Lethargic Adult Squirrel

[Rhapsody]

I picked up a pet adult squirrel today that is 9 months old lethargic and covered in bot flies.
I was able to remove a few of the bot flies that were ready to come out and hope that gives
some relief to this ill feeling squirrel name Lucky.

Lucky's owner has cancer is going through cemo atm and really desires I do all I can to save his
best friend --the fuzz ball that keeps him company while he sits home unable to work.

I am wondering if I should possibly start a round of antibiotics on the squirrel as he has lost weight,
is small for a 9 mth old, teeth are not orange, his tail is not fluffy, his wounds from the bot flies
are slightly infected and he is severely lethargic..... he is slowly drinking homemade pedialyte.

What do you think about the ABs?

[Chickenlegs]

If the wounds are infected, yup, antibiotics. I didn't think bot holes got infected most times but SO many. If he's a pet, how'd he come up covered in warbles? Is nutrition lacking for this guy? Do you know what he was eating? Is it odd that he willingly lets you handle him at his age?

[SammysMom]

I don't think ABs can hurt, but I would start the MBD protocol immediately. It can't hurt and it might show that it is the reason for the lethargy. Good luck, Lucky...thanks for helping him Rhapsody...:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

Hey Rhapsody :grin3 thanks for helping this little fellow. I researched alot when Baby had her bot fly....I was told not to use antibiotics... if the bot warble dies it will poison the host....I used ABs at the very beginning because I thought she had an abscess and she starting feeling really bad...that was when I figured out what was going on. What they told me was bot warbles are a nuisance not really harmful (as you know :grin3) but that if there are numerous warbles then they need to be removed because they will kill a squirrel...they just can't handle that many. Can you remove the others? If not, is there someone you can go to that knows how to do it properly? This little guy has probably been weakened and that's why he's faltering :( After removed you could give ABs:thumbsup Otherwise, maybe using something topical on the open wounds....and lots of TLC ...immune boosters, nutrical, ensure... I'd throw the kitchen sink at the fellow....I hope you can help him, I "can" imagine how much he helps his owner/friend and how devastating it would be if he lost him :Cry Good luck :bowdown :thankyou

[farrelli]

Do you know his diet?

[Rhapsody]

Sorry every one I got side tracked with taking care of Lucky, Apollo my baby squirrel and feeding the other 12 rehab animals I have atm. To answer a few questions...... While Lucky is a pet, he is a free outside squirrel that lives in a tree right outside the house of the man that rescued him 9 months ago when he fell from a tree, so his diet is what ever the wilds are eating and the owner gives him when he comes for his daily visits, cuddles and rub down --Lucky even goes inside from time to time to visit, but never spends the night.

I can remove all of the bot flies my self, have done it before...... I just went a head and removed the ones I knew were ready to come out now to give the little guy some much needed relief. I will let him finish resting for the night, other than giving him the homemade pedialyte hydration, then first thing in the morning I will begin to remove the remaining bot flies and start ABs.
......... What do you recommend? I have Cipro, SMZ, Amoxi, Bactrim.

Lucky is sweet and is being an Angel at letting me touch him and feeding him with a syringe..... I pray he remains as sweet toward me after he is feeling well The owner and I have talked and I plan on keeping Lucky for a good month to nurse him back to health and to get some much needed weight back on his body. I think this time will help both Lucky and his owner Terry to improve their faltering health.

Once hydration is taken care of hhb and formula will be given to Lucky and we will go from there to get him on a good diet.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:bowdown Rhapsody you must feel so good, or you should....you are doing a wonderful thing :thankyou I figured you would know how to remove them :thumbsup you're probably smart waiting and not doing them all at once....so much stress. But, yes definitely before he's feeling better :grin3 as far as ABs :dono I have no idea...which would be good for wound ...I used cipro/baytril on Poppy's tail and it did a good job :thinking But others could be better and not as hard on him:dono Good luck...and Lucky sure is lucky to have you....and Terry's blessed to have found you :grouphug

[Rhapsody]

:bowdown Rhapsody you must feel so good, or you should....you are doing a wonderful thing :thankyou
Good luck...and Lucky sure is lucky to have you....and Terry's blessed to have found you

Thank you for the kind words...... :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

I knew when I received the phone call from Terry's mother (who got my name from a local vet)
that I was going to help this family. I wanted to take all I had learned and all that had been
done for me and give back unselfishly to another person in need...... to help both man & animal.

[Rhapsody]

Lucky is doing a little better this morning after a full night of hydration........ he is moving
a lot more and ate a small amount of hhb. I weighed him @ 345 grams, small for his age.

