Juniors Eye

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Sometimes when Junior wakes up his right eye wont open right away and it waters. My husband says he is getting a cold in his eye, but it dont do it all the time. :dono what is causing it, any help appreciated.:D

[4skwerlz]

Does he have any kind of bedding in his cage like wood chips? He could be allergic to something in his bed. Does the eye clear up completely during the day?

[wdarmac]

:wave123 No he doesnt have any bedding like that, he has sweat shirts and tee shirts, and his eye does clear up after hes up awhile. He will let me rub it to, I told my husband maybe he has clogged tear duct:dono

[4skwerlz]

A vet could give you some antibiotic eye ointment in case he has a slight infection in that eye. (Don't put any other kinds of ointment in the eye.) If it's a clogged tear duct, you can try gently massaging the tear duct with a towel dipped in warm water, but those do usually clear up on their own. I would definitely wash all Junior's bedding in "Free and Clear detergent" (hypoallergenic) and no bleach, just in case his bedding is irritating his eye for any reason or if he has an infection to keep it from spreading.

I'm sure the rehabbers will have more suggestions for you.

[Mars]

I wonder if it gets worst after you launder his bedding? If so I would guess it had something to do with your luandry soap or solfener or drier sheet. Basically squirrel laundry should be washed with unscented detergent, no solfeners and no drier sheets. Hope this helps. :)

[wdarmac]

:thankyou I hadnt even thought of that,I bet thats what it is, :thankyou so much:wave123

[wdarmac]

:wave123 I have another question for you all, Junior has a red like place that comes up on his lip. He had this about a month ago and it went away, now he has it again. It looks like a pimple to me. :dono what it is, so here is a picture of him from yesterday. Hope you can see it.

[wdarmac]

:wave123 You can see it some in that picture, will see if the others are better for a better view.

[wdarmac]

:thumbsup that is a perfect view of it, can anyone tell me what is causing that, It doesnt effect his eating at all, I hope its not his teeth, you can see his teeth a little on the first photo, any help appreciated.:wave123

[4skwerlz]

Looks like it could be from chewing or pressing on his cage bars.

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Junior just got up, and the spot on his lip is bigger today, when he had this before he hadnt been chewing alot on anything, but since he has the tree branch, that could be what has caused this:dono :thinking

[squirrelfriend]

Check his lip for splinters or a small scratch perhaps? as for the eye, does it ever look irritated any other time? IS it only stuck together right after sleep? When you see it watery was he in the process of cleaning himself? When my squirrels are cleaning themselves their eyes secrete this milk like substance. As soon as they are finished it is gone. Sometimes my Squirrelie wakes up with one eye shut but it opens up without much fuss. None of these guys have eye infections. It seems natural.

However, I have never seen them watery AFTER the cleaning. Check for irritation of the eye lids and the eye itself. Any swelling can be a sign of a problem. DId the eye problem start the same time as the lip? Allergic reaction? Try a different type of branch. any loss of fur? check for parasites. DOes he scratch atthese areas more than normal? check for a splinter.

[Secret Squirrel]

Humm I would check his teeth first. See if they line up properly. Check his gums to see if his teeth are poking into them. That can cause an infection or absess in his mouth. If nothing seems to be wrong there...then we looks someplace else.
It sould be a cyst of some sort between the lip and nose. :dono

What is his diet like ?

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Juniors diet is spinach,dandelions greens,carrots,pecans, walnuts,cheerios and broccoli,which he doesnt like to well, he also eats the crust off of wheat bread, he loves the little seeds. I have also been putting calcium in his water bottle. I have changed his diet from before because of MBD that I have learned about here on the message. We lost our Julie back in June due to the calcium defiency, and I dont want to lose Junior. Junior is 7 yrs. old, yes his eye is like that when he wakes up, not all the time, and it waters some. It doesnt look like it infected(his eye), but his lip has really gotten bigger. Do you think he needs antibiotics, if he does do you know where I could get some? Vets here wont even give you information on a wild animal because they said Im not suppose to have one, but what they dont know wont hurt them. any information appreciated.:thankyou :wave123

[4skwerlz]

I'm still having trouble seeing exactly what it is on Junior's lip. Can you try to get a better picture tomorrow?

