Clindamycin for Cat Bite

[McAsh]

Hello! New here and this post is close to what I’m trying to figure out, but I can handle my squirrel since he’s a trusting baby, so I want to give him the meds directly.

I have a 6 week old eastern gray. He has two punctures from a cat that have closed up, except for a dot.
They’re draining a lot but there’s a tiny pus tinge to the fluid today. I say they’re punctures, but I didn’t see them when I first found him. No blood on him at all, the two spots have just swollen and look about where a bite could be.

I have 300 mg capsules of Clindamycin. If I break one open, how much water do I mix and how much do I give him? Could someone PM me?

I have photos but don’t know how to add here. I’d honestly be fine texting someone, I’m just worried about him.

[McAsh]

Hello! Newbie here.

I have a 6-week old eastern gray. He has two punctures from a cat that have closed up, except for a pin-sized dot. They’re draining a lot but there’s a tiny pus tinge to the fluid today. I say they’re punctures, but I didn’t see them when I first found him. No blood on him at all, the two spots have just swollen and look about where a bite could be. They're kind of bulbous and the one I'm worried about by his jaw is about the size of my pinky nail.

I have 150 mg capsules of Clindamycin left over from my dog. If I break one open, how much water do I mix and how much do I give him? Could someone PM me?

I have photos but don’t know how to add them here.

[McAsh]

I lied, the capsules are 150mg.

[Spanky]

Hello! New here and this post is close to what I’m trying to figure out, but I can handle my squirrel since he’s a trusting baby, so I want to give him the meds directly.

I have a 6 week old eastern gray. He has two punctures from a cat that have closed up, except for a dot.
They’re draining a lot but there’s a tiny pus tinge to the fluid today. I say they’re punctures, but I didn’t see them when I first found him. No blood on him at all, the two spots have just swollen and look about where a bite could be.

I have 300 mg capsules of Clindamycin. If I break one open, how much water do I mix and how much do I give him? Could someone PM me?

I have photos but don’t know how to add here. I’d honestly be fine texting someone, I’m just worried about him.

What is the baby's weight? That is required to help you dose the clindamycin...

[Spanky]

Weight... we need to know the baby's weight.

[McAsh]

Weight... we need to know the baby's weight.

I don't have anything to weigh him. Here's a picture.



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[McAsh]

What is the baby's weight? That is required to help you dose the clindamycin...

I don't have anything to weigh him but here's a picture325592

Does that help?

[Spanky]

Please post a picture of him next to a soda can, soup can or some common object that will assist in estimating a weight....

How long has he been in your care?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hello! New here and this post is close to what I’m trying to figure out, but I can handle my squirrel since he’s a trusting baby, so I want to give him the meds directly.

I have a 6 week old eastern gray. He has two punctures from a cat that have closed up, except for a dot.
They’re draining a lot but there’s a tiny pus tinge to the fluid today. I say they’re punctures, but I didn’t see them when I first found him. No blood on him at all, the two spots have just swollen and look about where a bite could be.

I have 300 mg capsules of Clindamycin. If I break one open, how much water do I mix and how much do I give him? Could someone PM me?

I have photos but don’t know how to add here. I’d honestly be fine texting someone, I’m just worried about him.

Hello McAsh and welcome to TSB:
I only have a few minutes currently as I am at work so I'll need to be brief with my comments. When did this cat bite occur? Cat bite are notorious for causing infection and hidden damage as well from the cat's long, thin and very sharp teeth! Since you are seeing pus, this is the "hallmark" sign of an infection and this is a great concern. If the wounds are closed excepts for where the drainage is coming from, there may likely be an underlying abscess which is a pus pocket. This may need to be drained but at least it is currently draining some by itself.

Cat bites can transfer many different bacteria from the cat's mouth to your Squirrel through the bite. One bacterium in particular is extremely common in cat's mouths and that is Pasteurella multocida. ALL empiric treatment (treatment begun without cultures and other definitive diagnostics) for infected cat bites MUST assume that Pasteurella is a cause and there are likely to be other bacteria involved as well. While Clindamycin is a very useful antibiotic and there is considerable experience using it with Squirrels, it is NOT a good option for cat bites as there is widespread, high level RESISTANCE of Pasteurella to clindamycin and especially if there is an infection, another antibiotic would be preferred and I would say essential and should be started ASAP! Do you have access to Augmentin (amoxicillin plus Clavulanate)? This is commonly prescribed to the humans and even one tablet will likely be all that is needed to treat your Squirrel. Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate is a first-line treatment for cat bites in both Veterinary and human medical practice.

