Amazing Recovery from Back Injury

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Pepper, our 12+ year old gray squirrel, had some type of back injury about 4 weeks ago. He lives in a large outdoor cage. One morning I found him on the top of his house dragging both hind legs. I watched him for a few minutes then he dragged himself back inside his house. I could not see any type of external injury.

He is very territorial about his house so I could not reach in to get him. Finally, I was able to catch him later that day when he was on the bottom of his cage. It felt to me like there was a very slight gap between the vertebrae of his back just ahead of his hip bones. I called my vet (equine) and he said to watch him to see that he was eating and drinking but basically there was nothing to do.

We moved his house down low so he could get in and out without dragging himself on the wire sides of his cage. My husband and I talked about having him put to sleep. But after about one week, I could see movement on his right leg. He was using it to push himself along and to climb. Now after a month, he has full use of his right leg and about 80% use of his left leg. We still don't know what happened - a fall maybe (his cage is 8' tall).

By the way, he has cataracts due to age but other than that he was in perfect health. All during his recovery he never lost the ability to feed himself. He ate his squirrel block and various nuts and veggies and fruit that we offer him. I guess that the purpose of my post is to say - Don't give up. Our little fellow has a strong will to survive.

[Rhapsody]

Thanks for the post.. and for taking care of him with tender care and love.
Was he given Prednisone any time during his recovery?

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Thanks for the post.. and for taking care of him with tender care and love.
Was he given Prednisone any time during his recovery?

No. But now I know - after reading another thread and seeing it recommended. Wish I had known because I could have easily gotten it from my vet. Thanks for the info.

PS - When we found our squirrel in the spring of 2002, we had no idea that they could live so long and maintain such good health. This incidence is his first ever health issue.

[gardenjewel]

do you have any pictures of him and his cage? :clap
Thanks,
julia

[czarina]

So glad things worked out for you and your little fuzzer. Please stick around, there is awsome information about squirrels here. What medications can and cannot be given, propet diet and housing, health issues, personality changes. You name it, its probably covered somewhere here on the board!

:Welcome

[TubeDriver]

What a great outcome! Thanks for sharing the info, it adds to our collective experience about squirrels with spinal injuries.

So he is about 12 years old! :eek If so, he is a grand old man indeed! :thumbsup I would love to see a picture of your squirrel!

[Pepperthe squirrel]

do you have any pictures of him and his cage? :clap
Thanks,
julia

So glad you want to see Pepper. I will get some pics of him and his cage in the next day or so. His cage is 4'x4'x8'high. Inside the cage he has a summer house with lots of ventilation and then a snug wooden nest box. We put tree limbs in the center of the cage for his entertainment.

His cage is under a large pecan tree. A couple of years ago we had a storm and a big limb fell on his cage and crushed it. We were so upset - we didn't know if he was hurt. When we started to pull the limb off his cage we found him sitting on the limb outside of his cage.
We couldn't catch him. But after we repaired his cage, we left the door open and at nightfall he went inside to his nest box. The next morning we closed his door. We have cats and dogs so we cannot let him out.

I live in East Central Georgia and we have rain in the forecast for the next day or so, but check back I'll get some pics. THANKS.

[Pepperthe squirrel]

So glad things worked out for you and your little fuzzer. Please stick around, there is awsome information about squirrels here. What medications can and cannot be given, propet diet and housing, health issues, personality changes. You name it, its probably covered somewhere here on the board!

:Welcome

Great- most vets know nothing about squirrels and don't want one in their office. My equine vet said he would make a "house" call but he really did not know what to do for a squirrel. I'll keep visiting this forum.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:eek Forget you "learning" anything here (not that you won't) but, what about us "learning" from you and Pepper :bowdown I'm looking forward to the pics :hyper

[Pepperthe squirrel]

:eek Forget you "learning" anything here (not that you won't) but, what about us "learning" from you and Pepper :bowdown I'm looking forward to the pics :hyper

Finally - here are a couple of pics of Pepper and his cage.

[Pepperthe squirrel]

One more pic. This one is Pepper's cage.

[Pepperthe squirrel]

As you can see Pepper has developed cataracts - probably due to his age. He will be 13 this coming Spring. He is still slightly hampered by his back injury but is eating well. He is also "fussing" and fluffing his tail when I go in his cage. He is very territorial. Hope you like the pictures of our furry friend.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Oh what a handsome Ole Fellow :hug he's beautiful ....he looks great...just his cataract gives his age away :Love_Icon Pepper is a fine gentleman. I'm glad he's made so much improvement in a short time:bowdown Thanks for the pics :grin3

[TubeDriver]

Pepper!:Love_Icon

[MollyBear361]

HI Pepper!!! You are handsome!

