Fricky girl

[Frickster]

Wow - it has been a LONG time since I've been on here but I was recently talking to Chickenlegs and she suggested I post here. QUICK run down - Frick has a thread from years ago. She will be 7 in the spring. She was "released" when she was about 2 1/2 and decided she was ready. She continues to come back regularly, interacts, moves in and of her release pen/nestbox and basically lives the best of both worlds. Yesterday she showed up after about a week and a half of being MIA. Very unusual for her. She was CLEARLY injured and I thought her ear was gone. After talking to both Chickenlegs and Sissy it would appear she needs antibiotics but I am not a rehabber. As I said, Frick's story is here and anyone can feel free to check it out. I didn't know she couldn't be kept and I wasn't going to just leave her to fend for herself. Now here we are several years later and I am not interested in anyone criticizing or being anything less than helpful. I just want to find some help for this sweet angel that I love dearly. I am afraid that putting her in a car and taking her to a vet that will see her (about an hour away) will traumatize her to the point I won't be able to help her again. I had some antibiotics from when she was very little but I would be afraid to use them now and fortunately she has never needed them before. Yesterday the wound on her head looked like the size of a plump grape. Today's photos look more like a shriveling grape. Is there anyone who can or would be willing to help or offer suggestions.

[Frickster]

I thought I could post the photos but I am at work and can't get it to work :(

[Rhapsody]

Sorry to hear that your little one is hurt.... and Thanks for caring & loving her.
Hang in there and some one should be along soon to help you find a rehabber
near you that might be able to offer some antibiotics. :Love_Icon

P.S.
Love the PICS!! :Love_Icon

[CritterMom]

I remember both of you! How wonderful that she is still around! Can you secure her so she cannot leave the release cage for a while, so you can monitor her?

The pic will help but it sounds almost as though you are describing a blood blister. If you pinch yourself hard enough to break capillaries under the skin WITHOUT actually breaking the surface of the skin, you get a wound that bleeds under the skin, and will form blood filled blisters. They seldom get infected unless you poke something into them because they are not open, and the blood will reabsorb in a short time and they disappear. Your description - a grape one day, then wrinkled and deflating the next, sounds like a blood blister reabsorbing. Long eared dogs like bassets get them all the time in the ears - they are so long that when they shake their head it is almost like cracking a whip.

If you can get the pic up it would be great.

[Frickster]

she was definitely attacked I'm just not sure by what

I kept her in her pen for about 10 minutes today to see how she would do. She didn't like it obviously. Without knowing that I will have something to treat her - I hate to lock her up. Before this, she was coming pretty much every day AT LEAST once. She's had several litters of babies and she will let us see them and touch them so she's very tame - but still wild now for years. It's hard to know what to do with her. I just want her to be ok...I'm still trying on the pictures.

[Frickster]

oh good - it worked! That is from this morning - so the bulge is not as big. This is the one from 24 hours earlier

[CritterMom]

It looks much better in the 2nd picture. Poor Frick!

My bet is a hawk attack. I don't like being so graphic about your baby, but if you have ever seen them, they catch, hold their prey down with their talons and begin to yank the fur or feathers off before they eat. Her head looks like it was shaved and I cannot think of another predator that would have been able to yank out the fur but not tear the skin up underneath it. Hawks aren't as successful as most people think - many animals get away and happily Frick was one of them!

It looks like you were able to touch the area - was the lump warm? Did it appear to be pus filled?

Most of the meds used are actually made for humans. Do you have any human antibiotics? Cipro? Amoxicillen? Take a look through the medicine chest and see what is in there and report back.

If it continues in the direction it is now she may not even need any but it would be nice to have them just in case.

[TubeDriver]

I agree with CM, that last pic looks like she is healing up and may not even need any help. You should definitely keep her for a few days to make sure no infection sets in.

If you can locate any ABs at all (a single pill will do) let us know. Having some AB on hand is always a good idea, just in case you have to treat one of your releases or an injured wild! :thumbsup

[CritterMom]

Here is Frick's original thread, BTW: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?11614-Frick&highlight=

[Frickster]

I am definitely somewhat relieved and SO proud of my baby! I would not have access to any animal antibiotics as I am not a rehabber - which is why I haven't wanted to post here much. However, she is not captive so nobody should be offended. :) But I will keep checking her and see about getting her back in her pen - I just don't want to lose her totally or crush her spirit. And regardless of my stand on animal rights that hawk BETTER be glad I don't know who it is!

