Broken/Injured Arm

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Here goes again....
I doubt this would be a life threatening situation, but I don't want to raise an undue alarm so I'm posting here.
But, one of my rehabs, Nugget, fell out of a tree last night. We know because he fell right next to my husband, but ran off.
I couldn't find him til this afternoon, but he looks rough.
He won't put any weight on the arm and can't hold anything very well at all, but he CAN move it a little. He's getting around VERY clumsily, but is guarding that arm.
He IS eating and drinking. But he seems sluggish...maybe exhausted.
But.....
I couldn't catch him. He's wilded up the most. He went into their nestbox up the tree.
I had some vet-prescribed Meloxicam from when his sister scratched her eye badly. I tacked a little cup about a foot below the nestbox (close as I can get at the moment) with the 0.5ml dose MineyMo got. Maybe he'll take it?
Anything else I might do?
Do I need to make it up there somehow tonight and get him to the emergency vet? I wouldn't know if there were any internal injuries, but I can hope not considering his mobility and eating/drinking.

[SammysMom]

In my opinion, meloxicam in the wild is not a good idea. It can make them not feel the pain that prevents them from attempting to do something they are not actually able to do because of the injury. If you do not see improvement by tomorrow, I suggest that since you are in Florida and probably can find a vet nearby, maybe see if you can get him in to see someone.:Love_Icon

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Good point about the meloxicam. I didn't even think of that....just of easing his pain.
The vet school here at UF may see him. I'm calling first thing in the morning. If not, my regular vet, who will see my squirrels, won't be available until Monday morning.

Is it a good idea to keep him in the RC during recovery? They're only a bit over 2 weeks since fully released.

Thanks for your help.

[SammysMom]

The RC is a terrific option!

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Nugget is missing. Sometime between dusk and dawn, he must have slipped out of the nestbox. I presume either to hide and heal or die :( or was thirsty.
He hasn't made an appearance at all today and I've been out here since 615am.
He's not still in the nestbox. I watched the other two emerge this am but not him.
Climbed a ladder 20+ feet, hanging onto a 3" limb for dear life and stuck my hand down in there.
I fear he's gone, but I'm hoping he'll still show back up.

I am absolutely heartbroken. If he's gone, that makes 2 of my 4 rehabs. One within 20 minutes, and the other in about two weeks.
How does anyone keep DOING this?

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Whirlwind couple of days. Nugget came back near 24 hours later.
I got him secured finally and took him to the vet. Left foreleg bones are broken- both the radius and the ulna.
He's in a splint-cast and under strict mobility restriction.

I am in unfamiliar water here and am in need of talking with someone who has taken care of an injured squirrel before-preferably under much the same condition.
Because, first, he's not supposed to jump, climb, hang, etc and where do I start on that one??? Vet suggested a large plastic tote bin. That seems unrealistic for several reasons.

It's going to be 2-3 months before he's releasable again....IF his activity is restricted and doesn't lead to a failed healing. This first week is critical.

[Ekorre]

I don't have any advice about the broken bones (ouch!), but just wanted to say how glad I am that Nugget returned & you were able to get him to a vet. :great

Sending healing energy & positive vibes to your little one. Fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery! :hug

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Ok, so my main problem right now is getting him his medications. He doesn't take the syringe (flavor?) and won't take them when they're disguised in food. He doesn't like my hand coming at him with anything inside the aquarium so he chitters at me and complains, and I am afraid of bites after sustaining two pretty serious ones over the last eight months.
He will let me pet his back lightly while he's nearly asleep, though.
He is terrified of towels, so that doesn't work. He freaks out and tries to get away, which could ruin his cast.
So, any advice?
I've been really stressing him out getting these meds in. He's obviously in a lot of pain, poor little dude.
Or is the pain relief worth the stress of forcing the syringe on him?
I've thought about passing him off to a rehabbed nearby who was willing to care for him, even though I'd prefer the do it myself since I saved the little guy once. That's selfish, I know, so I'm leaving that option open for now.
I could also board him at the vet hospital for $50/day. Already quite the expense with this injury and more ahead with follow up...but that is what it is.

