Advice for treatment please

[artsofeden]

I have a wild squirrel that has been showing up at my feeders that is in serious shape. I know thru research that I can treat with Ivermectin but I am seeking some help.
One he is wild...does not come close at all so how would one go about treating just him? I am rural on the edge of woods and ravines and have a multitude of squirrels and chipmunks that are here. How would I make sure he is being treated?
Two-if more then one dose at a time is dangerous, how do I do this?
Third-since his condition is so severe, I know he no doubt has secondary infection. Do I worry about that IF I do happen to treat him for the mange?
Two days in a row now he has visited this swing by the pond around 8-8:30am
241959

[farrelli]

Is it mange? Could it be squirrel pox? Google it and look at the pics? If no boils, we can tell you how to easily treat him with Ivermectin.

[CritterMom]

Oh, this poor baby has pox.

You can help him by giving immune system boosters like echinacea, but to actually treat the pox you need acyclovir. The brand name is Valtrex. It is given to humans for chicken pox, for herpes, and is the treatment for shingles. If you can obtain some - and it is a prescription med, so it would have to be from someone you know perhaps, who has had shingles and may have some left over, we can help you break the dose down into squirrel size and explain how to administer (basically a mixture of ground nuts like pecans or something mixed with peanut butter to stick it together is pretty much a squirrel treat and works well to administer meds. They want to eat it ALL..)

I would also put echinacea in your outdoor water supply for the animals. 500mg per gallon of water will not change the taste and make them stop drinking.

[farrelli]

If it is pox, it is HIGHLY contagious, so the course of treatment by CrM would be great to help all the others too.

[artsofeden]

Oh my squirrel Pox changes everything. I do not have access to that drug and cant put echinacea in my pond which is their water source. Looking at the images online, I do see similarities although dont see it as bumps to that degree. I first noticed him in the feeder outside my studio window..perhaps 4 feet..just over a meter away from the window and he had what looked like more balding then bumps. My first view was of his hind end as he sat on the feeder and the top of legs looked swollen (like the folds of skin on a dog with mange). I then noticed that his left eye(didnt get to see his right) looked swollen above and below but his eye was open. This was a number of weeks ago now....He wasnt showing up on a regular basis but both yesturday and today he showed up on this swing and stretched out on the top of it. I am assuming for the heat from the sun. He is moving more slowly then a healthy squirrel does and in fact yesturday I was within a short distance of him and he didnt attempt to scurry. A short while later, my one dog also came to the location and he didnt move away from her either.
He/she appeared again this morning around the same time on the same chair and stretched out the same way as yesturday before going to the pond to drink and then ventured to one of the feeders then back to the chair. Thats when I grabbed the camera to get an image to share here..
What should my course of action be?

[czarina]

Try calling around to friends and family, to see if anyone has had shingles, and has a pill left over. All you will need is one pill, for a full course of treatment. There also is an immune booster that can be given in water, that seems to be quite effective. Maybe someone could post that link, please?

If you can order the immune booster, you can put a bowl of water out with the med in it, and scatter nuts on the ground around it, to try to lure the squirrels to drink. Pox is highly contagious.

[farrelli]

Still unsure? A higher res photo would help.

[artsofeden]

He is back again this morning and I tried to get more pics but my camera battery just died. He was stretched out on the back of the swing again and got these shots as he was scratching. This first one you can see how the underside is very swollen up. His fur is also covered in flecks which to me is the skin flaking off. I dont see the boils that Im seeing on the google images. He looks to me more like a dog with mange...or do I just have that stuck in my head. He is at the feeder now which is a lot closer to me but I cant get any pics unfortunately.
The Ivermectin..is that horse wormer? If so, I could have that in the barn
241992
241993

[CritterMom]

The ivermectin is equine but I am afraid it isn't going to help this little one because believe me, he has pox. You need immune boosters and acyclovir. I wish you weren't in Canada because we could help with that... You need to do what you can to try to find some - and you will need several pills for this guy.

[artsofeden]

Well CritterMom, that is not good news. The Ivermectin I could do, the other I have no idea how to get ahold of it. Are there any squirrel rehabs here on this board within my area? Besides that factor, just dealing with a $2000 vet bill and funds are exhausted. I dont know what to do for this guy..I know he will die
Maybe I will try a posting on the freecycle boards and see if anyone has unused meds?
I am assuming it is in pill form..any idea how much I would be looking for?

Posted in two freecycle boards within my area...hopefully I get a response..

[CritterMom]

It is in pill form for adults and since they use it for chicken pox in kids, they also have a form that has been put in suspension with a sweet syrup. Pill form would be best. There are different milligram sizes, too - try to get your hands on three or four of them if you can.

He may have secondary mange too - his immune system is shot - but the pox will kill him. In the meantime, pick up a bottle of echinacea in capsules at a drug store. They are usually in 500mg capsules. Dump one out in a little bowl, mix in a couple teaspoons of peanut butter, and grind up some nuts really fine and mix that in to stiffen it up. Divide into 4 balls and give him one of those a day. You can at least start boosting his immune system and he will probably like the balls. You will use those with the other meds if you can get them.

[artsofeden]

Since you say he may have secondary mange as well, should I try the ivermectin too?

[CritterMom]

I am unsure of whether the two can be given together. If there is any chance of treating the pox, I would make that the priority...

[artsofeden]

I know at some point my father had shingles. Im going to head into town and see if he had any left over and didnt throw away. I will get the echinacea to at least start him off. If by chance I do get a hold of some pills, please tell me how to administer it...

[farrelli]

I would not do Iver. It's a potent toxin and this guy is already compromised.

[CritterMom]

I know at some point my father had shingles. Im going to head into town and see if he had any left over and didnt throw away. I will get the echinacea to at least start him off. If by chance I do get a hold of some pills, please tell me how to administer it...

When/if you get it, you also need to find out how big they are in milligrams and I will send you some info.

[artsofeden]

Sad news, my little guy has died. The dogs were out with me this afternoon and our one girl spotted something in the woodpile and lunged. I thought it was chippy at first then I thought a rabbit. As she dropped it, I spotted what it was and sadly it was him. I had nothing to capture him with so took my shirt off and covered him to carry him back to the house and short time later he took his last breath. As soon as he died, a million fleas came off of him..so many in fact my purple top that he was in, was no longer purple.
We were able to obviously get a better look at his body and there are no boils. I really am thinking he may have had severe flea allergy dermatitis with a serious secondary infection..who knows.. but with that many fleas feeding off of this little guy, it wouldnt surprise me thats what it was.
Rip little guy...you are free of pain now..only wish I could have done something to ease your condition sooner...

[ALittleNutty]

:grouphug