Grey Squirrel Has Fresh 1-1/4" Shoulder Wound, Would a Vet Treat IF I Capture?

June 6, 2018 was day 10 since her wounding....

Thanks for the tip Scooterzmom,... she ate this combo and has been dosed for flees & tics, and I got another dose of Cipro into her from Nancy In New York's care package from over a week ago. (thanks again Nancy! :clap )

I never saw her in the morning but I may have missed her as I had some things to take care of mid afternoon. She came around about 3:15, and again several times for the last 2 hours before dusk, as she was burying a few stashes probably for breakfast on her schedule. She was looking good physically, quick on her feet, and I think she's still healing nicely.

Some photos...

Some of the stuck on grass from the rainy weather yesterday and the day before has fallen away,... and more hair is coming in I think...
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Appears alert here, and waiting for me to stop fiddling with the camera and give her a treat.
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Here she's burying an Almond right in front of me. I guess she's smart enough to know the guy that tosses her treats is not likely to come around later and steal them,.... like her KIN do! :tap
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....looking better and better.....
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On one of her later trips back from burying Almonds before the night was over in the neighbors yard, I had moved and she was looking for me. What a cutie....
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....and then not long before she left for the night, she paused here for maybe half a minute,... allowing me to take a nice silhouette of her. She was probably trying to decide "if" she had enough stashed for breakfast! :w00t
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....sleep well me lady.....:hug

:great She looks great and is lucky to have you as her friend!:w00t

That wound looks great! Nice job.

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Originally Posted by TubeDriver

:great She looks great and is lucky to have you as her friend!:w00t

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I sort of feel the same way,..... but that I am the lucky one to have her trust me as much as she does, considering "something" tried to take a big chunk out of her eleven days ago! :tap

I forgot to mention it in yesterday's post, but I was at the computer checking for orders in the early evening,.... and I heard the Gray sentry in charge barking the familiar "Warning" sign. So I went out to check all around for one of the local stray cats, or a Raccoon but I general only see them at night when all my firballs are in bed.

Nope,..."nothing to see here",........until,... I thought to look UP at the far end of the yard about 60 feet away and made eye contact with a fair sized Hawk! :eek


That's when the Hawk decided it wasn't going to be easy pickins on my turf,....and I stayed out the last hour and a half to keep an eye open for a return visit from danger up high.

I have come to the window thrice in the last few years to see a similar Hawk dining on the occasional large Pigeon that sometimes come around. I'd watch for awhile and morn for the Pigeon, but then I'd morn for a starving Hawk also and they gotta eat too.

Circle of live and all,...but sometimes we can change the MAIN course of what's on the menu tonight! I thought it was possible this or another Hawk had made a grab with their talons, but me lady had gotten lucky and scooted away with her life.

The strangest part of the Hawk being engaged in his Pigeon de Jour, was that it wasn't long before the Grays would come OUT and forage for any left offers they had missed earlier,....or on the new items I had recently put out.

I think instinctively they understand the Hawk is busy dining and is no longer interested in any of them. But I still worry the Hawk may desire a little variety THAT night,....but so far the Squirrels have been OK.

Well,...I didn't have time yesterday to go through all the photos I took during Day 11 since her wounding, and crop and correct for any exposure issues to arrive at some that were sharp enough to discern the healing process on this Gray Lady. They move so quick it can be very frustrating at times!

So when I was processing yesterdays photos today, I saw a few where it looked like some maggots were on the wound, and it shocked me as she had not shown any up to then.

Here's what I found...

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I wasn't panicked as I didn't see many maggot-like shapes,... and couldn't really be sure that's what I was seeing. I also wondered if she had picked them up in her bedding, as I suppose initially a fresh wound 11 days ago had drained blood and fluids into her bedding, and it was therefore possible eggs were deposited into that and now a few maggots had transferred onto her during the night? (if that's even possible?)

I was definitely interested it how she looked today, and thankfully I didn't see them at ALL today! :bliss

Day 12 info since her wounding (6-8-18)....

She had been around throughout today, and I was able to get a good look at her, as well as snap photos on at least 5 different periods.

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Closer....
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Closer...
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SO it looks like she was able to clean it up this morning,...or had some help possibly from a friend? (not sure if they groom each other at times?) Hopefully this will not be an issue down the line, as I really don't want to stress her with a capture.

With the necessary photos out of the way,.... here are some more lighthearted photos to brighten your day of this young lady....

