Squirrel dragging back legs

[CrazyCatLady]

I have a squirrel, Twiggy, approximately 8 1/2-9 1/2 weeks old. My cat brought him home at approximately 4 weeks of age. He has been eating Fox Valley formula. He started off with about 15ml per sitting and worked his way up to 45-60ml each feeding. He's started eating more solid food so he is consuming less formula. I have Henry's wild bites and a variety of vegetables. He appears to be healthy and happy. Yesterday when I came home from shopping I noticed he was dragging his back leg. I'm assuming it was from injury as his diet is good. Not sure what he could have done to injure himself though. I checked on him again within a couple hours and both legs are dragging and his tail is limp. Not sure about his tail earlier. He trys to pull himself around with his arms, but it seems like a huge struggle. I can pinch his toes and see slight movement in both feet when I do this. He is pooing fine and is peeing on his own. He is still eating and drinking just not in large quantities. Smaller amounts so I increased the number of feedings. I have applied heat to his rear with a rice sock. He stays pretty much in one spot, mostly because it seems like too much work to do anything else. He doesn't want to be in his bed anymore, he wants to stay on the floor so I put his bedding there. Any advice please. I'm not sure what else I can do. I'm not in a state where I would be able to simply take him to a vet. I would be extremely thankful for any help.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh no. It sure sounds like an injury. Just to make sure... he isn’t getting a lot of nuts right? Your diet sounds perfect so it probably isn’t MBD.

Is there any chance you can get gabapentin or prednisone? There has been some success treating spinal injuries with these drugs. If it’s a broken spine, recovery of the limbs is less likely. :(

One more thing. I realize that you have had the baby a while. Could you check the baby carefully for anything like an under the skin infection or abscess. Sometimes cat bites will smolder for a while and then blow up. I doubt that’s the case here as it has been a bit too long from the initial intake.

[CrazyCatLady]

He has had virtually no nuts. Only what is in the Henry's wild bites. I do have gabapentin but wasn't sure of a dose or if I should administer it at all. I realize squirrels are notorious for hiding pain so I wasn't sure. I do have a few steroid tablets. I would need to know the correct dosage to give. They are 5 mg tablets. He still trys to play with me and seems frustrated he can't wrestle as well. I thoroughly inspected him for puncture wounds when I found him. Couldn't find any. I have never felt anything abnormal on him like signs of an abscess realizing I could have missed a puncture. Nothing. He was happy as ever before I went to the store yesterday.

[CritterMom]

What is his weight so the gabapentin can be dosed for you?

[Nancy in New York]

Do you have Metacam? What are the steroid pills that you have.
I had a squirrel that had total front end paralysis. The vet put him
on Gabapentin and Metacam, and it fixed him up completely.

Could this little one have taken a fall?
How tall is his cage?

[CrazyCatLady]

He weighs 218 grams. I was wondering if it would hurt to give him more calcium daily. I have calcium carbonate powder but didn't know if I could overdo it.

[Ozzy2019]

What about a vet. If n sc cornerstone bet practice could see him.

[Nancy in New York]

He weighs 218 grams. I was wondering if it would hurt to give him more calcium daily. I have calcium carbonate powder but didn't know if I could overdo it.

What is the strength of the Gabapentin, and what steroid do you have.
If he is eating blocks, there is no need for additional calcium and a healthy diet.

Could he have taken a fall?

[Scooterzmom]

If he has feelings in his feet left and he can do his business on his own, it sounds like a back injury. The Metacam & Gabapentin combo can accomplish miracles in such cases. Just remember that you have to decrease gradually for the Gabapentin - you don't stop it abruptly.

[CrazyCatLady]

Do you have Metacam? What are the steroid pills that you have.
I had a squirrel that had total front end paralysis. The vet put him
on Gabapentin and Metacam, and it fixed him up completely.

Could this little one have taken a fall?
How tall is his cage?

