Is this mange?

[Prinz]

One of our backyard squirrels has recently ( probably the last 2 weeks or so ) developed weird patches and swelling.
I don't think it's mange, but I really have no idea.

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[pappy1264]

No, unfortunately, that looks like pox.

[Prinz]

Ok, thank you.
I was worried that would be the case.

[TubeDriver]

I agree with pappy that this looks like Pox. The only thing that is a little odd is the way the swelling actually circles the eye (more like mange) rather than a single, more isolated lesion that is characteristic of pox.

But that said, I think it probably is Pox. You can support him with food and fresh water and he might beat it on his own. I would clean out the water bowl daily (if not more) to reduce transmission to other squirrels.

Good luck, I hope by some small chance that this is mange. If so, you will know in a week or so as more hair loss occurs.

[Prinz]

I agree with pappy that this looks like Pox. The only thing that is a little odd is the way the swelling actually circles the eye (more like mange) rather than a single, more isolated lesion that is characteristic of pox.

But that said, I think it probably is Pox. You can support him with food and fresh water and he might beat it on his own. I would clean out the water bowl daily (if not more) to reduce transmission to other squirrels.

Good luck, I hope by some small chance that this is mange. If so, you will know in a week or so as more hair loss occurs.

It's a little difficult to see in the picture, but the bald patches on his back don't seem to have any swelling at all. They appear to be just rough skin as far as I can tell.
I believe hair loss has increased over the last few days. I'll keep an eye on that at least.

[TubeDriver]

If you don't see swelling lesions, then that increases the chance that this is mange! Mange will lead to secondary infections and swelling so it is possible that this is mange. But like Pappy said, it also looks somewhat like Pox. Time will tell either way. Do you have any Ivermectin in case this turns out to be mange? Of course, the worst possibility is that this poor squirrel has both mange and Pox.:(





It's a little difficult to see in the picture, but the bald patches on his back don't seem to have any swelling at all. They appear to be just rough skin as far as I can tell.
I believe hair loss has increased over the last few days. I'll keep an eye on that at least.

[Prinz]

I can pick up some Ivermectin from the vet in the village if needed.

You're saying to basically wait and see if there is more hair loss during the coming week to confirm that he does at least have mange ( although possibly still also pox )?
Thanks for the responses.

[Prinz]

Here he is today. At least I'm about 75% sure it's him.
We previously did not see any other squirrels with patches or swelling. However, we hadn't seen him in a week and today he was not willing to come close enough to take a nut. Possibly it's because he's getting worse? He was still eating seeds though.

Based on the older pictures the wildlife sanctuary also thought it was pox and said that they could lend us a cage to catch him and they would take him in.
He wouldn't come close enough today though.

[Nancy in New York]

Here he is today. At least I'm about 75% sure it's him.
We previously did not see any other squirrels with patches or swelling. However, we hadn't seen him in a week and today he was not willing to come close enough to take a nut. Possibly it's because he's getting worse? He was still eating seeds though.

Based on the older pictures the wildlife sanctuary also thought it was pox and said that they could lend us a cage to catch him and they would take him in.
He wouldn't come close enough today though.

This does look like pox and mange.
If the wildlife place takes him, they will surely euthanize.:sadness

[Prinz]

This does look like pox and mange.
If the wildlife place takes him, they will surely euthanize.:sadness

Are there any better options?
Could we give him ivermectin and hope he survives the pox?

[Nancy in New York]

Are there any better options?
Could we give him ivermectin and hope he survives the pox?

Let me get a member here who has treated her outdoor pox squirrels with success.
For now, give him plenty to eat of healthy foods, and get him a good immune booster.
I will look for a link on the board to a great one.

[Nancy in New York]

There is a link (to a great immume booster) at the top of this thread, but an interesting read as well.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?38915-What-saved-my-pox-squirrels&highlight=

[TubeDriver]

Poor little guy. :(


That is definitely Pox, I am not sure about the mange part?

He still is at a decent weight so I think I would just provide him with blocks and nuts and fresh water with a little of the immune booster that Nancy mentioned above. He may be able to fight it off but it looks almost too late to start antivirals.

You mentioned you got Ivermectin? Is is the 1.87% paste form? If so, we can help with dosing. Any animal that is sick or injured is more likely to devlope mange as their immune system is not working at it's best. If you decide to treat with Ivermectin, I would do it soon and not wait till later when he might be weaker.