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Yes I will try and get a better picture tomorrow, today the place is bigger, he had this a while back and it left on its own, I hope its not his teeth but it looks like a fever blister like humans get:dono for sure. It didnt get this big before.:thankyou :)

[wdarmac]

:thumbsup yes thats the spot on pic 2, only now its bigger:thankyou :wave123

[wdarmac]

:wave123 On the first pic you can see his teeth a little, Im not sure its his teethbut :dono I know its not his bottom teeth because I can feel them and they seem fine, not to long, but I dont know about the top ones, to me they feel like the curve back but :dono

[wdarmac]

:wave123 He will let me feel in his mouth but he has never let me really look up close to his teeth, but I will try again in the morning. He is asleep right now, I wish he would wake up and I could get another picture of his mouth tonight.He has been eating today and drinking, he doesnt act like hes in pain either, it looks like a big fever blister.:shakehead

[LynninIN]

I've tried to edit your pictures for a closer view. Junior's teeth do not look properly formed but a few more pictures would help. If the top teeth do not align correctly then the lower lip swelling could be from that.

[wdarmac]

:thankyou It seems to be the upper lip right below his nose to the left, you can see it better since you edited the pictures, but its bigger now

[LynninIN]

It looks like he has an abscess from his teeth. I'm not a rehabber and will ask one of them to take a look and give you some advise. Can Junior crack nuts?

The area is larger tonight than when you took the picture today?

[Mars]

When you look at it in the morning please try to determine if it is the lip or in the gums. Is it puffy swollen or a solid feeling lump? Is it warm to the touch ie feverish? Please look at our thread on malclusions

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3201

See if you can determine if the teeth do line up properly or not. Or it may be possible he ahas a splinter jammed up in there from chrewing on a branch. I'll check back and hopefully solve this mystery. :)

[wdarmac]

:wave123 I dont know if he cant crack a nut in a shell or if he just dont want too. Mac started cracking them open for him a long time ago, we buy the ones that are already shelled, but I will give him one tomorrow and see if he can::thankyou all for responding to my questions.:thumbsup If thats an abscess what can be done about it, does he needs antibiotics and a dentist?:D :wave123

[4skwerlz]

Mac started cracking them open for him a long time ago, we buy the ones that are already shelled, but I will give him one tomorrow and see if he can

My 2 cents is, spoil your pet squirrel by all means, but squirrels need to crack their own nuts! (That didn't sound right somehow.... :D ) It helps keep their teeth in good shape. Two more cents: Tomorrow you two need to turn Junior into a "squirrelito" so you can really examine him and get some close shots of what's bothering him. (I'm assuming you don't have a vet that can see him.)

[wdarmac]

:) Thats right there is no vet around here that I can take him to, I have only called the one I use for my dog and then I didnt tell them who I was, I havent tried any of the others because they will probably tell me the same thing, we are afraid if they find out who we are they will try to take him and that would be a mistake on there part. I think the closest rehabber we have is 120 miles north of here. Tomorrow we will check Junior out thoroughly, he may be mad when we get done:dono but hopefully he will get over it. One time I let him out of his cage to run all over the house, that was before we had our dog,Teddy. But I had ramp fixed where he could come and go as he please to his cage, One day he got a string hung on his teeth from the couch and was pulling and pulling and couldnt get loose, I had to cut the thread so he could get loose, when he got loose he ran to his cage and was mad at me and wouldnt come out. when my husband got home I told him what happened, so he got Junior to come out and Mac told him that what happened wasnt my fault and to tell me that he was sorry. So help me, Junior jumped on my shoulder and got right in my ear and started chattering, and after that he wasnt mad at me. I told mac that people wouldnt believe that one, but humans is all Junior knows, and that is the honest to god truth about Junior and the string.:wave123 Sorry this is so long:D

[wdarmac]

:wave123 No I dont have any of that, can I get it from squirrels and more?:D

[wdarmac]

:thankyou I will get some of it tomorrow:wave123

[Secret Squirrel]

Also GNC carries Bachs too! FYI
I agree really need to get up close with those teeth. He isn't gonna like it but if you wrap his entire body up in a banket and expose just his mouth...keeping his eyes covered also.
He will grumble and shreek but just keep a good hold firm hold....oh yeah it's gonna take two of you. One to hold and one to check his teeth...get the camera ready ahead of time too!! LOL!!!
First aid kit too:osnap Good luck!!!!