I have prednisone. He has access to a cat post that's only as high as a window sill but has never gone to the top of it yet. He really isn't much of a climber and prefers to be down low. His branches are all less than a foot off the ground since he was so unsteady on his feet due to age. Now that he's more agile, my leg is the only thing he climbs and that's only when I'm sitting. I don't know the exact dimensions of his cage. It's a temporary setup. It's very short, not designed for a squirrel as he can fit through the bars. The room has his cage, a couch, a scratching post and an arcade chair. Everytime I come in the room he's on the arcade chair. When I feed him, he climbs down a ramp from the couch back to the arcade chair. When he plays, he wants to be in his arcade chair. He only stayed in the cage the first few weeks before he learned he could get around. Now he wants to stay on the floor in front of his arcade chair. The back of the chair is slightly taller than the window sill which comes to the top of my thigh. I wouldn't think such a short fall could do that kind of damage. I wonder if he twisted wrong or something.

[CrazyCatLady]

The gabapentin I have is 300 mg capsules. I compound it myself with liquid vitamins to administer it to a cat with stomatitis. He gets 30 mg.

[CrazyCatLady]

What about a vet. If n sc cornerstone bet practice could see him.

I was hoping maybe someone would know someone in my area that would be willing to see him. I would love to have an xray done to know for sure what I'm dealing with. Money is a little tight right now. (Coronavirus) If taking him to a neighboring state was my only option, I'm sure I could find a way.

[Nancy in New York]

OK let me just get this straight.
Your little one weighs 218 grams.
You have Prednisone 5 mg.
You have Gabapentin 300 mg.
Correct?
If so, I will send you dosing information.
Just let me know if these strengths and weight are correct.

[CrazyCatLady]

OK let me just get this straight.
Your little one weighs 218 grams.
You have Prednisone 5 mg.
You have Gabapentin 300 mg.
Correct?
If so, I will send you dosing information.
Just let me know if these strengths and weight are correct.

That is all correct. Thank you so much. Is there anything else I should be doing for Twiggy? Exercising his legs? I don't want to do more damage by moving him around more than necessary.

[Nancy in New York]

That is all correct. Thank you so much. Is there anything else I should be doing for Twiggy? Exercising his legs? I don't want to do more damage by moving him around more than necessary.

No I wouldn't do anything more at this point.
Fingers crossed the drugs will help.
Dosing to follow in a couple of minutes via pm.
Prayers for your little buddy.

Edit: Dosing Sent

[CrazyCatLady]

I will start with the meds tonight and post updates periodically. Twiggy and I thank you so very much.

[Spanky]

I was hoping maybe someone would know someone in my area that would be willing to see him. I would love to have an xray done to know for sure what I'm dealing with. Money is a little tight right now. (Coronavirus) If taking him to a neighboring state was my only option, I'm sure I could find a way.

Start the meds per Nancy's instructions. If there is no improvement in a day or three I may be able to facilitate getting some x-rays if you can bring him to NE GA. The pred / gabapentin is the best course of action at this point.

If the X-Rays did show a trauma, the gabapentin / prednisone would most likely still be the action recommended.

[CrazyCatLady]

Thank you Spanky. I will definitely take you up on that if need be.

[CrazyCatLady]

Twiggy had his his steroid lastnight and ate a good dinner. I had to wait until this morning to give the gabapentin because I didn't have a bottle to mix it in. He had a fair amount of breakfast but clearly no longer trusts me to feed him since he's no longer sure what I'm going to be giving him ☺ I'm sure he'll forgive me by his next meal. Thank you again.

[Scooterzmom]

Twiggy had his his steroid lastnight and ate a good dinner. I had to wait until this morning to give the gabapentin because I didn't have a bottle to mix it in. He had a fair amount of breakfast but clearly no longer trusts me to feed him since he's no longer sure what I'm going to be giving him ☺ I'm sure he'll forgive me by his next meal. Thank you again.

You can try dippping the tip of the syringe in maple or corn syrup, to make the meds more acceptable. It always helps ;)

[CrazyCatLady]

You can try dippping the tip of the syringe in maple or corn syrup, to make the meds more acceptable. It always helps ;)

That's a good idea! I did try banana baby food but he wasn't interested. I'll try the maple syrup tonight. We sort of have a love hate relationship right now. He hates the meds and won't let me hold him hardly anymore to feed him. I guess I can no longer be trusted. His appetite has increased and I'm assuming that's due to the gabapentin. This morning I thought I saw slight movement in his tail but can't be sure. This afternoon I had to give him a bath since he's not using the litter box and while I held him under his arms and he was just hanging there while I cleaned his little bottom he definitely pulled his left leg up! I'm so happy. I'm afraid the little guy is getting bored and play time seems a little frustrating. His little arms are getting stronger though. If I can figure out how to post a picture you'll see him enjoying a little belly rub before he goes to sleep.💕

[CrazyCatLady]

I don't know why the picture is upside down but at least it worked for me.

