Completely swollen face. Dislocated jaw? Help!!!!!

[Papabear90]

I got home from work today and my little guys face was swollen (more one side than the other). This is not good..... I am putting him on antibiotics and baby motrin until the vet opens at 9 tomorrow morning. He was a little crabby when eating yesterday. He has eaten very little today. Also found crystals on his penis. UTI? Could they be related?? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

[CritterMom]

Is his jaw actually crooked like the first pic shows or was he just wiggling and fussing?

I would look hard at teeth - like maybe an abscessed molar. Tooth abscesses blow up really fast.

[Papabear90]

Its completely off center. The right edge of his bottom teeth lines up with the left edge of his bottom teeth. I am giving him 20-30 more minutes for his children's motrin to kick in and I'm going to start feeling around.

[Papabear90]

Not a dislocated jaw. He has a large abcess on the right side of his jaw. About 1/2", hard- not squishy. Very warm, but I'm sure that's because of the infection.

[SammysMom]

If you could hold a hot compress on it to get it to come to a head it would help relieve the pressure.

[HRT4SQRLS]

How old is your squirrel?

Make sure the vet X-rays the head. It might be a simple abscess but it could also have tooth root involvement. (Odontoma)
Is he maloccluded or is this from the abscess?

Don’t let the vet give you Baytril? Vets love it but it never works for facial abscesses.
Clavamox or Clindamycin would be a better choice.

[Scooterzmom]

Poor lil fellow. A good x-ray needed for sure. Just a thought but, might want to check his bottom teeth as - maybe it's just me - one seems to be too long and I wonder it it could have caused the abscess in the 1st place.

[Papabear90]

How old is your squirrel?

Make sure the vet X-rays the head. It might be a simple abscess but it could also have tooth root involvement. (Odontoma)
Is he maloccluded or is this from the abscess?

Don’t let the vet give you Baytril? Vets love it but it never works for facial abscesses.
Clavamox or Clindamycin would be a better choice.

Hes between 6 and 7. He is not maloccluded, it is from the abcess.

[Papabear90]

How old is your squirrel?

Make sure the vet X-rays the head. It might be a simple abscess but it could also have tooth root involvement. (Odontoma)
Is he maloccluded or is this from the abscess?

Don’t let the vet give you Baytril? Vets love it but it never works for facial abscesses.
Clavamox or Clindamycin would be a better choice.

I was only able to find 1 vet in my area (I was calling 3-4 hours out). She did examined him and couldn't tell where the problem area was. When asked what she would compare his x-rays to she said "a rabbit or guinea pig." At that moment, I completely lost all hope for getting any help from her. I understand that she may be uninformed, but it was frustrating.

[Mel1959]

I was only able to find 1 vet in my area (I was calling 3-4 hours out). She did examined him and couldn't tell where the problem area was. When asked what she would compare his x-rays to she said "a rabbit or guinea pig." At that moment, I completely lost all hope for getting any help from her. I understand that she may be uninformed, but it was frustrating.

Squirrels have many of the same dental issues as prairie dogs.

There is a very knowledgeable squirrel vet in northeastern Florida that specializes in dental issues. Her name is Dr. Alicia EMERSON and she has been known to confer with other vets by phone, if needed.