[farrelli]

the vast majority of people here aren't rehabers and get their ABs from friends, family, online, or from pet stores (as Fish Flox and Fish Mox).

[Nancy in New York]

If you can get Cipro (human antibiotic) or Baytril (animal Form) you can actually dose her only once daily.
That may be your best bet, and if she comes daily, no need to recapture her.

SO nice to see you again, and little Frick too!~ :hug

[CritterMom]

If you can get Cipro (animal antibiotic) or Baytril (human Form) you can actually dose her only once daily.
That may be your best bet, and if she comes daily, no need to recapture her.

SO nice to see you again, and little Frick too!~ :hug

What Nancy said but just the opposite - Cipro is the HUMAN antibiotic, Baytril is the animal version. :grin3

[CritterMom]

If you know any women who have had a urinary tract infection, they may have some cipro left over from that - it is very commonly prescribed for UTIs.

[Nancy in New York]

What Nancy said but just the opposite - Cipro is the HUMAN antibiotic, Baytril is the animal version. :grin3

OMG see what happens when I'm in a rush. :rolf

[Annabelle's papa]

:thumbsup WOW! Seven year old Healthy release, and she shares her Babies with you too. You should be Posting here Everyday! All of Your Animals look Wonderful.:serene

[island rehabber]

well hi Frickster!! :wave123 Great to see you here again!
I agree with all above, that the wound appears to be healing and I don't see signs of infection. What an honor, to have a squirrel you rescued stay around for SEVEN years, enjoying the best of both worlds! I understand completely how you never want to betray her trust. :)

[Frickster]

If you can get Cipro (human antibiotic) or Baytril (animal Form) you can actually dose her only once daily.
That may be your best bet, and if she comes daily, no need to recapture her.

SO nice to see you again, and little Frick too!~ :hug

Oh my goodness - Pat (Chickenlegs) kept telling my mom and I to get with you so I'm SO glad you saw this. I haven't made it home yet but I think we have amoxicillin only. I will take a complete inventory of whatever we might have but that is all I know of. I don't know how I would get from a dr since none of us are sick. How would I get from a rehabber or something?


Island Rehabber - I definitely remember you from the Florida trip too - so good to see a familiar "face" :).

Annabelle - she does somewhat - when the winter comes she will move into her pen and if she has babies while there I can access them. Once they get bigger and she starts moving them, obviously they're too high up. She had some this summer though and I got to help her move them - what an honor. It was a great story that I will add to her thread eventually but don't want to clutter this one. :)

[Frickster]

It looks much better in the 2nd picture. Poor Frick!

My bet is a hawk attack. I don't like being so graphic about your baby, but if you have ever seen them, they catch, hold their prey down with their talons and begin to yank the fur or feathers off before they eat. Her head looks like it was shaved and I cannot think of another predator that would have been able to yank out the fur but not tear the skin up underneath it. Hawks aren't as successful as most people think - many animals get away and happily Frick was one of them!

It looks like you were able to touch the area - was the lump warm? Did it appear to be pus filled?

Most of the meds used are actually made for humans. Do you have any human antibiotics? Cipro? Amoxicillen? Take a look through the medicine chest and see what is in there and report back.

If it continues in the direction it is now she may not even need any but it would be nice to have them just in case.


Sorry - I forgot to respond to this - it was cold this morning and I had a damp cloth to try to loosen the scab just enough to drain if needed - so I couldn't tell if it was cold or not - will definitely make note - hoping she keeps letting me get her. Gosh I love that little girl so much! I did gently mash it just a bit and it seemed to cause discomfort but it did give indication that there might be some puss coming out. It didn't look quite as dry around it today and there was a little sprig of hair. The thought of her being plucked just makes me SICK to my stomach and teary. That sweet little girl! What a fighter she is!!!

