Gross Question

[Rocky1]

Does anyone have a good technique or any advice about how to solve the problem of maggots and maggot eggs in the mouth of a squirrel?

I frequently try to rescue injured squirrels in the park and this is bound to come up sooner or later.

My concerns:

1. The risk of aspiration.
2. The deadly nature of maggot ingestion.
3. The need to eat, drink, and breath.
4. How to get that mouth to open to be cleaned if necessary. (I am not an expert, but determined person who cares about squirrels.)

[Spanky]

It's a really weird question since I would expect a squirrel with maggots in their mouth to be very compromised and require intervention to survive. Do you see this frequently?

Since they are wilds I would treat with Capguard/Safeguard (nitenpyram)... I'd be less concerned about aspiration with adults. The dosage should be in a small volume of liquid squirted into their mouths. Bonus: nitenpyram also kills maggots topically.

[Rocky1]

It's a really weird question since I would expect a squirrel with maggots in their mouth to be very compromised and require intervention to survive. Do you see this frequently?

Since they are wilds I would treat with Capguard/Safeguard (nitenpyram)... I'd be less concerned about aspiration with adults. The dosage should be in a small volume of liquid squirted into their mouths. Bonus: nitenpyram also kills maggots topically.

The situation I was envisioning was an adult squirrel lying on the ground with a heartbeat, but also very wounded. That is the scenario I have come across several times. What I typically do is triage and hold the squirrel until a rehabilitator can take over. Sometimes this takes a day or so. Meanwhile, I remove maggots, attempt to hydrate, etc.

I can crush nitenpyram, mix with water, and that's where my knowledge becomes inadequate. I could get a feeding syringe and squirt a little bit into the mouth. I would be concerned that drizzling it over the mouth or only applying it to the outside might make matters worse by resulting in the maggots traveling inward and away from the nitenpyram.

Thanks and please feel free to keep the information coming.

[Spanky]

The situation I was envisioning was an adult squirrel lying on the ground with a heartbeat, but also very wounded. That is the scenario I have come across several times. What I typically do is triage and hold the squirrel until a rehabilitator can take over. Sometimes this takes a day or so. Meanwhile, I remove maggots, attempt to hydrate, etc.

I can crush nitenpyram, mix with water, and that's where my knowledge becomes inadequate. I could get a feeding syringe and squirt a little bit into the mouth. I would be concerned that drizzling it over the mouth or only applying it to the outside might make matters worse by resulting in the maggots traveling inward and away from the nitenpyram.

Thanks and please feel free to keep the information coming.

If I understand, the scenario seems an adult squirrel that had some injuries and is compromised that had been infested with maggots. Nitenpyram is a "safe" drug in terms of what is required to give a lethal dose. On the flip side, it is very effective at killing maggots (this is "off label" use, but extremely effective none the less). You need not worry about the bass turds traveling inward to avoid the nitenpyram because it will kill them dead if they come in contact as well as when the drug is metabolized and distributed through the squirrel's system. I have flushed wounds, some that have had maggots removed manually and believed they were all cleared out, and had many of the bass turds pour out of the wounds.

One of the unfortunate, or rather fortunate actually, aspects of treating with nitenpyram is that the killing off of internal maggots can overwhelm the squirrel if the infestation is advanced and will result in their death.

However, that death is much more merciful than the more slow death resulting from being eaten inside out by maggots.

Nitenpyram 11.4mg tabs, 1/4 tab in water given orally.

[Rocky1]

If I understand, the scenario seems an adult squirrel that had some injuries and is compromised that had been infested with maggots. Nitenpyram is a "safe" drug in terms of what is required to give a lethal dose. On the flip side, it is very effective at killing maggots (this is "off label" use, but extremely effective none the less). You need not worry about the bass turds traveling inward to avoid the nitenpyram because it will kill them dead if they come in contact as well as when the drug is metabolized and distributed through the squirrel's system. I have flushed wounds, some that have had maggots removed manually and believed they were all cleared out, and had many of the bass turds pour out of the wounds.

One of the unfortunate, or rather fortunate actually, aspects of treating with nitenpyram is that the killing off of internal maggots can overwhelm the squirrel if the infestation is advanced and will result in their death.

However, that death is much more merciful than the more slow death resulting from being eaten inside out by maggots.

[/FONT]Nitenpyram 11.4mg tabs, 1/4 tab in water given orally.

On a related note, do you / anyone else have advice for dissolving nitenpyram? I tried dissolving it in water and failed. The best I could do is crush the pill and mix it in with the water, but the powder/crushed pill would not fully dissolve (to the point where the fluid was clear). I read that nitenpyram is very hydrophobic which would explain my difficulty. Maybe what is meant by "dissolve" (and I have heard to "dissolve" nitenpyram from many sources several times) is really just to crush the pill and mix it with water?

Also, does anyone have any idea if you can use a solution of water and crushed nitenpyram safely in ears or eyes (assuming there is a maggot problem there)? Again, I know this is gross/disturbing to think about, but I would rather know ahead of time.

The advice I have already received is definitely going to save lives!

[Spanky]

It is not going to dissolve into a clear liquid. Not many tablets will. By crushing the tablet and adding water the results are a "suspension"; the particles are suspended in the liquid. We use the term dissolve a lot even when we are really discussing, technically, a suspension.

Yes, this nitenpyram suspension can be used in the ears.

As for eyes, nitenpyram is a category 2 eye hazard, meaning it will cause irritation. I have never used this in eyes, but I have used in ears and wounds. I would say use in the eye has to be the call of the rescuer weighing the potential harm versus benefits... maybe other members have more complete info the can share on using nitenpyram ocularly.