only way, followed by antibiotics, to rid a squirrel of an abcess.

Do you have the squirrel with you and are you giving antibiotics twice daily, or is it free in the yard?

Just trying to get a better picture of what's going on. :)

[ab3286]

Yes I am keeping her inside. She does not want to eat or drink so I am basically forcing her to drink at least 10cc of Fox Valley pluss some veg. baby food through a syringe 3 or 4 times a day. The SMZ (Sulfameth-trimeth susp) is .2ml twice a day for 3 weeks and the Baytril is.25 for 10-14 days. The SMZ was $4 at pharmacy and the Baytril was $28 at vets. if that helps. I also give her Buprenex .6mg/ml for pain in the morning.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Awww good luck and thank you for helping your little friend :grouphug :Love_Icon

[TubeDriver]

Yes I am keeping her inside. She does not want to eat or drink so I am basically forcing her to drink at least 10cc of Fox Valley pluss some veg. baby food through a syringe 3 or 4 times a day. The SMZ (Sulfameth-trimeth susp) is .2ml twice a day for 3 weeks and the Baytril is.25 for 10-14 days. The SMZ was $4 at pharmacy and the Baytril was $28 at vets. if that helps. I also give her Buprenex .6mg/ml for pain in the morning.

Keep forcing hydration, especially with those ABs on board. If she has sealed, localized, swollen abscess, you may want to consider lancing it with a sterile xacto knife. It will heal much quicker if the pus can be drained. Often just a small poke is enough to release the infected material inside. Can you post a pic of the leg here?

[ab3286]

Some of the swollen is reduced on the top of the foot. Her ankle is still swollen. Now her hand is swollen. It seems to be around her joints. The vet says it was an abcess but I think it is something else. She may be pregnant. I released her about 4 years ago and she has had babies EVERY season since and its now season again. Could it be something with the pregnancy? She is more alert today. Her temperature averages between 102.7 and 104.5. I have had her for 9 days. Do you think the medicine amount I am giving her is ok?

[DarkLies212]

I can't contribute any helpful info, but she's in my thoughts. :Love_Icon
Pull through little girl! :Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

Can you tell us what the bottles of med say for concentration? So thankful that she has you to take care of her!:Love_Icon:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

[TubeDriver]

Some of the swollen is reduced on the top of the foot. Her ankle is still swollen. Now her hand is swollen. It seems to be around her joints. The vet says it was an abcess but I think it is something else. She may be pregnant. I released her about 4 years ago and she has had babies EVERY season since and its now season again. Could it be something with the pregnancy? She is more alert today. Her temperature averages between 102.7 and 104.5. I have had her for 9 days. Do you think the medicine amount I am giving her is ok?

Please post her weight.

it sounds like she has swelling on both front and rear legs? If so, it sounds likely an abscess and more likely a systemic infection or perhaps injuries related to a fall? Could she have fallen and injured front and rear legs?

[farrelli]

And can you provide any pics or vids?

[island rehabber]

Just a silly question but I have to ask: has she been drinking any Pedialyte or Gatorade? Eating any salted nuts? Sodium will often cause swelling like this...that's why I ask.

[ab3286]

Please look at her swollen ankle and wrist. I do not know the concentration of her meds because its not on either bottle. Her temperature is down to 101.5 today but once in a while she shivers. Should I put her on heat? She ate a little apple this morning but fought me at lunch time. I forced her to drink 5cc of Fox Valley and 2 cc of water with cranberry juice and 1 cc of Newtra-cal. Her swollen areas are in the joints. Its now 10 days since I found her. The only improvement is she is a little more alert and the swollen area on top of her foot is down. Isn't 10 days a long time?

[farrelli]

Yes, put her on a heating pad set on low with the wires hidden so they can't be chewed. Maybe people put it under the container, if that's possible and will still allow heat transfer.

Also allow room for her to move off if too hot.

SO, it sounds like she's getting better, right? Is the swelling down too?

[TubeDriver]

I don't think this is an abscess. The swelling is on the right rear ankle and the right front wrist, maybe injuries related to a fall? The AB cant hurt anything but may upset her stomach so try adding a little yogurt to her daily diet.

Heating pad as Ferralli stated is a good idea, place it under her cage/container so she cant chew on it. Also, place it under part of the cage so she can move off it if she gets too hot.

I think I would continue to feed and hydrate her, finish up the AB course and just keep an eye of the swelling, hopefully it will start to go down.

If she appears to be in pain, someone here can recommend a dose of ibuprofen. NO Tylenol, just infant ibuprofen. It would really help if you could get her weight. She looks to be a 550-600g squirrel in those pics.


Thanks for helping her! :)

[ab3286]

Her ankle is still swollen but when the swelling on top of her foot went down her wrist became swollen. So yes there is improvement but it also got worse at the same time. Her joints feel like how my joints would feel if they were sprained. I do not feel a ball or sack that I think I would feel if it were abscessed so not sure if it is abscessed. She may have fallen because she always chased other squirrels out of my porch but why would it take days to swell?

[Nancy in New York]

Did you see Maura's question about pedialyte?
If she is drinking too much hydration with salt, this could attribute to
swelling.
Where are you located?
Is someone trying to find help for you?
In the last photo, is that milk on the right side? (Her left side, but the photos right side)
If you get a heating pad, set it on low, under half of the container that she is in, this way
if she overheats she can get off onto a cooler spot.
Make sure to give her yogurt or benebac. She is on a lot of abs, and you need to stabilize her
tummy as they can be harsh on squirrels stomachs, so a good probiotic is recommended.

Does anyone think this could be a nursing female?
I know my females up here, you could never see the nipples this
time of year.
Of course, her fur doesn't seem that thick, but they seem so pronounced to me. :dono

I made the picture a little smaller so it was easier to see.
http://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-7thRwzz/0/M/i-7thRwzz-M.jpg (http://nmognoni.smugmug.com/Other/TSB-resizing/28182094_d4nbWs#!i=2996609500&k=7thRwzz&lb=1&s=A)

[Duckman]

Nancy,

My first thought was she is nursing, just by the milk on her tummy (being released because her babies haven't suckled and the nipples are leaking), and the distended nipples. Has any attempt been made to see if there are babies looking for mama? The swelling shifting around to different joints is concerning, and I am tempted to say toxins have entered her body. Could she have eaten something toxic, and her body is having a reaction? The problem is I can't think of any poisons that would cause this type of reaction. I am going to research and see what toxins might cause swelling in joints.

[farrelli]

Oh god, now I'm going to be sick over this. :shakehead I hope to hear that this isn't her milk.

[SammysMom]

How long has the squirrel been with you in the house?

[Nancy in New York]

Nancy,

My first thought was she is nursing, just by the milk on her tummy (being released because her babies haven't suckled and the nipples are leaking), and the distended nipples.

Yup that was my first thought when I saw the milk, however I wasn't sure if the finder tried giving her some type of formula right before the photo. BUT I doubt it. :dono
UGH!

[Nancy in New York]

The vet says it was an abcess but I think it is something else. She may be pregnant. I released her about 4 years ago and she has had babies EVERY season since and its now season again. Could it be something with the pregnancy? ?

Why are you thinking she could be pregnant? I believe she may have had babies.
How long have you had her now?
Did you ask the vet about her being pregnant?

[TubeDriver]

I figured it was too early to be pregnant and I figured the white stuff was some of the bactrim cream? I hope she is not nursing. :eek It sounds like the squirrel has only been indoors for 2 days at this point?

[farrelli]

Do we know where this user is from? I figured that it wasn't her milk due to the early date. Those would be some very early babies. I see she's online now, so I hope she puts us all at ease.

[ab3286]

The milk on her is the Fox Valley I have been feeding her. She is refusing food and liquids. She gets so mad I have to drip it into her mouth and she flings it everywhere. She is not nursing anymore. Her babies are 5 months old and out on their own. However, she may be pregnant because down here in Florida it the season and she hasn't missed one since she was released. I am also feeding her baby food in squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. Today I started giving her 1 cc of Nutri-cal. I am headed to the store to get yogurt.

She has not been given Pedelite or anything with salt.

Has anyone had any dealings with "Real Kill" rat poison...Bromathalin is the poison. It's a neurotoxin. I hear that it makes the animal retain salt and it messes up their brain. Some of the squirrels down here have died from it. None have lived 9 days like my Prego. Could she have eaten only a small amount of it to cause this.

She weighs 1 lb 1 oz.

[ab3286]

Do we know where this user is from? I figured that it wasn't her milk due to the early date. Those would be some very early babies. I see she's online now, so I hope she puts us all at ease.

We are in Florida. Its the FV I have been feeding her. I figure she is probably in the early part of pregnancy. We have already been getting babies down here. Her last litter is about 5 months old and doing good in my back yard.

[farrelli]

I'm glad she's taking Nutra-Cal. (And that she's not nursing!) Is she dehydrated? Have you done the pinch test? Are you giving her just plain water or enticing her by flavoring it with sugar or juice?

[ab3286]

How long has the squirrel been with you in the house?

She has been here 9 days. 7 days on Sulfameth-Trimeth Susp and 5 days on Batryl. She has been seen by 3 vets and 2 rehabbers. Her symptoms keep changing.