[gardenjewel]

:Love_Icon pepper :Love_Icon
Nice cage also!
Julia

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Thanks for all of the well wishes. This morning I gave Pepper some pecans that are falling from the trees in our yard. He grabbed one, always inspects it to see if it is good, then took it to the bottom of his cage to bury it. It is so funny to watch him bury a nut. He very carefully picks a spot, then digs a hole - he looks around to see if anybody is watching before he puts it in the hole and rakes dirt over the top and pats it down with both front feet. He is always looking around to see if another squirrel is watching.

Now a funny thing. Squirrels are smart. If I give Pepper a peanut or sunflower seeds he never buries them but stores them in his house. I think that he knows they won't last long in the ground.

By the way - a question - can I give Pepper peanut butter?? I've always wondered. Thanks..... Marilyn

[Nancy in New York]

Has Pepper always lived outside? Is he a non releasable?
Just a word of caution, though he has lived a very long life, so
you definitely are doing tons of things right, the wire on the cage
is never recommended. They can easily get a leg through that and
get caught up. It would also be quite easy for anything to chew into that as
well, correct? Is that chicken wire?
Also peanuts are a huge no no.
What is his diet like? Does he get squirrel block?
He sure is an ole timer, it's nice to pamper them in their senior years.
:Love_Icon Pepper :Love_Icon

Here's is the thread on nutrition, it's extremely helpful in breaking down the
do's and don'ts for squirrels.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Is he in that cage in the summer?

One other thread that is filled with information.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?17785-WARNING!-Squirrels-Can-Overheat-in-Summer!

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Has Pepper always lived outside? Is he a non releasable?
Just a word of caution, though he has lived a very long life, so
you definitely are doing tons of things right, the wire on the cage
is never recommended. They can easily get a leg through that and
get caught up. It would also be quite easy for anything to chew into that as
well, correct? Is that chicken wire?
Also peanuts are a huge no no.
What is his diet like? Does he get squirrel block?
He sure is an ole timer, it's nice to pamper them in their senior years.
:Love_Icon Pepper :Love_Icon

Here's is the thread on nutrition, it's extremely helpful in breaking down the
do's and don'ts for squirrels.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Is he in that cage in the summer?

One other thread that is filled with information.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?17785-WARNING!-Squirrels-Can-Overheat-in-Summer!



Yes, he has always lived outdoors. We live in East Central Georgia so severe weather is not much of an issue. His cage is located under a large shady pecan tree. Also, The west side of his cage is covered with shade cloth to keep direct sun out.

Pepper was raised with cats and dogs around so I am afraid that he would not have enough natural fear to protect himself if he was released. Of course, now that he has cataracts and his vision may be limited, we would never release him. We live in a rural area and have red tail hawks for neighbors. They love to eat a nice juicy squirrel!!

The wire on his cage is chicken wire but he has never chewed it. He crawls around the wire walls and even jumps from wall to wall. The wire squares are about the size of a quarter so they large enough to not trap a leg. He has lived in this cage for 12 1/2 years. We clean out the bottom twice a year and remove all of his house bedding every so often and then give him new bedding. He likes paper towels (plain white).

I don't know if you tell from the picture of his cage but he has a summer house. It has an opening at each end and two doors along the side for ventilation. He takes his afternoon naps there in the summer. His cage has a solid top to keep the rain out. In the summer, in addition to his water bottle, we keep a bowl of water on the bottom of his cage. One thing I have learned about our furry friends is that they drink a lot of water.

We keep a squirrel block in the bottom of his cage. We have always fed him raw peanuts - not the salted or roasted ones. Also, he loves sunflower seeds. But mostly he eats pecans. We have 8 large pecan trees in our yard and save the nuts each year. Also, we give him some fruit (apples and pears) and veggies. He even eats Cheerios but we don't give much processed food. Until this recent back injury, he has always been in perfect health.

