Abscess on Wild Squirrel

[Fenchurch]

Hi!

One of the wilds in a nearby park appeared with an abscess on her lower right jaw/neck last weekend. I wasn't quite sure if it was anything, but by Monday, it had grown quite large (I'd say bigger than a grape, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball--pretty huge) I went back to see if I could catch her, but she was nowhere to be found. After searching for a couple of days I was worried I was too late. But today, I finally found her (at another area of the park--guess I know where she lives now!). The abscess appears to have burst and drained (fur is matted but no blood--she must have already semi-cleaned herself up--guessing it must have happened at least a day ago) and she is active and was gobbling up nuts.

Should I still attempt to catch her/bring her to a wildlife rehabber (I contacted a local one, and they have a squirrel-friendly vet) or is it best in a case like this to just keep an eye on her and not add the additional stress of an attempted capture?

Thanks so much for the advice!

[SammysMom]

No need to grab her if it has burst and looks okay. If you can give her good foods and be sure she has plenty to eat, she may very well heal totally on her own. Their healing abilities are amazing!

[Nancy in New York]

Hi!

One of the wilds in a nearby park appeared with an abscess on her lower right jaw/neck last weekend. I wasn't quite sure if it was anything, but by Monday, it had grown quite large (I'd say bigger than a grape, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball--pretty huge) I went back to see if I could catch her, but she was nowhere to be found. After searching for a couple of days I was worried I was too late. But today, I finally found her (at another area of the park--guess I know where she lives now!). The abscess appears to have burst and drained (fur is matted but no blood--she must have already semi-cleaned herself up--guessing it must have happened at least a day ago) and she is active and was gobbling up nuts.

Should I still attempt to catch her/bring her to a wildlife rehabber (I contacted a local one, and they have a squirrel-friendly vet) or is it best in a case like this to just keep an eye on her and not add the additional stress of an attempted capture?

Thanks so much for the advice!

Personally I would leave her and not stress her out by capturing her.
I'm so glad that it burst on it's own. That's the best case scenerio.
Can you get close to her?
Do you have any Clavamox, just in case it starts looking "ugly"?

[Fenchurch]

I don't have any meds, I'm afraid, but I will keep an eye on her! Is it likely to recur (I know I've been reading a lot about dental issues causing abscesses) or could it just have been a one-time thing?

Thank you!!

[Fenchurch]

Realized I forgot to answer--yes, I can usually get close to her. She typically comes and takes food from my hand, but today she was a little more wary (I swear they always know when you're up to something, no matter how cool you try to play it!) If I needed to medicate a nut or something I could most likely get it to her. As far as catching her, I'm not sure, but willing to give it a shot if it comes down to it!