Little Zoomy is still ouchy

[Sarah]

Hello,

I posted in the emergency forum Saturday ago about a juvee foxer, I call Little Zoomy; a squirrel that was in a lot of pain, couldn’t sit up or climb, but recovered after a few hours. :(

I had some more quality time with him this morning and he’s not doing as well as I thought.

He can run really fast for a long time, dodge and weave, climb trees, see well, see and hear well, he’s quick witted with good paw mouth co-ordination. No marks or scratches of any sort.

He can’t sit up on his haunches without propping himself up with his front paws, and he eats laying down. His balance seems better than it did a few days ago, and while he can climb trees, and fast when he needs too, it awkward.

Basically, at high speeds he’s like any other little juvee, but slow him down and he looks like he’s in a lot of pain.

When I find the elusive little guy, I stay with him till he’s full and starts looking like he want’s me to leave. It breaks my heart to see him in pain, and I’m very conflicted. To capture or do my best to keep an eye on him?

I think that if he’s got all his senses, can run, and climb that he’s probably better left free. But he’s moving around the neighborhood a lot and I’m having a lot of trouble finding him and I worry! I would really love any experienced opinions so I know what’s best for him! Is this something that will get better? :thinking

I have uploaded four small Quicktime movies of him. The quality is bad – I’m sorry, old digital camera.

http://www.darkchylde.com/temp/DSCN7005.MOV

http://www.darkchylde.com/temp/DSCN7064.MOV

http://www.darkchylde.com/temp/DSCN7004.MOV

http://www.darkchylde.com/temp/DSCN7058.MOV

Thank you!

Worried Sarah

[thundersquirrel]

hi sarah,

thank you for the movies! A+ for data gathering, haha.

does he seem to favor any one limb? how long, usually, do his "bad times" last at a time?

there don't appear to be wounds....he's very alert.....this is kind of a puzzler.

i suggest you continue to feed him. give him lots of good food (nuts would be best). keep him coming around. that way you can keep an eye on him.

at this moment, i don't think capture is worth it. he's very alert and, though he may be in pain, he is able to get around and survive.

what YOU need to do is watch him to classify the pain. this is either,
"wow this hurts but it's healing"
or
"wow this hurts and using it is increasing the injury".

if it's the latter, you'll notice eventually. his fur (esp. near his back legs, belly) will become dirty and raggedy. he may lose weight. he may start to fall off trees, or begin to climb and take very long breaks. he may even become too weak to crack a nut.

if these things start to happen, you'll need to capture him. but if not....just give him as much comfort as you can- make your yard a quiet, peaceful zone for him (where he can get food, too :) ).

[Buddy'sMom]

Poor Little Zoomy!! :Love_Icon Kudos to you for being so concerned and looking out for him as best you can! :thumbsup

I hope he's feeling better soon.
:grouphug :grouphug

[Sarah]

Oh, Thundersquirrel is very wise!:bowdown

Thanks for the great advise! It makes me feel a lot better knowing I'm doing the right thing for him.:)

I know the movies where a bit excessive!:) But a picture's worth a thousand words, right?!

He isn't favoring on limb. This morning he was even eating upside down - holding on with his hind feet to the tree and eating the pecan with his front. :) I'm not sure if he could do that before or if it's an improvement.

I think it might be in his back, or in his shoulder joints? Everything works fine, it's just when he tries to sit up or walk. Still running and climbing well. I think it has to do with bearing weight on his front, or curving his back.

His ouchy behavior is constant. I think when he took off at a run the first day that he fooled me into thinking he was better. Could it be a birth defect?

I would classify it now as "It hurts, but it's not getting worse", and, GASP:eek: , if he falls out of tree he's going for professional help.

He's never come to my house, (I wish!) he's just in the park now, but I found his new nest and it's in a nice spot. I hope he'll stick around so I can keep his tummy full!

Thanks again!

[4skwerlz]

Hi Sarah, I've been through the same thing with my wild friends several times. I agree with Thundersquirrel: If he seems the same or better, just keep watching and giving him extra food. If he ever seems worse, like he's losing weight or acting weak, then it's time to intervene. I think you'll know. It hurts so much to see them in pain and not be able to help. But my fuzzers have amazed me many times with how they can heal up fine, even from broken bones. Assuming something's broken somewhere, you should see improvement by early next week (about 10 days since you first saw him). Otherwise.....

Thanks so much for caring.:Love_Icon

[thundersquirrel]

btw, keep us updated! no question is too stupid, and you're welcome to brrrrrowse the rest of the board! :D

[Sarah]

Zoomy Update!

It's been 12 days since I found Zoomy and after the first few hours there hasn't a lot of improvement. Still eating on her belly or propped up on one arm, and really awkward walking. I've been making trips several times a day to her nest and keeping her tummy full though she never comes out to see me, or high tails it up a tree. Never found her more than 10 feet from her tree.

The last 2 days she's been roaming further from her nest and exploring some of the other trees in the park. She's perked up and isn't hiding - as much - letting me get close enough to feed her in the trees. This morning she was eating while propped up on an arm, then sat up straight while eating! Look Ma no Paws! It was just for a second - though she did it twice. It's hardly a major breakthrough and I was really hoping she'd be 100% now (12 days...) but I am very happy for any improvement no matter how tiny.:)

She's small for her age but is otherwise looks good. Still running, evading, and eating upside down. Climbing vertically is good but awkward horizontally. I can't tell if one of her hind legs if it is underdeveloped or if it's just how she's sitting - it looked a little sunken. I'd have pictures but she's still pretty wary and I don't want to put her off fiddling with a camera.

She may have had this problem from birth or long before 12 days. Has anyone had any similar experiences and can I hope for her to make a full recovery at this point?

Tomorrow we're expecting our first rain since February or March so I hope that all the little Fluffies have made good nests and are okay.

[Mars]

My guess is if she broke a bone in the leg it will be sore and take several weeks to heal. Is it possible she was bumped by a car?

[Sarah]

My guess is if she broke a bone in the leg it will be sore and take several weeks to heal. Is it possible she was bumped by a car?

That's good news! Not really, but I think you know what I mean. I just hope it's not a defect or something that's already healed the best it can.

Sure, it could have been a car, or a fall, pounced by a dog...

How long does a break take to heal?