[SammysMom]

It seems to me that water is certainly not going to hurt anything. I would flush with as much as she will possibly take.

[ab3286]

I'm glad she's taking Nutra-Cal. (And that she's not nursing!) Is she dehydrated? Have you done the pinch test? Are you giving her just plain water or enticing her by flavoring it with sugar or juice?

I think she is pregnant because she normally leans out in between pregnancies and she has gained weight again. Plus she normally has a litter in January. I have been giving her 10 cc of Fox Valley and about 2 cc of water with cranberry juice for liquids 3 times per day. Is that enough?

[SammysMom]

I would push more water or other fluids.

[ab3286]

Here is Prego's history

12/20 found her on ground looking confused. Thought she was poisoned so rushed to vet. She said give her 24 cc of water daily.

12/23 She developed a fever so rushed to another vet. She said her lungs were congested so she prescribed SMZ. She fights me eating so possibly I got some in her lungs.


12/25 Her leg becomes swollen so she is rushed to another vet who says its an abscess and prescribes Baytril in addition to SMZ.


12/28 her wrist becomes swollen. The swelling in her foot goes down but her ankle is still swollen.

The whole time she sleeps and refuses to eat or drink.

[ab3286]

I'm glad she's taking Nutra-Cal. (And that she's not nursing!) Is she dehydrated? Have you done the pinch test? Are you giving her just plain water or enticing her by flavoring it with sugar or juice?

I have switched to apple juice today with hopes she accepts it better but she doesn't. Any suggestions?

[Duckman]

If all else fails, you can use the sugar water mixture and see if she will take that. I put 1 qt water and 2 tbs sugar in a 1 qt jar and extract it with a syringe (no needle). You can add 1 tsp salt if she needs electrolytes, but for now, just use the sugar.

[farrelli]

have you tried rubbing molasses on her gums? Other syrups will do in a pinch, but they're not as good. It increases blood sugar and has some other goodies which can stimulate hunger and thirst.

[ab3286]

have you tried rubbing molasses on her gums? Other syrups will do in a pinch, but they're not as good. It increases blood sugar and has some other goodies which can stimulate hunger and thirst.

I will buy some molasses tomorrow but I have to squirt it in her mouth because she wants to tear apart the syringe. Is that ok?

[farrelli]

Don't overload her with it though. A little bit at a time. Got any honey, pancake syrup, or Kayro to try tonight?

[Shewhosweptforest]

:Love_Icon:grouphug

[ab3286]

Don't overload her with it though. A little bit at a time. Got any honey, pancake syrup, or Kayro to try tonight?


I gave her some pancake syrup and she sort of liked it. Great idea.

[farrelli]

Great, it will elevate her blood sugar, if that was an issue, and if she hasn't been eating, it probably is. Low blood sugar suppresses hunger and thirst. It's a vicious cycle.

[TubeDriver]

The Baytril dosage of .25 daily (assuming 22.7mg/ml strength) is correct for a squirrel that weighs about 650g. You said that she weighs 1lb 1 oz? That is 481g so the Baytril dose MIGHT be a little high. But that depends on the solution concentration which we do not know?

If this is a case of Bromethalin poisoning, it is far too late to induce vomiting or administer activated charcoal. Supportive care is all you can provide. Hydration is critical. In many ways, this does not sound like Bromethalin poisoning. There are no tremors, paralysis, vomiting, catatonia, coma etc. The sleeping and not eating/drinking could be symptoms of Bromethalin poisoning. The metabolic by products of Bromethalin are even more toxic than the original poison so she could get worse as her system metabolizes the poison.

Another TSB member here suggested that there is a remote possibility that the swelling is a side/adverse effect of the SMZ.

As mentioned, continue pushing hydration with whatever she will drink (watermelon often works well). Yogurt can help with an upset stomach.

[ab3286]

The Baytril dosage of .25 daily (assuming 22.7mg/ml strength) is correct for a squirrel that weighs about 650g. You said that she weighs 1lb 1 oz? That is 481g so the Baytril dose MIGHT be a little high. But that depends on the solution concentration which we do not know?

If this is a case of Bromethalin poisoning, it is far too late to induce vomiting or administer activated charcoal. Supportive care is all you can provide. Hydration is critical. In many ways, this does not sound like Bromethalin poisoning. There are no tremors, paralysis, vomiting, catatonia, coma etc. The sleeping and not eating/drinking could be symptoms of Bromethalin poisoning. The metabolic by products of Bromethalin are even more toxic than the original poison so she could get worse as her system metabolizes the poison.

Another TSB member here suggested that there is a remote possibility that the swelling is a side/adverse effect of the SMZ.

As mentioned, continue pushing hydration with whatever she will drink (watermelon often works well). Yogurt can help with an upset stomach.


