sundown127
05-11-2007, 10:01 AM
I have been posting at the NFSA forum ever since I first found Squirrelly, 3 months ago. I found him right after an ice storm, at the base of a tree in my yard, trying to evade the neighbor's cat by dodging around the tree trunk. No obvious injuries on him, and I don't think the cat had gotten him yet.
He has been eating Nut 'N Berry, fruits, veggies, all kinds of nuts, yogurt, with Rep Cal dusted onto food a couple times a week. Plus L&M vits in one of his 3 water dishes, so he could choose to drink that, or not.
It was suggested to me to post here also, to see if anyone might have any further suggestions. I will cut and paste much of what I wrote there over the past few days.
My first post about this Tues night:
Well, my little guy, that I found of Feb 18th, with an apparent head injury and severe balance issues, had been doing fantastic for a couple of months now. Still some very minor balance issues, so I didn't think he'd stand any real chance back in the wild. But he had been climbing all over his 6 foot high cage like a nut every night. And could climb, jump, glide, like crazy. He did still have a slight head tilt, and his jumps were a bit off the mark. But otherwise, a very active, healthy acting flyer with a great appetite.
Yesterday, I went to take him out of his nestbox, and noticed he was far less active than usual. And swaying a bit on my hand. I put him in the bottom of his cage, and he couldn't even hop to get onto the large limb that goes all the way up to the top. He hopped, and just sort of fell over backwards. I took him into my bathroom, and set him on the floor, to try to assess his condition when running around. He hopped right into the wall, and then landed totally upside down with his legs sticking out to the sides, not moving. I was sure he was dead. I picked him up, and he did revive, but he is one very messed up flyer right now.
He can barely climb at all, and falls off the limbs in his cage he used to race right up. He often just sits there, frozen, and trembles. He sways from side to side. He seems like he is profoundly off balance, and doesn't want to move much because of it. Like he is extremely dizzy. A lot like when I first found him, but he dramatically recovered from that for the last couple of months. He does still eat, but his appetite is not what it was. He ate some yogurt off my finger last night. And nibbled a pecan I held for him (usually he will not even eat nuts from my hand), while he was in my hand. I also found that he had eaten off a piece of apple I put in his nest for him last night. I am putting food and water close to him, as it is so hard for him to go anywhere now.
I don't understand why he suddenly got so bad again. I almost wonder if there was something wrong with him when I found him, that was not an injury. And maybe that is how he ended up at the base of my maple tree, with the neighbor's cat trying to get ahold of him. But no signs at all that he had been injured, or that the cat got him yet. Except for the extreme loss of balance. Maybe that loss of balance was caused by something else, like a defect, illness, or tumor or something, and not a head injury. It certainly does not seem like any sort of seizure issue. He is just this way now all the time, and barely functional. I was so afraid to even open his nest box this morning, to see if he was still alive.
I don't know what to do for him, except try to make sure he continues to eat, and see if he improves, or just goes downhill even further. Any thoughts??
Sue
My post from last night:
First, I am in an illegal state, so can't just take him in to a vet. Not sure how much they can really do for him anyway. His problems are not intermittent. For the past three days, his balance issues are constant and progressive, which doesn't really seem like seizure type issues to me. There is never a time when he is more normal at all now.
I was just looking at his eyes with a small penlight. After 20 plus years of breeding dogs, and owning all sorts of creatures, I do know quite a bit about medical issues in animals, although flyers are obviously entirely new territory for me. When I have him in the dark, and shine the light into his eyes, in the right eye, he has a VERY obvious cloudy spot in the pupil of his eye. About the size of a pin head. It takes up about 1/3 of the size of his pupil, with how it is contracted in the light. It definitely looks like it is inside the eye, and not a defect or ulcer on the cornea of some sort.
I have wondered if he actually is possibly blind in one eye, long before finding that spot. Have tried to test and see if he reacts to an object brought toward each eye, but it is pretty tough when all those whiskers sense anything getting near.
When I found him, there were no signs of any injury, except for a small cut in the lower eyelid rim of that same eye.
