PDA

View Full Version : Eye problem in Wild Squirrels-genetic, injury or disease in Kansas?



GTSally
08-05-2016, 06:21 PM
Hi,
I have now noticed the same eye problem (or looks to be the same) in 2 different squirrels living about 50 minutes apart from each other. I have a female that comes to my backyard and had some babies this spring in the nesting box I have in a tree. I noticed it looked like she only has 1 eye and the other side was just concave. She is wild, so I can only see so much, while she is in my backyard. Then I visited a park across town to feed some other wild squirrels and noticed another squirrel with the same looking eye issue. I got a couple of pictures to show. I am in college to become a Vet Tech and hopefully a squirrel rehabilitator one day :Love_Icon I took the picture in for the Veterinarian in charge of my college program and he was unsure. Said it looks to be genetic, but without having the actual squirrel to examine, it is hard to say. He said he isn't familiar with squirrel diseases, so to ask the rehabilitators. I know I can't do anything for the female that comes to my backyard or the one I saw at the park. I just want to know for future reference when rehabilitating. Thank you!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a312/mark1wat/20160804_144720_zpsskvuds17.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/mark1wat/media/20160804_144720_zpsskvuds17.jpg.html)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a312/mark1wat/20160804_144713_zps6td0cp7l.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/mark1wat/media/20160804_144713_zps6td0cp7l.jpg.html)

HRT4SQRLS
08-05-2016, 06:53 PM
Hi GTSally, welcome back! :grin2

I have to say this is rather concerning to me. Lennysmom posted about a squirrel at a campground a month or so back that had an EXTREME growth/tumor/abscess/??. The squirrel was captured and taken to a vet. It passed within 24hrs. If you want to read about it, let me warn you, it is hard to look at. http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?54345-Terrible-facial-abscess-on-wild-squirrel/page6

We have seen several of these facial 'lumps'... abscess/tumor. Sometimes they are abscesses, other times tumors. If it's an abscess, it could be caused by maloccluded teeth, puncture wounds from the outside thought the skin or punctures inside the mouth. In the pic, it does seem to be higher than would be caused by teeth...but then again.
I don't know what that is but it concerns me that we've seem so many of these lately.
I think the eye just looks shrunk in from the facial swelling. I don't think the eye is the problem.