Her swelling started after she started the SMZ. This is the first I heard about it causing swelling. However, she hopped when she walked when I first found her so I think the ankle must have been hurting her it just was not swollen.

Also, its now 10 days after I found her. Would she have lasted this long if she was poisoned?

[ab3286]

Update on Prego's progress. Actually there is very little change in her swollen ankle and wrist. She still hops instead of walks. If you look closely you can see she does not put her whole foot on the ground. She pivots on her heal. She is still refusing liquids and food but occasionally nibbles on an apple or nut. I have been giving her FV mixed with baby fruit and veges but she still tears apart the syringe. This morning I mixed Ensure with her baby food. Is this OK? She loved it. Also how many cc of this kind of food does she need per day and how many times per day? She is 1 lb 2 oz. Also she still sleeps all day and slow at responding.

[Anne]

Keep pushing the hydration. The Ensure is great, so glad she likes it. The ensure should have good nutrition for her, add any baby foods she will eat and feed at every opportunity as much as she will take.

[ab3286]

Swill only accept 4 cc three times a day. I force her to take a total of 10 cc plus 2 cc of juice. three times a day. Does she need more?

[farrelli]

Will she take the ensure straight, so as to provide more concentrated nutrition?

Is she dehydrated? Have you done the pinch test?

[ab3286]

She doesn't appear to be dehydrated. I have always mixed the Ensure with some fruit and vegs. from baby food. I haven't tried it straight. I worry that she isn't getting enough nutrients. My young juveniles eat more that she does. She hates to eat and drink.

[CritterMom]

Is this little one currently on antibiotics?

[farrelli]

She doesn't appear to be dehydrated. I have always mixed the Ensure with some fruit and vegs. from baby food. I haven't tried it straight. I worry that she isn't getting enough nutrients. My young juveniles eat more that she does. She hates to eat and drink.

My concern is that if she isn't eating much, you want to get as buch bang for the buck as possible, and I think that plain Ensure will do a better job of that.

You might also try something called Nutri-Cal which you can get at a lot of pet stores, often Walmart. It's also very concentrated and is a paste.

Have you tried rubbing molasses on the gums to try to stimulate hunger/thirst?

[ab3286]

Is this little one currently on antibiotics?



Yes she is on SMZ and baytrill. Today is the 14th day for SMZ and 11 days on Baytrill.

[CritterMom]

Yes she is on SMZ and baytrill. Today is the 14th day for SMZ and 11 days on Baytrill.

Are you giving her any sort of probiotics along with all of those antibiotics? They can really mess with the stomach - hers may be a bit upset and that might be why her appetite is poor. Petco sells Benebac in both little tubes as a paste and in little foil packs as a powder...

[ab3286]

My concern is that if she isn't eating much, you want to get as buch bang for the buck as possible, and I think that plain Ensure will do a better job of that.

You might also try something called Nutri-Cal which you can get at a lot of pet stores, often Walmart. It's also very concentrated and is a paste.

Have you tried rubbing molasses on the gums to try to stimulate hunger/thirst?


I started her on Nutri-cal a few days ago. I can not rub molasses on her gums because she is all teeth and has bitten me several times. How much does a grown squirrel need to eat and drink
daily?

[ab3286]

I need to start SQ. She still fights me when I give her fluids of any kind. She will only nibble apples, avocados and nuts and absolutely nothing else. I only have needles sizes 20G x 1" and 18G x1 1/2". I do have a .5mm x 15.8mm but its used. Can needles be sterilized? If yes, then how? Which needle is best?

Also, which is best Saline, Sterile water or lactated ringers?

[kastillo]

Lactated ringers are best. Can you get a pack of insulin syringes from the pharmacy? I dunno, you might want to put more than one cc at a time in one that big. I've only sub q babies. Never adults. Do you have a bunch of the 20 gauge needles and some sterile 3 cc syringes in package. Ideally that would probably be what to use if that's available to you. I just hate using needles that big. :(

[ab3286]

Lactated ringers are best. Can you get a pack of insulin syringes from the pharmacy? I dunno, you might want to put more than one cc at a time in one that big. I've only sub q babies. Never adults. Do you have a bunch of the 20 gauge needles and some sterile 3 cc syringes in package. Ideally that would probably be what to use if that's available to you. I just hate using needles that big.



:(


Have you ever sterilized a used syringe? If yes then how?

[Saverywood]

Have you ever sterilized a used syringe? If yes then how?

You would need an autoclave to sterilize anything. Go by the vet office and they should not only show you how, and how much to subQ but will also likely give you needles for future subQ.

Good luck.:Love_Icon

BTW -if possible stick to one vet so they know the patient and you better. :)

[rusty's mom]

Update please