JB has ugly ear/head infection.

[TubeDriver]

So big, tough JB showed up a week ago with an injury to his ear and also right rear leg. At first I was not sure if it was something like mange in his ear and I gave him an ivermectin treatment. However, later he showed up with pus all frozen to his fur and now he has lost a lot of skin and it looks like his ear is gone. It has drained and is not abscessed.

He does have better movement in his foot so I think that is improving. Today I could see that one of his toes was swollen and red at the tip of his toe.

Overall, he is still strong and he chases any other squirrel away when he comes by for treats.

His good side to show overall health/condition.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/TubeDriver/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zps9ml53w8t.jpeg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/TubeDriver/media/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zps9ml53w8t.jpeg.html)

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/TubeDriver/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsl5gj0wzg.jpeg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/TubeDriver/media/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsl5gj0wzg.jpeg.html)

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/TubeDriver/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsga8s4nz8.jpeg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/TubeDriver/media/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsga8s4nz8.jpeg.html)



Now the bad side.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/TubeDriver/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsm8mq0n8x.jpeg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/TubeDriver/media/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsm8mq0n8x.jpeg.html)


I just gave him a second dose of ivermectin. I will be traveling a bit on and off in the upcoming weeks for work so I don't think I can bring him inside. Should I try to dose him with some antibiotics? Not sure I would be able to get him treated daily since he often comes very late? He looks really hungry when he shows up so I think he may spend a lot of his day resting and not foraging for food. We have close to 30" of snow on the ground so conditions are pretty hard for him right now. I do give hime handfuls of almonds and pecans.

[Mel1959]

Is his ear actually gone or could a portion of it be attached back to his head because of crusty puss or scabs?

[TubeDriver]

It was originally pasted to the side of his head with puss but now I cant see much of the ear, I think it might have fallen off. In that last picture, there is a chance his ear is tucked under a flap of skin?



Is his ear actually gone or could a portion of it be attached back to his head because of crusty puss or scabs?

[Chickenlegs]

In the pix, looks like the back of his ear is pasted down. Poor sweet boy. So can you load up his goodies with ABs? If he comes late, likely his food will go in to him and not into anybody else. That way, even if you're gone, Mrs. TD can put out some laced yummies. Only good thing about the cold and snow is less likelyhood of rampant infection and he IS resting. He sure is a beautiful boy!

[TubeDriver]

I could treat him but it would be erratic at best. Do you think that looks like something he can recover from on his own?

He is just hanging out in the tree above my porch. He chases away any other squirrels that approach him. You can see his swollen toe in this picture.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/TubeDriver/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsdavnnpjm.jpeg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/TubeDriver/media/A%20random%20squirrel%20pics%202016/image_zpsdavnnpjm.jpeg.html)


In the pix, looks like the back of his ear is pasted down. Poor sweet boy. So can you load up his goodies with ABs? If he comes late, likely his food will go in to him and not into anybody else. That way, even if you're gone, Mrs. TD can put out some laced yummies. Only good thing about the cold and snow is less likelyhood of rampant infection and he IS resting. He sure is a beautiful boy!

[TubeDriver]

His name is BJ (Brutus Jr.) not JB.

[Nancy in New York]

I currently have a little one that came here last week with a very similar condition.
There was a lot of damage to the back of his neck.
He had reddish pussy oozing in that area.
I treated him with Clavamox and Clindamycin.
I only stacked because he was NOT a regular at the time,
and I wanted to get something in quick and not wait to add the Clind.
Here he is this morning 7 days later.

TD, I thought too that he was missing his complete ear.
I think on the little black ones, it's even harder to tell if everything
is intact.
He's the one on the bottom, and his ear is somewhat popping back up.


https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZhDPJ3f/0/O/i-ZhDPJ3f.jpg

[Mel1959]

That looks like a very similar injury as JB's. I would think ANY antibiotics would be helpful, even if he wasn't getting it everyday. Maybe he would get enough cumulatively to make a difference. I wouldn't think it would hurt to administer it.

[stepnstone]

If you could trap him and get him to me I would be willing to house him, treat him,
and return back to you when he's healed. I have nothing but empty cages...

[Chickenlegs]

Hit him with the ABs. A loading dose will get him going and even eratic is better than not if he can be dosed even every few days. I worry that ABs can backfire and allow really nasty bacteria to proliferate but he's healing some so maybe that antibiotic kick in the pants will speed things along. And of course you know that's just one person's opinion.

Just saw Step's reply. Best of ALL worlds. You know him. You trust him. And your squirrels have found him tasty in the past. Thanks Step!

[TubeDriver]

Thanks Step, CL, Nancy and Mel for the help and advice. I watch him carefully for the next couple days. Thanks Step for the kind offer, if it gets ANY worse I'll try to trap him.

[stepnstone]

And your squirrels have found him tasty in the past. Thanks Step!
:tapThat was soooooo uncalled for... :laugh2

Your call Pete, you know where I'm at, I'm not going anywhere...

[Fireweed]

Pete, just sharing my experience: I had two wild squirrels recently with the same thing. Abscesses on ears. One lost both ears (she had a few abscesses), one lost only one. They had their ears plastered to their heads through the cold when the abscesses burst and then when it warmed up, one of them had flappy ears until they fell off. No infection. I did not treat. They are both fine now it's been a few weeks for one and over a month for the other.

[Shewhosweptforest]

I agree with some of the comments...I think his ear is just plastered down....with the lost fur under the ear, it just makes it look like everything's missing ...I think is ear is still here :yuck that looks rough...probably looks worse then it really is :please boy! is he trying to outdo Pop? :facepalm

[TubeDriver]

Thanks everyone! I the ear is there it is just pasted down right now.:w00t

[pappy1264]

Must be the year for ear issues! (Will have to get a pic of Rocky's). I can def. see the ear. I think he will be ok, but nice of Step to offer to take him in if needed.