baby dragging back legs

[tgramsey]

Hi
As of about an hour ago, I'm caring for a 198 gram baby boy Fox Squirrel who is dragging his legs. I gave him a little Pedialyte - he wouldn't take much. Doesn't seem dehydrated but hard to tell with all the fur. He is going to the bathroom. He jerks when I pinch his feet and tail so he has feeling. Can you guys please advise on what med is best - metacam or prednisone? He doesn't seem to be in pain.
Thank you.

[stepnstone]

Hi
As of about an hour ago, I'm caring for a 198 gram baby boy Fox Squirrel who is dragging his legs. I gave him a little Pedialyte - he wouldn't take much. Doesn't seem dehydrated but hard to tell with all the fur. He is going to the bathroom. He jerks when I pinch his feet and tail so he has feeling. Can you guys please advise on what med is best - metacam or prednisone? He doesn't seem to be in pain.
Thank you.

Prednisone definitely!
Metacam in addition

Edit: If you need dosing info we will need form, strength & mg of both meds.

[RockyPops]

Hey tgramsey,

Could you post a video of your baby and does he have a name?

[Nancy in New York]

If you can get Metacam, we can give Tramadol OR Gabapentin with that.
If you have Prednisone, we can also give Tramadol or Gabapentin with that
We just can't use Prednisone and Metacam together.

[tgramsey]

Hi guys and thank you. I have a little prednisone (1mg pills). I have some metacam and will get more tomorrow. The label I have for metacam says 1.5/mg/ml 0.1 mg/drop for syringe.

Since I posted, a rehabber near me gave me an almost full bottle of Dexaject - Dexamethasone. She didn't know quite how to dose it, though. The label says: 2mg per ml but the back says "bovine 5-20 mg equine 2.5-5mg" so definitely for huge animals. I'm not sure how to deal with this med for a 198 gram baby.

I'm great a following specific directions for giving meds, but terrible (always afraid) of dosing new meds myself. Especially converting km to ml to lbs., etc. Appreciate any help and suggestions.

I don't have any other meds to combine with these. I haven't given the baby anything yet -- just not sure what to do yet.
THANK YOU

[tgramsey]

RockyPops -- I'll get a video of him tomorrow morning. Will have a name by then:) Thank you.

[Mel1959]

I’m not exactly sure how to dose the dexamethasone. I believe it is harder on the kidneys than prednisone, but might be useful as an initial dose. Keep checking back. I hope someone that knows the proper dosing for those meds will come back online tonight.

The emergency section on the forum is usually monitored and you might get a quicker response there. It’s usually not recommended to have more than one thread going for the same problem so folks don’t get confused. But, if you don’t get a response you might try the emergency section.

[tgramsey]

Thank you. I'm just not sure what's best and don't want to start on one and then realize I should've gone another way.

[stepnstone]

Dexamethasone (aka Azium) is listed in Wild Mammal Babies P#220

What is the strength of the Dexamethasone you were given?

[tgramsey]

Attaching photos of the label

[TubeDriver]

That Dex appears to be for injection use? If you are not comfortable with this, I sent oral pred dosing directions.

[tgramsey]

Yes it is for injection. I thought I clould subq - but I just heard it should go in the muscle. Or that it could be given orally. Any experience with given it orally?

[stepnstone]

Dexamethasone (aka Azium) is listed in Wild Mammal Babies P#220

Also stated "Can be given orally."

[tgramsey]

I went with the oral prednisone, thank you.

The baby has more issues than I thought. There's a bloated area on his left side that grew larger overnight. And this morning there was blood around his penis. The wildlife vet is out until Friday. Any thoughts on what to do will be appreciated.

[TubeDriver]

Internal injuries can cause these symptoms. Not much you can do. I would avoid any NSAIDS (motrin, asprin) since they enhance uncontrolled bleeding. Keep her warm, quiet, and hydrated. I would definitely make an appointment with the vet ASAP.



I went with the oral prednisone, thank you.

The baby has more issues than I thought. There's a bloated area on his left side that grew larger overnight. And this morning there was blood around his penis. The wildlife vet is out until Friday. Any thoughts on what to do will be appreciated.

[tgramsey]

Stepnstone, can I switch over to the dex after giving prednisone? How long must I wait? He had one dose yesterday so far.

I know a 200 gram baby gets 2ml of dex if injected, but don't know about oral dosing for dex. If it can be given orally per the baby mammal reference book, I sure have a lot more dex than prednisone (which I'd like to save for another baby, actually).

Thanks to anyone who can help.

[tgramsey]

Another question: Are there any complications mixing prednisone and baytril? I suspect this baby may have a UTI. Thanks for the help!

[TubeDriver]

You can give pred and baytril together. Do not give metacam or NSAIDS with pred, GI side effects/adverse events go way up.

Both Dex and pred will suppress the immune system to some degree which can complicate the treatment of UTI.

Keep her well hydrated throughout this treatment.