[wdarmac]

:wave123 We looked at him and it dont look like his teeth, just his lip, like a fever blister. Here are some pictures of it.:dono

[wdarmac]

:shakehead We want to get the medicine from squirrels and more before we put him in a burrito hold, he was getting kinda of spiffy when we tried to get that kind of hold on him, I do believe he has these mites, got a better look and some of the bald spots have little red bumps, like you all described, but heres another picture of his lip, still dont believe its his teeth.:dono

[Secret Squirrel]

That looks more like a cyst to me. Mites wouldn't do that.

I doubt he will sit still for you to look at his teeth but I would really look at them to see if is related to his teeth.

That bump really looks bad..... just give it time to do it's thing..I think it will drain when it's ready...or if he scratches it open. As long as he is eating good and his health seem well....give it time.

You can try holding a warm cotton ball soaked in warm water on the bump...but I doubt he will let you...poor fella!!!
That's all I have to offer....time....wait and see....if he seems well.

[wdarmac]

:thankyou for replying quickly, this has me really worried, but he is drinking and eating, I was wondering if the mites can pull down his immune system and that could be whats causing this, I cant figure out where he got mites.:dono I ordered the ivermectin 2.5, is that correct.:D

[Secret Squirrel]

The ivermectin won't help this situation. Antibiotic maybe if it is an absess.
I firmly belive he dosent have mites. Can you tell me why you think he has mites ?

I am thinking acsessed top tooth. Or cyst from inside the mouth caused from trauma...AKA cracked tooth, splinter.
My gut says lance it !!! But wait to see what the others are thinking.
I still think the wait and see for the next 12 hours to see what it's going to do naturally. Before you give any meds....sometimes we are too quick to administer meds.

Look at his top teeth again...I think this is where the problem lays.

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Junior has some bald spots and I got a good look at them today, there are little red bumps where some of the hair is missing, originally I thought he was shedding, but I dont think so now.:thinking

[Secret Squirrel]

:wave123 Junior has some bald spots and I got a good look at them today, there are little red bumps where some of the hair is missing, originally I thought he was shedding, but I dont think so now.:thinking

Are they the places on his face...or they else where???

[wdarmac]

:wave123 I have to leave soon to go to work, so I may not get back on here till tomorrow morning, I work from 4:00 p.m. till 6:30 a.m.,but any info you have for this please let me know. Has anyone ever seen this before in other squirrels?:shakehead :thankyou

[wdarmac]

:) He has bald spots on his hip and above his tail. Today I saw little red bumps on some of the spots.:dono

[Secret Squirrel]

I guess we will see how he is in the morning...hopefully it will lance itself and you can get a better look at his top teeth.

[4skwerlz]

I'm a little concerned the abcess is partially blocking Junior's left nostril. If this doesn't go down by tomorrow, I think something needs to be done.

Wdarmac, mites are extremely common on wild squirrels and pets sometimes get them too. Ivermectin will clear them up. I would wash all his bedding with hypoallergenic detergent, no bleach, and no softeners or dryer sheets. Give his cage a good cleaning too. Also throw away that branch you recently gave him that he's been chewing on and get him a different kind.

[wdarmac]

:thumbsup Juniors bump is going down, he effidently opened it himself because it has been draining and he has a scab on it this morning. I am still going to treat him for mites when I receive the medicine I ordered from squirrels and more. thank you all for your help:wave123 :jump

[Critter_Queen]

:thumbsup Juniors bump is going down, he effidently opened it himself because it has been draining and he has a scab on it this morning. I am still going to treat him for mites when I receive the medicine I ordered from squirrels and more. thank you all for your help:wave123 :jump

Just be sure you're using the right amount of ivermectin....you have to reconstitute what is sold by Chris to get it to the minimal dosages squirrels need....

[4skwerlz]

Just be sure you're using the right amount of ivermectin....you have to reconstitute what is sold by Chris to get it to the minimal dosages squirrels need....

CQ, What is your method for doing this? When I have to dose my wild squirrels, I always struggle with figuring the dosage using medicine designed for a 1,500 pound horse.

[Critter_Queen]

the best way is to use the propylene glycol that Chris also sells. It will allow the ivermectin to remain at it's original shelf life rather than your having to reconstitute it every time.