I'm showing off for Dad with some Jumping Jacks...
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...and a one arm Push Up to balance out my daily workout....
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After that workout I need a break,...and a snack! I'm also a good at multitasking, but a bit shy so don't peek! (I'm making use of my "Squatty Potty")
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...she's getting there.... :w00t

Day 13 since her wounding...

I never saw her in the morning,....but I was only out for about 90 minutes and had some errands to do so she might have been by while I was gone. I have to stay out at least that amount of time, to make sure the Grays get their "Squirrel Lasagna", fortified on the top layer with the Brazil Coral Calcium I mix into the Avocado paste spread onto Almonds. Their fur looks great, and they have lots of energy and I believe it's been helping to heal my wounded bur ball along with the meds.

If I don't hang around, THIS big guy will eat a good bit of it, as well as the bowls of shelled Sunflower Chips I put out most days. He has a HUGE appetite and drains the larger water bowl too! (another member of the Squirrel Family)
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Anyway, she finally stopped by for a few hours in the evening, and I got one dose of the Cipro into her, and she ate a chunk of Avocado and a few Almonds smeared with the Avocado & Calcium mix I had saved in the fridge for her. (as she hasn't always appeared in the morning)

I must say it seems the wound looks different every day, and I think her skin is replacing itself and what was there yesterday had more gray hair and less pink color?

Today the wound still looks like it's improving (and no maggots that I was worried about two days ago),...but lots of pink now and a lot less gray hair.

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Her left leg is lifted so the wound area is "wrinkling" up, but as the previous photo showed it's fairly flat when her feet are down.
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Closer...
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She is sharp and energetic, as shown when I first saw her this afternoon. She came running in to greet me, :hug I guess she did sleep in this morning! She paused briefly a few feet out, allowing me to get a sharp photo. :clap

By the way, does anyone know how much hair might grow back on a wound like this,....as our winters can get bitter in Upstate New York?

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On one of her Almond burying trips, she rose and curled her left paw into a weird position. You would think we'd be seeing the hair covered tops of her paw here? Maybe her version of Stuart's "Look what I can do!" What a show off! :grin3

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A few fun shots of another one of my regulars, with a very full and fluffy tail. The sun sets the highlights off nicely in this photo. The sun set those wonderful red highlights off nicely, with a bit of a Halo thing going on.... :great

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....another day gone and looking good to me. :serene

The hair will grow back almost completely, to the point that you will not be able to notice a former injury.

Been awhile I know,...but I had to stand watch for awhile as I finally realized I had more to deal with than just one injured squirrel!

Post #46 in this thread is of "another" injured squirrel, and I'll touch on that in a following post. I just missed it earlier, .... concentrating so much on getting into position for a clear photo I guess, and tossing nuts in the right place to get her into position.....

I think a medium sized Hawk was the attacker on this girl, as I've seen him on on a tree perch a few times over the last 4 days.

Her wound is up high and near centered, as a bird would likely do as least chance to miss as that area is the LAST to move when a squirrel pivots. The photo below shows her spinning away from the bowl, and the top center area of her main body mass is still fairly sharp (right where her wound is!),....so I believe that's the area prey birds target first.

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A different squirrel but the same phenomenon plain to see...
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The Hawk I saw looked like a youngster, so was inexperienced for now and why this girl had a chance to get free.

One problem with having an abundance of fur balls around, is that birds of prey take notice! So I'm standing guard more in the mornings and early evenings to try to discourage the hawk from hanging around regularly.

Photo's from 6-10-18, day 14 since her wounding....

Looks like a scab pealed back here and is hanging on a bit.....
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I didn't see her for a few days, but she came around this morning (6-14-18, Day 18 since her wounding), and it looks much better....
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OK,...as I mentioned in my last post the photos on post #46 on this thread are of another injured squirrel, wound up high near the neck and to the left of center a bit.

I believe that squirrel (shown in post #46 above) is the same squirrel in these photos, and just assumed it had gotten tangled up in something sticky and and had paper stuck to him/her? I thought there would be hair loss, and that would grow back....

Photos from 6-1-18
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From 6-1-18
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From 6-2-18 , and it's a young boy!
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From 6-5-18
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From 6-9-18 , that mess of suck on's off!
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From 6-13-18 healing nicely...

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....more to follow

....just a few more photos from yesterday 6-13-18 , as overall it looks to be healing....

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.....but soon after on same day (6-13-18) a few hours later I noticed a little green pus appeared in one area. I think a small abscess broke open,...a good thing I think to help it drain in that small area.