Since an infection from a cat bite can be assumed to be caused by Pasteurella and often other bacteria, the Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate would be ideal for treatment but if you did not have that available; using an antibiotic that will treat Pasteurella is the next best option. Any of the following would be an acceptable choice for Pasteurella itself; amoxicillin, doxycycline, SMZ-TMP (Bactrim is a human brand name for this which is a combination medication of Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole).

Please obtain an accurate weight of your Squirrel for dosing purposes and try to locate an appropriate antibiotic (preferably amoxicillin plus clavulanate or at least one of the others that will treat Pasteurella!). Please post the weight preferably in grams and what antibiotics beside the clindamycin you may have available. One of the Admins will need to review this and will provide mixing and dosing instructions to you via Private Message. Treatment must be started immediately!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[McAsh]

Please post a picture of him next to a soda can, soup can or some common object that will assist in estimating a weight....

How long has he been in your care?


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I've had him about a week. He was very weak but has been much better last few days.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Sorry Spanky, I was doing my usual "slow typing" while you were posting.

I did mention in my post that there is such widespread, high level resistance to of Pasteurella to Clindamycin that a different choice of antibiotic would be be advisable! I didn't mention this but even plain amoxicillin would be a better choice for an infected cat bite than Clindamycin considering the likelihood of Pasteurella being a causative organism but again, I would strongly recommend amoxicillin plus Clavulanate (Augmentin is human brand and clavamox is a Veterinary brand) if this is available or can be procured ASAP!

Regards,
StS

[McAsh]

Hello McAsh and welcome to TSB:
I only have a few minutes currently as I am at work so I'll need to be brief with my comments. When did this cat bite occur? Cat bite are notorious for causing infection and hidden damage as well from the cat's long, thin and very sharp teeth! Since you are seeing pus, this is the "hallmark" sign of an infection and this is a great concern. If the wounds are closed excepts for where the drainage is coming from, there may likely be an underlying abscess which is a pus pocket. This may need to be drained but at least it is currently draining some by itself.

Cat bites can transfer many different bacteria from the cat's mouth to your Squirrel through the bite. One bacterium in particular is extremely common in cat's mouths and that is Pasteurella multocida. ALL empiric treatment (treatment begun without cultures and other definitive diagnostics) for infected cat bites MUST assume that Pasteurella is a cause and there are likely to be other bacteria involved as well. While Clindamycin is a very useful antibiotic and there is considerable experience using it with Squirrels, it is NOT a good option for cat bites as there is widespread, high level RESISTANCE of Pasteurella to clindamycin and especially if there is an infection, another antibiotic would be preferred and I would say essential and should be started ASAP! Do you have access to Augmentin (amoxicillin plus Clavulanate)? This is commonly prescribed to the humans and even one tablet will likely be all that is needed to treat your Squirrel. Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate is a first-line treatment for cat bites in both Veterinary and human medical practice.

Since an infection from a cat bite can be assumed to be caused by Pasteurella and often other bacteria, the Amoxicillin plus Clavulanate would be ideal for treatment but if you did not have that available; using an antibiotic that will treat Pasteurella is the next best option. Any of the following would be an acceptable choice for Pasteurella itself; amoxicillin, doxycycline, SMZ-TMP (Bactrim is a human brand name for this which is a combination medication of Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole).

Please obtain an accurate weight of your Squirrel for dosing purposes and try to locate an appropriate antibiotic (preferably amoxicillin plus clavulanate or at least one of the others that will treat Pasteurella!). Please post the weight preferably in grams and what antibiotics beside the clindamycin you may have available. One of the Admins will need to review this and will provide mixing and dosing instructions to you via Private Message. Treatment must be started immediately!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel


I do have a few caps of human amoxicillin!

Here's him next to a can, on the thread I made someone said to post this to helo yall guess weight.

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[Spanky]

I have sent dosing for the clindamycin.. as Sam said that is not ideal, BUT giving clindamycin (anti-anaerobic) together with the amoxicillin is ideal..

What is the strength of the Amoxicillin?

[McAsh]

I have sent dosing for the clindamycin.. as Sam said that is not ideal, BUT giving clindamycin (anti-anaerobic) together with the amoxicillin is ideal..

What is the strength of the Amoxicillin?

They're 500mg capsules.