Another question: Are there any complications mixing prednisone and baytril? I suspect this baby may have a UTI. Thanks for the help!

[Nancy in New York]

Stepnstone, can I switch over to the dex after giving prednisone? How long must I wait? He had one dose yesterday so far.

I know a 200 gram baby gets 2ml of dex if injected, but don't know about oral dosing for dex. If it can be given orally per the baby mammal reference book, I sure have a lot more dex than prednisone (which I'd like to save for another baby, actually).

Thanks to anyone who can help.

2 ml is way too much. I think you mean 0.2 correct?

[tgramsey]

Yes, .2 -- not 2 ml! Thanks for catching that.

[tgramsey]

Also, if anyone knows if there's a problem switching over to dex - oral dose, after prednisone (he has had two doses of prednisone so far - yesterday and today) - how long I need to wait between, etc., please let me know. Again, I have a lot more dexamethasone, but if an issue, I'll stick to the prednisone. Thanks. Happy Holidays!

[tgramsey]

And with baytril and prednisone, can I add a drop of Advantage flea med to the mix? Is there a good reference book or site to check medicine cross-reactions in squirrels? Thanks.

[Mel1959]

We don’t recommend Advantage. Revolution is the flea/mite brand we recommend.

[tgramsey]

That's actually what I have -- Revolution, not Advantage. Okay to use a drop along with Baytril and Prednisone? Thank you.

[tgramsey]

Hello,
An update about this baby, who I named Chipper. He has been on prednisone for a few weeks now. His dosing is in the ramp down phase, currently getting med every other day. Originally he could not move his back legs at all - they just dangled. Now, one of his back legs is doing great -- he is running on it fairly well. He still drags the 4th leg. I'm curious if I should continue on with the phase out (we have a week and a half or so to go). OR, when you see progress like this with one leg seemingly back in business -- should I do something different, as in take him back to one a day for a while?

Appreciate advice from those of you with prednisone experience. Thank you.

[RockyPops]

Thats good news! Thanks for the update!

Hoping and praying that Chipper continues to improve!

[Mel1959]

I think I might be inclined to keep him on the once a day treatment a little while longer. When did the one back leg show improvement? Was it early on or more recently? You are giving a very small dosage, correct?

[tgramsey]

Was approx. 8-10 days ago when I noticed him using the leg a bit - kicking with it when I fed him. Yesterday was the first time I saw him actually using the leg to run. Running away from me, by the way. Despite the fact that I've had this little guy for several weeks now, he is still utterly terrified of me. Bit me a few times. Never had one this scared for this long. Initially I gave him a lower body bath once or twice a day as he was drenching himself in urine. It's better now that his uti is cleared up and he can sit up, but he still needs one every few days. He hates them, of course -- which doesn't help the situaiton.

So, you guys think back to once a day? Or let the med run it's course. He certainly has a lot in his system. He gets .4 ml every other day right now. Thank you.

[Nancy in New York]

He gets .4 ml every other day right now.

What is the strength of the Prednisone, and how much does your little one weigh?
I hope/think you mean he gets .04 every other day. (Unless of course, the strength is
super weak)

[Mel1959]

Was approx. 8-10 days ago when I noticed him using the leg a bit - kicking with it when I fed him. Yesterday was the first time I saw him actually using the leg to run. Running away from me, by the way. Despite the fact that I've had this little guy for several weeks now, he is still utterly terrified of me. Bit me a few times. Never had one this scared for this long. Initially I gave him a lower body bath once or twice a day as he was drenching himself in urine. It's better now that his uti is cleared up and he can sit up, but he still needs one every few days. He hates them, of course -- which doesn't help the situaiton.

So, you guys think back to once a day? Or let the med run it's course. He certainly has a lot in his system. He gets .4 ml every other day right now. Thank you.

Could you please verify the dosage and post the weight? Paralyzed (or partially paralyzed) squirrels seem to be extra fearful if the paralysis occurs when they are older. It’s like they know they are functioning at limited ability so it exacerbates their fear. If you can try to build a trust on his terms the fearfulness may subside, but it could take a long time.

[Nancy in New York]

Could you please verify the dosage and post the weight?
I reached out via pm to tgramsey to verify the dosage.
The strength she is going with is much weaker, therefore the dose is higher.
It was worked out perfectly.

[tgramsey]

Hi Mel, yes, as Nancy mentioned, we chatted via pm and my dosing is good for Chipper. I'm going to take him back up to once a day for another week. Thanks for that suggestion. A new bit of good news: I noticed this morning he is lifting the other leg a little bit - trying to kick. Nothing huge, but movement where there was none.

Any suggestions for a good way to bond with him? I bundle him him and hold him, talk with him...he never relaxes. If I hold him for too long he tries to bite me.
Thanks for the help.

[RockyPops]

Thank you tgramsey for the time and dedication your showing for Chipper. Movement in the other leg is such good news.:w00t