Injured back leg - need dosing please

[Jennefer]

Hi guys! Been a while since Ive been on. So i have a friend with a released adult male squirrel that came back to him today due to a rear leg injury. Looks like another squirrel got him (assuming b/c friend says the males have been fighting). Leg looks infected from a bite & leg is limp (he was dragging it & not using it). Squirrel (named Biggie) is unusually calm & quiet. He's bringing him over me to take a look at. I have Tramadol 50mg, infant ibuprofen, Prednisone 10mg (which I have dosing for) and various antibiotics.....no clavamox or augmentin on hand, but I do have clindamyacin, cipro, orbax, veraflox, smz & amox. Thinking if its very badly infected, to use clindamycin? Not sure if he just needs antibiotic or pain & inflammation meds as well.....thoughts from the experts? He weighs 306 grams. Thanks, Jenn

[Jennefer]

Heres photos of his foot...def is swollen & limp...not responding to touch. Looks like an old bite maybe??

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Jennefer, any chance he could give 2 antibiotics. ??

Clindamycin and SMZ or Cipro. The Clindamycin is excellent but a bit too narrow for a wound on the foot. Contact with dirt would probably mean a polymicrobic infection and would need to extend the coverage with a second antibiotic.

[Jennefer]

Hi HRT!! Yes i can do both!! Cipro & clindmycin. What about pain or ibuphrofen or prednisone??

[Jennefer]

Cipro 750mg & clindamycin 150mg capsule

[TubeDriver]

Metacam if you have it for pain and inflammation. Second choice would be Ibuprofen. I would stay clear of prednisone since there is an old, established infection and pred is an immunosuppressant. Keep him well hydrated on this med cocktail.

Hi HRT!! Yes i can do both!! Cipro & clindmycin. What about pain or ibuphrofen or prednisone??

[Jennefer]

ok good to know...thx TubeDriver! I dont have anymore Metacam but he can do infant ibuprofen. Can someone send me dosing please? Biggie is 306 grams. So Cipro 750mg, Clindamycin 150mg, and infant ibuprofen concentrated drops 50mg per 1.25ml. Thanks! You guys are life savers! Jenn

[Jennefer]

Thanks for dosing!! Heres a few photos of Biggie...the one with the avacado you can see his foot. Almost club like. It doesnt seem to bother him much. Poor guy is worn out!!

[TubeDriver]

He is really cute. Try to lightly examine the foot/ankle and make sure there are not any abscesses that would need to be drained. He looks a little small to be released, hopefully he will heal up and gain some weight and size before heading out there again.

[Jennefer]

His foot where its swollen is on the hard side. We'll watch it & get it lanced if it doesnt show quick improvement. Im concerned that he's not moving it & its limp. Hoping b/c its swollen. Hes 6 mons old & remember our grays in Florida are smaller then everywhere else. He's the same size of the wild adults outside. He wont be going back out til that foot is all better for sure!! Thanks for all your help! He took his meds just fine & was sleeping soundly last night!! And just in time...we got a cold front thru last.....its 53 degrees out!!! Buurrr too cold for us florida peeps!!!

[redwuff]

Hey Jenn

Try soaking that foot in warm water Epsom salt soak. Some infection/abscess is a hard pus that has to be picked out versus a soft pus that will drain. I am not liking that he is not using his leg at all.

I have seen exit wounds like that on a rear leg from the squirrel coming into connect with electric lines but there will be an entry wound elsewhere, usually around the mouth. I'm sure you would have noticed something else by now.

He sure is a cutie pie!

[Jennefer]

Hi Redwuff...yes we can soak it. Good idea!! Good to know abt the pus thing...i assumed it was all runny. I didnt see any other marks or spots on him other than on his foot. It almost looks like he had a dew claw ripped off but they dont have dew claws. I didnt like how that round black spot looks. Not anythg ive seen before. Hes eating no problems. Friend says Biggie is doing great today other than his bumble foot!

[Jennefer]

And odd thing is now that we can observe him....the limp foot doesnt seem to bother him at all. He just works around it. He leans on it & sits on it. What kind of injury could make his foot swell & go totally limp but not bother him?? The rest of his leg is fine & he can feel it. Its just from ankle down its limp. But not opened up or broken skin other than that black spot on his foot.

[TubeDriver]

I would soak it as Redwuff suggested and than mess with that scab a but and try to see if there is pus under it! My guess is that there is some pus/infection under that scab? Another possibility is that the sacb is from him chewing on his own foot because it was bothering him. Squirrel's have a high threshold of pain, they can hide symotoms pretty well. It might be bothering him but he is tough and will not show it.

And odd thing is now that we can observe him....the limp foot doesnt seem to bother him at all. He just works around it. He leans on it & sits on it. What kind of injury could make his foot swell & go totally limp but not bother him?? The rest of his leg is fine & he can feel it. Its just from ankle down its limp. But not opened up or broken skin other than that black spot on his foot.

[Jennefer]

Ok we will try that.