Gross worms

[tgramsey]

Hey there,
Prepare for a gross out. I pulled these gnarly worms from the tuchus of an adult squirrel over the last few days. I took him in for a fracture - then discovered the worms. I checked with a few rehabbers and no one has seen anything quite like this in a squirrel. My wildlife vet said the same. I found an old post on TSB with one worm that looks very similar, but didn't get a clear picture of the type of worm, how it got inside a squirrel, and the cure. I gave the squirrel a subq dose of ivermectin and will give it again in 10 days. Love to hear your thoughts. Oh, the vet I use says they're not a tapeworms -- or not like any he has ever seen. Thanks.

[Chirps]

<<spocks an eyebrow>>

Fascinating. Are they worms? Did they move? They kind of look like turds strung together.

[tgramsey]

They're definitely dead worms.

[tgramsey]

Has anything like these worms in the past? If you have any insight, please let me know.

[Rocky1]

Would you approximate the size of those things? Or the range of sizes?

[tgramsey]

They're all about 2.5"long. Most are thin, but there's the one thick guy. These expelled and/or I pulled them over the course of several days. Haven't seen any since I gave a dose of ivermectin. I haven't found anyone who ever dealt with this before and knows what's up. Stumped some pretty experienced rehabbers and one wildlife vet.

[tgramsey]

They're all about 2-3"long. Most are thin, but there's that one thick guy. These expelled and or I pulled them over the course of several days. Haven't seen any since I gave a dose of ivermectin. I still haven't found anyone who dealt with this before and knows what's up. Stumped some pretty experienced rehabbers!

[Diggie's Friend]

Though there may be other worms that fit the same profile of the worms in your photo, not having seen this in tree squirrels myself as to ID them, roundworms notably fall within the measurement you've listed.

Raccoon Roundworm can be fatal in humans; yet in humans, if diagnosed in time and treated they may survive. Not sure if this is the case in tree squirrels. Neurological symptoms include circling and head bending, much like what is seen in head trauma; sadly it is likely already too late by the time this is seen in a tree squirrel. I sincerely hope that this wasn't the kind of worms you removed from the squirrel.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6535a2.htm

[tgramsey]

Thanks DF. These worms could be that type, but he didn't display odd/loopy behavior. I have this guy because he couldn't use his back legs. X-rays show a pelvic fracture. I guess the fracture was a blessing in disguise to discover and rid him of these mystery worms. I gave Ivermectin and am going to give another deworming med at the 10 day mark. One that covers different worms. I assume it's a good sign that his belly isn't hard anymore. I haven't noticed pieces of worms in his feces either.