[lennysmom]

Have you tried putting the medicine on a pecan half in the grooves? When I have squirrels that are difficult to get medicine in, I will put the medicine on a pecan half, put it in the fridge to let it dry on it, and then put a dab of peanut butter on top once the medicine has dried on it. It is a little difficult sometimes to get all of it to stay on the pecan, so I will put a tiny amount of peanut butter on both ends of the pecan before putting the meds on it so that the medicine doesn't go running out of the ends. Hope you can find a way to get the meds in your little guy.. I'm sure he is in pain.:grouphug

[Mel1959]

I am very sorry to hear about Nugget. I totally understand your thought about letting a Rehabber care for him. I would choose carefully which Rehabber you are going to intrust him to, though. I know there's a good one in Jacksonville called the Ark.

I hope he starts taking his medicine better. He won't need to be on it forever, so that's good. And after he's been inside for a while maybe he will be easier to deal with. :grouphug

[Coffeeculturegvl]

He loves pecans, but hates peanut butter (????) I tried a pecan anyway and he saw right through the trick. Clever guy.
I have gotten him under control and am currently delivering his meds without issue via syringe. The trip OUT of the aquarium (temporary ICU) to a lap blanket is the worst part. I bought welding gloves. Bulky, but I still have all my fingers! Once in my lap, he is a sweet marshmallow or tried to hide under my shirt.
Posting photos now....

Have you tried putting the medicine on a pecan half in the grooves? When I have squirrels that are difficult to get medicine in, I will put the medicine on a pecan half, put it in the fridge to let it dry on it, and then put a dab of peanut butter on top once the medicine has dried on it. It is a little difficult sometimes to get all of it to stay on the pecan, so I will put a tiny amount of peanut butter on both ends of the pecan before putting the meds on it so that the medicine doesn't go running out of the ends. Hope you can find a way to get the meds in your little guy.. I'm sure he is in pain.:grouphug

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Photo 1: Specialized cast. Opposing forces via metal spiral are lifting his bones back into alignment.

Photo 2: Oblique fracture of the ulna. Spiral fracture of the radius. Not the cleanest breaks, but not the ugliest the vet says.

Photo 3: Mystery bone structure abnormality. The vets checked ALL of their archived squirrel radiographs for a comparison but couldn't find one. This is bilateral (both sides) and if it was just one side, they would assume a fracture. But because his mobility doesn't appear compromised at the elbow, they surmise it is normal for Nugget, but unprecedented.
Both lower humerus condyles appear "notched."
Anyone seen this before?????
The vet school would love to learn more.

[redwuff]

Hope your neighbor did not do this!

What an angel you are. This would have been a death sentence for him if he could not have come back to his mom. Bad bad break! Hurts to just look at the x rays.

I hope you can find a way to get pain meds in him. He does need them. Did the vet prescribe an antibiotic for him? He needs one with bone breaks like that. The cast looks amazing. Usually when our vet wraps a broken bone, the baby has it off by the time we are home.

Prayers to you and your boy

[Mel1959]

What a sweetie. Glad he settled down and knows your only trying to make him better. :hug

[Chickenlegs]

You've certainly earned your sainthood suspenders with this little fuy. He has no idea how blessed he is.

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Need to know if there's something I can dab on his cast that will keep him from chewing on it and won't overload his smell, but won't harm him if he does chew!
Like cayenne, etc
He started chewing and if he gets this cast off.... I could be looking at a failed healing.

[Milo's Mom]

Liquid injectible Baytril or liquid injectible Clindamycin on the cast will make it taste horrible. Clindamycin is worse tasting than Baytril.

I have used this several times.

[Mel1959]

I think I have read that squirrels don't like cloves and peppermint. You can also buy Yuck! at pet stores or Tractor Supply and spray that on it. It might help keep him from chewing. I hope others will chime in with suggestions.

[Milo's Mom]

Just reading some more of the thread. I too suggest a bin/tote to limit movement. 2-3 months is a drop in the hat in the grand scheme of things. If his arm doesn't heal he won't be able to be released....what's 2-3 months?

[redwuff]

Try bitter apple which you can get in the pet store, or a product called Yuk!. I wonder if you could keep him on a sedating dose of gavapentin. That would help you handle him easier and he would sleep a lot. Any idea if your vet would dose that? Is he on any pain med? The gavapentin is also a good med for nerve pain which he might be dealing with the break he had. I think metacam also has drowsy capabilities and he should be on that for inflammation .

Have you figured out how to get any meds in him? Hang in there:grouphug

[Milo's Mom]

Trysh has a very good point...sedation would be great right now!

