We just got a new squirrel someone brought, she was up and eating and playing and now is paralized in her back legs. Help quick. Tell me what to do to start treating this. Thanks, I will be waiting.
We just got a new squirrel someone brought, she was up and eating and playing and now is paralized in her back legs. Help quick. Tell me what to do to start treating this. Thanks, I will be waiting.
How long have you had her, age, breed type? is she getting calcium whether it be in liquid form, leafy greens or Prime powder? Has she had any falls or trauma of any sort? If it is MBD put her on a heating pad to help soothe aches.
I really don't know the age, she is weaned, I would say close to 3 months. She is not really a big veggie eater, she does eat green beans. We aren't really sure how she was raised , we believe someone may have raised and released too early, she walked up to a friend , climbed his leg and was looking for food. We really don't know a back ground. I am trying ensure as we speak
Is this something that can be treated and reversed. Do we need to go get calcium drops tonight? Whatever it takes.
I don't think MBD comes on suddenly, it is gradual, weakness, not moving around much because it is very painful. If she were active, then suddenly paralyzed I would consider an injury. Could she have fallen? Anti inflammatories would reduce the swelling in her back end. I would also consider a fractured pelvis. Does she have feeling in her toes? Any reaction when you pinch her feet?
She moves her tail, she did try and pull it away a little. What would you give as an anti inflammatory.
I usually use Dexamethasone, but there are others out there also. Unfortunately the first 24 hours are the most critical and it needs to be started as soon as possible. Do you have a vet? The squirrel definately needs to be seen by one.
Squirrelie had MBD early on without my knowing at first. All it took was for him to fall off of the toilet seat. He was fine right after then went down in his hind legs later on that day. I put him on heat and he loved that. I gave him calcium and a full spectrum lamp and he slowly but surely got better. He was weak in the back legs. He is still slightly weak in the back legs but gets around fine. He doesn't hold his tail over his back though.
His did come on suddenly but it wasn't until a few hours after the fall. I think he was already brittle before the fall. The fall is probably what just set it off. at least enough to that I noticed that he was in trouble.
It is very possible that this little guy might have hurt herself somehow. We just need more info.
Get the little guy some leafy greens right away for starters. Dandilion greens, kale and such. No iceburge lettuce. no nutrients in that.
We are trying now to get in touch with someone that could possibly get this for us
okay what squirlfriend said, but no heat as it will make the swelling worse.
Did he fall?
We don't know. She was playing this morning and then this afternoon she was paralyzed
Squirrelfriend, that's an interesting piece of knowledge with Squirrlie. Was he diagnosed with MBD by x-ray, or did he just fall, was injured and could have just slowly recovered from an injury as oppossed to MBD?
He wasn't diagnosed but all the descriptions of MBD matched completely. If his was an injury wouldn't he have hurt right away after the fall? Sunlight and calcium cured him. and as in most mbd cases he is not 100% back to his normal self. He can't jump as far as other squirrels do and does not hold his tail over his back but he gets around just fine. What do you think? Injury or mbd or a combo of both? I just assumed that he was already brittle from the mbd and the fall got it to the point to to where it hurt enough for me to notice.
oh, and after the fall he was moving fine. later that day he went weak in his hind end. nothing seemed to hurt in any certain area like a break would. he was just weak and seemed cranky because the achiness. He was so cranky that one time my husband was laying in bed reading, he had him on the other pillow and every time he so much and turned a page he would swear at him.
This is how I seperate the two. In MBD they are generally not active, they are lethargic, no appetite and have brittle bones. If they were to fall, the bone would break and be evident immediately.
In an injury, they fall, are sore and have some soft tissue swelling that hurts as the day goes on. Just like when you jam your finger or twist an ankle, sometimes it hurts after you have sat down for a while then try to walk again.
In either case, rest and time makes them better. So, although you used the light, gave good food and allowed time to heal, which were you curing? An injury or MBD? Both would get better with time, and MBD would get better with time and the correct treatment. Without an x-ray there is no way to know for certain. A broken pelvis, hip, or other bone, not treated properly could lead to an unsteady walk and inability to hold the tail correctly. That is why there are times when a vet is necessary.
I just don't want sparkysmom to sit back and give calcium and light when the squirrel could have a broken pelvis. If he is in extreme pain he may start to chew on a leg during the night and she is treating him for MBD and that would be wrong.
Oh, I am not saying to NOT go to the vet. Not at all. When this happened to Squirrelie I did not have a vet. I called a few and was told it was illeagal to have one etc. I did not happen to get one until the time that Weebles was sick. I was just suggesting the calcium and lamp because it was something that she could do right away while trying to find a vet. What if she didn't find one? At least this might help and couldn't hurt the situation. I agree a vet is always the best option if someone has the means to pay for it. Vets are not easy to find.
As for Squirrelie, I wonder if it was a break then. There was however no swelling, cuts or bruising of any sort. He can hold his tail up half way. It is not paralised just weak. He is fine now anyhow. This was way before I found this board. I didn't even know that rehabbers existed for squirrels. I thought those were just for endangered species. I have learned a lot over the last year and a half. Oh, there are new Tilty pictures posted. I just thought that I would let you know since you helped him out. He is doing very well.
Sorry for the side track Sparkysmom. How is the little guy? DId you get a vet?
We are still waiting on her to call us back. She seems to have a good bit of movement in her tail. She is eating and drinking and I have given her ensure for calcium. Just letting her rest at this point and do what she feels like doing, not holding or bothering her.
I am not here to argue...BUT..if the squirrel has MBD and is brought into a new situation, fight or flight prevails. Wild animals try their best to NOT show weakness.
I would TRULY treat as an MBD case...along with whatever else , others, seem fit.
Just wanted to add here that an 'Exotics Vet' may be better equippedOriginally Posted by Gabe
to deal with XRays for squirrels. We recently brought in a guy with an
injured leg. The first vet, who specialized more in dogs and cats, could
not see much detail in the XRay. Subsequently, we took him to an
Exotics Vet who used high-resolution film to pinpoint the exact problem.
Having seen both XRays, the difference was noticeable even to an
unpracticed eye. He said that the film is similar to that used for
mammograms, and is much better suited to the small bones in squirrels,
birds, etc. Completely different prognosis, and I'm glad that we took
him to the specialist.
The Exotics Vet was also up to speed on anesthesia for small animals,
and on medicine dosage; both of which may not be common turf for
the average vet.
I'm new here so I don't know this: Does SquirrelBoard have a list of
exotics vet for different locales? It would seem a good idea. The
specialist that we saw in NYC was Dr. Pilny, who is now at the
Lennox Hill Veterinary Hospital:
http://www.avianexoticpetvet.com/
Animal Medical Center, also in NYC, is more hit-or-miss in my own
experience. It's a huge hospital, and they have some world-class
exotics vets but visitors are often told that they will not see squirrels.
That seems to depend on who is at the front desk.
Here is also a link to Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians:
http://www.aemv.org/
with a list of vets: http://www.aemv.org/vetlist.cfm
I am not sure how we could evaluate the vets in that list though,
unless tsb'ers can post references to vets that they have seen.
Gabe (and others): I have experience with MBD relating to reptiles.Originally Posted by Gabe
It's quite common in lizards that do not get the required wavelengths
of UV light (UVB) or are on the wrong diet. In that case, it is usually
very easy to spot. The lizards develop a 'Popeye-looking' muscle/bone
structure. Quite often the owners will say "Look at how muscular his
legs are", not knowing that it is caused by MBD.
Have you ever noticed equivalent physical symptoms in the squirrels
that you have seen?