Possible broken ankle/foot

[Minaluvri]

I have a little guy (around 28 grams now) that I've had for about a week now, he came in cat bitten, with some puncture wounds and bruising that progressed until he was almost entirely purple. He barely moved and didn't eat as well so I had him in infant ibuprofen for the pain as well as AB's (first cipro which didn't help, then switched to clavamox) for cat bite as well as some possible respitory problems. However now he seems much better, eats great, is gaining weight, lost the weird breathing sound, his puncture wounds scabbed over and fell off, and his bruising is almost gone. Recently now that he's moving around more I noticed something strange, he holds the one leg into his body with the other foot and upon further inspection I think it might be broken. It's bent at a very odd angle around the ankle. His leg further up does seem to react, but may just be hurt. There is also bruising around his hip which is some of the only bruising that hasn't gone away yet. Now that I I've noticed this I'll start up with ibuprofen again, but beyond that what can I do? Should I attempt to fix it or just let it heal? Is it possible for a broken ankle to heal on its own?
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[island rehabber]

There is definitely a contusion of some kind there.....I am not sure if, at this age, it can be wrapped. I am going to ask our favorite vet member, squirrelsruleandbunniestoo, to come and tell us what she thinks.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Do you know where it is broken? The lower leg looks twisted like it's broken, but the bruising is all on the upper leg near the hip.

You can wrap a pinkie, you just need to realize that they're growing and rewrap every 2-3 days. They heal quickly and luckily aren't walking around, so that can really help.

The rules for wrapping a break are that it MUST be below the knee or elbow because you have to immobilize the joint above and below the break and you can't immobilize the hip. So, if it's a femur break, you can't wrap it. The best types of fractures to splint are the ones that are long oblique fractures with minimal displacement. This break looks like it has a lot of displacement, so might be hard to wrap.

[Minaluvri]

I don't believe the hip or femur is the problem, he seems to move that well. It's hard to tell but it looks like the foot is twisted inwards and the end of the tibia...or maybe fibula Is displaced (sorry I don't know if squirrel and human bones are the same, that's just my guess). Does the displacement mean I can't wrap it? I don't want to make it heal in the wrong place. If I were to wrap it, what would I wrap it with? I have medical tape and wraps but he's so tiny...I'll try to get better pictures next feeding

[Sara in NW MS]

I saw this earlier today online. Maybe this will help, although it would be nice to have someone agree that they wrapped this little leg properly.

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[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

You'd want to get it in the right position and then wrap it with gauze and vet wrap.

[Minaluvri]

How would I go about moving it into the correct position without further damaging it?

[Daisey007]

How would I go about moving it into the correct position without further damaging it?

Hello...

I was wondering if it would be possible for you to take it to a wildlife vet to get it set properly? I mean, our skills are pretty limited, even as a licensed rehabber. Setting broken bones is probably best left to a professional... :dono

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Hello...

I was wondering if it would be possible for you to take it to a wildlife vet to get it set properly? I mean, our skills are pretty limited, even as a licensed rehabber. Setting broken bones is probably best left to a professional... :dono

In an ideal world X-Rays should be done to see the break and determine best treatment option.

If you can't get the little guy to a vet, make sure his foot is pointing the right way when the wrap is on otherwise you defeat the purpose of splinting it.

[Daisey007]

In an ideal world X-Rays should be done to see the break and determine best treatment option.

If you can't get the little guy to a vet, make sure his foot is pointing the right way when the wrap is on otherwise you defeat the purpose of splinting it.

I've had three babies with broken legs and one arm 'but they were all a little older than this one', and all four set their own broken bones with what was referred to as a "calcium cast". It appeared as a lump in the bone where it was broken, and after a few weeks the calcium absorbed back into the system and the lump was gone. Pretty cool to see. Perhaps this little one will do the same? :dono

Also, something to keep in mind, the future release of this little gut 'depends' on his leg being set correctly - otherwise it could result in him becoming cripple in which case he would not be unable to survive in the wild and would become a NR. Splinting and wrapping a broken bone is a very easy procedure for professionals but for some non professionals it is a HUGE deal!

One great concern is wrapping too tightly and cutting off circulation to the limb... and then you're looking at amputation.

Please use extreme caution when attempting to do this alone.

Sending up prayers...

Kindest regards,
Pam

[Nancy in New York]

I've had three babies with broken legs and one arm 'but they were all a little older than this one', and all four set their own broken bones with what was referred to as a "calcium cast". It appeared as a lump in the bone where it was broken, and after a few weeks the calcium absorbed back into the system and the lump was gone. Pretty cool to see. Perhaps this little one will do the same? :dono

Also, something to keep in mind, the future release of this little gut 'depends' on his leg being set correctly - otherwise it could result in him becoming cripple in which case he would not be unable to survive in the wild and would become a NR. Splinting and wrapping a broken bone is a very easy procedure for professionals but for some non professionals it is a HUGE deal!