[Spanky]

Dosing instructions sent for the Amoxicillin.

I am recommending you use both the clindamycin and amoxicillin together. If we can get the treatment started right away, the amoxicillin is usually effective in preventing any sort of infection. However, since it seems to have been a few days and the infection is "active" this is more ideal than amoxicillin alone. This is how I would elect to treat this baby were she in my care. It is rare we have finders that have both an antibiotic very effective against pasteurella (amoxicillin) as well as an anti-anaerobic (clindamycin).

I am going to combine your posts in the other thread into this thread to lessen confusion for me if not everyone, as well as update the title to Clindamycin for Cat Bite.

I am ALSO going to follow up with some very important infomration for you to consider / review after you've given the baby her meds, so please watch for that... :thumbsup

[McAsh]

Dosing instructions sent for the Amoxicillin.

I am recommending you use both the clindamycin and amoxicillin together. If we can get the treatment started right away, the amoxicillin is usually effective in preventing any sort of infection. However, since it seems to have been a few days and the infection is "active" this is more ideal than amoxicillin alone. This is how I would elect to treat this baby were she in my care. It is rare we have finders that have both an antibiotic very effective against pasteurella (amoxicillin) as well as an anti-anaerobic (clindamycin).

I am going to combine your posts in the other thread into this thread to lessen confusion for me if not everyone, as well as update the title to Clindamycin for Cat Bite.

I am ALSO going to follow up with some very important infomration for you to consider / review after you've given the baby her meds, so please watch for that... :thumbsup

Thank you so so much! Sorry for the confusion:grin2 I replied here and then figured out how to start my own thread once I got on my computer. It was more difficult on the phone.

I'm glad I keep medicine around lol. It always seems to come in handy! I also have mupiricin (bactrim) topical ointment. Thoughts on that?

Thank you all again, so much.

[Spanky]

It is critical to have a kitchen scale to weigh baby squirrels. Not only for medication, but for feeding as well.... feeding amounts are determined by weight. And weight gain should happen daily. They're like $15 - $20 bucks at WalMart.

This baby should still be on formula for the next several weeks (4 - 12), they self wean.

First solid foods should be a high quality rodent block. And only block. Henry's is best and as a supplement block they need only eat 1 - 2 a day (1 for him right now, but he'll mostly shred them and not eat them for some time). Healthy veggies are introduced after the squirrel is acclimated to eating, actually eating, the block.

Here is a 6 page long primer on baby squirrel care, please review and ask any questions afterwards...
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

I'd recommend getting some powdered Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer (the powdered, not the liquid as they are very different). Not any puppy formula, the Esbilac. You can order the Picky block form Henry's and a specific formula for squirrels Fox Valley 20/50 (make sure the 20/50). He can start on the Esbilac (usually for younger babies) and when the Fox Valley arrives I suggest you feed him a half Esbilac and half Fox Valley 20/50 until he self weans... that half-n-half is what I use personally.

[Spanky]

Sorry Spanky, I was doing my usual "slow typing" while you were posting.

I did mention in my post that there is such widespread, high level resistance to of Pasteurella to Clindamycin that a different choice of antibiotic would be be advisable! I didn't mention this but even plain amoxicillin would be a better choice for an infected cat bite than Clindamycin considering the likelihood of Pasteurella being a causative organism but again, I would strongly recommend amoxicillin plus Clavulanate (Augmentin is human brand and clavamox is a Veterinary brand) if this is available or can be procured ASAP!

Regards,
StS

Looping back around to StS' comments... the Augmentin or Clavamox (human and vet brands of Amoxicillin plus clavulanate) would be best for treating this cat bite.

Our (my?) initial focus was on getting the readily available antibiotics on board (administered) ASAP. As StS said, there are strains of pasteurella (cat bite bacteria) that are resistant to the clindamycin so if you can double check the medicine cabinet, ask family, friends and neighbors to locate a pill or two of Augmentin or Clavamox (they are both Amoxicillin + clavulanate) we can switch her over to that if possible.

[McAsh]

It is critical to have a kitchen scale to weigh baby squirrels. Not only for medication, but for feeding as well.... feeding amounts are determined by weight. And weight gain should happen daily. They're like $15 - $20 bucks at WalMart.

This baby should still be on formula for the next several weeks (4 - 12), they self wean.

