Squirrel has an abscess

[Chloe93]

I am taking care of a 10ish week old squirrel (Kitty) that got attacked by a neighbor's cat about 3-4 weeks ago. The vet who looked at him when he got injured flushed out the wound very well and put him on an antibiotic. It seemed to heal up beautifully. In the past week Kitty has developed an abscess on his underbelly that has gotten progessively worse over the past few days. I put Neosporin on it but that did not seem to help. The vet looked at him again today but wants to wait another week before we do anything else. I did some research and found out that an abscess can damage a squirrel's organs if left too long and can possibly be fatal.

Please help!

[Rhapsody]

Can you please post a pic of the area?

[Scott]

I am not an expert but there will be several that will respond. My first suggestion is proper bedding. I hope you have an adequate cage. Put old t shirts in the cage with your squirrel. Towels and blankets can hurt their claws if they get caught in them. You will also of course need water. Hydration will be very important during recovery.

If you can take some pictures, the Board will be very interested in seeing them. If you can not figure out hot to get them on the site, I will be happy to help. The pictures of the abscess will help the experts and professionals to determine the correct course of action.

Was the abscess treated with antibiotics bu the vet? I know we have several members in Florida that may be close to you, so please check back soon and someone will be available to help . Thanks so much for offering your help to this little one.

[Chloe93]

Here is a picture that was taken about 2-3 days ago. Since then it has gotten a little bigger.

[Chickenlegs]

What was the antibiotic given your little one when you first got him? Cat bites are evil and this may be a bite that went un-noticed or something secondary. Any way you can soak the area with warm compresses? Try a warm salt water compress if your little guy will tolerate it. It doesn't look like it's come to a head. Baby really should see the vet NOW and have that abscess addressed--may need another round of ABs.

[Chloe93]

I have a towel in with him now but I will change it to an old t-shirt. Thank you for that info! We are making sure he gets plenty of liquids! That was one of my biggest concerns when we started weaning him.

[Chloe93]

He took Amoxicillin orally. I just took him to the vet this morning and the vet wanted to wait to see what it looks like in a week unless it get worse then I will bring him back. He has not been anywhere or by himself that he could have gotten in to anything.

[Chickenlegs]

Will he still take formula? If he's compromised, the extra nutrition in formula will help him stay strong. Let him wean himself. I guess just keep an eye on that area and soak it several times a day. See if the abscess will come to a head and rupture on it's own. That could have been an invisable scratch. If he doesn't eat, seems feaverish, just ain't right in any way, get him back to the doc NOW. I'd want him back on meds.

[Chloe93]

He is still taking formula and I will continue giving it to him. I will try to get him on another antibiotic and try a warm compress as well.

[Chickenlegs]

Eccellent. What's his housing like? Got any fleece? They LOVE diving into a fleece pile!

[Chloe93]

I have a fleece rope that he loves to climb! I also have a hammock that he jumps and plays in. He likes to sleep in a shoe box too.

[Chickenlegs]

Bet he'd like a cube. Is this guy a keeper?

[farm mom]

In animals like humans we tend to wait on an abscess to ripen before we lance it. It's not looking really red and infected so I would just watch it and use warm moist compress to help it along. And back to the Vet like he said. You'll be able to tell when it's ready. It gets a soft squishy spot on it and thats where we lance it. I had a baby with strangles this year, huge abscess under his left jaw. We drained it when it was ready and kept it clean. Then the other side had the same thing (we knew it would) Drained that one and kept it clean. He never had to go on antibiotics and he healed just fine.

[czarina]

I agree with Chickenlegs and farm mom. The best thing you can do for it is warm, salt water soaks. This causes an increased blood flow to the area. The blood has things in it that basically eat the infection. You can use little 4x4 gauze squares that you can get at your drug store.

They are right! Squirrels absolutely love fleece!!!! A good source, that is usually readily availabe, is baby blankets. Not the knitted ones. Just plain fleece. And not just one. They love piles of fleece. You can cut a couple of them, to make some squares, that way he can easily carry it and then arrange it how he wants, in his nest. This will make him a very hapoy boy. Plus, give him something to do.

Years later, mine still love their baby blankets! When they see me pick one up, they come running, cause they know something fun is about to happen! Either mom is giving out "baby blanket cuddles" or making "baby blanket tunnels" or " baby blanket hide and seek". The list goes on and on. Also, then when it's time to wash their fleece, you can keep a square or two, that has " his squirrel scent on it.
They are very scent oriented. Having these little squares, say aporox 10x10, will make your squirrel a very happy boy. It will keep him from panicking when you clean his cage.

Also, keep an eye out, in case that abscess ruptures on its own. You will want to get that fleece out, and wash it, so the infected matter doesn't stay in his nest.

Most of us use ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No perfumes or scents to annoy little sensitive squirrel noses.