Groin constantly wet/matted.

[<3MeSomeSquirrels]

My nearly year-old squirrel has had issues lately with constant wetness from urine around her groin, rear, and even at times her lower belly. Any idea why this would be the case or if there is a problem beyond the need for a bit of wipe-down?

Did anyone else have these kind of issues?

[Spanky]

My nearly year-old squirrel has had issues lately with constant wetness from urine around her groin, rear, and even at times her lower belly. Any idea why this would be the case or if there is a problem beyond the need for a bit of wipe-down?

Did anyone else have these kind of issues?

I'll venture to say this is not a common issue and is more significant than a need of a wipe down. This is not normal.

I did see a few threads on your squirrel, but admit to not reading them all as the info may be outdated by now. I believe it is important to start with the diet since diet related issues are the problem 90% or more of the time. And I suspect this may be a case where a tweak of the diet is needed, and perhaps other treatments as well.

What is the diet? Completely, entirely and uninhibited...

Can you post pictures of the underside? Pictures always speak a thousand words...

[<3MeSomeSquirrels]

Daily diet:

1 HHB block (or half - I've noticed some batches are huuuuge and sometimes the blocks are smaller)
A handful of leafy greens (arugula or kale, or red cabbage if it's about instead)
Broccoli bits
2-3 small cubes of baby carrot (totaling maybe 1/3 of a baby carrot piece)
Radish pieces (2-3, a little more than carrot amount)
Occasional other veggies - cucumber, tomato, squash, Brussel sprouts
A small handful of Oxford Regal Rat pieces
Another HHB block (or half dependent on size)

She rarely touches the veggies until the afternoon, but I put them out in the morning. She gets nuts and fruit very rarely.

She had urinary issues months ago and I tried giving her meds, but somewhere along the line she would not take t and could not be forced. Her peeing has vascillated between slow drips and quick squirts. She hasn't peed in a steady stream in a long time. Her overall well-being and mannerisms are positive as ever. I worry about meds because she's not a subdued squirrel in the least.

I hope it doesn't require more meds.

Edit: We just cleaned her area so it won't be representative. I can't get a picture now, but maybe in the next day or so? There is no redness. There seems to be some hair loss from the urine drying onto her and irritating her skin though. :(

[UDoWhat]

I would say this is a UTI and they can be very serious. She has to have the antibiotic. It is not her choice. She is most certainly uncomfortable. Please put her back on the antibiotics for the recommended length of time and make sure she takes them no matter what. At this point she may need to be on abs for at least 10 days to 2 weeks.

[Daisey007]

Daily diet:

1 HHB block (or half - I've noticed some batches are huuuuge and sometimes the blocks are smaller)
A handful of leafy greens (arugula or kale, or red cabbage if it's about instead)
Broccoli bits
2-3 small cubes of baby carrot (totaling maybe 1/3 of a baby carrot piece)
Radish pieces (2-3, a little more than carrot amount)
Occasional other veggies - cucumber, tomato, squash, Brussel sprouts
A small handful of Oxford Regal Rat pieces
Another HHB block (or half dependent on size)

She rarely touches the veggies until the afternoon, but I put them out in the morning. She gets nuts and fruit very rarely.

She had urinary issues months ago and I tried giving her meds, but somewhere along the line she would not take t and could not be forced. Her peeing has vascillated between slow drips and quick squirts. She hasn't peed in a steady stream in a long time. Her overall well-being and mannerisms are positive as ever. I worry about meds because she's not a subdued squirrel in the least.

I hope it doesn't require more meds.

Edit: We just cleaned her area so it won't be representative. I can't get a picture now, but maybe in the next day or so? There is no redness. There seems to be some hair loss from the urine drying onto her and irritating her skin though. :(

Please tell us what problems you have when medicating her, perhaps we can give you some pointers to make it easier for you and her. Usually medicating the animal is easier than determining what's wrong to medicate! And I don't need to tell just HOW painful a UTI can be. So, let's see if we can help you with it. :thumbsup

[UDoWhat]

Please tell us what problems you have when medicating her, perhaps we can give you some pointers to make it easier for you and her. Usually medicating the animal is easier than determining what's wrong to medicate! And I don't need to tell just HOW painful a UTI can be. So, let's see if we can help you with it. :thumbsup


:goodpost The medication can be compounded by a Pharmacy that does compounding and you can choose a flavor she will like. I have meds flavored with peanut butter. Most squirrels will take the meds willingly with some kind of flavoring added.

[<3MeSomeSquirrels]

She took the first two doses plain willingly. Then she refused. I diluted it with juice. She drank a bit, the recognized the flavor and rejected it. I injected it into fruit. I injected it into her HHB. I put it on a pecan and let it dry. I mixed it with yogurt. I put honey on the tip of the syringe.

It didn't take long (or enough consistent doses) for her to reject it all. I held her and forced her, but she got smart to that too and I was incapable of giving her the dose. It *is* her choice if I'm incapable of administering the meds because she is too fast.