I would also be worried that many wildlife shelters will just euthanize him at this point.:(

Let me know what type and strength Ivermectin you have?

Poor little black squirrel.:grouphug

[Prinz]

The regular vet didn't have any Ivermectin. And the other vet I guess mainly deals with farm animals as they only had Bimectin. The missus didn't ask what form it was in, but she was told the suggested dosing was 9cc per pound so I'm assuming it was injectable.

I can't seem to find a store where I live in Ontario that sells it, so I will probably have to order it online.

The wildlife center would probably have it but they said they would treat onsite of it he has mange. And like you said, if we bring him there....

[CritterMom]

The regular vet didn't have any Ivermectin. And the other vet I guess mainly deals with farm animals as they only had Bimectin. The missus didn't ask what form it was in, but she was told the suggested dosing was 9cc per pound so I'm assuming it was injectable.

I can't seem to find a store where I live in Ontario that sells it, so I will probably have to order it online.

The wildlife center would probably have it but they said they would treat onsite of it he has mange. And like you said, if we bring him there....

1.87% Ivermectin paste should be available any place that sells stuff for horses and livestock. Farm stores, tack shops, Tractor Supply - all will have this for around $10 per tube, which would treat about 100,000 squirrels. This is an extremely common horse wormer and literally every person who has a horse uses it in this form.

[TubeDriver]

1.87% Ivermectin paste should be available any place that sells stuff for horses and livestock. Farm stores, tack shops, Tractor Supply - all will have this for around $10 per tube, which would treat about 100,000 squirrels. This is an extremely common horse wormer and literally every person who has a horse uses it in this form.

Yup!:)


But please check back here for specific dosing directions since Ivermectin is very toxic and too much of a dose will kill a squirrel!

[Prinz]

Ok, I found some Bimectin paste at a TSC nearby.
I don't know the concentration yet, I will find that out tomorrow.

[Prinz]

I have the Bimectin. It's the 1.87% paste.

I worked from home today, but he didn't come by. Most of the black squirrels didn't brave the heat today, just a few gray ones.

[Rocky1]

Acyclovir is the best treatment for pox from what I've been reading on here, and by my understanding, time is of the essence. If you haven't already seen these threads, they might be helpful as you await more info form others on here, http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?165-Squirrel-Pox Be aware that antiVIRALS are needed to treat viruses such as pox. (Acyclovir is an antiVIRAL.) Antibiotics will only work on bacteria, but not on viruses.

[TubeDriver]

Ok, the 1.87% paste is what you want.:thumbsup

You should take a small amount of the paste, only the amount needed to fill this "O" or about half the size of an uncooked piece of rice.

Add that small amount to a pecan or other treat.


You will repeat this dose again in 8-10 days.

Finally, give an identical dose for the third and final time in 8-10 more days.

Ivermectin is very toxic so it is better to give too little rather than accidentally too much.

The first dose kills adult parasites, the second dose kills eggs that recently hatched and the final dose is just for good measure to insure complete coverage.



In terms of antivirals, you can give acycolvir daily for 7-10 days. Not sure how much it will help at this point but if you have this med available, we can help provide the correct dose.

Antibiotics can be used to suppress secondary infections that occur as a result of either the mange or the Pox. The damage caused by both of these illnesses can result in infections so AB do have a role in treatment if the illnesss progresses that much.







I have the Bimectin. It's the 1.87% paste.

I worked from home today, but he didn't come by. Most of the black squirrels didn't brave the heat today, just a few gray ones.

[Prinz]

So, I gave him a nut with Ivermectin today. Made sure he ate it all.

Looks like his eyes are almost completely swollen shut at this point.
Surprisingly mobile for that, he's still climbing up and down trees and posts.

How long do pox usually take before there is an outcome one way or the other?

What kind of antibiotics should I get for the secondary infections?

[TubeDriver]

At least the ivermectin will prevent mange and fleas from bothering him!:thumbsup

Poor little guy, if his eyes close all the way, he will need to be caught in a hav-a-hart trap.

Pox takes a while so he will have several more weeks of this at least. Make sure he can easily get food and fresh water so he does not have to work as hard.

I would probably get something like Cipro or clavamox and have on hand in case he gets any infections.



