Attacked squirrel - Nose gone

[Animal_Pal]

I saw it up in one of our trees and I could see something was wrong with its face. I called it down and it came.
I took some pictures as it tried eating an almond. I don’t know if it just hurts or some are broken. Any ideas of what to do? Our humane society will put it down. I could just hope for the best. I forgot to mention it has full mobility. I've seen it jumping from branches, and cleaning.
It's gone away now. I left a watery mixture of almond butter, fortified with rat food.
See attached picture. How can I attach video? Downscale it?

Alvin
Metro Detroit
323889323890

[Spanky]

The TSB platform does not support videos, but you can post a link to a video uploaded to YouTube or any other type of site.

The picture almost looks as if all the tissue is gone and the bones in her nose are exposed... is that what you are seeing?

[Animal_Pal]

Here's a link to one of the videos (https://youtube.com/shorts/J-nkVrpGNLs?feature=share)

and here's the other one. https://youtube.com/shorts/mDiiJ1viHCw?feature=share

[Animal_Pal]

The TSB platform does not support videos, but you can post a link to a video uploaded to YouTube or any other type of site.

The picture almost looks as if all the tissue is gone and the bones in her nose are exposed... is that what you are seeing?

Yes that's right. When I looked a squirrel skull, it looked like there is a bone that is missing. Am I wrong and that is just tissue as you mentioned. The humane society looked at the picture and said it looks like it's healing. I'm lucky the low is only in the low 40's tonight, and tomorrow in the 50's again. It tried eating an almond but gave up. It did get some shell off. Does that mean its upper and lower teeth are intact?

[Charley Chuckles]

Poor baby😥
Prayers🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[CritterMom]

Can you help the poor thing get regular food?

Chop up some nuts really fine - so they are crumbs - and stick them back together with peanut butter so you have a mixture like stiff cookie dough that you can roll into balls.

[Animal_Pal]

Can you help the poor thing get regular food?

Chop up some nuts really fine - so they are crumbs - and stick them back together with peanut butter so you have a mixture like stiff cookie dough that you can roll into balls.

of course! I've made a lot squirrel "cookies" like that. She didn't want the almond butter mixed with water though. I was hoping the watery mixture would give nourishment and hydration.

There is fresh water put out every day. The other squirrels aren't bothering her.

What could have done this to her? Cat, hawk, dog? Not sure if it was today, but this is the first she came back around. They usually come here when they need help.

[Spanky]

What could have done this to her? Cat, hawk, dog? Not sure if it was today, but this is the first she came back around. They usually come here when they need help.

If this were a hawk or cat, or even dog attack, I would expect there to me more damage... and there may well be since squirrels are masters of disguising injuries and weakness. He has "sick eyes" IMO. It would be great if you could dose some antibiotics (we will help) in the "cookies" just to cover the bases here.

A dog *may* have gotten his snout and bit a bit off before he managed to escape. If a cat or hawk had a grip on him like this I'd expect there to more more obvious damage.

I have seen one other injury similar to this one... the tissue on her nose was gone. I was only able to send my vet pictures, and our best guess was perhaps a some sort of insect bite that resulted in a necrosis of the tissue.

[Animal_Pal]

I can see where you’re coming from regarding the “more damage”. The eyes I thought were hurt in the scuffle. The feet are a little bloody and there is at least one cut on its back, the the nape of the neck.
I never thought about necrosis. Dang. There is a little piece of flesh (snout maybe) hanging.
How would I go about obtaining and dosing the antibiotics?




If this were a hawk or cat, or even dog attack, I would expect there to me more damage... and there may well be since squirrels are masters of disguising injuries and weakness. He has "sick eyes" IMO. It would be great if you could dose some antibiotics (we will help) in the "cookies" just to cover the bases here.

A dog *may* have gotten his snout and bit a bit off before he managed to escape. If a cat or hawk had a grip on him like this I'd expect there to more more obvious damage.

I have seen one other injury similar to this one... the tissue on her nose was gone. I was only able to send my vet pictures, and our best guess was perhaps a some sort of insect bite that resulted in a necrosis of the tissue.

[CritterMom]

I can see where you’re coming from regarding the “more damage”. The eyes I thought were hurt in the scuffle. The feet are a little bloody and there is at least one cut on its back, the the nape of the neck.
I never thought about necrosis. Dang. There is a little piece of flesh (snout maybe) hanging.
How would I go about obtaining and dosing the antibiotics?

Ask friends, family, etc., if anyone has any leftover antibiotics from their past illnesses. Make a list of what you can get your hands on and the size of the pills in milligrams. One of us will cobble a way to dilute and hide the dose on something hopefully tasty.

[Animal_Pal]

Ask friends, family, etc., if anyone has any leftover antibiotics from their past illnesses. Make a list of what you can get your hands on and the size of the pills in milligrams. One of us will cobble a way to dilute and hide the dose on something hopefully tasty.

Great idea! Let me see what I can find. Hopefully it will come back tomorrow. My wife was thinking since the nose area wasn't red and bleeding, that maybe it had happened a day or two ago.

I'll let you know in the morning what I found.

You guys are the best. I was in tears earlier. I had a feeling you were my only hope.

On Christmas night I found a squirrel that was hit in the road just squirming around. I ended up picking up and taking it to the humane society (yes, they met me on Christmas). They euthanized it shortly after. It was pretty hard on me, just to have this happen a few days later.

Thank you. :grin2:hug

[Animal_Pal]

Ask friends, family, etc., if anyone has any leftover antibiotics from their past illnesses. Make a list of what you can get your hands on and the size of the pills in milligrams. One of us will cobble a way to dilute and hide the dose on something hopefully tasty.

My wife said she has clyndamyxin lotion and gel. That's not oral, so probably not what we're looking for, right?

[Spanky]

My wife said she has clyndamyxin lotion and gel. That's not oral, so probably not what we're looking for, right?

Right, lotions and gels are not what is needed. Oral antibiotics are.... examples would include Augmentin (vet version Clavamox), Bactrim (SMP/TMZ), Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin (AKA Cipro, vet version Baytril). This is not a comprehensive list, but some examples that would be beneficial. If you locate any other antibiotics, post the name and strength and someone will advise if it is suitable in this situation...

Some pet stores that do a good deal of business with tropical fishes often have some of these available for purchase (the doxycycline and cipro (AKA "Fish Flox").

[Animal_Pal]

Right, lotions and gels are not what is needed. Oral antibiotics are.... examples would include Augmentin (vet version Clavamox), Bactrim (SMP/TMZ), Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin (AKA Cipro, vet version Baytril). This is not a comprehensive list, but some examples that would be beneficial. If you locate any other antibiotics, post the name and strength and someone will advise if it is suitable in this situation...

Some pet stores that do a good deal of business with tropical fishes often have some of these available for purchase (the doxycycline and cipro (AKA "Fish Flox").

I found amoxicillin 500mg capsule. Is that what we’re looking for?

[Spanky]

I found amoxicillin 500mg capsule. Is that what we’re looking for?

Not the best, but better than nothing... I'd still exhaust asking all my family friends and neighbors.

I will send dosing for the amoxicillin now because it is better than nothing and we can always switch later if better meds are located... :thumbsup

[Animal_Pal]

Not the best, but better than nothing... I'd still exhaust asking all my family friends and neighbors.

I will send dosing for the amoxicillin now because it is better than nothing and we can always switch later if better meds are located... :thumbsup

Are the suggested antibiotics for humans, with exception of the fish?

I just want to be looking for alternatives in our medicine cabinet.

Thanks again.

[CritterMom]

They are human meds that through some sort of legal loophole, can be sold "for aquarium use." All possibilities are things that are commonly prescribed to humans.

[Animal_Pal]

They are human meds that through some sort of legal loophole, can be sold "for aquarium use." All possibilities are things that are commonly prescribed to humans.

I also found amlodipine besylate 10mg

[CritterMom]

I also found amlodipine besylate 10mg

Nope - those are blood pressure meds...

I would certainly start the amoxicillin. If you end up finding something better you can switch.

Try to stuff this squirrel with good, healthy food. Do you have any rodent blocks of any kind? Grinding them up and then sticking everything back together with peanut butter smells good and tastes good. The more she eats with YOU, the less time she has to forage and the more time she will spend in her nest, sleeping, which will help her heal, and not being eaten by anything because she is a tiny bit slower than usual.

If you are giving medication in a nut ball of some kind, give that FIRST while they are still hungry. Once the medicine ball is down they can have the other food.

[Animal_Pal]

Nope - those are blood pressure meds...

I would certainly start the amoxicillin. If you end up finding something better you can switch.

Try to stuff this squirrel with good, healthy food. Do you have any rodent blocks of any kind? Grinding them up and then sticking everything back together with peanut butter smells good and tastes good. The more she eats with YOU, the less time she has to forage and the more time she will spend in her nest, sleeping, which will help her heal, and not being eaten by anything because she is a tiny bit slower than usual.

If you are giving medication in a nut ball of some kind, give that FIRST while they are still hungry. Once the medicine ball is down they can have the other food.

She isn't taking any food, peanut butter ball or otherwise. She was foraging again today, on the same tree that I originally found her. She came funning to me again. Walked into the house while I scrambled to get the food. She wouldn't take any. She wouldn't try any chopped nuts solo either. It looks like the tissue is starting to healing now.

If she can't eat, she won't make it, I assume. She's sneezing quite a bit. Every time after she sniffs the food I offer to her she sneezes. Sometimes she opens her mouth like a yawn. I see her tongue and lower teeth. She came into my foyer for warmth, and eventually closed her in. I left her alone after trying to offer her food again, without luck. When alone, she was sniffing food, but wouldn't eat.

I'll get the videos on YouTube and link them soon.
Pictures to follow shortly.

[Animal_Pal]

323895323895

[Animal_Pal]

When she breaths it has a smell something between wet dog and mildew.

I let her into my foyer for warmth and to keep her around food. I was hoping this would save the energy of confinement and danger of predation.

Something weird, when other squirrels approached her, they walked away, and avoided her.

She's lost weight in my opinion.

[Animal_Pal]

The closest rescue and humane society recommend euthanizing. It would have a slow death and bad quality of life.
I'm sad, so sad. I feel like I've failed it. Now it's really trying to leave my foyer, freaking out.

I feel so awful.

[Spanky]

It would be great if she took the amoxicillin, but that be more prophylactic than actually treating an active infection. Getting her to eat and drink routinely may be more important for her. I'd continue to try to get her to eat the medicine, but if a choice between eating nothing at all or something, I would opt for her eating. But keep attempting to dose her with the amoxicillin, the bad breadth doss not sound good.

Is this a squirrel you were familiar before her injury? I ask because it is unusual for them to be quite so friendly to people... except juveniles in distress. They'll walk right up to a person, a dog or cat if they are one their own (lost their mom). With people, we call this "warm tree syndrome"... they are just looking for some help. However, too many people a frightened by this behavior and too often will injury the squirrel... perhaps a possibility to what happened in this case. I treated one that was friendly like this because she was raised by people... when she started chewing their furniture, they threw her outdoors. She approached a neighbor that ended up pouring a pot of boiling water on the squirrel. :madd

[Spanky]

I know this place is a little further away, and you'd need to capture her and transport her to Lowell in a cage, but they may be willing to help her. I have taken squirrels to them in the past (car hit, paralyzed) and they did everything perfect for Hank ("the Tank").... I grew up in MI and have a brother in GR.

https://www.facebook.com/farmwildlife/?eid=ARA1xvMgozp4AJXj37QocOwoAivR0YY-4EHn1bnneg5dXkOUHyQM3ESzxB98bORlHmb8lgM4PnOPZzlI
(616) 885-4223
sjanagordon@icloud.com

[Animal_Pal]

It would be great if she took the amoxicillin, but that be more prophylactic than actually treating an active infection. Getting her to eat and drink routinely may be more important for her. I'd continue to try to get her to eat the medicine, but if a choice between eating nothing at all or something, I would opt for her eating. But keep attempting to dose her with the amoxicillin, the bad breadth doss not sound good.

Is this a squirrel you were familiar before her injury? I ask because it is unusual for them to be quite so friendly to people... except juveniles in distress. They'll walk right up to a person, a dog or cat if they are one their own (lost their mom). With people, we call this "warm tree syndrome"... they are just looking for some help. However, too many people a frightened by this behavior and too often will injury the squirrel... perhaps a possibility to what happened in this case. I treated one that was friendly like this because she was raised by people... when she started chewing their furniture, they threw her outdoors. She approached a neighbor that ended up pouring a pot of boiling water on the squirrel. :madd

I have to admit, I assumed that we were familiar with it because she was eating from our tree and came running down, like many of them do. She looked like one of the "babies" or young ones.

I had the humane society come and take it. The rescue I called was really concerned about the infection, and I can't rehab her here myself. The society vet wouldn't give me injectable antibiotics, what the rehabber told me it would need.

It was in question if it could smell, or breath much through its nose. I saw it drink once after it tried escaping. That really drained and it had to take a nap.

Honestly I'm still crying. I feel like I can never do enough for them.

[Animal_Pal]

I know this place is a little further away, and you'd need to capture her and transport her to Lowell in a cage, but they may be willing to help her. I have taken squirrels to them in the past (car hit, paralyzed) and they did everything perfect for Hank ("the Tank").... I grew up in MI and have a brother in GR.

https://www.facebook.com/farmwildlife/?eid=ARA1xvMgozp4AJXj37QocOwoAivR0YY-4EHn1bnneg5dXkOUHyQM3ESzxB98bORlHmb8lgM4PnOPZzlI
(616) 885-4223
sjanagordon@icloud.com

I actually called them and they are the ones that recommended euthanizing it. She said I can try to rehab it, but would likely need plastic surgery and strong antibiotics.

I had the humane society come and take it. The rescue I called was really concerned about the infection, and I can't rehab her here myself. The society vet wouldn't give me injectable antibiotics, what the rehabber told me it would need.

It was in question if it could smell, or breath much through its nose. I saw it drink once after it tried escaping. That really drained and it had to take a nap.

Honestly I'm still crying. I feel like I can never do enough for them.

[Spanky]

Honestly I'm still crying. I feel like I can never do enough for them.

Sometimes the best thing we can offer is a peaceful crossing to the bridge. Know you have done exactly that; I agree that her injuries were likely insurmountable.

Thank you for caring enough to do all that you did... RIP Little one.

[Animal_Pal]

Sometimes the best thing we can offer is a peaceful crossing to the bridge. Know you have done exactly that; I agree that her injuries were likely insurmountable.

Thank you for caring enough to do all that you did... RIP Little one.




I really appreciate that because I keep seeing it in the tree trying, or actually eating, in my foyer resting, drinking, looking into my house interested, also freaking out, wanting out.
Apparently feeling guilty, responsible, remorseful, as a type of negotiation to regain control.

[Animal_Pal]

I appreciate everyone coming together to support me. The fast responses felt like there was a community supporting me trying.

Logic and feeling are colliding. I feel some comfort hearing your words to me. I think its' will to live is what I struggle with the most. I've seen other animals want to it to end, the pain to overbearing. It wasn't the case here.

I think I'll be checking in with the board to gather opinions. Leaning heavily on the experience that was so strongly demonstrated here.
It seems I more quickly as a question to some instagram account, before the board.



Thanks again.

[Diggie's Friend]

You could try feeding her organic whole fat yogurt with calcium added from a syringe to bypass the effected area. yogurt with no sugars added, containing only naturally occurring sugars; is higher calcium content than phosphorus; is a good source to lend support to an injured adult.

Using a 3 ml non-needle feeding syringe, hold is from below her jaw up to her mouth.
Feed slowly giving ample time to swallow between gulps.

https://www.amazon.com/Wallaby-Organic-Whole-Greek-Yogurt/dp/B00K1XKUYM/ref=sr_1_29_f3_0o_wf?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxPPBsJD__AI ViROtBh2VYwnxEAAYAiAAEgIgRfD_BwE&hvadid=408512797387&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031634&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8287291278025974563&hvtargid=kwd-308867983638&hydadcr=4883_9617053&keywords=stonyfield+organic+whole+milk+yogurt&qid=1675642139&sr=8-29