As far as how I do it, I use the method described in the Wild Mammal Babies book (also sold by Chris...do you think she's got a corner on this market?? :D) I'd have to get it from home to tell you how....usually my vet takes care of it, but I know it's in that book and it's relatively easy. The best way to reconstitute it is to figure out how to get it to 1mg/cc, that makes dosing squirrels SO much easier.

[I Love Lucy]

I wouldn't even consider using ivermectin paste. I have horses and the ivermectin pastes used for horses have a higher concentration of ivermectin than the one recommended for squirrels. When I recently had a squirrel with mange I thought about using the paste but I was too afraid to get the conversion wrong. The tube is for a 1000+lb. animal, so it is very hard to dilute it for a squirrel. I'm not sure which ivermectin Chris' is selling but you can get the right ivermectin online and at your vet.

[4skwerlz]

I wouldn't even consider using ivermectin paste. I have horses and the ivermectin pastes used for horses have a higher concentration of ivermectin than the one recommended for squirrels. When I recently had a squirrel with mange I thought about using the paste but I was too afraid to get the conversion wrong. The tube is for a 1000+lb. animal, so it is very hard to dilute it for a squirrel.
Yeah. I had to buy it for an emergency. One of my wild squirrels, who only shows up very rarely, turned up with a bad case of mange. It was awful! The vets won't give you drugs unless you bring them an animal. Plus I had very little time before he would leave the yard and might not come back. I had to race to the local feed store and buy the horse stuff. I just put a tiny smear on a peanut, put it back in the shell, tossed it to him, and he ate it up. I was so relieved when he turned up again a week later, and he was much better. Just to be sure I dosed him again the same way. Didn't see him again for several months and was worried I'd killed him with the meds! Finally he showed up and was recovered completely.


I'm not sure which ivermectin Chris' is selling but you can get the right ivermectin online and at your vet. Believe me, I will.

[I Love Lucy]

4skwerlz, I'm glad the squirrel came back to let you know it was cured and OK. If you search online for the right ivermectin you'll definitely find it on livestock feed and supplies websites. Good luck searching.

[wdarmac]

:wave123 I ordered the 2.5, Im kinda dumb:dono about this stuff, have never used it.:shakehead I dont want to give him to much, is there anything else to use for the mites:thinking Any help appreciated.:dono :wave123

[wdarmac]

:wave123 :jump Juniors bump is all gone and he is feeling great.:D I did get a good look at his teeth, and his top teeth are curved back,they are going to have to be trimmed,:shakehead I am really not looking forward to this. I called another vet and they like the other one told me they are not allowed to give me information on treating a wild animal, instead they gave me the conservation phone number, which I didnt call and I wont call them.:nono All they would do is want to take him away:nono and that will never happen. I gave Junior some scrambled eggs yesterday and he ate some of them. I didnt know they would even like them until I saw where Joeys daddy gives them to him. Junior loves his spinach too along with a little broccoli and his wheat bread crust.:wave123

[4skwerlz]

That's great that Junior's bump is gone. A little scrambled egg should be a nice healthy addition to Junior's diet. Try giving him the eggshell too, for extra calcium. I hope you figured out how to give Junior his ivermectin.

Can you get a really good pic of Junior's teeth so the TSB rehabbers can see them? Try to get the top and the bottom teeth. From the front, and one from the side if you can. You will need someone to hold Junior and someone to take the pic. Good luck.

[wdarmac]

:D Island rehabber gave me the dosage on the ivermectin, and I have already administered that on Friday, we used it by putting it on him, instead of orally.:wave123 I will do my best to get a good pic of his teeth, hopefully he will be cooperative.

[LynninIN]

How is Junior?

[wdarmac]

:wave123 Sorry it has taken me so long to reply, Junior is doing great, the abscess drained itself and never came back, thank goodness, I am going to try tomorrow and get a picture of his teeth so you all can see whats going on there, but the top teeth feel like they are curved back, he has been chewing on his tree branch and eating good. He loves his spinach, and I gave him a pecan with peanut butter on it, he loves that. the ivermectin has really helped, I am going to try and give him a bath too. Wish me luck with that one.:D :jump

[Mars]

:rotfl Good luck on the bath. What ever you use make sure it is a no tears formula. And have lots of towels available ( for yourself ) you may need them. :rotfl