Wobbly, tilty baby?

[MsOakley]

Hope I'm not wearing you all down with all my squirrel health problems. This one's perplexing. Wanda is a 6-7 week old grey who is having trouble walking. She can take a few steps then falls over on her left side.Her movements are jerky and sometimes she'll go in circles. We tried her on septra for 5 days but I stopped when she showed no improvement. The director of the center doesn't know what's wrong but has indicated possibly euthanizing if she doesn't get well. I've only had her for 10 days and am far from ready to give up on her. I could really use some suggestions. Unfortunately we don't have a good history on her so I don't know if she has a head injury. She eats well and is very spunky. She doesn't seem to know she's impaired. Way to go Wanda! Please throw out any and all ideas. Thanks so much.

[thundersquirrel]

sounds like it's either brain damage or an inner ear infection.

my rat had an inner ear infection. we caught it with some antibiotics, but she forever tilted to one side.....she was a trooper though. managed to get around well.

if it's brain damage, there will be swelling. what is septra? if it's not a steroid, you should get her on some dexamethasone. it's a bit late to administer, but it's worth a shot.

also, quick note- adult squirrels with head injuries often need a VERY long time to recover. in this case, she'd probably need to be wintered over. a downfall, too, is that they occasionally don't improve, and after all the waiting must be euthanized. :(

that's most of what i have to offer. i'll stick around. :thumbsup

[MsOakley]

Thanks TS. Septra is an antibiotic, very general use. Our local group seems to prescribe it for any possible infections. If it's an inner ear infection would a different antibiotic be called for? I've heard the rehabbers mention dex but nobody suggested it in this case. Know of any homeopathic remedies to try?

[Lady Squirrelly]

My first baby, Screech, had an inner ear infection. Poor baby had to lean up against somethng just to eat. A round of antibiotics cleared it right up. Don't remember what it was (4 years ago).

[Gabe]

OK, so you've ruled out ear infection as she has been on Septra.

How is the balance otherwise? Can she sit up to eat? Can she climb? Is the imbalance related only to walking?

Is she getting worse? Staying the same?

How about worming her with Nemex. It is for roundworm and the damage is irreversable but it will stop the progression of the worm on the CNS.

[squirrelfriend]

I don't know what meds to use for this except there is one for the round worm from raccoons. I used this on Weebles but it didn't change anything. It could be a head injury. If she is kept indoors she can thrive quite well as a pet. I have three like this. They appear happy here but I don't know how well they would do in the wild. I have one other that comes to my front porch that has a milder version of it. It does seem to be getting slowly worse though not by much. If she does not get better can you keep her as a pet or give her to another rehabber that can?

[LynninIN]

All the biggies are already named so I'll throw a simple one into the diagnoses mix.

Has anyone looked in the ears? It could be a fungal ear infection instead of a bacterial one.

[island rehabber]

I'll throw my two cents in and say that the circling is what worries me the most -- suggestive of neurological issues. Dex might help, as TS suggested, or it may get better on its own. This is one of those 'time will tell' situations.

[MsOakley]

Great ideas one and all ! Here are a few more observations. I looked in her ears with a lighted magnifying glass and didn't see anything unusual. What would a fungal infection look like? She can squat to urinate without falling over but lilts to one side. I really doubt she can sit on her haunches to eat. Her movements are jerky even when just lying or crawling. I can't let her sit on my lap in a chair without holding her securely as she tosses herself overboard. As I said I've only had her about 10 days but she doesn't seem to be getting worse. She can climb, so she has enough strength in her limbs. Should I pursue the worming or are the symptoms not indicative of that possibility? Again, your concern for my Wanda is greatly appreciated. She's an incredibly sweet squirrel, very gentle, loving and a ton of hutzpah.

[Mars]

There maybe Homeopathic help. I'll PM with my thoughts. :)

[I Love Lucy]

Does anyone know if squirrels can get an e.cuniculi infection like rabbits. Some of the symptoms sound the same as when my rabbit had it. They treated him with an antibiotic for 7 days and a worming medication for a month. My guy pulled through with no permanent damage.

[LynninIN]

[QUOTE=MsOakley]What would a fungal infection look like? QUOTE]
The ear canal would have dark brown to black discharge that is malodorous. It doesn't sound like that's what Wanda has.

I hope you are able to find out what's wrong with this sweet little squirrel girl.:grouphug

[MsOakley]

I'm messaging with Mars about homeopathic remedies. We're still discusing symptoms. I'm doing my best to observe carefully but it's hard to catch everything. It's sad to watch her falling so much. We have blankets lining the cage so she won't hurt herself and she trips over every bunched piece of cloth. She's like a nutcase in a padded cell, bouncing off the walls so to speak. She's such a doll baby, I really want to get her well.

[thundersquirrel]

the squirrel we had, mary, was very difficult to watch at first. we believe she was either hit by a car or poisoned.

she had a bit of a tilt, would scramble around her cage at all hours, and in the beginning she had these seizure-like fits and was regurgitating white creamy looking stuff (though she was an adult).

in the end we had to euthanize her, but we gave her a good two months with a round of dexamethasone in the beginning. she improved greatly for about a month and a half, then began to regress.

not saying that yours will never get better, but these things require a lot of patience and careful medicating. you've just gained yourself a new ward for anywhere from three weeks to a few months.

[Gabe]

I don't know what meds to use for this except there is one for the round worm from raccoons. I used this on Weebles but it didn't change anything.

Nemex is the med to give for raccoon roundworm. SG, Weebles did not get better because they cannot get better. Worming them will only prevent them from getting worse, unfortunately the damage is already done. If you have a wild with the beginning symptoms that is starting to get worse then worming will prevent the progression of the worm into the CNS.