Chipmunk with possible head trauma

[Toddy]

Hi everyone,

I just got in an adult chipmunk with what appears to be a neurological issue. The original person who found it said it has been like this for a day or two. Possibly attacked by a cat, but they did not know for sure. It flips around when it tries to walk and has a serious head tilt to one side. Also has a round wound to one of it’s hind legs.

Should I give it Baytril just in case it was a cat attack?

I do not have experience with neurological issues, so any help would be much appreciated! Thank you

[TubeDriver]

If you suspect cat attack, Baytril should absolutely be started. However, Baytril lowers seizure threshold and with the neurological symptoms present, this can becomes an issue. Do you have any alternatives to Baytril like Clavamox or Doxy?

That leg injury almost looks like road rash, I wonder if it was hit/dragged by a car? Of course, a cat could have found it either way.

Prednisone has been used successfully for head trauma, do you have any?

[Toddy]

If you suspect cat attack, Baytril should absolutely be started. However, Baytril lowers seizure threshold and with the neurological symptoms present, this can becomes an issue. Do you have any alternatives to Baytril like Clavamox or Doxy?

That leg injury almost looks like road rash, I wonder if it was hit/dragged by a car? Of course, a cat could have found it either way.

Prednisone has been used successfully for head trauma, do you have any?

I have Baytril, Fish Flox, and APO Cephalex 500mg. I also have some pain meds if you think they would help.

Unfortunately, I do not have any Prednisone...

Yes, it could have been caused by a car, I do not know. I am just going by what the original finder has told me.

Do I need to syringe feed water, or can a neuro like this drink by itself?

[TubeDriver]

I would place a tiny bowl of water near him and observe to see if he drinks. If not, syringe feeding some suger sweetened water or DIY pedialyte is not a bad idea. Chipps can be pretty bitey so wear some gloves.

I am not sure about the meds. Fish flox is basically similar to Baytril. The Cephalexin might work but it is slow acting. Baytril would work for cat attacks but we covered the seizure risk. Maybe someone here will have a suggestion?

What pain killers do you have on hand?




I have Baytril, Fish Flox, and APO Cephalex 500mg. I also have some pain meds if you think they would help.

Yes, it could have been caused by a car, I do not know. I am just going by what the original finder has told me.

Do I need to syringe feed water, or can a neuro like this drink by itself?

[Toddy]

I would place a tiny bowl of water near him and observe to see if he drinks. If not, syringe feeding some suger sweetened water or DIY pedialyte is not a bad idea. Chipps can be pretty bitey so wear some gloves.

I am not sure about the meds. Fish flox is basically similar to Baytril. The Cephalexin might work but it is slow acting. Baytril would work for cat attacks but we covered the seizure risk. Maybe someone here will have a suggestion?

What pain killers do you have on hand?

I don't have any Prednisone either. I know that is good for head trauma, but I do not have any.

As for pain killers, I have infant Motrin, Durela Tramadol HCL 100mg, and Metacam.

[TubeDriver]

Since no steroids are available, I would start the Metacam. But make sure the little fellow is hydrated.:great



I don't have any Prednisone either. I know that is good for head trauma, but I do not have any.

As for pain killers, I have infant Motrin, Durela Tramadol HCL 100mg, and Metacam.

[Toddy]

Since no steroids are available, I would start the Metacam. But make sure the little fellow is hydrated.:great

Wait, I found a few more... I also have:
Sandoz-Rabeprazole 20mg
Indomethacin 25mg
Pregabalin 25mg
Would any of those work?

[TubeDriver]

Just stick with the Metacam for now. Do you need help with dosing? If so, I'll need a weight in grams of the chip and the mg of the metacam pill.

Not sure if I would start the Baytril. If we knew for sure that a cat injury was present then we might have to take the risk but not knowing makes the decision difficult.



Wait, I found a few more... I also have:
Sandoz-Rabeprazole 20mg
Indomethacin 25mg
Pregabalin 25mg
Would any of those work?

[Toddy]

Just stick with the Metacam for now. Do you need help with dosing? If so, I'll need a weight in grams of the chip and the mg of the metacam pill.

