Bald patch on head

[LawrenceSquirrels]

One of my backyard guys showed up with a big bald spot on his head after being missing for about a week … what possibly could have happened to him? Could he be ill or was he injured?320433

[LawrenceSquirrels]

Unfortunately he is doing much worse today ... his head is now visibly wounded with raw skin and a deep wound. Poor guy. What could have happened? could he be scratching his head and worsening the injury? Or is this an attack wound? Or a sickness? Is there anything I can do to help him? I have been continuously offering food and water. I feel so bad...

320438

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi LawrenceSquirrels:
I have a few questions and suggestions:
1) it sounds as if this Squirrel is a wild Squirrel and if so, it of course makes treatment at best, difficult and for some treatments, impossible to accomplish. Are you able to hold this Squirrel and even possibly get him into a cage? The reason I am asking this is because I would recommend regular, gentle cleaning of the wound and possible use of antibiotics that I have noted below.
2) In the original photo, it appears that the skin was intact and on your second photo taken 2 days later (?) it appears that there is a cut in the skin that runs lengthwise involving your Squirrel's scalp. Was the skin actually intact in the "bald" region as it appears to be when you first saw your Squirrel? If so did it appear that the skin was puffy or swollen in that area. The reason I am asking is that when I view the differences between the two photo; I wonder if the Squirrel had an abscess (a pus pocket) in his scalp and by the time you took the second photo, the skin overlying the abscess had ruptured which looks like a laceration but might be the ragged edges of the ruptured abscess. If this was originally and abscess and now it has ruptured and drained, this may be all that is needed except for cleaning the wound and monitoring the Squirrels healing. For most superficial skin abscess, drainage is the definitive treatment. Many people do give antibiotics for abscesses but in reality, antibiotics do mot penetrate into an abscess well and except for treatment of very small abscesses, cannot be considered the primary treatment. That being said, just to cover all bases, do ho have any antibiotics available? Usually only 1 pill will cover the entire treatment period. One of the best skin antibiotics is Augmentin which is Amoxicillin plus Clavulanic acid. Just check to see if you have any antibiotics available and what their strength is (such as 100mg per tablet). Also if the Squirrel is actually tame and can be weighed, this would also be great as antibiotics are dosed according to the weight of the Squirrel.
3) Is there any drainage from the wound now?
4) The wound in your second photo has some dark material in and around the wound and this looks like some sort of dirt and/or dried blood. If at all possible, it would be best to clean it gently. I realize that this is far easier for me to say than for you to do, but I would recommend gently and with only minimal pressure, irrigate the wound with warm tap water using a bulb syringe or a large regular plastic syringe. Hold the nozzle an inch or two away from the wound and gently spray the wound with the water. This will hopefully dislodge the dark material which most likely is teaming with bacteria and also will wash out bacteria that certain to be present in the wound in wound site itself.
5) No attempt should be made at this time to try to close the wound as that will just seal bacteria inside the wound and could result in a secondary infection. This wound will heal on its own although it may not seem like that is possible.
6) I would also recommend that you do not use hydrogen peroxide as this can kill or damage newly developing tissue cells. I would also recommend not using and ointment or creams on the wound at this time even if they contain and antibiotic.
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Also, as far as the irrigation goes, I would recommend doing this 3 times daily for about 5 minutes each time and continue it for at least 2 days. The wound should be reassessed at least every 12 hours for signs of worsening which would include among others; swelling, surrounding redness, drainage (especially drainage of pus), bleeding, and even maggots.
SamtheSquirrel

[LawrenceSquirrels]

Hi SamTheSquirrel,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up a very detailed response. This was what I was looking for, to get insight from someone who is knowledgeable on squirrel care.

To respond,

Yes, he is wild. Friendly but wild. He lives in my yard and I’ve been feeding him for the last year, he walks right up to my door and begs. Really affectionate and intelligent. I don’t think I would be able to capture him and clean his head myself, but if antibiotics will help prevent infection, I bet he trusts me enough to take medicine hidden in a pecan or any other clever disguise.

Yes when I first noticed the missing hair, the skin was intact, and it did look irritated, but I didn’t notice any bump in that spot. I have pictures from last Wednesday when I first noticed missing fur, and then Friday, Sunday, and Today, each day getting worse. I finally posted on Saturday and then today (Monday) I followed up after things looked significantly worse.

