Help! My squirrel seems to be suffering from progressive dystonia.

[Snobdog]

Hi, my names Rob, and I'm new here. My mother has a squirrel which seems to be suffering from progressive dystonia. He is a western grey, weighs 1.5lbs, and is male. When we first found the squirrel he clearly had neurological issues, perhaps stemming from an injury as he was on the ground when he was far to young to have left the nest. He was very shaky and had an odd gait that would sometimes end with him tensing his back legs outward unable to move. He shows every symptom of dystonia and his condition only seems to be getting worse. He can no longer walk. Sometimes he'll be chattering and suddenly twitch harshly creating an audible gasp. His arm often tenses inward to the point he can't plant it on the ground. His legs tend to contort with his waste shifting to the left side when he attempts movement. My mother loves him so much and takes him every where she goes, but with the worsening condition, and a grim prognosis from our local vet, we are afraid we may have to euthanize him. My mother has come to treat him as her child and I can't stand to see her so upset over the little guy. I have a background in neurology, and access to many/any medications(ketamine, pramipexole/levadopa, gabapentin, benzo, etc.) that I believe could at the very least make his symptoms more manageable. There are no rescue centers in our area. What do you guys think would be the best course of action? We have tried gabapentin at the vets request but it seems to do nothing for the dystonia, it just makes him tired. Pramipexole has been used in cases of dystonia before with success but it has a risk of inducing them as receptor sensitization adapts at multiple sites. Ketamine is able to reset this mechanism, but at that point we are talking poly-pharmacy. I've read glutamate inhibitors can help with the excessive nerve firing(which ketamine is), and ketamine exerts a special anti-inflammatory/anti-depressant affect that I could see as being very positive, and its affects are long lasting. The other options will help with the tension, but as far as helping loco-motor activity, I can't see them being entirely helpful. Please help me, I'm afraid if this situation continues he will permanently lose all ability to move/recover and at that point, its game over.

[HRT4SQRLS]

How would you classify Dystonia as different from seizures? I don’t have a background in neurology. :tilt

Wouldn’t the head injury have been a trigger for seizures?

What is the Diet? That is the first question we ask to rule out Metabolic Bone Disease. Seizures are a symptom of MBD. Hind end paralysis is also another symptom of MBD. It is the most common condition we see on this board.

[Snobdog]

Henries healthy blocks, forti diet grinded, mixed with almond milk so hell eat it, calcium nut balls, berries occasionally. He has a full spectrum Sun lamp, he was on esbilac till recently. I assumed he was dystonic due to his diet seemingly being more than accommodating for such a disorder to appear. Unless he has some sort of absorption issue I just don't see how it could be progressing like this, unless sometimes its just unstoppable. It differs from seizures in that his muscles in a constant state of nervous firing, vs a seizure which would would likely show at least some transient features. He has shows cramping in every muscle. I assumed it was dystonia because he shows all 5 features for clinical diagnosis without a transient increase in symptoms, its just an overall progression, other then the occasional head jerk which is once again one of the signs we look for when diagnosing. Its also a slow progression without any sort of outright fits, just a perpetual loss of motor activities, with tension increasing. He looks like hes suffering from Parkinsons disease.

[HRT4SQRLS]

The diet sounds like the calcium requirements are being met. We like to start there because so many make the mistake of feeding high phosphorus foods like nuts and seeds.

I doubt there is anything we can offer as far as recommendations for a complex problem like this.
Would magnesium have any application in a condition like this? Don’t know, just asking.

[Snobdog]

Yep! Magnesium def could help with this Ill make sure shes including that in his diet. That's a shame but it's understandable, in the neurology industry we have a name for everything, with no means to treat it, it's very frustrating. I was honestly just hoping to hear whether my attempts at building a treatment plan are too drastic or would be harmful for him, but its unknown territory so I don't entirely expect much replies.

[HRT4SQRLS]

We have a member in Costa Rica with a squirrel with seizures due to toxic exposure. He has minimal vet access and little access to meds. Magnesium was recommended. He is able to contain the seizures with magnesium. Some have even used almonds to control seizures. Almonds are high in magnesium. Of course, that can be a double edged sword as almonds are also high in phosphorus so moderation is required.

Of the meds you mentioned, we use gabapentin but none of the others that I know of.
I wish we had more to offer but it sounds complex. It sounds like a progressive brain injury.

This is just a thought. The diet sounds fine but just for grins have her crush a Tums and syringe feed it carefully over 24 hrs. See it she sees any difference. It might not help but it definitely won’t hurt him.
Really, nothing to lose.

Let us know what happens with her friend. I’m sad for your mom.

[island rehabber]

Try almonds raw, shelled, and see if it helps. I had a seizure squirrel for 5yrs and the natural magnesium in almonds helped her immensely. I coated them with calcium citrate to offset the phosphorous in the nuts. It may help.