[czarina]

What a truly wonderful thing you are doing. I imagine we can all appreciate how important this little squirrel is to his sick owner. Animals have the ability to help humans heal. You are his angel of mercy for doing this, imagine how worried he must have been about his little friend.:thankyou

I would add some vitamin C to his diet. It is important for tissue growth, and fighting off infections, and should help his energy level.

You are amazing for doing this, I have cared for many terminal cancer patients, and I know how much they worry, and try to maintain some kind of control over their immediate environment, as everything else is out of their control, so you have helped the owner more than you know
.

[Chickenlegs]

Is Nancy back? She's the meds guru. I've read somewhere on here that Clavamox is good for soft tissue wounds. If none of the nasty warbles rupture he may just heal up on his own now that his nutrients are going to HIM. You can give us a video clinic for removing warbles. Not a nastier critter on the planet--well--maybe maggots--which they ARE! You sure have earned your sainthood suspenders helping Terry and his beloved little friend. :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

Lucky is looking better, with just 1 warble left to remove, I think it may be ready to come out tomorrow.
He has not been interested in eating his vegetables or any more hhb, but he is drinking up the Esbilac
formula like there is no tomorrow...... drinking 20 cc every 4 hour atm.

I am not pushing food at this point, as long as Lucky drinks his formula this week I will be happy & content.

..... I will try and make a video of the bot fly extraction when it is done. :thumbsup

[farrelli]

Great job! I want to see some pics of this poor guy. He must look like a drive by victim.

[SammysMom]

Great report! So glad you are able to help him! I wish Sammy would still drink formula! There is no better nutritional insurance.:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[Shewhosweptforest]

Awesome news!!! You go Lucky...you drink up your formula Lil man :grin3 Rhapsody you are the best :thumbsup It would be interesting to see his poor little self :( I can't stand when you see that many in one poor baby :shakehead luckily, I've only seen it on the Internet when I was researching for Baby...my wilds have only had one...and not many have had that :dono of course my poor Sweet P was one of the unlucky and had one :(

Thank you again....and I was really touched by your explanation as to why you were bound and determined to help Lucky and Terry :grouphug I soo get it...and I'm glad to know you...and be part of your family here :Love_Icon :grin3

[HRT4SQRLS]

Rhapsody, thanks for helping Lucky, Terry and ME. I was able to use your instructions to save my Susie. She is in the exact same condition as Lucky. Don't let anyone tell you that botflies won't kill a squirrel. I have no doubt in my mind that they will.
Thanks for your help! :thumbsup

[Rhapsody]

Thanks to you all and HRT you are Welcome..... and Yes, I believe from experience that bot flies can and will kill squirrels if they are left in to long, I honestly dont know how the wild squirrels deal with so many on them at one time and still mange to recover. I do have pics of Lucky...... they are not for people with weak tummies, give me a few and I post the pics (and) then in time we will see him improve, gain weight and become a different squirrel altogether. :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

LUCKY - pics of his botflies.

WARNING!! -- PICS MAY BE INTENSE FOR SOME TO VIEW










:tinfoil :tinfoil

:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/009_zps66996e6c.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/009_zps66996e6c.jpg.html)


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/004_zps7389898b.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/004_zps7389898b.jpg.html)


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/011_zpsa22d5ade.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/011_zpsa22d5ade.jpg.html)



Massive Hole after Removal
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/013_zpsaf24a1da.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/013_zpsaf24a1da.jpg.html)



http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/017_zps94e51b6e.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/017_zps94e51b6e.jpg.html)



Large Botflies

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/015_zps308eab95.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/015_zps308eab95.jpg.html)


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/019_zpsd751184e.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/019_zpsd751184e.jpg.html)

[lennysmom]

Poor little guy - how awful!! :( I'm glad you were able to get him and remove all of those nasty bots. He looks like he's had an ordeal with them. And he does seem so small for his at 345g! Praying for this sweet little guy to pull through. :grouphug

[rusty's mom]

I have seen bots kill bunnies. I was told by a vet to keep the big holes flushed so they heal from inside out that if they heal over infection starts in the pocket. One of the nastiest vermin out there those bots.

[ctmom]

Poor Lucky! Bless you Rhapsody for taking care of Lucky and giving his owner piece of mind in his condition. He must be so relieved his buddy is in good hands.
It is not easy taking care of the sick and one must be called to do it. Thank you. Praying Lucky is feeling better..

[Chickenlegs]

Poor little guy! Actually, LUCKY little guy to have YOU in his corner. He looks tiny--or maybe that's emaciated from being sucked dry. Wish there was something bot specific we could spread to keep the nasties at bay. Can't wait to see him in two weeks after some TLC.