[CrazyCatLady]

Twiggy is doing much better and seems to improve a little more each day. He's using one leg to get around and seems more willing to explore his surroundings again. He stretches his other leg and grips with his toes, just not walking on it yet. He looks much happier. Today will be day 5 of the Gabapentin and I need to know if I should start stepping down his dose yet.

[Nancy in New York]

Twiggy is doing much better and seems to improve a little more each day. He's using one leg to get around and seems more willing to explore his surroundings again. He stretches his other leg and grips with his toes, just not walking on it yet. He looks much happier. Today will be day 5 of the Gabapentin and I need to know if I should start stepping down his dose yet.

I just answered your pm.
I would keep him on it for another 5 days, and we will re-evaluate him then,
before we start the "step down" dosing.
I'm really happy reading this!
Keep up the good work.:w00t

[CrazyCatLady]

Twiggy hanging out in his corner cube. He got in all by himself!👏

[Nancy in New York]

Look at that little face! :klunk
Keep up the great work, Twiggy and Mom.

[island rehabber]

The stretch-and-grip motion with that leg is a very good sign, in my experience. It's the beginning of having more use of the leg :dance. If you can, do this therapy exercise with him: hold him facing you with fingers under his arms so legs hang down. Now with your other hand, put both hind feet against the palm of your hand and rotate SLOWLY, a few times to the left and then the right. Now push his hind feet in toward his body, and he will probably stretch them against your hand. Do this at least 5 times also. This worked miracles with two back-end injured squirrels of mine.

[CrazyCatLady]

The stretch-and-grip motion with that leg is a very good sign, in my experience. It's the beginning of having more use of the leg :dance. If you can, do this therapy exercise with him: hold him facing you with fingers under his arms so legs hang down. Now with your other hand, put both hind feet against the palm of your hand and rotate SLOWLY, a few times to the left and then the right. Now push his hind feet in toward his body, and he will probably stretch them against your hand. Do this at least 5 times also. This worked miracles with two back-end injured squirrels of mine.

I will definitely do that! Anything to get the little guy stronger. Thanks. He just got through scratching his own ear with his left leg. I bet that made him happy. Now we're just waiting for the other leg to catch up.

[CrazyCatLady]

Look who's curling his tail this morning.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Happy, happy news. :grin2

[Nancy in New York]

Look who's curling his tail this morning.

Well this just made my day! :bliss

[island rehabber]

:blissgreat news!!

[CrazyCatLady]

Well somebody was walking on both legs lastnight. I don't want to mention any names but his initials are Twiggy 😄 Yay! I noticed he was definitely using it to climb up the back of his arcade chair but would still keep it out to the side when he walked but not lastnight. I don't think he wants me to know because when I tried to get pictures he wouldn't cooperate at all. He's not 100% but still improves daily. Thanks to Island Rehabber he is doing his excersises. He doesn't seem to mind them but I swear he looks at me as if I've gone soft in the head and only does it to make me feel better. He doesn't sit up to eat yet. He's still propping on stuff or just lays down, but he is a completely different squirrel than when all of this started.

I do have a new question. Is it possible that he doesn't have control of his bladder even though he appears to be improving in every other way? He was litter trained prior to his injury. Of course when he couldn't walk that went out the window. Now that he can get in his litter pan again he doesn't. At first I thought maybe he got lazy but some mornings he wakes up soaked in urine and boy is he grumpy when that happens. As soon as I walk in the room he's yelling at me. It's the only time he's super vocal. He acts like I'm the one who peed on him. I promise you I have not. He however has peed on me twice. He's lucky he's cute. Also he is not a fan of baths. Any thoughts?
I'll include two pictures of him eating. All things considered I believe he's doing great.

