Stormhaven Garden-Wildlife Rehabilitation Pox Protocol Trial 2017...case #4.

[Runestonez]

Hello...
I'm Wilbur...I was very sick. I had Pox.
I came to rehab weighing 170 grams at 7 weeks old.
I was dehydrated and covered in Pox.
This is my recovery...


Intake: November 17th 2017.
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I have many lesions...scabs...sloughing skin...and I'm leaking serrous fluid...


8 Days Later: November 25th 2017.
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My Pox have improved greatly! The smaller ones have already receded...the larger ones are clean and dry. No irritation and no secondary infections.
My back is almost completely clear of any lesions. The lesions around my mouth are smaller too!


One Month After Intake: December18th 2017.
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Most of my lesions are gone now. My plaque lesions under my arms are still here, but getting smaller day by day.
My one nipple is still distended...but it will settle on its own.


January 8th 2018: 52 Days After Intake. Currently Awaiting Spring Release!
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The only noticeable sign that Wilbur ever had Pox is that the lesions damaged the epidermis...so when his fur grew back...he has white polka dots where his lesions used to be!
Wilbur is fully recovered and is currently awaiting release this Spring!

[Nancy in New York]

I don't think I've ever seen such a severe case, documented with
these kind of results.
Fantastic work Runestonez and Wilbur! :bowdown

[Jen413]

WOW!!!! Great job!:w00t

[HRT4SQRLS]

I have never seen one that bad survive.
Great job.

[cava]

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are amazeballs. Thanks for the beautiful photos and progress. And I think his white polka dots are dandy!

[Runestonez]

I had to go feed last night and didn't have a chance to get back to this until now!

I don't know how many people have need of this but I will post it here in the hopes it helps someone!
This is the exact protocol Stormhaven Garden uses. We treated 4 squirrels last year with varying degrees of Pox. All of them healed.


This recipe for Nut Balls was developed to treat a wild squee. We had tried to trap her for a couple weeks with no luck...and with the Pox progressing and her eyes slowly closing over...we decided to try treating her in the wild rather than watch her slowly die.
The Nut Balls we use were designed to get the maximum amount of immune boosters into her as possible. We were painfully aware that we only had a very finite amount of time to help her...and we weren't sure she would eat any of the Nut Balls we left out for her.
We also couldn't afford to put medication in them that might make the other neighbourhood squirrels sick if they got hold of it.
Another factor of living in Canada is that we don't have access to some of the meds other rehabbers have been trying to treat Pox with.
Welcome to the Canada experience! Making something you desperately need out of whatever you can find at the grocery store!


This is Dimply. An adult female grey...she was not friendly and we were unable to get anywhere near her!
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This is Dimply...a few weeks later! She recovered and had babies of her own this Fall!
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When the next set of squirrels with Pox came to us in the Fall...we used the same recipe to treat them.
Yes, the dosing on the Nut Balls is high...but they were designed to treat wild squees. This year I am hoping that I can pare them down a bit...remove things that aren't necessary and re-work amounts of supplements. At the same time...I KNOW THEY WORK...so I am reluctant to mess with something that isn't broken...
So...here is our step by step intake process for Pox squirrels...



Initial Assessment: (Assess just like any other squirrel coming into rehab)
The Pox isn't killing the squirrel...the inability to forage and find food and hydration is.
Unless they have an open bleeding or seriously infected lesions...ignore the Pox for now.



Assess

Weigh

Hydrate-our hydration for Wilbur was provided via oral route. **Although he was seriously dehydrated...his back was solid lesions. There was no clear skin available...and we def don't want to open any lesions. So NO SUB-Q'S. He was tubed all his hydration.**
Toe Nails- trimmed, then blunted with a file to prevent scratching of the lesions leading to secondary infection.
Bottom Teeth- are trimmed to keep the squirrel from worrying/chewing the lesions.
Treat with Ivermectin-to prevent the spread of the Pox...we want to make sure we kill off any external parasites!
QUARANTINE!!!! This means from siblings as well! Once they have all been properly processed...they can be put back in together.


Once all the initial assessment is done...the squirrel has been treated for external parasites and teeth and nails are trimmed...let the Ivermectin do it's job for at least 24 hours...
THEN WE BATH!!!
Yes!! BATH!!!
There is no sense trying to heal lesions, infections, scratches and scabs...when you have no clean base to work from.
The Pox kids I have had come in were sloughing skin...were greasy and sticky from exudate leaking from lesions/scratches. The plaque lesions will build up all of this detrious in their soft folds and the bacteria will proliferate!
More bacteria= more infections...more irritated skin...It's a losing battle! KEEP IT CLEAN!

Pay particular attention to the toe nails as the skin and scabs get wrapped around them and build up...so make sure they are cleaned really well! We want to avoid secondary infections at all costs!