[Rhapsody]

I was told by a vet to keep the big holes flushed so they heal from inside out that if they heal over infection starts in the pocket. Yes, this is true, and I have seen pus pockets set in after the warbles are gone..... thats why
I flush the hole out with a diluted mixture of Betadine and water, it works very well.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:shakehead You know we've always said....one bot will not kill, they're pretty benign...but, if there are many then yes, you need to remove because they will wear them down....this is a perfect example of this...:yuck I guess the weather conditions have been perfect for their hatching and then laying of eggs. My research said that they will lay the larvae near the entrances of dreys...then when the squirrel passes through they get them on their paws and face, when they clean themselves they ingest the larvae. :shakehead if there was a way to treat the area around their dreys or the ground where the warble burrows down to wait till next season to hatch :dono you guys seem to have an infestation. It breaks my heart to see...and it's nature run amuck because they are killing their hosts, which is not in the master plan.

Thank you, thank you again! After seeing the pics :shakehead it's even more dire than I imagined. I mean it, when I did my research I didn't see anything as bad as Lucky and HRT4SQRLS Susie :Cry :bowdown :Love_Icon

[farrelli]

Poor little guy. I hope he's feeling better today.

[Rhapsody]

Has any one seen this in a squirrel with bot flies? --fur loss from what appears to be from the gross discharge that comes out of the hole made by the warble after it has embedded its self in a poor squirrels body while using it as a host for these nasty bugs? I am asking because I finally got all the warbles out of Lucky and cleaned him up from what I thought was just dried warbles excretion when I noticed that every thing came off the poor little guy, all the way down to the skin (see pics).



P.S.
*I am hoping and wondering IF his fur will grow back?
*One of the warbles has 2 exit holes...... strange (see pic)
*Extracted warble under chin became abscessed 3 days later (see pic)



Poor baby with no fur on face
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/catssqu009_zps8fc0b151.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/catssqu009_zps8fc0b151.jpg.html)


No fur on face and 2 exit holes
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/catssqu005_zps60ee3fd8.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/catssqu005_zps60ee3fd8.jpg.html)


Abscess warbles area - it was removed and flushed 3 days ago
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/catssqu011_zps0dc1a588.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/catssqu011_zps0dc1a588.jpg.html)


Just sharing as a means to educate others to what can happen when a squirrel is infected warbles from
a botfly..... some times things do not always go by the book and we have to deal with the unexpected.

Lucky is eating, but his appetite is not where it should be. I am still pushing the Esbilac formula and he
is drinking it as he wills..... 9cc here 10cc there and when really hungry a good 20 to 30 cc at one time.

[SugarBugFerret]

Judging by how well Duckman's Henry is doing after having all that fur missing off of his face, I think there is a very good chance that this will all pretty much heal back to normal once all the evil worm devils have been removed and the holes left behind treated to keep a handle on a secondary infection that could creep up. That poor baby has got to feel better with those icky things removed! I think I need to go wash my hands and eyeballs again...

[czarina]

That poor little guy. He breaks my heart. Mother Nature is so darn cruel.
Hopefully he'll start feeling better soon, bring rid of those hideous monsters.
He does look look really small for his age, maybe with some good nutrition ,
now he can catch up.

That double hole under his chin was interesting. It is amazing how big those
darn things are.

I remember seeing an episode of " Monsters Inside Me ", and a man had a few
in his head, and before they could figure out what he had, he kept telling his wife
that he could hear them! :eek

I think Lucky's fur will grow back, its probably just that nasty gook those things
ooze that made it fall out. Hopefully, with good nutrition, he'll soon be a new squirrel.
I'm guessing he's an outdoor pet? It really is wonderful of you to help this little guy,
one less thing for his owner to worry about.

Does he eat solids, too? Or is he so down from the bots that all he'll take is formula? Poor little guy ,almost looks like failure to thrive.

I am anxious to watch his healing process as a learning tool. Thanks for sharing.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Rhapsody, Susie has hair loss also. One of her shoulders is almost bare. I really do believe it will grow back. The opposite shoulder that was less affected already has a shadow growing in. She has 4 warbles left. The one under her chin looks like it is exiting today. The darn thing has been taunting me. I want to just snatch it out. I can't wait for this to be over!

My goodness, that exit hole on the head looks awful. That duel hole looks like a 'case study' in complications. :shakeheadWhat antibiotic have you been using?