She also refuses cranberry juice now.

I doubt her vet would compound it. Even if so, if she tastes it at all, I doubt my ability to force it long-term. It worked for a few days, but she figured out when it happened and was too fast and squirmy for me to force it beyond a few days.

[stepnstone]

She had urinary issues months ago and I tried giving her meds, but somewhere along the line she would not take t and could not be forced. Her peeing has vascillated between slow drips and quick squirts. She hasn't peed in a steady stream in a long time.

I agree this is a UTI and it needs to be properly treated!
An untreated uti can lead to Sepsis which is a life-threatening complication of the infection which can work its way up her urinary tract to her kidneys and
result in Permanent kidney damage from an acute or chronic kidney infection (pyelonephritis) due to an untreated UTI. Bluntly stated, it will kill her!


It *is* her choice if I'm incapable of administering the meds because she is too fast.

She should not be given a "choice" regardless of how difficult she is to handle! If you have to net her to catch her, burrito her to restrain her,
whatever it is you have to do you need to do it and get her properly treated for the duration needed to totally clear her uti.
Fill a syringe with the proper dose, restrain her whatever it takes, shove the syringe in her mouth and plunge the med in!
It may not be simple, it may not be easy, the only real choice here is yours and her life depends on it!

[lilidukes]

I totally agree with Step, meds are nothing to play with
or sugar coat. Moving them to a smaller cage is often
necessary in order to treat.

I don't know for sure if a injection of Convenia from your
vet would work on a UTI. But it's something to ask
him/her.

Where does she pee. On the bars/wire of her cage,
the side or the bottom???
I ask this because my Farrah has a huge indoor
cage with wire mesh and she pees pressed up against
the wire and often gets a wet belly from it.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

How long has this been going on? I worry more about an issue with how her ureters empty into her bladder or her urethra runs based on long term issues and always being wet. Patent urachus, ectopic ureters, or urinary incontinence for some reason would be my first thoughts. Has she seen a vet for this issue? She may very well have a secondary bacterial infection because the wetness makes it easier for bacteria to get into the urethra. There are many meds that can treat UTI, talk to your vet about trying a different one if she won't take one. Might give her an upset stomach or something and she's avoiding it, or just taste bad. Sulfa-trim is a great choice and tastes good :). The signs of UTI are urinating frequently, peeing just small amounts and squatting in many spots, licking at themselves, and blood in the urine. Is that what you're seeing?

[stepnstone]

There are many signs of a urinary tract infection....
Animals may show any combination of these symptoms. Some animals with bladder infections show no symptoms.

Eric Barchas, DVM -
Symptoms of urinary tract infections include:


Straining to urinate
Frequent urination
Attempting to urinate but producing only small quantities of urine
Painful urination leading to vocalization
Inappropriate urination (http://www.drbarchas.com/feline_housesoiling) (cats may urinate outside of the litter box, and dogs may urinate in the house).
Strong smelling or malodorous urine
Increased thirst (http://www.drbarchas.com/pupd)
Bloody urine (http://www.drbarchas.com/bloody_urine) (in severe cases)
Decreased appetite (http://www.drbarchas.com/anorexia)
Limping (http://www.drbarchas.com/limping) or reluctance to walk or jump
Unkempt (http://www.drbarchas.com/alopecia) or malodorous (http://www.drbarchas.com/bad_smelling_pet) hair coat
Lethargy

[island rehabber]

You've gotten great advice from some of TSB's finest, so all I will add is this: if you love this squirrel, find a way to get meds she likes and get them into her. This infection could kill her, and UTI's are painful. Remember that prey animals are hard-wired through millions of years of evolution NOT to show pain, so her "behaving normally" is not an indication of how she actually feels. We're here to help -- good luck with this!

[Mel1959]

:goodpost The medication can be compounded by a Pharmacy that does compounding and you can choose a flavor she will like. I have meds flavored with peanut butter. Most squirrels will take the meds willingly with some kind of flavoring added.

I don't have much to add, it's all been great advice. What I can say is that the peanut butter flavoring added to my squirrels meds must taste super yummy, because he laps and licks it off the syringe....and he's a dwarf squirrel and super finicky!

[Daisey007]

I agree this is a UTI and it needs to be properly treated!
An untreated uti can lead to Sepsis which is a life-threatening complication of the infection which can work its way up her urinary tract to her kidneys and
result in Permanent kidney damage from an acute or chronic kidney infection (pyelonephritis) due to an untreated UTI. Bluntly stated, it will kill her!



She should not be given a "choice" regardless of how difficult she is to handle! If you have to net her to catch her, burrito her to restrain her,
whatever it is you have to do you need to do it and get her properly treated for the duration needed to totally clear her uti.
Fill a syringe with the proper dose, restrain her whatever it takes, shove the syringe in her mouth and plunge the med in!
It may not be simple, it may not be easy, the only real choice here is yours and her life depends on it!

I agree with stepnstone. :tap It's not an option if you want her to live.