Injured flying squirrel – rehabbers in AL/FL/GA?

[gabrielandstacey84]

Flying squirrel injured by the stray cat that someone dumped in our neighborhood… This just happened and initially it doesn’t seem like he’s using his back legs, but I have him in a quiet dark place to rest.
How often is that indicative of permanent paralysis?
Do they sometimes Just need a few hours or days of rest?
If he recovers, does anyone have a list of rehabbers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia? I’m About an hour from both of those state lines.

[TomahawkFlyers]

Hi Gabriel and Stacey,

Thank you for taking in this flyer. Please do not feed or give anything to drink until it is entirely warm and dry. Moving past the hind legs for just a moment, you'll need to check if there are any puncture wounds anywhere from the cat's teeth You'll be looking for blood and for puncture marks. If there any signs of these at all, this flyer is in serious trouble. Bacteria in cat saliva will kill a flyer in short order.


Start scrounging around for Clavamox, Amoxycillin, and similar. Check with friends and family. You'll only need one tablet or capsule and a 1ml oral syringe that a kind pharmacist will give you - likely for free. Just tell her what you are doing.
You need to weigh the flyer on a kitchen scale (grams preferred) and get the weight of the flyer along with the names and strengths of the antibiotics you've found posted here ASAP. An administrator will respond with dosing instructions and a suggestion for an appropriate antibiotic.
Even is there are no puncture marks or blood, the cat had the flyer in its mouth and saliva is on the flyer's fur. The flyer needs to be rinsed thoroughly in comfortably warm water to ensure bacteria does not get into the flyer's mouth, eyes, nose, etc. The flyer will not like this. Wear gloves. Dry it and keep it warm when finished.


I am in WI and not familiar with rehabbers in your area. There are, however, many on this board who are from FL and others who know of rehabbers in Florida. You'll likely hear from someone soon. In the meantime:

Dr. Alicia Emerson of Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic in Port Orange is an outstanding flyer specialist. You need an appointment, but I imagine they make time in each day for emergencies. She will have the tools and knowledge necessary to diagnose your flyer's general health and back legs problem. 386-788-1550.


Please do check for punctures/blood and wash the flyer, baking sure it is thoroughly dry and warm before feeding or giving water. Start looking around for antibiotics, and get the flyer's weight to us along with the name and strength of the antibiotics you've been able to find. It will be helpful if you can post photos and a video of the flyer's hind leg movement problem.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Jamie

[gabrielandstacey84]

Jamie,
Thank you so much for your quick and thorough response. I’m going to copy and paste it into a document that I will save on my computer since it’s not unusual for friends and family to bring me their little creatures since I’m the person they think of who tries to help the critters.
I had gotten a hold of some pink liquid sulfa antibiotics and was going to get a photo of the squirrel to see if we could approximate size but unfortunately, when I went to check on him, he had passed away.
Breaks my heart because he was so handsome and unique.
Thank you again for your help.

[TomahawkFlyers]

I am so sorry for your loss. These tiny creatures take such a huge part of our heart when they pass on. For what it is worth, he was warm, comfortable, and safe when he passed. This is due to your kindness.

So you know, squirrels of all kinds, including flyers, must have an appropriate diet when inside with us. I'm going to post links here to Henry's Healthy Pets. They specialize is squirrels. In fact, the company is named after the owner's long-ago pet squirrel. As the need arises, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here and always ready to help.

Jamie

https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/
https://www.henryspets.com/what-is-metabolic-bone-disease/
https://henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/. Print this one out and keep it handy!
https://henryspets.com/special-notes-for-flying-squirrels/
https://henryspets.com/picky-eaters/

p.s. There are three items that come to mind to never feed a squirrel who is staying with you: Cow's milk (squirrels can not digest it;) Acorns (a bad one will kill it;) and Brazil nuts (these contain Selenium and have an adverse effect on the nervous system of creatures as small as squirrels - especially tiny flyers.) Please also have on hand some 1ml oral syringes for when you must dose medications and feed creatures who have come to you for help. Anything larger risks aspiration - yet another killer of these amazing creatures. Good luck!