[CrazyCatLady]

Twiggy is getting around really well. He still doesn't sit up to eat and has sort of mastered laying flat on his stomach without the need to prop on anything in order to eat. This can be problematic if he attempts to eat while on a branch. He runs and plays and can climb up and down any type of flat surface but is extremely clumsy on branches. He sort of holds his legs at an angle most times. Maybe that will go away in time.

Thank you to everyone that offered help and advice. Twiggy would not be where he is today if not for all of you helping us. ❤
Here is a link to two short clips from yesterday. I have to help or it's very slow going.
https://youtu.be/j8K66wfAmJo

[RockyPops]

I see a future for Twiggy high in the trees!:grin2

[island rehabber]

Thanks to Island Rehabber he is doing his excersises. He doesn't seem to mind them but I swear he looks at me as if I've gone soft in the head and only does it to make me feel better.

:rotfl I remember that look from both of mine!
Therapy really works with these guys. One of mine recovered completely and is free in the trees. The other was more serioously injured and could only lay on her side when I got her. Therapy at least made her able to climb the walls of her cage and bunny-hop around to her heart's content. She was never graceful but she was so happy :Love_Icon.

As for the bath, try using a 1-qt plastic container, like what Won-Ton soup comes in from the Chinese restaurant. Fill with warm soapy water (I always use Dawn because I know it won't hurt them.) Put the squirrel in only up to his armpits and swish his lower body and tail around in the container. If you go slowly, and the water is warm, most of them love it. You can rinse this way also, running warm plain water into the container until it's clear. This seems to make them feel secure and relaxed, as opposed to being plopped into a bin or a sink and wallowing around. :grin2

[CrazyCatLady]

As for the bath, try using a 1-qt plastic container, like what Won-Ton soup comes in from the Chinese restaurant. Fill with warm soapy water (I always use Dawn because I know it won't hurt them.) Put the squirrel in only up to his armpits and swish his lower body and tail around in the container. If you go slowly, and the water is warm, most of them love it. You can rinse this way also, running warm plain water into the container until it's clear. This seems to make them feel secure and relaxed, as opposed to being plopped into a bin or a sink and wallowing around. :grin2
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As always, thanks for the tip. We will most certainly try that for the next bath.

[Bob3]

Got any old painted surfaces that have been nibbled on? Lead messes w/ the nerves first.
Orange juice may help.

[Goldielocks23]

Im new here was just reading and just wanted to say my experience. I had a squirrel that I rehabilitated that got a calcium deficiency and cause paralysis in the hind legs. Long story short had to add more calcium to his diet and eventually he did better.

[CrazyCatLady]

Hello Squirrel Board!! I wanted to post a couple of videos showing how well my girl Twiggy is doing. As previously mentioned, Twiggy has mastered the art of lying on her stomach in order to eat. Sometimes she will find a place to prop so she isn't quite so flat on her belly so I built her a picnic table hoping to keep her upright. As you can see from this first video, that works most of the time, but old habits are hard to break.
https://youtu.be/Y5y2aAPlcbc

She still struggles with her right leg/hip. What I'm most excited to share is this second video. It didn't last long and I'm thrilled I was recording when it happened. Still getting stronger every day. I never imagined seeing a squirrel stand on her own two legs could make me feel so much love, for Twiggy and for the wonderful people on TSB.😘

https://youtu.be/46P2EFNSNqU

[CrazyCatLady]

Here's another photo of her using her picnic table.

[CritterMom]

She looks great! If you had only this video to look at you would think she had no problems at all (except that mama needs to dole out those treats a little faster)!

[Chirps]

Hooray! What a nice Christmas treat to see those videos and that pic. She's adorable! So glad she's improved so much. :Love_Icon

[RockyPops]

Oh boy!

Twiggy's improvement is amazing!

Good work mom!

[CrazyCatLady]

She looks great! If you had only this video to look at you would think she had no problems at all (except that mama needs to dole out those treats a little faster)!

Lol, I will work on the treat giving. Here's a video that shows where she still struggles. If you watch her rear right side at the beginning and end of the video, you will see what I'm talking about. I'm not sure what else to do for her other than give her time, but I am open to any suggestions or advice. Hanging the rug on the wall seemed to help strengthen both her legs tremendously and she gets around on it really well now.
https://youtu.be/yMVuP_BFifo