[Shewhosweptforest]

The bot fly on Baby's head had two holes....infact in the latter stages you could see the bot warble in both holes protruding alittle....I assumed it was because of the tight space...between skull and skin....unlike the torso areas where there is more room :dono just my "uneducated" guess. Also Baby had lots of hair loss from the weeping, another assumption because the hair loss followed the the flow of the weeping. Her's came back fast. Sweet P had alot of hair loss on her back...it came back slower, but did :thumbsup

[Rhapsody]

Thanks for all the replies..... I am relieved to hear that other squirrels have had fur loss with botflies and their fur came back in after the nasty event was all over. Lucky is slowly getting back to his old self, but he does not seem to be interested in solid food what so ever, only wanting to drink the Esbilac formula. He even passed on a good walnut --maybe he will want to eat some thing solid next week when most of this mess is behind him and only a faded memory by then.

As far as what antibiotic I have been using..... I never felt the need to go to ABs directly as Lucky showed improvement with in 24 hours of removing the warbles, but I did made sure I flushed the exit holes with diluted Betadine and watched for any pus pockets that might of occurred, that of which one did and I lanced it to remove the infection then flushed again with Betadine ..... and all is well now, other than the hair loss.

I will keep doing what I do best and take it day by day with Lucky and see how he does..... :Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

:thumbsup You've done a wonderful thing here :grouphug I agree, if all the empty holes are clear of infection, I wouldn't tax his system with ABs, just more stress to his poor body. I've only dealt with one bot fly wound at a time, but they did heal up fast with no complications. :dono I'm assuming poor Lucky, and HRT's Susie, may take longer due to the sheer volume of tissue needing to be healed ....I just know this is a huge, heart warming success story in the making, almost there :thumbsup I can only imagine how freaked out Terry was to see this happening to his friend and companion ....:shakehead and the stress it was adding to his own condition :( This really is a remarkably, uplifting endeavor...although, totally gross :yuck :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

UPDATE:
It has been a week since the last warble was remove and Lucky is recovery very well.
He is off the heating pad, in a larger cage with a cube and is eating hbb and drinking
Esbilac w/ Probiotics on a daily basis. I can now see some new hair follicles coming in.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/018_zps53a41938.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/018_zps53a41938.jpg.html) :Love_Icon

[jbtartell]

wooowwwww great job and glad to have seen this...:Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

Very happy to hear this Rhapsody.

[ctmom]

Great news and a job well done.

[lennysmom]

Love this update - he looks SO much better! :thumbsup He is certainly "lucky" to have landed in your care. :) He looks like a little guy like my Lenny - so sweet.:Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh look at Lucky :grin3 He looks like a squirrel again :Love_Icon Great job Rhapsody ....it's hard to believe he's the same guy :dono I'm so happy he recovered and Terry will have his friend back "whole" :shakehead I always worry about reinfection....especially when it was so bad. I wish there was something to give them to stop it from happening again:(

Thanks again for the happy news :grin3 :grouphug

[anniedancer]

You did a fantastic job with Lucky. He looks great!
Annie

[Rhapsody]

I wish there was something to give them to stop it from happening again:(
Terry and I have talked and they are going to try Revolution to see if it helps, and if nothing else
Lucky will be flea and pest free when he returns to the wild in a few months. :)

[Rhapsody]

Lucky eating some good HHB - Yum Yum

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/011_zps0b420771.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/011_zps0b420771.jpg.html)


Lucky enjoying some good old fashion Squirrel LoVe - :Love_Icon

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/002_zps30c75f95.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/002_zps30c75f95.jpg.html)



http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/003_zps81ef0f3b.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/003_zps81ef0f3b.jpg.html)

[Rhapsody]

And.... I wanted to add a photo to let you see what a healing warble hole looks like.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Botfly/004_zps13586495.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Rhapsody_1/media/Botfly/004_zps13586495.jpg.html)

[tree-queen]

Such a sweet baby. So happy you are helping him.

I've never seen bots up here but know a lot about them...and I hope I never do see em. They're such nasty parasites. He looks so much better already.

Hair should definitely grow back. Maybe if there is some bad scarring he will miss a spot or two where the warbles were but otherwise I'd expect him to be fully furred eventually.

[TubeDriver]

Lucky looks SO MUCH better! Nice job!:thumbsup

[lukaslolamaus]

Goodness that poor baby, he does look so much better!!! I never heard of bot flies before. Lucky is a lucky guy to have such good care!

[Rhapsody]

I received a call from Lucky's owner tonight asking me if I could please keep him or find him a very good loving home, as he (the owner) had been in the hospital for the last month, not doing well and that is why I had not heard from him. I told him that of course I would make sure Lucky has a good home and as soon as I get my cast off that we would set up time for his family (him, his wife and child) to stop by my house and say their final good byes to Lucky.

ATM --I am thinking of keeping Lucky my self ..... him and Marven seem to keep each company with their cages setting side by side each other. I do not let them out of the cage at the same time for play, but they can see each other. :)

...... I will post a new pic of Lucky in two weeks when the cast comes and I can walk.