[Frickster]

Here is Frick's original thread, BTW: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?11614-Frick&highlight=

LOL! How horrible that the whole start of the thread was under the assumption SHE was a HE! Poor girl!

[Nancy in New York]

Oh my goodness - Pat (Chickenlegs) kept telling my mom and I to get with you so I'm SO glad you saw this. I haven't made it home yet but I think we have amoxicillin only. I will take a complete inventory of whatever we might have but that is all I know of. I don't know how I would get from a dr since none of us are sick. How would I get from a rehabber or something?


Island Rehabber - I definitely remember you from the Florida trip too - so good to see a familiar "face" :).

Annabelle - she does somewhat - when the winter comes she will move into her pen and if she has babies while there I can access them. Once they get bigger and she starts moving them, obviously they're too high up. She had some this summer though and I got to help her move them - what an honor. It was a great story that I will add to her thread eventually but don't want to clutter this one. :)

You can use the amoxi. It's actually good for skin and soft tissue infections.
I just mentioned the Baytril/Cipro because that's a drug that you CAN dose once daily,
and I thought if she came regularly, there would be no need to capture her while dosing the meds.
By any chance does she come twice daily?
How close are you distance wise from Chickenlegs? She may have Baytril or Cipro. :dono

[lennysmom]

Nice to read the story about Frick and I love all of the precious pictures too! :serene How wonderful that you have been able to enjoy her company and even her babies too. :Love_Icon :)
Sorry to see she is injured, but it seems like she is starting to heal and I definitely say she is a fighter. :thumbsup
I'm in love with my little wild boy too and it is encouraging to me to read about your sweet Frick and the wonderful relationship you still share after all these years.:squirrel2
Hope you are able to get some ABs in her.

[Frickster]

You can use the amoxi. It's actually good for skin and soft tissue infections.
I just mentioned the Baytril/Cipro because that's a drug that you CAN dose once daily,
and I thought if she came regularly, there would be no need to capture her while dosing the meds.
By any chance does she come twice daily?
How close are you distance wise from Chickenlegs? She may have Baytril or Cipro. :dono

I am about an hour north - she went through what she had but I don't think she had what she needed. She actually talked to my mom because all of this happened right before I left for work yesterday. Today - same time same place. So she is usually on a schedule. There are definitely lots of days she comes twice or more. I don't see her unless it's a weekend more than the morning. But my mom and dad are usually around in the afternoon and my dad can hand feed her as well. She has bitten him a couple of times over the years but nothing he wouldn't put up with to help her. I wouldn't have a problem driving to get what she needed and I don't mind catching/driving her - I just know SHE will mind the latter. I thought meds would have to be injected or syringed through the mouth or something...but if it's something she can eat I'm a lot less worried. She doesn't know she's a squirrel so when I left today she was tearing up a vanilla bean scone. And she LOVES sweet tea. So there are many things I think I could get her to eat with meds...but she has never needed them so we are in a whole new world here.

[Nancy in New York]

OK sweetie, all I would need is a full photo of her body so that we can guesstimate her weight. That's how we dose squirrels the meds by their weight.
OR even better if you have a gram scale, do you think she would let you weigh her?
If not, we will take a look and get her on something asap.
Since she comes twice daily, I think you are fine with the amoxi.
I will just need the strength of that, and a full picture and we will have your girl good as new. :thumbsup:hug

[Frickster]

I have gone through everything for Elvis and Vegas and it is all either pain medicine or ear infection treatment :(

We have found 500 mg penicillin (what appears to be a full bottle) and somewhere is 500 mg amoxicillin (I think 1 or 2 pills/capsules)

???

I found Baytril and SMZ but they are from when Frick was younger. MUCH younger. I think the Baytril is 2010 and the SMZ was tucked in the refrigerator and forgotten about - probably the same time. :(

Not very helpful I know - any suggestions on how to acquire whatever if needed?

I will try to get more pictures tomorrow and more details on the wound. Was also told to maybe try to flush it with betadine? I don't know if we have any of that - would a saline solution or hydrogen peroxide or something be ok?