The shampoo we use is a dog shampoo from the vet called Pro-Hex 2% Chlorohexidine Gluconate shampoo. Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiseptic.
THE SKIN MUST BE KEPT CLEAN AND DRY. Clean is the important word here...if the squirrel keeps shedding scabs or exudate builds up...another bath may be necessary...
Plaque lesions (the ones that look like shelf fungus on trees) it may be necessary to swab under and around the lesions at least once a day with saline or shampoo on a makeup pad to make sure they are kept clean!
After bathing, Wilbur was thoroughly dried. In our case we stuck him in the incubator until completely dry.

Siblings may now be added back together at this point.

Prophylactic antibiotic treatment for the first 3 days even though no infections may be evident.
Baytril for 3 days every 12 hours.
Metacam for 3 days every 24 hours.

Maintain the short nails and keep the bottom teeth trimmed!!

I VERY STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE BATH AND AND ATTENTION TO THE CONDITION AND CLEANLINESS OF THE SKIN AND LESIONS IS THE MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTOR THAT LED TO RECOVERY. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS PROCESS!!!

Now to the good stuff!



What Stormhaven Garden Uses for Pox:

This recipe will make a 1 week supply for 3 Pox squirrels.

I copied this directly from my notes...I didn't want to start adding or removing anything...or changing amounts as it has been working and I am reluctant to mess with it!
We will be using this recipe this year and will hopefully be able to adjust it...hone it down a bit.
Here's hoping this will help other rehabbers out there until we find something better!
My suggestion...is to not change ingredients/quantities. Try it as is...then decide.
If you decide to alter the ingredients...well...that's up to you I guess...




Immune System Booster Recipe

Nut Paste: You will need a blender or food processor...



2 cups ground pecans
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup ground hazelnuts

You will need to really blend these well...until sticky. You need to grind them to release the oil in the nuts. They will help the paste stick together at the end!



3/4 cup of Fox Valley or Esbilac
Vitamin C with Rose Hips (2 x 1000mg) (Rose hips help with muscle fatigue)
Probiotic (1 x Culturelle- 10 Billion CFU)
Colostrum (6 x 500mg capsules)
L-Glutamine (2tsp)
Echinacea Augustifolia (4 x 1000mg capsules) (Augustafolia- infections and inflammation)
Echinacea Purpurea (6 x 1200mg capsules) (Purpurea- immune booster)
Vetri-DMG (2cc)
Omega3 (3 x 1425mg capsules)

Add dry ingredients first...adding oils and other wet ingredients at the end before the final blend!
Just in case it needs to be said...crush hard tablets to powder before adding...cut open Omega3 oils and squeeze oil out of caplet when adding to blender. Open capsules and pour powder into blender!

Blend until it forms a sticky paste. Once the nuts have been ground...be sure NOT to over blend the rest of the supplements as excess heat can kill off the properties we need from them!

Roll into balls...about a Tbsp worth...and refrigerate.

Provide 1 ball in the morning and 1 in the evening in addition to rat block and veg.

For treating in the Wild:


Roll the paste into smaller balls about 2tsp worth and place at the feeder or in the area where the squee or squees have been seen.
Only put out enough for the squees to take one or two. If they start burying them...it gets expensive and wasteful.
Provide a handful in the morning and evening.
If you are able to provide the specific squirrel with the nut balls...provide as many as he or she will eat...if they start burying them...wait till next feeding.
Continue as long as needed.
If you have the ability to treat for External Parasites in your wilds...this will help speed up the process...but it is a tricky process and should be approached with caution!

(Edited at poster's request)

[joytoworld66]

Hi I saw that you have experience with curing squirrels with the pox. Please see the photo of my wild squirrel that has the pox. He's in really bad shape and can't see well, climb or eat much. Can you please give me the recipe for the balls you fed them? I cannot take him in and I can't find anyone here in Virginia to personally take him in. The wildlife centers will put euthanize him because no one wants to deal with a squirrel with pox this bad. Thank you.

[island rehabber]

Post #6 of Runestonez' thread holds the entire recipe for you.

[joytoworld66]

Never mind. I see you post the recipe.

[RockyPops]

Thank you for helping this baby joytoworld!

[Chickenlegs]

Hi I saw that you have experience with curing squirrels with the pox. Please see the photo of my wild squirrel that has the pox. He's in really bad shape and can't see well, climb or eat much. Can you please give me the recipe for the balls you fed them? I cannot take him in and I can't find anyone here in Virginia to personally take him in. The wildlife centers will put euthanize him because no one wants to deal with a squirrel with pox this bad. Thank you.

Lakeside Animal Hospital in Richmond will treat a squirrel. As he has pox, nobody with squirrels can risk taking him in. Make sure they CAN see him before taking him to Lakeside. He’s a wild and compromised. He will need to be trapped and cared for after treating. The trapping will be VERY stressful as will captivity. Have a plan of action before trapping. Tell them I recomended them. I’m licensed. PM me if you want to give it a try. He may be better off in the long run with supportive care on his own home turf.