First solid foods should be a high quality rodent block. And only block. Henry's is best and as a supplement block they need only eat 1 - 2 a day (1 for him right now, but he'll mostly shred them and not eat them for some time). Healthy veggies are introduced after the squirrel is acclimated to eating, actually eating, the block.

Here is a 6 page long primer on baby squirrel care, please review and ask any questions afterwards...
https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

I'd recommend getting some powdered Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer (the powdered, not the liquid as they are very different). Not any puppy formula, the Esbilac. You can order the Picky block form Henry's and a specific formula for squirrels Fox Valley 20/50 (make sure the 20/50). He can start on the Esbilac (usually for younger babies) and when the Fox Valley arrives I suggest you feed him a half Esbilac and half Fox Valley 20/50 until he self weans... that half-n-half is what I use personally.

I’m familiar with feeding schedules. I found one a couple years ago but he was older and in perfect health, but the mom never came back for him.

He’s on esbilac puppy formula only right now, about 6 ml every 4-5 hours. He’s pretty good about not over eating and has no interest in eating over night so I give him a little more before bed. I draw up 8 and he stops eating at about 6. His top teeth are barely coming through and just a slight a nub, so I haven’t gotten the rodent block yet.

My last squirrel self weaned at about 12 weeks and switched to nuts before he was released. Pecans and walnuts were his fav, and we had a bunch of those trees in our yard.

[McAsh]

Looping back around to StS' comments... the Augmentin or Clavamox (human and vet brands of Amoxicillin plus clavulanate) would be best for treating this cat bite.

Our (my?) initial focus was on getting the readily available antibiotics on board (administered) ASAP. As StS said, there are strains of pasteurella (cat bite bacteria) that are resistant to the clindamycin so if you can double check the medicine cabinet, ask family, friends and neighbors to locate a pill or two of Augmentin or Clavamox (they are both Amoxicillin + clavulanate) we can switch her over to that if possible.

I have half a tablet kind of augmentin. It’s the generic amox-clav. it was 875-125, but it’s only half of a big tablet. I can crush that. I’ll see if I can locate a couple more from a friend.

[Spanky]

I have half a tablet kind of augmentin. It’s the generic amox-clav. it was 875-125, but it’s only half of a big tablet. I can crush that. I’ll see if I can locate a couple more from a friend.

Perfect... I will send dosing instructions for the Augmentin and this afternoon instead of giving the Amoxicilin and clindamycin switch to the Augmentin (and stop the clindamycin and the plain amoxicillin).

If you happen to get a scale... please do get one... and a weight, please post the weight so adjustments can be made if needed. My estimate of 130grams may be a little low?

In the meantime, I hope to get some much need rest... :sleep

[CritterMom]

Perfect... I will send dosing instructions for the Augmentin and this afternoon instead of giving the Amoxicilin and clindamycin switch to the Augmentin (and stop the clindamycin and the plain amoxicillin).

If you happen to get a scale... please do get one... and a weight, please post the weight so adjustments can be made if needed. My estimate of 130grams may be a little low?

In the meantime, I hope to get some much need rest... :sleep

Put the info here on the board instead of answering Spanky's PM and one of us "day shift" folks can help you. :grin2

[McAsh]

Perfect! Will do ❤️ thank y’all!

[McAsh]

Y'ALL... They were larvae! Apparently they're bot flies and not necessarily harmful and would come out on their own. I was nudging the area around it with warm compress trying to keep the pus coming out, but the white I was seeing was a larva, not pus. It wasn't a cat bite, after all, 😳 I was so confused that I hadn't noticed punctures when I first found him and why they had gotten so bulbous day after day. SO GROSS! Continue wih antibiotics or just go topical mupiricin?

He's got to feel better 😩 He was being so still and let us get it out... Poor little guy!

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[Spanky]

I am sure he will have some relief getting those Bass Turds out of him!

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Y'ALL... They were larvae! Apparently they're bot flies and not necessarily harmful and would come out on their own. I was nudging the area around it with warm compress trying to keep the pus coming out, but the white I was seeing was a larva, not pus. It wasn't a cat bite, after all, 😳 I was so confused that I hadn't noticed punctures when I first found him and why they had gotten so bulbous day after day. SO GROSS! Continue wih antibiotics or just go topical mupiricin?