[Annabelle's papa]

Hi! I know her condition has you restless, however please wait to hear back from one of the other members before proceeding with any of what you have. I know nothing about medication, however I may have seen somewhere on here that penicillin is toxic and I don't think Hydro. Per. is safe either. I honestly don't know, but someone will be on to guide you further. Bless Your Heart For Doing Everything You Have.

[island rehabber]

You can definitely flush with saline -- even contact lens solution is good for this. No Hydrogen Peroxide, though -- it tears away good tissue and that's not what we want.

[Nancy in New York]

I have gone through everything for Elvis and Vegas and it is all either pain medicine or ear infection treatment :(

We have found 500 mg penicillin (what appears to be a full bottle) and somewhere is 500 mg amoxicillin (I think 1 or 2 pills/capsules)

???

I found Baytril and SMZ but they are from when Frick was younger. MUCH younger. I think the Baytril is 2010 and the SMZ was tucked in the refrigerator and forgotten about - probably the same time. :(

Not very helpful I know - any suggestions on how to acquire whatever if needed?

I will try to get more pictures tomorrow and more details on the wound. Was also told to maybe try to flush it with betadine? I don't know if we have any of that - would a saline solution or hydrogen peroxide or something be ok?


See what chickenlegs has for antibiotics. That would be your best bet for getting it fast. We don't want this infection taking hold and getting out of hand, so hopefully today, you can find something that we can dose for you. When dealing with infections, time is of the essence.
I agree with Maura saline solution is gentle and comforting to them.

[CritterMom]

The amoxicillen would be a good choice...

[CritterMom]

The amoxicillen would be a good choice...

Also, a 50/50 Betadyne/water solution is good for flushing.

[Nancy in New York]

The amoxicillen would be a good choice...


You can use the amoxi. It's actually good for skin and soft tissue infections.
I just mentioned the Baytril/Cipro because that's a drug that you CAN dose once daily,
and I thought if she came regularly, there would be no need to capture her while dosing the meds.
By any chance does she come twice daily?
How close are you distance wise from Chickenlegs? She may have Baytril or Cipro. :dono





We have found 500 mg penicillin (what appears to be a full bottle) and somewhere is 500 mg amoxicillin (I think 1 or 2 pills/capsules)

???



Let me rephrase, if you can't find the amoxi, see what chickenlegs has....................

[Frickster]

Alrighty - today's update:

I almost missed her because she was late! My dad caught me before I left the driveway though so I went back for her. I was able to get her and prick near where the scab looked the freshest. Sure enough some puss came out. :( I got as much as I could out without pushing too hard and causing her too much discomfort. I then squirted some saline on the area which didn't seem to bother her as much as me holding her to do all of this. The tips of her ears are scabby too but just scratch like. They are standing right again. The area on her head where all of this feels like the rest of her - warm but not strikingly so in my opinion. These photos are from today....

There are a lot but I was also trying to include some for size reference. She's not very heavy...

[Frickster]

another angle for size reference

[Nancy in New York]

Oh she is such a little darling. What a great squirrel to allow you to do that to her.
I am going to guess at the most 500 grams. Is she solid, or does she have
a lot of fluff on her? I believe she is smaller than the squirrels up here.
Did you check to see if you have the Amoxi?
If you give us the strength we can break it down for you.
She is really beautiful. I can only imagine she hated being held especially
after the possibility of getting attacked by a hawk. :shakehead
Kiss that little girl for me. :hug

Anybody else have any thoughts on the weight? :dono

[Frickster]

She is not very fluffy but she is also not very heavy. I am overwintering 3 others one of which is very petite like Frick. She is just under 490 and Frick feels heavier - but not much. I can try to weigh one of the other 2 for a higher end as they feel much heavier than her or if she'll cooperate - just weigh Frick herself.

We did find the amox. but it is only 1 dose. The dosage is 500 mg. I think a friend gave it to us when we thought 1 of these other 3 might need something. Turns out they didn't so it never got used.

She got MANY kisses, many apologies and every thing she wanted to eat. It was a sweet tea kind of day for her. :)

[farrelli]

One human pill is enough for many full course doses for a sq. Seeing that this isn't an emergency, and that nancy usually rises early, I won;t dose it. But this is way more than enough.

