skin condition w/ pics

[thundersquirrel]

hello all,

my mother and i are trying to help a fellow rehabber with her baby. he's about five or six weeks old and he's developed a flaky skin rash that we're trying to fix.

this baby has gotten proper care- not sure of his history, but he's been with this rehabber for a while. the only difference is that he's only had formula/pedialyte, never anything else (though i suspect she'll start offering a variety soon).

i've already suspected an allergic reaction to some kind of detergent, but i'm always open for more theories from the board. :)

pictures say it better than i ever could-

[ravenlaws32]

possible allergic reaction ,or mange or mites. i had one that looked like that flakiness but where the flakes were the hair came out , after treating with invertin from m vet ,it cleared up and hair came back normal.

[squirrelfriend]

My guess was the onset of mange as well. Possible allergic reaction. Ivermectin clears it up real fast. If you pull a flake out of the fur does the hair come easily with it? If so that would be an indication of mange. I have dealt with a really bad case of mange and a couple of minor ones but have never dealt with an allergic reaction. I can't tell you anything on the alergy part.

Good pics of it. If you do figure out what it is post it in the specific ailment section under whatever it turns out to be. This way it can help future fuzzies in the future.

[4skwerlz]

Is baby scratching a lot? = possible mange

If it's only on his underside, that's the part that comes in contact with his bedding the most at his age = maybe bedding or detergent allergy

If caretaker is washing his belly a lot = could be dry skin

[Gabe]

Dry flaky skin.

It looks too superficial to be mange. The dry flakes are mingled in with the fur and look as though you could very easily brush them right off.. Mange is crusty and attached to the skin.

[jules]

Looks to me like a form of psoriasis which can be exacerbated by stress or an allergic reaction to something.:thinking

[pamela lee]

As ya'll know I know nothing about these things, but it looks just like cradle cap. You know like in human babies, I'm not sure what causes cradle cap, but that's what it looks like.

[Critter_Queen]

My vote is allergy to the detergent/fabric softener and being made worse by improper diet. (no solids up until now isn't good for the digestive system which feeds the body, so anytime you mess with that you could potentially weaken the immune system)

I would tell her to by Dreft detergent or All without the dyes and fragrance and NO softeners or fabric sheets. Also, soft, fleecy material will probably make baby more comfy as well as Aveeno Baby Cream or Lotion rubbed into the belly and underside of the tail twice a day.

ETA: Is the baby still on heat? What is it being kept in? That would also make a difference.

[Mars]

The possiblities include fungal infection, just dry skin, mange mite, bacterial infection and or allergy. The easiest start is to change the bedding. Elimanate any wood chips if they are being used, change to all cotton teeshirt material (I have had critters have adverse reactions to polyester) and wash with a "pure" soap ( no scents or dyes) No fabric softener no drier sheets. You want to elimate the possibility of fungal infections such as ring worm so a skin scraping would be a good idea. I don't think its mange or other mite but it wouldn't hurt to ask the vet about treating for such just in case. A warm bath with epsom salts may help. :)

[thundersquirrel]

thank you all for the responses. we've got a lot of good ideas!

mom said the squirrel wasn't scratching, but she only saw her for ten minutes or so. she didn't say if the fur came out with it, but the fur does appear to thin out where the flakes are.

i think i'll suggest to the rehabber the following, in order;

change the bedding and detergent to t-shirts and no-allergen
if it continues, get a skin scraping
if it continues, get ivermectin

ivermectin is one medication that we have easy access to (and of course it's the one that could kill if overdosed).

mom has already advised her to get the baby some solids and a proper cage (she's in a box right now).

don't judge the rehabber, though; i think she started this season, and she's a quick learner, and enthusiastic. ;)

[GhosTS]

My guess is mange..or some kind of parasitic infection..I think ivermectine will clear it out.

[Mrs. Jack]

As ya'll know I know nothing about these things, but it looks just like cradle cap. You know like in human babies, I'm not sure what causes cradle cap, but that's what it looks like.

It did to me too! with a baby, you massage the head with a baby brush, stimulate the skin, and voila.

[Pam's Squirt]

If it's just on his belly, I'd call it diaper rash! LOL :rotfl Seriously, I've had babies that have had similar looking stuff and it was from not having "Mom" around to clean them up after they urinate, and/or they're not in a nest that would allow the urine to flow away from them and they end up sleeping in a puddle of urine. :dono It seems to be worse when there are more than just one baby too. Some babies seem to be more sensitive to it as well. Urine contains uric acid, in fact, that's where urine got its name and color! Uric acid is yellow in color. Anyway, the acid in urine causes blisters. So,maybe you should try cornstarch to keep the area dry, or use a diaper rash cream. :dono Just my itty bitty opinion.

[hazel]

I've had mange in squirrels twice and this sure doesn't look like mange. If it were some sort of mite or lice why would it be affecting only the underside? It also doesn't look like a fungal infection to me.

My first thought when I saw the pix was that it reminded me of something I've seen in dogs. Can I remember what that is? NO! Anyway, I do recall that on dogs, the flakes, along with the affected area in general, feel waxy. I'm not back at work until Sun. but I'll show the pix to the Dr.s then.

My best guess is that it's some sort of reaction. Is her bedding kept clean enough? It should be changed at least twice daily. I am NO fan of wood chips for any animal. I much prefer t-shirt fabric to fleece as well. Fleece is not very absorbent as it's usually 100% polyester. (no one has to limit themselves to old t-shirts. The fabric can be bought by the yard and as remnants at fabric stores.)

I use only unscented detergents and no fabric softerers. When I need to use bleach in the critter's laundry to disinfect, the laundry is washed a second time to be sure the bleach has been washed out. For odor removal, I add OxyClean powder when needed.