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I'll keep an eye on him for the next few days,.... and try to get him to take a dosed Pecan too but I don't see him every day. (some of the semi-regulars cross over the road from the neighboring yards)

This little guy's been through a lot! I'm wondering if he got caught up in some sticky baits put out for rats maybe?
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You older injured one looks great, about 95+% of the way healed!


Not sure what is going on with the one with the sticky paper on it? I see what looks like a bit of pus in one of those photos, although overall it looks to be healing nicely.

The two wounded haven't shown up much while I was out with the rest of the "family", but I am now pretty sure the original wounded squirrel shown in the beginning of this thread is out of danger from her wound.

This is from 4 days ago, 6-16-18 and Day 20 since her wounding:
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...and looking great just 4 days later,this morning 6-20-18, and Day 24 since her wounding. Amazing how much hair has grown back, considering the large and gaping original wound!

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She is attentive and with sharp movements, as I especially noticed this morning when the other wounded squirrel (a boy) was chasing her out of the area defending "his" feeding station! I'll forgive him for now, ....as he needs a bit more help,......BUT I did wag my finger at him, along with a mild scolding! :tap

Here she is before being chased off temporarily, and I took care of her soon afterwards. Those eyes,...or those eyes, as if to say "Trust,....BUT Verify!" ,...obviously a Ronald Reagan fan! :gigg
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However, the sticky material wounded boy is not out of the woods yet,....as I noticed what appeared to be a full puss line along his neck crease back on 6-16-18. Much of that could very well have been drainage "running down",... originating from a much smaller area than what it appears here...

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I'm thinking the crease of the neck is a tough spot to heal, since head movement is critical for a squirrel to catch dangers before they hurt or kill them. Just yesterday I came back to the house after being out to mail some packages and grab a bite, and a small hawk was finishing up eating a Pigeon and flew off as I got out of the car. Feathers were everywhere, and my heart always sinks as I never know early on if the hawk caught a bird or a fur buddy. So far it's only been a Pigeon (3 in the last few months, and 1 last year),....but you never know....

A day later (6-17-18) his sticky material wound was looking better...

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Notice a little bald spot is starting to appear higher on the head....

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...and then this morning, 6-20-18 a much larger bald spot on the head and at base of left ear, ....and I don't like the black color of the wound either....

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Losing the hair in a spreading pattern seems to indicate to me he is fighting a spreading infection, yet he won't eat medicated nuts and generally runs off and buries what I give him.

He is still energetic, and as mentioned earlier chased off competition for handouts,..... but I'm not sure if I should plan to try to capture him to get some meds into him for a week or so? Quiet time in a cage wouldn't hurt either I think to help him heal???

.... any thoughts would be most appreciated.

That spreading hair loss is a sign of an underlying infection. It looks like it closed up and became worse since it could not drain. If you have a suitable cage and Antibiotics (Clavamox would be my first choice) then you certainly could trap him and treat. He could probably use ~2 weeks inside to heal up. He might heal on his own but since it is starting to look worse I would probably bring him in (especially since he does not cooperate with outside treatment).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TubeDriver

That spreading hair loss is a sign of an underlying infection. It looks like it closed up and became worse since it could not drain. If you have a suitable cage and Antibiotics (Clavamox would be my first choice) then you certainly could trap him and treat. He could probably use ~2 weeks inside to heal up. He might heal on his own but since it is starting to look worse I would probably bring him in (especially since he does not cooperate with outside treatment).

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Thanks,...that kinda how I was leaning. If it doesn't look any better in the morning, I'll plan on trying to catch him when he (usually) comes in much closer before he's had breakfast. If it looks better, I'll wait a day longer,.....as I sure hate to break his trust in me if I can help it.

Hi all,...on 6-21-18 the wound on the neck looked better (from the original white stuck on material?), as I think all the drainage helped a lot over night. So I decided to hold off on trying to trap him and possibly ruin the trust I'd built up.

Yesterday, on 6-24-18 confirms that he is healing really well. He is sharp eyed and quick on his feet, and as these photos show the wound has a nice pink "healing" look and the once ongoing hair loss do to underlying infection has stopped,... so I'm hopeful he's well on the way to full recovery. :glomp

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I also got a few clear photos of the young lady originating this thread,.... so Day 28 on 6-24-18 since her wounding and she is near fully healed. The transformation still amazes me.....

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