[Nancy in New York]

I will pm you the infor on breaking down the 500 mg pill.
I will do give you the dose for a 500 gram squirrel.
I will break the dose down for 1 gram, then all you need to do
is multiply that dose by the weight of the squirrel in grams and you
will have your exact dose. Make sure you put the 0's and decimal point
in the correct spot.:thumbsup

[Frickster]

Possible complication - we have not been seeing her more than once a day - even though my dad has been checking throughout the day. Yesterday, when she left after I had gotten some of the puss out he followed her and saw that she went back into her tree. It's about 60 feet up so even knowing where she is doesn't help unless she comes down. I know you guys (or I think you guys) said the amox. would need to be given twice a day. To throw a new twist in, this morning she came out of her nest box in her pen. I don't know if she had been there all night or was just hanging out waiting for us. I didn't want to catch her in case she WAS moving back in. Was afraid if I did, she'd change her mind. If she is moving back it would be a whole lot easier to get her meds whenever. If not, ????. The antibiotic that you said could be given just once a day - does anyone have some? I wanted to give her a break so the only photo I got today was of her sitting on the ground and from the side so it didn't really show much. It does appear that the area may be drying up.

[Annabelle's papa]

:dono Is she back with you, did you get the PM from Ms. Nancy?

[Frickster]

She was here like she always is in the morning, same time, but she left her pen and went off with a nut again and then went back to her tree. I guess she can't decide if she wants her tree or her nest box.

I did get Nancy's message and she'll get back to me once she gets home. Since she's not in her cage right now, there's no rush.

[Nancy in New York]

She was here like she always is in the morning, same time, but she left her pen and went off with a nut again and then went back to her tree. I guess she can't decide if she wants her tree or her nest box.

I did get Nancy's message and she'll get back to me once she gets home. Since she's not in her cage right now, there's no rush.

OK sweetie, I'm home, I trust you got the dosing instructions earlier?
If you have any questions, let me know.
I think it's pretty detailed on how to dose, but IF YOU HAVE ANY questions,
it's better to be safe...........so give me a shout! :hug

[Frickster]

did you get my pm Nancy?

[Nancy in New York]

did you get my pm Nancy?

NO, nothing. :dono

[Frickster]

I think I figured out why - it is showing I have 65,533 unread new messages which is CLEARLY not true - who can fix this? Here is what I said though.....


I don't know why this didn't send but I could tell from your response that it must not have then you said you didn't get it lol...

So this morning she popped out of her house. I don't know if she had been there all night or just since this morning waiting on us. The house is in a 10 foot x 10 foot cage with a human door and a squirrel door. It's her original house but over the years as she's come and gone so have some other squirrels. It would appear none are living there now so she very well may be getting ready to move back in. Since I've caught her the last 3 days and it was possible she was moving in, I didn't want to stress her out so I just fed her and gave her some tea and then let her back out - she kept going to the door to get out but I had closed it when I came in. The only picture I got was of her on the ground but it doesn't show much in relation to the others. The spot LOOKS like it may be drying up but again, since I didn't pick her up I'm not 100%. I don't know if this was the right choice but I am just so afraid of making her afraid to get close enough for me to grab - this situation is just so different than if it was another wild squirrel or something.

The other problem is that since this happened, we have NOT seen her more than her morning visit. In the summer we see her throughout the day. I think with the amox. you said it will need to be twice a day so I'm not sure how to approach this problem. Do you think I/TSB could find someone who has the med you mentioned being able to do just once a day? So far we're good on that and at a specific time each day. I am not trying to sound flaky or wishy washy I just feel like I'm in a very delicate situation of her being in both worlds. I could totally be not giving her enough credit but I know it's not normal for a 6 1/2 year old squirrel who lives outside to still be so handleable and I don't want to risk her going full on untouchable.

If we do proceed with the amox. how do I give her the probiotic? I can't see her taking a powder - do I just mix it with something?

I'm so sorry for all the hassle - this little girl is going to be the absolute end of me!!!

[Nancy in New York]

I think I figured out why - it is showing I have 65,533 unread new messages which is CLEARLY not true - who can fix this? Here is what I said though.....