Not sure if I would start the Baytril. If we knew for sure that a cat injury was present then we might have to take the risk but not knowing makes the decision difficult.

I have the Metacam suspension. It is 1.5 mg/ml.
Chip weighs 88 grams.

Thank you so much for your help tonight :grouphug

[TubeDriver]

Check PM!.:great


I have the Metacam suspension. It is 1.5 mg/ml.
Chip weighs 88 grams.

Thank you so much for your help tonight :grouphug

[Toddy]

Check PM!.:great

Thank you VERY much!

Chip survived the night and seems about the same this morning.
She is not drinking on her own, so I've been syringe feeding her water every 2 hours. She did however, nibble on a piece of pecan, which is encouraging :)

Now that Chip is somewhat stabilized and hydrated, what should I do with her? Given her neurological condition, is it best to hand her off to a rehabber, or keep her myself and continue offering supportive care? Will a rehabber give her a chance at recovery, or will they simply euthanize her? I want to do what is best for her.... What do you think?

[TubeDriver]

It depends on the rehabber. Some will euthanize, others will attempt to rehabilitate. A smaller outfit, one that frequently handles squirrels and chips might be willing to dedicate the time and resources. A larger outfit with lots of volunteers often dedicated primarily to birds/rapters for example, might just euthanize.

If in doubt, I would continue to treat yourself. Getting a hold of 1-2 prednisone pills might really help. See if any of your friends have a leftover pills?

Continue to hydrate with the DIY pedialyte solution I mentioned to you, after a couple feedings of this, you can switch over to plain water.

Try to keep her in a quiet place, lower light levels. You mentioned that she can move his limbs but has really can't walk well? This is good news, it means her spine is intact. It sounds like she took a knock to the head. I think she might be able to recover but she will need at least several weeks of rest and recovery.

If she starts to show signs of an infection, we might need to start the Baytril, even though this is risky with the neurological symptoms. Infection symptoms can be seen as redness, swelling, pus discharge and also in symptoms like fever, sudden lethergy, refusing to eat and drink etc.




Thank you VERY much!

Chip survived the night and seems about the same this morning.
She is not drinking on her own, so I've been syringe feeding her water every 2 hours. She did however, nibble on a piece of pecan, which is encouraging :)

Now that Chip is somewhat stabilized and hydrated, what should I do with her? Given her neurological condition, is it best to hand her off to a rehabber, or keep her myself and continue offering supportive care? Will a rehabber give her a chance at recovery, or will they simply euthanize her? I want to do what is best for her.... What do you think?

[Mel1959]

If you are going to keep Chip and rehabilitate him yourself, I will send you some prednisone. Someone on here will help you dose it. I feel it makes all the difference for head trauma and the times I’ve had a need for it I continued the treatment for many weeks with excellent results.

Send me your address in a pm and I’ll get the prednisone in the mail.

[Toddy]

If you are going to keep Chip and rehabilitate him yourself, I will send you some prednisone. Someone on here will help you dose it. I feel it makes all the difference for head trauma and the times I’ve had a need for it I continued the treatment for many weeks with excellent results.

Send me your address in a pm and I’ll get the prednisone in the mail.

Thank you so very much Mel for the wonderful offer!!! :grouphug

I found a licensed wildlife rehabber about 2 hours away from me that will take Chip and get her in to see a vet. Besides the head trauma, I am also concerned about the hind leg, which has a large wound on it. It needs to be X-rayed to make sure that nothing is broken or dislocated.

They are willing to put in the time it takes and keep her for as long as necessary for her to heal and get back to normal. Whether it takes weeks or months, they promised me that they will give her all the times she needs. They also told me that once Chip is better, I can come get her and bring her back home for release.

I would have preferred keeping her and caring for her myself, but I do not have access to a vet who will see wildlife, and I really think she needs to be X-rayed on that hind leg.

I hope I am making the right decision.....

[TubeDriver]

I hope they can heal her! Without your intervention, the chippie would have never made it this long! :great

[Toddy]

I hope they can heal her! Without your intervention, the chippie would have never made it this long! :great

Thank you very much :hug
And thank you again for your help yesterday!
I hope Chip will be okay... I know she will be in good hands, but it is still difficult to let her go :sadness