So, I gave him a nut with Ivermectin today. Made sure he ate it all.

Looks like his eyes are almost completely swollen shut at this point.
Surprisingly mobile for that, he's still climbing up and down trees and posts.

How long do pox usually take before there is an outcome one way or the other?

What kind of antibiotics should I get for the secondary infections?

[CritterMom]

I have to be totally, brutally honest here. Without the acyclovir, this baby is going to die a really bad death. Once they get like this, they do not get over it on their own, and those awful lesions you see on the outside are happening on the inside, too. I understand that it isn't just something that everyone has laying around the house. And at this stage, it may not help anyway.

If you can catch him, perhaps a local vet would be willing to put him to sleep. The poor baby. I hate this disease...

[Prinz]

We've been trying to catch him in a cage, but he's a bit more skittish than he was several weeks ago.
This morning he went into the cage to get a nut. But, as I was closing the door he just turned around and ran out. I think he banged his head on the door on the way out. He certainly looked at me quite insulted afterwards.
He still took nuts to eat though.

Difficult to get antivirals though. The vets around here seem very....Canadian about things. Seeing it as their responsibility to protect regular people from their stupidity.
They definitely don't want to just sell me antivirals for a wild squirrel.

[TubeDriver]

:sadness

I know that is a real possible outcome but I thought that grey squirrels can survive Pox sometimes?

[Rocky1]

I've heard of people getting acyclovir from friends who have an extra tablet. Then they crush it and provide the correct "squirrel dose" to the squirrel. There is a thread on here somewhere where someone mixed it in with unsalted peanut butter or something yummy and put it on walnuts or something. ... If you know anyone with cold sores or genital herpes, they might have an extra one.

[Prinz]

We have him currently caught in a cage.
He has been in there about 3 hours now.
He knocked over the water bowl and peed in the water on the bottom of the cage.

I want to transfer him to another cage to better take care of him, but I'm not sure what the best approach is.
I initially put him in there by just carrying him with my hands. But, that meant a quick trip to the ER due to his bites.

Any suggestions?

[Prinz]

I made a makeshift crate that is big enough to put the entire cage in. So we've transferred him to a much larger area now.

I would like to give him a chance, and not just bring him to a vet where he will certainly be put down.
He was much improved in activity yesterday, and went back to actually taking offered nuts from my hand. Something he hadn't done in 2 weeks.
However, today, before we caught him, he was much more sluggish. Although the swelling around his genitals appears to have gone down.

What can I do to help him at this point? Just feed and water him? My understanding is that grey squirrels often survive it. And I want to at least give him a shot at that.

[Sara in NW MS]

:bump

[TubeDriver]

Picking up an adult wild squirrel with your bare hands requires lots of bravery!

I use kevlar work gloves. You can throw an old tee shirt over him, cover his head and then wrap him up in it if you need to work on him. I use a hand held fish net to catch them when they are in my cage because they are very fast and hard to catch. Place the net over him, throw over an old shirt and sort of pin him with your hand behind his head/ neck. That will minimize getting bit. Be firm but gentle enough that you do not hurt him.

I would just give him plenty of food and water. Order a bag of Henries Wild Bites as they are nutritious and good for him. Two of these blocks will be the cornerstone of his daily diet, you can add veggies, and some fruits and nuts as treats.

If you can get an antiviral, we can help with dosing. The ivermectin you already gave him will kill mites, fleas and some parasitic worms as well.

I would add some rodent vitamin drops or the CAOH drops that were mentioned earlier.

Keep him in a quiet area of your house. Do not use towels since they can get their claws caught in the towal and hurt themselves. Old tee shirts, fleece pieces are good.


Good luck and I will hope for a miracle!


I made a makeshift crate that is big enough to put the entire cage in. So we've transferred him to a much larger area now.

I would like to give him a chance, and not just bring him to a vet where he will certainly be put down.
He was much improved in activity yesterday, and went back to actually taking offered nuts from my hand. Something he hadn't done in 2 weeks.
However, today, before we caught him, he was much more sluggish. Although the swelling around his genitals appears to have gone down.

What can I do to help him at this point? Just feed and water him? My understanding is that grey squirrels often survive it. And I want to at least give him a shot at that.

[Prinz]

Picking up an adult wild squirrel with your bare hands requires lots of bravery!