He is still interested in eating, and licks his yogurt off my finger with much enthusiasm. He does still eat his favorite nuts-pecan and pine nuts. Lost interest in a more varied diet, and things like veggies, or fruit except for apple slices. Today, I took some baby food sweet potatoes, and some pears, and used a dropper. When I hold him and let one drop at a time fall on his lips, he does lick them right down like he is enjoying them. He used to lick that stuff off my fingers, but it is a bit goopy to do that now that he is so uncoordinated. His yogurt is LaCreme, which is really thick, so no problem there.
So for now, he is still eating, and trying to climb and do normal flyer stuff at night, but just having no success at all with balancing.
And here is today's post:
Squirrelly is even worse this morning, and cannot stand upright at all. He just falls over on his left side. If he tries to run on a flat surface, he gets about one foot, and rolls over onto his left side, and then his back. Sometimes, he just stays that way. But if I touch him, he will right himself briefly, and move about another foot before he rolls over again. Kinda like any forward motion is combined with a continuous rolling. Mostly, he just lies there. He still eats, and even ate most of a good sized chunk of apple I put in his nest box with him last night.
Here are a couple of pics I just took of him:
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/May%2011/fs0041.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/May%2011/fs0043.jpg
And here are a couple I took of him right after finding him back in Feb, when he was pretty much in the same conditon, but the weird thing is, then he rolled over and over to the opposite site, the right. And had a major head tilt to the right. Now his head tilt is bad again, but to the left.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/fsquirrel0011.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/fsquirrel0006.jpg
Since he is clearly so bad off right now, and getting worse, I decided to take the chance and call my vet of 20 plus years. Told him I already knew it is not legal for me to be keeping a flyer in my state. He said it does not sound like a good outlook for my flyer at all. But if I want to bring him in this afternoon, one of their vets, who is really good with small exotic mammals can see him. And my vet should be there too, to take a look. They actually do have a couple of licensed wildlife rehabbers who are techs at their hospital. My vet did mention that he wondered if it could be an inner ear problem or infection, with how horribly off balance my flyer is. Thought perhaps it might be worth trying him on an antibiotic. If I am told there is not much hope for him this afternoon, I will go ahead and have him euthanized at that time, as he is obviously suffering at this point. I trust that my vet of 20 plus years is not just telling me to bring him in, so they can confiscate him. Not after the thousands of times I have used him for my sick dogs, and the tens of thousands of dollars I have spent there.
Sue
He has been eating Nut 'N Berry, fruits, veggies, all kinds of nuts, yogurt, with Rep Cal dusted onto food a couple times a week. Plus L&M vits in one of his 3 water dishes, so he could choose to drink that, or not.
It was suggested to me to post here also, to see if anyone might have any further suggestions. I will cut and paste much of what I wrote there over the past few days.
My first post about this Tues night:
Well, my little guy, that I found of Feb 18th, with an apparent head injury and severe balance issues, had been doing fantastic for a couple of months now. Still some very minor balance issues, so I didn't think he'd stand any real chance back in the wild. But he had been climbing all over his 6 foot high cage like a nut every night. And could climb, jump, glide, like crazy. He did still have a slight head tilt, and his jumps were a bit off the mark. But otherwise, a very active, healthy acting flyer with a great appetite.
Yesterday, I went to take him out of his nestbox, and noticed he was far less active than usual. And swaying a bit on my hand. I put him in the bottom of his cage, and he couldn't even hop to get onto the large limb that goes all the way up to the top. He hopped, and just sort of fell over backwards. I took him into my bathroom, and set him on the floor, to try to assess his condition when running around. He hopped right into the wall, and then landed totally upside down with his legs sticking out to the sides, not moving. I was sure he was dead. I picked him up, and he did revive, but he is one very messed up flyer right now.
He can barely climb at all, and falls off the limbs in his cage he used to race right up. He often just sits there, frozen, and trembles. He sways from side to side. He seems like he is profoundly off balance, and doesn't want to move much because of it. Like he is extremely dizzy. A lot like when I first found him, but he dramatically recovered from that for the last couple of months. He does still eat, but his appetite is not what it was. He ate some yogurt off my finger last night. And nibbled a pecan I held for him (usually he will not even eat nuts from my hand), while he was in my hand. I also found that he had eaten off a piece of apple I put in his nest for him last night. I am putting food and water close to him, as it is so hard for him to go anywhere now.