Thanks for the links with more info, I'll check them out...... Marilyn

[gardenjewel]

I was also wondering if he had been eating rodent blocks to keep his bones nice and healthy. A long term lack of calcium in his diet might be the reason for his injury. Its amazing that some few squirrels can live long healthy lives on a diet that does not provide all the important nutrients while others crash quickly. This injury could be the early symptom of a problem so I would start supplementing his calcium today by at least dusting his food!!! and either buy some of henrys healthy blocks or get the vitamins and make your own. Also maybe cut down on the nuts so he will enjoy the block. Squirrels are Just like us.... as we get older we have to be more careful of our nutrition to keep old ladies like me from falling down and breaking a hip!!. Let me know if you want to try of Henerys blocks and I will send them to you. To supplement his calcium you could use Tums and add some deer antlers to his cage. It wont hurt him and it may keep him from getting injured again. In an earlier post you mentioned giving him blocks but if you haven't and want to try them PM me
Julia

[Pepperthe squirrel]

I was also wondering if he had been eating rodent blocks to keep his bones nice and healthy. A long term lack of calcium in his diet might be the reason for his injury. Its amazing that some few squirrels can live long healthy lives on a diet that does not provide all the important nutrients while others crash quickly. This injury could be the early symptom of a problem so I would start supplementing his calcium today by at least dusting his food!!! and either buy some of henrys healthy blocks or get the vitamins and make your own. Also maybe cut down on the nuts so he will enjoy the block. Squirrels are Just like us.... as we get older we have to be more careful of our nutrition to keep old ladies like me from falling down and breaking a hip!!. Let me know if you want to try of Henerys blocks and I will send them to you. To supplement his calcium you could use Tums and add some deer antlers to his cage. It wont hurt him and it may keep him from getting injured again. In an earlier post you mentioned giving him blocks but if you haven't and want to try them PM me
Julia

Thanks for suggesting Henry's. I visited the website and ordered a MBD block for his bones. Also, we had heard about the deer antlers for calcium and had one in his cage for a couple of years but he never chewed on it. We finally took it out. I put some Tums in his cage today. He picked one up and chewed on it for a few seconds then dropped it. He will probably go back to it later. Glad you mentioned the Tums.

I never imagined that there so much info on the web for squirrels and never knew there were so many squirrel lovers. We've probably made some mistakes along the way with Pepper but I now know where to come for real information. Thanks to you all. Aren't animal lovers AWESOME.

PS - We have 4 rescued (all neutered) dogs and 4 rescued (all neutered) cats and 3 horses (two QH's and one Paint)

[gardenjewel]

Glad he chewed the tums!! Mine wont often chew his antler either? But the wild and released ones in my yard chew them like crazy. Mine loves his block but it took him awhile to come around. I had to limit his other food. Until he started to like the blocks I dusted any nuts or seeds I gave him with calcium carbonate ( crushed tums). He likes the blocks I make with the vitamins from henreys the best.
I have made tons of mistakes but this site has been amazing and it fills my heart with joy to come here and see the passion and love for squirrels and all other animals. I also have rescued dogs and cats! I took special note of your post because My pecan also lives outside in a huge outdoor cage...I hope I have as long with mine as you have with pepper! Keep posting updates I like to hear how pepper is doing.
Julia
:serene

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Glad he chewed the tums!! Mine wont often chew his antler either? But the wild and released ones in my yard chew them like crazy. Mine loves his block but it took him awhile to come around. I had to limit his other food. Until he started to like the blocks I dusted any nuts or seeds I gave him with calcium carbonate ( crushed tums). He likes the blocks I make with the vitamins from henreys the best.
I have made tons of mistakes but this site has been amazing and it fills my heart with joy to come here and see the passion and love for squirrels and all other animals. I also have rescued dogs and cats! I took special note of your post because My pecan also lives outside in a huge outdoor cage...I hope I have as long with mine as you have with pepper! Keep posting updates I like to hear how pepper is doing.
Julia
:serene

The more I read and the more I learn, I think Pepper has MBD. I am going to aggressively treat him starting tomorrow. My biggest problem is handling him without getting him all upset. He has been known to bite!!

I'll let you know how things go. Thanks for your well wishes..... Marilyn

[Nancy in New York]

I would be shocked if Pepper doesn't have MBD.
This is a terribly painful disease. They typically like to be
on low heat to ease the pain. Pain meds are often given to help them with this.
The process is long and you need to stay the course with giving
calcium. It has to be around the clock to start so that you keep
the blood calcium levels up.
Not sure how you are going to do this.

My heart just breaks for Pepper.

Is there any way at all that he could be brought inside,
and set up in a nice comfy cage? He needs tons of fleece
to rest his weary body in. He really should have round the clock
care.

Is he eating and drinking?

[TubeDriver]

I would be shocked if Pepper doesn't have MBD.
This is a terribly painful disease. They typically like to be
on low heat to ease the pain. Pain meds are often given to help them with this.
The process is long and you need to stay the course with giving
calcium. It has to be around the clock to start so that you keep
the blood calcium levels up.
Not sure how you are going to do this.