It didn’t look like there was active drainage, but it did look like blood had dried. I do have a bulb syringe I could spray his head when he is close, but that might frighten him and he probably would run off.

Thank you also for reassurance that it may heal up, even though it is hard to see him in this condition. I will try and find antibiotics if I have any. I don't know his weight and don't have a scale that sensitive but my guess is he is an average male weight, a few years old, and is just now starting to plump up for winter here in NY.

Photo of each day since I first saw his head fur missing:
320441

[Mel1959]

If you can post the meds you find and the strength someone can estimate the weight of your squirrel and provide proper dosing.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi SamTheSquirrel,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up a very detailed response. This was what I was looking for, to get insight from someone who is knowledgeable on squirrel care.

To respond,

Yes, he is wild. Friendly but wild. He lives in my yard and I’ve been feeding him for the last year, he walks right up to my door and begs. Really affectionate and intelligent. I don’t think I would be able to capture him and clean his head myself, but if antibiotics will help prevent infection, I bet he trusts me enough to take medicine hidden in a pecan or any other clever disguise.

Yes when I first noticed the missing hair, the skin was intact, and it did look irritated, but I didn’t notice any bump in that spot. I have pictures from last Wednesday when I first noticed missing fur, and then Friday, Sunday, and Today, each day getting worse. I finally posted on Saturday and then today (Monday) I followed up after things looked significantly worse.

It didn’t look like there was active drainage, but it did look like blood had dried. I do have a bulb syringe I could spray his head when he is close, but that might frighten him and he probably would run off.

Thank you also for reassurance that it may heal up, even though it is hard to see him in this condition. I will try and find antibiotics if I have any. I don't know his weight and don't have a scale that sensitive but my guess is he is an average male weight, a few years old, and is just now starting to plump up for winter here in NY.

Photo of each day since I first saw his head fur missing:

Thanks LawrenceSquirrels & thanks Mel:
Yes, LawrenceSquirrels, if you do have access to antibiotics please post the name of the medication itself (an example would be Augmentin) and the strength (this is a number in milligrams that the pill or capsule contains of the drug such as 100mg) Some medications such as Augmentin (amoxicillin plus Clavulanic acid) and Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim) are combination drugs and there may be 2 numbers. One of the admins can review this and if they agree as to use of the antibiotic, they will send preparation and dosing instructions to you via a Private Message. I still suspect that this little Squirrel had an abscess that ruptured but again, I cannot be certain. As to a cause, he may have been bitten by an animal or even an insect, he may have scratched himself on some sharp or rough object or whatever. From you most recent photo, it does not appear that there is an active infection going on but it helps to be very close sometimes to observe for that. Most wound infections develop become obvious in the first 48-72 hours and not immediately, Cat bites are a big exception because cat's mouths contain a bacterium called Pasturella that commonly causes signs of infection in less than 24 hours or less. Although (unless there have been changes for the worse today) it appears that there is no definitive infection, it probably would be prudent to give antibiotics for 5-7 days until signs of definitive healing are evident and that no infection is present and then you could stop the antibiotics. This poses another issue and that is how to get the antibiotic into a wild Squirrel. People have tried coating the meat of a nut with medicine or place medicine inside a small piece of fruit but those means are a crap-shoot at best because Squirrels do not gulp their food like dogs do and much goes to waste. I have never had to give antibiotics to a wild Squirrel but TSB is a world of experienced and talented Squirrelers and I would bet that others here have some good suggestions.

Also, I agree that if you squirted the Squirrel's head to try to irrigate the wound he would probably take off and may not even return. Squirrels are almost unique for a wild animal in how much they will trust a human but they are also very smart and I think that is why they are so trusting; the trust being very conditional in that they get food or shelter but if it appears to the Squirrel that they are being threatened, the relationship can easily be broken. It may however be possible to bring a washcloth that is saturated with warm water casually across the Squirrel's wound while he is near and get away with this. It may be best, unless you can actually control the Squirrel to just observe him at this point and give antibiotics if possible and continue your regular food, treats and friendship.
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel