Traumatic toe amputation

[Squirelgirl]

I have a little guy about 5/6 weeks old. One toe has been amputated, (not sure how). I sprayed his paw with peroxide, wrapped in non stick gauze with some neosporine. His wound looks good, he's using his paw and his lil toes. For the first couple days he didn't eat, but then he got a healthy appetite of 9ml of fox valley formula evey 4 hours. He was getting more alert, active (only a little bit as I have him in a cat carrier to keep activity to a minimum). All the sudden today though he doesn't want to eat hardly. He's had a small Pedialyte mixture and only 4ml twice. Still very alert. He is peeing, but I have not been able to get him to poop. Could an infection be setting in? Or could this just be because he hasn't adjusted to where he's been all week?? He is super jumpy, and sensitive to noise and movement from day 1 so I'm thinking that has alot to do with it but I'm not sure.

[Spanky]

It is not uncommon for it to take several days for them to poop after intake if they haven't eaten for several days before they are found. It takes a while for things to move all the way through their systems.

Perhaps you can share how long he has been with you and the circumstances of he ended up in your care.

[Squirelgirl]

My husband called me from work on Tuesday that he had a this lil guy fall from the tree they were taking down. Somewhere in the process he lost one of his toes. He didn't eat for me until Thursday and he are good from there on until this morning. I did just clean out his cage and there were a couple poops but that's it. I'm wondering if he may be getting an infection from his wound or if it's more from caution not eating.

[Spanky]

As long the wound looks good... minimal swelling, not oozing, etc. and he is well hydrated, not bloated, remains active and not lethargic I would not be too concerned. Make certain he stays well hydrated; hydration is always they key issue. He went from Tuesday until Thursday without eating, it will likely take a few days for things to work their way through his system.

If he still is not pooping on Monday then it might be time to start treating for constipation.

[Squirelgirl]

The wound is not oozing, but looks like a big dark scab with some inflammation. It doesn't look like he's been licking on it. I can't hardly get him to even take the Pedialyte mixture by syringe, it mostly runs back out of his mouth when I give him a squirt. I will keep trying to get him to drink and hopefully he'll start drinking/eating again.

[CritterMom]

When a baby comes in and eats well, then suddenly refuses to eat, I always thing aspiration pneumonia starting. What sort of antibiotics can you get your hands on? I am talking human meds. We can assist you in PROPERLY diluting it and dosing it. You will need to provide us with the weight of the squirrel, the size in milligrams of the pill, and YOU will need a 1ml syringe without a needle that has clear markings that you can use to measure and dose the meds. Call everyone you know and get a list of the name of any leftover antibiotics they may have. If anyone mentions Cipro, stop and go get that pill. Others will work but Cipro works fastest.

[Mel1959]

The wound is not oozing, but looks like a big dark scab with some inflammation. It doesn't look like he's been licking on it. I can't hardly get him to even take the Pedialyte mixture by syringe, it mostly runs back out of his mouth when I give him a squirt. I will keep trying to get him to drink and hopefully he'll start drinking/eating again.

Try switching to slightly sweetened sugar water instead of pedialyte. Some squirrels prefer it.

[CritterMom]

And if you can get us a weight, he can have infant ibuprophen. It is a liquid that tastes like cherry and most of them really like it so giving it to them is not a big issue. His toe probably hurts and that will also affect how he is acting.

Make sure you get infant ibuprophen, NOT acetaminophen. If they do not have the "infant" type, you can use the "childrens" type but we will need to know which you get because the dosing will be different. You will need a 1ml syringe to measure and give it to him (you should be using 1ml syringes to feed him, too).

[Squirelgirl]

Thank you everyone for all the advice. He did start eating again this morning. Still very active and alert. I did think about the pain from his toe causing him to not eat also. The Pedialyte mixture I was giving g is equal parts plain Pedialyte and water with a little bit of sugar to make it more appealing to him. If things change and he back steps again I will definitely let yall know hopefully this little squirt will stay on track. Again, I'm very grateful for all your responses!

[Squirelgirl]

Afterthought here. Should I still give him infant ibuprofen for his toe? I read on another thread here that an anti inflammatory/pain reliever can hinder healing because when you take away the pain they get more active as the inflammation promotes healing because they don't use the affected body part.

[CritterMom]

Afterthought here. Should I still give him infant ibuprofen for his toe? I read on another thread here that an anti inflammatory/pain reliever can hinder healing because when you take away the pain they get more active as the inflammation promotes healing because they don't use the affected body part.

Well, you need to weigh one against the other. Pain will absolutely hinder healing since the animals will give up a lot faster if they are in constant pain. If this little one if looking bright and moving around and EATING it sounds like whatever was bothering him has passed.

[Squirelgirl]

Great! Thank you. In several years, I've never had this scenario. He is definitely eating, peeing, all the way around looking good. If anything else happens I will definitely let yall know. Thanks again for all the advise😊😊