My heart just breaks for Pepper.

Is there any way at all that he could be brought inside,
and set up in a nice comfy cage? He needs tons of fleece
to rest his weary body in. He really should have round the clock
care.

Is he eating and drinking?

:goodpost

Any update on Pepper?

[gardenjewel]

So glad your going to treat for MBD. Get calcium into him as fast as possible and spread it out through the day! It will be rough for you both but hopefully it will get easier quickly. If you cant get the calcium into him with a syringe (no needle) maybe try getting it into him in a bit of avocado. Almost all squirrels seem to be crazy about it, and if you cut way down on his nuts he will probably eat it joyfully. If hes still not getting around well relocating him to a small animal cage in a room you could close off in your house would probably be the best fastest option Treating and handling him in the cage will be difficult because it doesn't appear that you have a double door on your cage so while reaching in to get him...you might lose him. If you can not bring him into the house you could put together a small second door quickly that would help. A second door that you could stand in a close before opening his. If you could bring him in the house, that would help, but I would worry about his mental health because he has lived in that cage for twelve years and the change would be stressful. Maybe you could move the entire cage into an enclosed space?
The second issue outside is heat. I have a small animal heating pad in pecans nest box. Half of it is heated half is not. It is entirely chew proof...made of plastic and metal covered wire. Its pretty cheap but I do have an extra one I could send you. You would screw it to the inside bottom of his nest box. The dimensions are like 11 X 9 inches. it would be best if his box is half again as big so pepper could get off the heat if he wants to. Its made for chewers and is only about 102 degrees. You would run the cord out the back of the cage. I just have mine plugged into and extension cord which runs into my house.
Let me know if I can help you in any way....I even have an extra cage with a detachable double door you could use and maybe a two room nest box to accomadate the heater....I will check. I only live one state over and would meet you half way. :Love_Icon pepper :Love_Icon
Julia

[gardenjewel]

Also get someone on here to dose you pain meds.... something like infant Ibuprofen. you may need to start a new thread to get more attention.
Julia

[gardenjewel]

Been thinking about it. I also have a smaller cage I built on wheels that I used in my house for babies. Its still big.. 2 feet deep, 3 feet wide and 7 feet tall. And another cage 2 feet deep 2 feet wide and 6 feet tall. Neither of these have a double door but you can close off half at a time and they also have a small feeding door. If one of these would work for you I would be happy let you use or have it. When I first got into squirrels I went on a cage building frenzy.....I told people I was nesting :grin3
Julia

[pixiepoo]

Aww what a cutie. I have an 11 yr old and, like you, had no idea they could live so long when I got her in 2003. She has cataracts too but it doesn't slow her down. Pepper is a cutie! Thanks for sharing pics!

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Thanks for your concern. Yes, I can bring him inside. But at the present he is very active and eating well. He is climbing all over his cage and is eating his Tums. My MBD blocks should arrive any day. I'll keep you updated. Many thanks.

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Aww what a cutie. I have an 11 yr old and, like you, had no idea they could live so long when I got her in 2003. She has cataracts too but it doesn't slow her down. Pepper is a cutie! Thanks for sharing pics!

So glad to hear from you. When we first found Pepper at the base of a large oak tree (Spring 2002), his eyes were not open and he had just a sparse covering of fur. My husband kept him in a sock and took him to work with him. Our vet gave us kitten milk and a kitten nursing bottle which he accepted easily.

We kept him in a cage on a screened in porch for a long time but finally built a large outdoor cage. We had idea that a gray squirrel could live so long. Pepper developed cataracts this past summer at just over 12 years of age. How old was your squirrel when she developed cataracts?? Even though he has cataracts, I'm sure that Pepper can see reasonably well.

My husband told me that as a child, he found a baby squirrel and put it in with a cat that had just delivered kittens. The mama cat accepted the squirrel and let it nurse and groomed it. But the squirrel developed so much more quickly than the kittens and began to crawl out of the box holding the litter of kittens. The mama cat kept picking up the squirrel and taking it back to the box. Finally, he took the squirrel away from the cat and starting feeding it and finally released it.

It is so amazing how resilient and determined a squirrel can be.

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Well, Pepper is now inside in a spare bedroom with a heating pad under his cage. I got it from my vet. It's one that they use for puppies and kittens. Also, I had some fleece so he should be very comfy. I will try the avocado and crushed Tums tomorrow. He is chewing on the Tums we dropped in his cage a couple of days ago.

He does not seem to be in any pain because he is so active (during the day). We moved him after he went in his sleeping nest box. He was pretty mad at first - chattering and fussing at us.