As for the Gabapentin, generally it is not a great stand alone pain killer. It works best in combination with other medications. Personally, I would use an NSAID (Metacam) at a low dose (0.2-0.5 mg/kg) and the Gabapentin I would start at 10mg/kg 2-3 times a day and adjust accordingly depending on the sedation level as needed for the Gabapentin. Other than sedation, Gabapentin is very safe.

Do you think you can get these meds?

As for getting them into him...NUT BUTTERS!!!

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Where can I buy that on a weekend without a prescription of some kind? I assume liquid injectable antibiotics will require a script from SOMEONE.
But that's an excellent idea since I presume the antibiotic won't hurt him if he chews, right?


Liquid injectible Baytril or liquid injectible Clindamycin on the cast will make it taste horrible. Clindamycin is worse tasting than Baytril.

I have used this several times.

[Coffeeculturegvl]

The vet student mentioned bitter apple but the vet didn't seem too confident. But I'll try it anyway. Same with Yuck! I can't get a vet prescription until Monday, but he has his followup Monday.
I'm getting the meds in him. I tough-loved him and he finally caved and is enjoying some snuggling and head/chest rubs.
He's on both meloxicam and tramadol, but only gets dosed once a day in the morning. It's evening and early early morning I think when he's chewing.
I wish he could get an evening dose too :/

Try bitter apple which you can get in the pet store, or a product called Yuk!. I wonder if you could keep him on a sedating dose of gavapentin. That would help you handle him easier and he would sleep a lot. Any idea if your vet would dose that? Is he on any pain med? The gavapentin is also a good med for nerve pain which he might be dealing with the break he had. I think metacam also has drowsy capabilities and he should be on that for inflammation .

Have you figured out how to get any meds in him? Hang in there:grouphug

[Coffeeculturegvl]

I can't get a script now, but will ask at his followup Monday.
And....nut butters? Like apple butter, almond butter, cashew butter? He does NOT like peanut butter. Won't even taste it.


Trysh has a very good point...sedation would be great right now!

As for the Gabapentin, generally it is not a great stand alone pain killer. It works best in combination with other medications. Personally, I would use an NSAID (Metacam) at a low dose (0.2-0.5 mg/kg) and the Gabapentin I would start at 10mg/kg 2-3 times a day and adjust accordingly depending on the sedation level as needed for the Gabapentin. Other than sedation, Gabapentin is very safe.

Do you think you can get these meds?

As for getting them into him...NUT BUTTERS!!!

[Coffeeculturegvl]

Can I use essential oils on his cast safely? I have loads of oils, plus arnica oil, calendula oil, and a catnip oil I made as a bug repellant (failed on that.) Just thinking about what i have on hand TONIGHT.

And I forgot to mention Nugget seems to be feeling much better already. This afternoon, out of nowhere, he decided to try and bolt when I took him out. Caught the gimpy guy pretty quick, but still....he needs to not be running around.
He's also testing the aquarium lid, obviously wanting out.
This is a big difference from being rolled into a ball since his casting.
More sedation would be good, but I don't want to increase his dose without vet approval or knowledgeable direction.
He takes, once in the morning:
.06 mL Meloxicam
.09 mL Tramadol

[Coffeeculturegvl]

This feels like I could be playing with a dangerous fire, but....
I have an old script of clindamycin, 300 mg capsules (powder)which is 5 years old and so the antibiotic probably isn't viable but the offensive taste might be.
I'd want to know how to mix this into something useable , if it's even possible.
I'm probably reaching here.


Liquid injectible Baytril or liquid injectible Clindamycin on the cast will make it taste horrible. Clindamycin is worse tasting than Baytril.

I have used this several times.

[Coffeeculturegvl]

So far, so good. Nugget is settling in although I know he's super lonely. It may not have been the smartest thing, but his brother Grayson came up to the window for a treat and wanted chin rubs. Since he was being especially sweet, I walked him over to Nugget's infirmary. Nose sniffs through the screen and Grayson couldn't wait to get IN.
Nugget REALLY perked up. They groomed each other and "stacked" themselves. Then Grayson promptly found the bed and went to sleep. Nugget climbed in and they've been spooning since this afternoon. I couldn't bear to separate them, so they're having a sleepover.
I'll certainly be letting Grayson out in the early, early morning to go do his squirrelly things.
With such a positive reaction from Nugget, and an obviously comfortable Grayson, should I continue with the "visitations?"
These two were just the best of buddies, always playing together after release, and I don't think Grayson had given up searching for Nugget.