One great concern is wrapping too tightly and cutting off circulation to the limb... and then you're looking at amputation.

Please use extreme caution when attempting to do this alone.

Sending up prayers...

Kindest regards,
Pam

Excellent advice.
I have seen some wrapped jobs that have left the little ones NR's
Very true about the circulation as well.
This is something I would NOT advise doing yourself.
Even the best rehabbers can make mistakes when wrapping............and do! :shakehead

[Minaluvri]

Where I live there are no vets that will see wildlife anywhere nearby. There is a vet at the wildlife center however it has very strict rules. All babies under 4 weeks are euthanized as they are apparently too much work so I am not even supposed to have this baby (he's barely two weeks). Aside from that I have witnessed them euthanize several baby squirrels and raccoons with broken limbs because they "were deformed now had no chance of being released" and in Missouri it is illegal to keep NR's and according to the nature center "more ethical to kill them than to make them live a life not in the wild". I work with this wildlife center out of necessity but I do not agree with them and there is no way I'm taking this baby in there to have him put down.
My only choice is to address this myself or leave it alone and hope that it heals itself. Any advice on which is better would be GREATLY appreciated. I want to give this baby his Best chance of being released, but I will not give up on him if that is not possible.

[Minaluvri]

276180Here are some more pictures, somethings going on with his other foot too which is strange because it didn't look like it originally. His right leg has a lump around the ankle and the toes look extended, the left leg is bent inwards where the ankle connects to the lower leg. Both seem to have feeling in toes and can move at the hip.
Additional question: he's been on AB's for 10 days now but the first two were with the unsuccessful cipro, should I count 10 days total or 10 days on clavamox only?276180 276181 276182276183276184

[Daisey007]

276180Here are some more pictures, somethings going on with his other foot too which is strange because it didn't look like it originally. His right leg has a lump around the ankle and the toes look extended, the left leg is bent inwards where the ankle connects to the lower leg. Both seem to have feeling in toes and can move at the hip.
Additional question: he's been on AB's for 10 days now but the first two were with the unsuccessful cipro, should I count 10 days total or 10 days on clavamox only?276180 276181 276182276183276184

I'd say if the first two were unsuccessful then I'd only count the days on clavamox. Also, I'm not sure that 14 days wouldn't be best since his injuries are cat related. Wounds associated with cats tend to be particularly NASTY. Perhaps HRT4SQRLS will be along to advise on this. She's the real expert.

[Daisey007]

You know what... you may have just witnessed the making of a calcium cast! :dance
From what I can see from the pictures, it looks almost exactly like the ones I was referring to!! :w00t

It takes them a few days to develop. Now, all of the breaks that my babies had appeared to be clean breaks without injury to a joint. After witnessing baby squirrels develop calcium casts, and another baby regrow his entire lower eyelid... I'm convinced they're quite remarkable little healers!! :bliss

I'd say leave the legs alone another couple of days... I think you're witnessing one of natures miracles. :thumbsup

[Minaluvri]

I kind of thought that one leg looked like it was forming something like you described. The other one though is twisted inward, is it smart to let it heal like that? In just worried if I wait it'll heal wrong and be too late to fix, but at the same time I don't want to try to fix it and make it worse. I don't know what to do

[Daisey007]

I kind of thought that one leg looked like it was forming something like you described. The other one though is twisted inward, is it smart to let it heal like that? In just worried if I wait it'll heal wrong and be too late to fix, but at the same time I don't want to try to fix it and make it worse. I don't know what to do

Well, you can't know what to do... the only way to know for sure is to get professional assistance which you've said is not an option. I don't even know if these "casts" sets the limbs appropriately every time. I only know that what I've had experience with did indeed set it correctly but does it always do it correctly...? I don't know. I HOPE SO... but I don't know. That being said, I'm better with believing in natures miracles than I am with attempting to set it without full and adequate knowledge. I seriously doubt that you or I could set it correctly. He's too small and the area is TINY, we don't even know what is broken but his body does - so lets try to trust that. Even if his body can't completely 'fix it" or "fix it correctly", it's probably better than WE can do.

[Minaluvri]

So bruising has gone away on this little one and he's growing well. He keeps his legs uncrossed now which was a big problem before and seems to be putting more pressure on them however I'm still very concerned. His one foots toes are extended out and won't curl in and both of his legs don't face out like they should. The weird bumps of bone that were sticking out have gone away but I'm very concerned that the way that they are healing by themselves will not allow for proper movement and use. He mostly keeps them in a position that looks like he's dragging them behind him, but he sort of scoots with them.
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On a side note I've also attached a picture of his head because the hair is growing in very strangely, sort of patchy and looks very dry despite the fact that I clean it frequently so there's no dried formula and apply coconut oil every day. I even have a little humidifier in there I don't understand it. The rest of his body seems to be growing hair normally.