My vet was blown away just hearing about The Squirrel Board and all of the info. Thanks to you all.

[TubeDriver]

Great! Just keep up the MBD treatment and hopefully you will see improvement. It is a slow process recovering from MBD.

Does Pepper have any stuffies in his cage? Squirrels like to wrestle and play with stuffed animals. He might like one, just make sure it does not have eyes that could be eaten.





Well, Pepper is now inside in a spare bedroom with a heating pad under his cage. I got it from my vet. It's one that they use for puppies and kittens. Also, I had some fleece so he should be very comfy. I will try the avocado and crushed Tums tomorrow. He is chewing on the Tums we dropped in his cage a couple of days ago.

He does not seem to be in any pain because he is so active (during the day). We moved him after he went in his sleeping nest box. He was pretty mad at first - chattering and fussing at us.

My vet was blown away just hearing about The Squirrel Board and all of the info. Thanks to you all.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Good update on Pepper :hug I feel better knowing he's inside...safe and warm :grouphug He is an old man...and he might need the extra TLC :grin3

[gardenjewel]

Great to hear about pepper! Hopefully your treatment will keep him from having anymore injuries. Did you move his big cage in?
julia

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Great to hear about pepper! Hopefully your treatment will keep him from having anymore injuries. Did you move his big cage in?
julia

Well, his outside cage is too big to bring inside. But he is inside the house in a smaller cage - he's not real happy about that. He mainly stays in his nest house. We trapped him in his nest house and brought it inside and put it in a 2' by 3' wire cage. We are having some real cold weather for Georgia so he will stay inside for a few more days. I have been able to get him to drink from a syringe (Tums and water). Before I brought him inside, he was very active in his outdoor cage. Thanks for your concern.

[Nancy in New York]

Well, his outside cage is too big to bring inside. But he is inside the house in a smaller cage - he's not real happy about that. He mainly stays in his nest house. We trapped him in his nest house and brought it inside and put it in a 2' by 3' wire cage. We are having some real cold weather for Georgia so he will stay inside for a few more days. I have been able to get him to drink from a syringe (Tums and water). Before I brought him inside, he was very active in his outdoor cage. Thanks for your concern.

Is he eating anything? Did your squirrel blocks come?
I hope he doesn't get depressed being inside. Their mental health
is equally as important. Smart to keep him inside while the cold weather is
upon you though.
Many prayers coming your way for little Pepper to start feeling better. :Love_Icon

[gardenjewel]

Great Im glad pepper is accepting some calcium from a syringe!. Does he like his blocks?
Its supposed to get warmer for us down here I think this weekend, and he will probably like to go back outside. He will be happiest in his big cage especially if you can heat a small part of it. This is what I bought
http://www.amazon.com/Heated-Resting-Small-Animals-Inches/dp/B000NVC7DO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416321864&sr=8-1&keywords=small+animal+heated+pad. Can be used outdoors = weatherproof and is chew proof!
But as my pecan gets older I will probably bring him inside in really cold weather. As cold as it was last night all the squirrels in the yard, including pecan were up early being frisky waiting to be fed.
Julia

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Pepper is doing GREAT. He was inside for 3 days due to really cold weather here. He just stayed in his nest box and did not venture out much in his indoor cage. I put him outside on Wednesday. Yesterday was a nice sunny day and he was climbing all over his cage using both hind legs. It is utterly amazing how he has recovered thanks to all of you on this board.

He is eating his squirrel blocks just fine. When the blocks arrived, I was amazed at all of the extras that came with them plus lots of info. I have been crushing a Tums and adding it to his water bottle. I found out that I have to strain it a couple of times to keep it from stopping up the tip.

I'll get a new picture later this week. I've decided that a squirrel is the most resilient of all God's creatures!! Thanks to all of you who sent me information and well wishes.

[gardenjewel]

wonderful so glad to hear about pepper. Glad he likes his blocks :serene
julia

[island rehabber]

That is truly good news!

[Pepperthe squirrel]

Just a quick update on Pepper. He is doing very well. He is very active, esp. on warm sunny days. I'll get a new pic soon. A big thanks to Nancy for her "care package" of many much appreciated goodies.

[Nancy in New York]

Just a quick update on Pepper. He is doing very well. He is very active, esp. on warm sunny days. I'll get a new pic soon. A big thanks to Nancy for her "care package" of many much appreciated goodies.

Oh you know we need pictures of this little miracle squirrel.
Fantastic update!
Glad you got the goodies, and you are very welcome! :hug