I don't understand why he suddenly got so bad again. I almost wonder if there was something wrong with him when I found him, that was not an injury. And maybe that is how he ended up at the base of my maple tree, with the neighbor's cat trying to get ahold of him. But no signs at all that he had been injured, or that the cat got him yet. Except for the extreme loss of balance. Maybe that loss of balance was caused by something else, like a defect, illness, or tumor or something, and not a head injury. It certainly does not seem like any sort of seizure issue. He is just this way now all the time, and barely functional. I was so afraid to even open his nest box this morning, to see if he was still alive.
I don't know what to do for him, except try to make sure he continues to eat, and see if he improves, or just goes downhill even further. Any thoughts??
Sue
My post from last night:
First, I am in an illegal state, so can't just take him in to a vet. Not sure how much they can really do for him anyway. His problems are not intermittent. For the past three days, his balance issues are constant and progressive, which doesn't really seem like seizure type issues to me. There is never a time when he is more normal at all now.
I was just looking at his eyes with a small penlight. After 20 plus years of breeding dogs, and owning all sorts of creatures, I do know quite a bit about medical issues in animals, although flyers are obviously entirely new territory for me. When I have him in the dark, and shine the light into his eyes, in the right eye, he has a VERY obvious cloudy spot in the pupil of his eye. About the size of a pin head. It takes up about 1/3 of the size of his pupil, with how it is contracted in the light. It definitely looks like it is inside the eye, and not a defect or ulcer on the cornea of some sort.
I have wondered if he actually is possibly blind in one eye, long before finding that spot. Have tried to test and see if he reacts to an object brought toward each eye, but it is pretty tough when all those whiskers sense anything getting near.
When I found him, there were no signs of any injury, except for a small cut in the lower eyelid rim of that same eye.
He is still interested in eating, and licks his yogurt off my finger with much enthusiasm. He does still eat his favorite nuts-pecan and pine nuts. Lost interest in a more varied diet, and things like veggies, or fruit except for apple slices. Today, I took some baby food sweet potatoes, and some pears, and used a dropper. When I hold him and let one drop at a time fall on his lips, he does lick them right down like he is enjoying them. He used to lick that stuff off my fingers, but it is a bit goopy to do that now that he is so uncoordinated. His yogurt is LaCreme, which is really thick, so no problem there.
So for now, he is still eating, and trying to climb and do normal flyer stuff at night, but just having no success at all with balancing.
And here is today's post:
Squirrelly is even worse this morning, and cannot stand upright at all. He just falls over on his left side. If he tries to run on a flat surface, he gets about one foot, and rolls over onto his left side, and then his back. Sometimes, he just stays that way. But if I touch him, he will right himself briefly, and move about another foot before he rolls over again. Kinda like any forward motion is combined with a continuous rolling. Mostly, he just lies there. He still eats, and even ate most of a good sized chunk of apple I put in his nest box with him last night.
Here are a couple of pics I just took of him:
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/May%2011/fs0041.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/May%2011/fs0043.jpg
And here are a couple I took of him right after finding him back in Feb, when he was pretty much in the same conditon, but the weird thing is, then he rolled over and over to the opposite site, the right. And had a major head tilt to the right. Now his head tilt is bad again, but to the left.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/fsquirrel0011.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k194/sundown127/Rocky/fsquirrel0006.jpg
Since he is clearly so bad off right now, and getting worse, I decided to take the chance and call my vet of 20 plus years. Told him I already knew it is not legal for me to be keeping a flyer in my state. He said it does not sound like a good outlook for my flyer at all. But if I want to bring him in this afternoon, one of their vets, who is really good with small exotic mammals can see him. And my vet should be there too, to take a look. They actually do have a couple of licensed wildlife rehabbers who are techs at their hospital. My vet did mention that he wondered if it could be an inner ear problem or infection, with how horribly off balance my flyer is. Thought perhaps it might be worth trying him on an antibiotic. If I am told there is not much hope for him this afternoon, I will go ahead and have him euthanized at that time, as he is obviously suffering at this point. I trust that my vet of 20 plus years is not just telling me to bring him in, so they can confiscate him. Not after the thousands of times I have used him for my sick dogs, and the tens of thousands of dollars I have spent there.
Sue