I don't know why this didn't send but I could tell from your response that it must not have then you said you didn't get it lol...

So this morning she popped out of her house. I don't know if she had been there all night or just since this morning waiting on us. The house is in a 10 foot x 10 foot cage with a human door and a squirrel door. It's her original house but over the years as she's come and gone so have some other squirrels. It would appear none are living there now so she very well may be getting ready to move back in. Since I've caught her the last 3 days and it was possible she was moving in, I didn't want to stress her out so I just fed her and gave her some tea and then let her back out - she kept going to the door to get out but I had closed it when I came in. The only picture I got was of her on the ground but it doesn't show much in relation to the others. The spot LOOKS like it may be drying up but again, since I didn't pick her up I'm not 100%. I don't know if this was the right choice but I am just so afraid of making her afraid to get close enough for me to grab - this situation is just so different than if it was another wild squirrel or something.

The other problem is that since this happened, we have NOT seen her more than her morning visit. In the summer we see her throughout the day. I think with the amox. you said it will need to be twice a day so I'm not sure how to approach this problem. Do you think I/TSB could find someone who has the med you mentioned being able to do just once a day? So far we're good on that and at a specific time each day. I am not trying to sound flaky or wishy washy I just feel like I'm in a very delicate situation of her being in both worlds. I could totally be not giving her enough credit but I know it's not normal for a 6 1/2 year old squirrel who lives outside to still be so handleable and I don't want to risk her going full on untouchable.

If we do proceed with the amox. how do I give her the probiotic? I can't see her taking a powder - do I just mix it with something?

I'm so sorry for all the hassle - this little girl is going to be the absolute end of me!!!

It is NOT mandatory that we give her an antibiotic. How does the wound look to you? Does it look weepy, reddish? Anything to you indicate an infection? I know that she had pus come out of it, but many times these little ones heal on their own. I'm not trying to dissuade you from giving her antibiotics...........just saying this may not be an absolute necessity.
You are talking about Cipro/Baytril that can be dosed once daily. While this is not the ideal drug, if someone has it, you could use that. Did you ask Chickenlegs? With Christmas coming up, I KNOW for a fact that when I mail anything priority it takes 3 days, that is why if someone were closer, it would be a better option.
Yes with the probiotic that I mentioned, just sprinkle a tiny bit on anything that she will eat. It is just very bland tasting and if I had to describe it, I would say a HINT of sweetness. I use the CVS brand Extra strength.
I don't blame you for not wanting to break her trust and keeping it as simple as possible. Check with Pat and see if she has ONE Cipro or Baytril that you can have.

[Frickster]

I know you guys have said that and I guess I'm just stuck on trying to know which is the BEST for her. Since we have never had this situation I am just worried about making the wrong choice. She was bit by another squirrel when she was younger and had gotten loose for 3 days. It was disgusting but it healed on it's own. She wasn't SUPPOSED to have been released yet she just escaped. I got her and brought her back in the house then and she stayed until it was time for her to move outside to her release cage. So it wasn't a big deal....now it is.

My dad said he was going to tend to her this morning and I haven't been able to catch up with him. He left for church after that but before I got up. I'm heading to church now but am going to try to catch up with her this afternoon. I'm not usually here in the late afternoon/early evening but when I am - sometimes I can find her even when she's not trying to be found. I will update when I get back and check for the things you asked about and try to get some close up photos.

If we do the antibiotics and it's NOT needed - will that hurt her in any way?

OH! You asked about redness I think - Every time I've seen her, the redness has only been actual scabs or scab areas. Her bald head is skin colored - her skin color. No streaks or anything like you look for in people, if that's what you meant.

[CritterMom]

You are really the only one who can determine whether she needs treatment or not. If the lump where the pus is continues to get smaller and smaller and dry up and if the wounds are clean and skinning over and you are seeing no signs of infection, she may not need the antibiotics. If the lump persists and doesn't get reabsorbed, or the sores start to look WORSE, then she does.

Cipro/Baytril is a wonder drug on the things it works well on, but it does not work very well on puncture wounds that abscess. Cipro does not handle pus filled wounds very well. Amoxicillen is much better for this specific issue.