He's got to feel better 😩 He was being so still and let us get it out... Poor little guy

That's amazing! Good job removing the larva! Ordinarily, if the Bot Fly larva is removed intact without leaving any portion of it within the original warble sac; all should be fine. Nothing further is usually necessary. I do have a concern however and that is your report of the presence of pus. If there really was pus coming from what we now know to be a warble, this is still worrisome even with the larva evicted! Are there any other signs of infection such as skin redness, skin hardness (induration) or swelling? If there currently are really no signs of infection, it should be quite ok to simply discontinue the antibiotics. If it appears questionable as to the presence of infection, you might continue the Augmentin for 2-3 additional days and observe the involved areas several times each day. If do signs of infection in this 2-3 day period, then stop the antibiotics. IF there are definitive signs of an infection then the antibiotics should be continued as originally recommended and your Squirrel should be observed frequently for signs of worsening or hopefully for evidence of improvement and eventually resolution.

I would NOT recommend using mupirocin or any topical preparation that might obstruct the breathing pore of the empty warble as this should still be open to drain if necessary and will close by itself. One other suggestion might be to gently irrigate each of the empty warbles using warm saline or warm water in a 1cc syringe. Just one syringeful would be adequate and if you decide to do this, push the plunger of the syringe in very slowly with just enough pressure to let the fluid trickle in and passively out of the warble. After emptying the syringe, apply gentle pressure around the periphery of the warble directed toward the breathing pore to gently remove any remaining fluid and then leave it to heal as warbles do after the the larva is gone.

I'm glad your little Squirrel is doing better!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Spanky]

Uploading pictures for Ash..
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[McAsh]

That's amazing! Good job removing the larva! Ordinarily, if the Bot Fly larva is removed intact without leaving any portion of it within the original warble sac; all should be fine. Nothing further is usually necessary. I do have a concern however and that is your report of the presence of pus. If there really was pus coming from what we now know to be a warble, this is still worrisome even with the larva evicted! Are there any other signs of infection such as skin redness, skin hardness (induration) or swelling? If there currently are really no signs of infection, it should be quite ok to simply discontinue the antibiotics. If it appears questionable as to the presence of infection, you might continue the Augmentin for 2-3 additional days and observe the involved areas several times each day. If do signs of infection in this 2-3 day period, then stop the antibiotics. IF there are definitive signs of an infection then the antibiotics should be continued as originally recommended and your Squirrel should be observed frequently for signs of worsening or hopefully for evidence of improvement and eventually resolution.

I would NOT recommend using mupirocin or any topical preparation that might obstruct the breathing pore of the empty warble as this should still be open to drain if necessary and will close by itself. One other suggestion might be to gently irrigate each of the empty warbles using warm saline or warm water in a 1cc syringe. Just one syringeful would be adequate and if you decide to do this, push the plunger of the syringe in very slowly with just enough pressure to let the fluid trickle in and passively out of the warble. After emptying the syringe, apply gentle pressure around the periphery of the warble directed toward the breathing pore to gently remove any remaining fluid and then leave it to heal as warbles do after the the larva is gone.

I'm glad your little Squirrel is doing better!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel


I was telling spanky, as you can see, there’s still a little bulb from the one on his neck, and the skin is red. Removing that one was more difficult and took some maneuvering. I’m hoping it’s just a little swelling, but it’s half the size it was, and he’s so active today. I think he’s ready for a bigger container and some things to chew on. I’ve ordered the rodent blocks.

I hope there’s not another little jerk still in there. It’s way smaller but was crusted over with fluid this morning, so I hope by getting the other one out we didn’t kill a second one or close it in there. If there is another one, it’s much smaller than the ones I removed. His back looks like normal skin now, but his neck is still concerning to me. With the redness and slight elevation of heat surrounding that warble, I think it may be best to continue with antibiotics for another couple days. What do you think from the pictures below?

[Tashahaven]

It is pretty red, and angry looking. Hopefully it’s just because of the difficulty removing that one, and it irritated the surrounding area.

I would keep him on the antibiotics as StS said, but keep monitoring the one on his neck. If it calms down and the redness goes away, you probably don’t need to extend the antibiotic treatment further than originally planned.

If you can get some betadine solution (povidine iodine generic) from a pharmacy or store. Dilute it with water until it looks like weak tea, and apply to the wounds a few times a day. It is a very effective antiseptic & totally safe. But it will temporarily die the fur a reddish tint. You can put it in a small spray bottle, or soak a cotton swab in it and thoroughly dab the areas. It will help calm down the neck wound effectively.

GREAT JOB removing those nasty things!! I HATE THEM! They appear to be in one piece too, which is amazing. Way to go!

🥰