Unknown Trauma - just found

[Izzie]

Just found a young female eastern grey lying unconscious in a street gutter. Got her dry and set up in a small crate with a warming disk. She showed signs of coming around during transport, under my shirt. She's vocalized, opened her eyes, moved toward warmth and used a hind leg to scratch her face. However, she appears mostly unaware. She has a small stain of blood around her nose, but no other signs of trauma. Teeth are uninjured. She was directly underneath a telephone pole. Any insight? Think she fell? was electrocuted? hit by a car? Recommendations? Licensed rehab is unavailable for her species in my state. I might be able to get her seen by a vet at my own expense. Thanks much for your help.

[SammysMom]

Warmth, dark and quiet. Be sure and offer water to begin with. You can out it in a low dish or even a lid of a jar or a deeper bowl with clean pebbles or marbles in it to prevent her whole nose going into it as well as weighing it down
Thank-you for helping this girl! Where are you located? Perhaps we have a member nearby who can help.

[CritterMom]

You will usually find a scorched place, often on the feet, where the electricity has exited the body if they brush a wire, and what is carried in the overhead lines is so insanely powerful that it is very unusual for them to make it through. So I would bet either a fall or a glancing blow by a car. Keep her warm and quiet - a heavy water dish she can't knock over and if you have some juicy fruit like watermelon that will help with hydration, too. You will just need to wait ti see to what degree she comes out of it.

Are you seeing any sign of pain? She can have infant ibuprophen - we can help you to dose it - if so. It is very sweet and they usually love the taste.

[Izzie]

Thanks. She just briefly tried to walk. Struggled out of her fleece tube, fell over backward, face-planted. I could pick up anything OTC. And my neighbor has prednisolone for her cat which I'm sure she'd be willing give me. I don't think she's ready for any kind of food or water just yet. If it's a brain injury, she needs some anti-inflammatory meds, right?

[Shewhosweptforest]

:bowdown Thank you for helping! One quick note....since you're not sure if it was a fall...and there is blood around the nose...I would make sure her head is away from the heating disk:thumbsup it's important to keep her warm...but if she has a head injury (swelling of the brain) it could worsen her condition. If she will allow, even something cold against her head would be helpful :thumbsup Good luck :Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

You have to decide about the prednisone before you dose anti inflammatory. You can't use ibuprofen and pred together. I would definitely offer water. Trauma or no trauma, hydration is of utmost importance.

[Nancy in New York]

If you are going with the prednisone, you can use tramadol for pain, but nothing else that I know of.
We can dose both for you, once you decide what's best for her.
We would need a rough weight on her or a picture to dose the tramadol,
with the pred......geez, I'm not too sure about dosing this without a weight as
I don't know the "margin of safety" on this drug.

[Izzie]

She weighs 532 grams. I've got some children's Ibuprophen 20mg/ml strength. She's sitting up but kind of... frozen in place. Waved her little arms when I put her on the scale, but didn't move otherwise.

[SammysMom]

To me it sounds more like something that prednisone would help. Any others feel that would be a better option?

[SammysMom]

You MUST NOT use both prednisone and ibuprofen within 24 hours of each other.

[Izzie]

The prednisolone is in the form of 5mg tablets.

[Nancy in New York]

Is there anyway that you can film her without causing her too much stress, or take a picture of her.
Also what state and city do you live in, we may have a trusted member near by.

[Nancy in New York]

Do you have Tramadol?
If not do you know of anyone that may have even 1 pill?

[SammysMom]

Possibly from the person who has the prednisone?

[Izzie]

Gave her 0.43ml of 2.5mg/ml Prednisolone suspended in peanut butter and canola oil per a vet friend. She ate it all nicely. To continue three times a day for 48 hours and then taper off. She's pretty much just lying on her side right now. I'm not sure at this point how much of her behavior is fear and how much is a brain injury. I also called around and found that no vets in the area are able to examine her to give her a dexamethasone inj. The gal w/ the pred doesn't have anything else. It's just for her cat's skin allergies. We did get a quick snapshot of her while she was out for her meds, but I'm having trouble uploading it.

[Nancy in New York]

Gave her 0.43ml of 2.5mg/ml Prednisolone suspended in peanut butter and canola oil per a vet friend. She ate it all nicely. To continue three times a day for 48 hours and then taper off. She's pretty much just lying on her side right now. I'm not sure at this point how much of her behavior is fear and how much is a brain injury. I also called around and found that no vets in the area are able to examine her to give her a dexamethasone inj. The gal w/ the pred doesn't have anything else. It's just for her cat's skin allergies. We did get a quick snapshot of her while she was out for her meds, but I'm having trouble uploading it.

Does your vet want you to give 0.43 mls three times daily? This amount seems too high to me.
We typically would dose half that amount (0.215 or round up to 0.22) every 12 hours for the first 3 days, so the daily total would be 0.43 mls.
Then once daily for the next three consecutive days at a dose of 0.43 mls daily
Then every other day for a total of three more doses at 0.43

We dose at 5 mg/ml so your strength is half of what we dose, which is fine and that's why you are giving more in volume than we would. We give it at a dosage of 2.2 mg/kg which would be 0.234 or 0.23 for the entire day. As I said our strength is double your strength, which is fine, (and that is why you have to give more) but not sure why she would want this given 3 times daily. :dono

[Chickenlegs]

I have Tranadol if needed. I can get it out Monday morning.

[Izzie]

She made it through the night! I'm optimistic now. What would you all recommend for a feeding and hydration schedule for a squirrel her size? Certainly Tramadol would be great. :) I'll PM you. I'm just leaving to pick up some almond butter, baby food, pedialyte. She needs to be syringe fed. She is taking the peanut butter mixed with predisolone, and some water, but she's still really out of it. Moves herself into a sternally recumbent position, and that's the extent of her voluntary movement for the most part. She's snuggly though. Could be the head trauma, but I'm starting to wonder if she was hand-reared. She's from this years crop of babies, so probably about five months old. Her nails are dull, which would explain why she fell.

[Izzie]

My boyfriend has named her LeeLoo... because she fell "baada boom".

[Nancy in New York]

Did you see my post about the prednisone? Post #16
Are you dosing her three times daily with the amount you wrote?

Bless you for helping this fallen angel. :hug

[SammysMom]

I am so glad she made it through the night! Thank you so much for taking the time to help her. Those dull nails reinforce my feeling that a squirrels nails should never be clipped. Nancy's dosing schedule from her vet has saves at least 3 of my rehab squirrels who suffered head trauma in the last 6 months. It was an absolute miracle drug for us.
Many prayers for this little one. What city and state are you located in? Sorry if you already answered this!

[Izzie]

Did you see my post about the prednisone? Post #16
Are you dosing her three times daily with the amount you wrote?

Bless you for helping this fallen angel. :hug

Yeah. That's what the vet suggested for brain injury. I know the dosage for steroids can vary quite significantly depending on what you're treating. She's experienced in treating squirrels and rats, so that's what I went with.

[firerunner]

I am glad she is doing good!! Each 24 hours is a day closer to being healthy!!

I wonder why her nails are dull???

[Nancy in New York]

Yeah. That's what the vet suggested for brain injury. I know the dosage for steroids can vary quite significantly depending on what you're treating. She's experienced in treating squirrels and rats, so that's what I went with.

Sounds good to me then. :thumbsup

[Chickenlegs]

Tramadol goes out tomorrow as soon as I get your address. I'm glad she's rallying. Head injuries are scary -- especially for her. One angel has found her salvation in the arms of another.