I use kevlar work gloves. You can throw an old tee shirt over him, cover his head and then wrap him up in it if you need to work on him. I use a hand held fish net to catch them when they are in my cage because they are very fast and hard to catch. Place the net over him, throw over an old shirt and sort of pin him with your hand behind his head/ neck. That will minimize getting bit. Be firm but gentle enough that you do not hurt him.

I would just give him plenty of food and water. Order a bag of Henries Wild Bites as they are nutritious and good for him. Two of these blocks will be the cornerstone of his daily diet, you can add veggies, and some fruits and nuts as treats.

If you can get an antiviral, we can help with dosing. The ivermectin you already gave him will kill mites, fleas and some parasitic worms as well.

I would add some rodent vitamin drops or the CAOH drops that were mentioned earlier.

Keep him in a quiet area of your house. Do not use towels since they can get their claws caught in the towal and hurt themselves. Old tee shirts, fleece pieces are good.


Good luck and I will hope for a miracle!


Requires some pigheadedness as well, he bit quite a ways into the joint. Can't really blame him.
I was just worried that If I used gloves I'd not know when I'd be holding him too tight and hurt him.

I will get the wild bites. I do also have some rodent blocks that I have had some success in trying to get various squirrels to eat.
I've asked around for the antivirals. But nobody I know has had shingles. And if any of them have herpes, they're not willing to admit to it.
I will go back to the vet to ask for antivirals again.

I put dried grass from the clippings piles in there and he seems to have made a little effort to make a nest around him. I've put some newspaper and paper towels on the floor as well.
If I add some tshirts you think he would have what he needs for bedding?

Yes, I think he'll need quite a bit of luck.

Any recommendations on specific cages or cage types to keep him in while we see which way he goes?

[TubeDriver]

This is a first class cage. It is what I use.

http://t.petsupplies.com/item/critter-nation-small-animal-cage-double-unit/650232/

Free shipping.

But that might be more than you need at this point. You need a metal cage with 1/2" to 3/4" bar spacing, 1" bar spacing is too large.

I bet if you put some old tee shirts, he will use them to make a little nest and he will hide under them too!

I am sorry you got bit, the main thing is to be current with your tetanus booster.

He is very lucky that you are so dedicated and caring!



Requires some pigheadedness as well, he bit quite a ways into the joint. Can't really blame him.
I was just worried that If I used gloves I'd not know when I'd be holding him too tight and hurt him.

I will get the wild bites. I do also have some rodent blocks that I have had some success in trying to get various squirrels to eat.
I've asked around for the antivirals. But nobody I know has had shingles. And if any of them have herpes, they're not willing to admit to it.
I will go back to the vet to ask for antivirals again.

I put dried grass from the clippings piles in there and he seems to have made a little effort to make a nest around him. I've put some newspaper and paper towels on the floor as well.
If I add some tshirts you think he would have what he needs for bedding?

Yes, I think he'll need quite a bit of luck.

Any recommendations on specific cages or cage types to keep him in while we see which way he goes?

[TubeDriver]

Can you post a picture of him when you get a chance?

[Rocky1]

I am not a rehabber, but I am wondering if you contacted a rehabber in your area (if there is one), if they might be able to help you with antivirals (ideally acyclovir)? Just a thought.

[Prinz]

My last tetanus shot was like 25 years ago, so they gave me that. As well as an IV of antibiotics as he had dug his teeth through the ligaments into the joint of my finger.

He's in a separate room of the house, trying not to disturb him too often, I will post a picture soon. He made it through the night at least.

Once of my co-workers rehabbed some squirrels a long time ago. He doesn't have any anti-virals.

[Prinz]

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He's moved around a bit during the night, you can see the flattened grass. But he's currently just sitting there and breathing.
I don't know if he's just too sick/exhausted to move or if he's really scared.
Anything we can add to make it more comfortable?

[Prinz]

Well, thank you all for your help.
But, unfortunately he died about 3 hours ago.

At least his last meal was a nut.

[TubeDriver]

God's Speed little squirrel. :(

Thank you for trying to help him, even it is was not meant to be. I would have tried to save him exactly like you did even though the odds were stacked against him. :grouphug



Well, thank you all for your help.
But, unfortunately he died about 3 hours ago.

At least his last meal was a nut.