Some antibiotics cause stomach problems which is why we recommend probiotics. Amoxicillen is one of the drugs that can be a bit hard on the stomach, but that would be the only real side effect to treatment, so no, if you give them antibiotics and they don't actually need them it will not harm her.

So YOU need to determine if you need to treat her based on what you see day to day.

Baytrill/cipro are more convenient due to being dosed 1X per day but not as effective.

I hope that helps you understand better so you can make a decision...

[Frickster]

Well she has decided to be super difficult today and every time we have tried to get to her she has just sat in her tree looking at us or running around on the branches. I will try again tomorrow and if it looks better keep monitoring. If it looks worse - at least I have the amox. here so can start it any time. If I am NOT able to get her twice a day will it still be helpful? Could I just go 14 days instead of 7? So sorry for all the questions. :(

[Annabelle's papa]

You are really the only one who can determine whether she needs treatment or not. If the lump where the pus is continues to get smaller and smaller and dry up and if the wounds are clean and skinning over and you are seeing no signs of infection, she may not need the antibiotics. If the lump persists and doesn't get reabsorbed, or the sores start to look WORSE, then she does.

Cipro/Baytril is a wonder drug on the things it works well on, but it does not work very well on puncture wounds that abscess. Cipro does not handle pus filled wounds very well. Amoxicillen is much better for this specific issue.

Some antibiotics cause stomach problems which is why we recommend probiotics. Amoxicillen is one of the drugs that can be a bit hard on the stomach, but that would be the only real side effect to treatment, so no, if you give them antibiotics and they don't actually need them it will not harm her.

So YOU need to determine if you need to treat her based on what you see day to day.

Baytrill/cipro are more convenient due to being dosed 1X per day but not as effective.

I hope that helps you understand better so you can make a decision...

Hi Frickster,:wave123 Frickygirl is very fortunate to have you for a mommy, I hope you work in the Medical field. I can only imagine how comfortable your patients would feel with you taking care of them.:Love_Icon It's Great that you and your Dad want to do Exactly what is in the best interest of Frickygirl. CritterMom, what you posted should be a Sticky, IMO.

[JLM27]

I think I figured out why - it is showing I have 65,533 unread new messages which is CLEARLY not true - who can fix this? Here is what I said though.....


I don't know why this didn't send but I could tell from your response that it must not have then you said you didn't get it lol...

So this morning she popped out of her house. I don't know if she had been there all night or just since this morning waiting on us. The house is in a 10 foot x 10 foot cage with a human door and a squirrel door. It's her original house but over the years as she's come and gone so have some other squirrels. It would appear none are living there now so she very well may be getting ready to move back in. Since I've caught her the last 3 days and it was possible she was moving in, I didn't want to stress her out so I just fed her and gave her some tea and then let her back out - she kept going to the door to get out but I had closed it when I came in. The only picture I got was of her on the ground but it doesn't show much in relation to the others. The spot LOOKS like it may be drying up but again, since I didn't pick her up I'm not 100%. I don't know if this was the right choice but I am just so afraid of making her afraid to get close enough for me to grab - this situation is just so different than if it was another wild squirrel or something.

The other problem is that since this happened, we have NOT seen her more than her morning visit. In the summer we see her throughout the day. I think with the amox. you said it will need to be twice a day so I'm not sure how to approach this problem. Do you think I/TSB could find someone who has the med you mentioned being able to do just once a day? So far we're good on that and at a specific time each day. I am not trying to sound flaky or wishy washy I just feel like I'm in a very delicate situation of her being in both worlds. I could totally be not giving her enough credit but I know it's not normal for a 6 1/2 year old squirrel who lives outside to still be so handleable and I don't want to risk her going full on untouchable.

If we do proceed with the amox. how do I give her the probiotic? I can't see her taking a powder - do I just mix it with something?

I'm so sorry for all the hassle - this little girl is going to be the absolute end of me!!!

I would take her in until she is healed up. She looks like she needs some skin grafts, too.

[Chickenlegs]

I have Cipro and Amoxicillin and will call my vet but getting her there might be hard as she's a wild to anybody but you guys. Just let me know if I can help.