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Thread: Fell from wire head injury

  1. #1
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    Default Fell from wire head injury

    I have a younger squirrel that was crossing our street and fell off the wire. There was a lot of blood coming from its nose. I called several rehabs but no response. It has been two days no more blood circling behavior has stopped. Sleeping curled up. I have placed in a deep box quiet warm place. I have given a light sugar water which he seems to want or need very much. I have given peanut butter mixed with water which he ate very well. I also had some prednisone which I mixed with with the sugar. I am winging it the squirrel is in bad shape and figured I had to. Any suggestions would be appreciated

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    I have a younger squirrel that was crossing our street and fell off the wire. There was a lot of blood coming from its nose. I called several rehabs but no response. It has been two days no more blood circling behavior has stopped. Sleeping curled up. I have placed in a deep box quiet warm place. I have given a light sugar water which he seems to want or need very much. I have given peanut butter mixed with water which he ate very well. I also had some prednisone which I mixed with with the sugar. I am winging it the squirrel is in bad shape and figured I had to. Any suggestions would be appreciated
    The prednisone is great for head trauma but needs to be dosed in a proper course for the best outcome.
    All meds for squirrels are dosed by body weight, with the weight of squirrel and milligrams of the prednisone
    it can be properly dosed. If you can not get a weight a full body picture can be helpful for a close estimate.
    Step-N-Stone
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    Cobeal (06-20-2021)

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Name:  342652E8-5380-4AF6-8B7A-95808FF4282C.jpg
Views: 141
Size:  161.6 KBName:  342652E8-5380-4AF6-8B7A-95808FF4282C.jpg
Views: 141
Size:  161.6 KBHe seems a little brighter today. Trying to wash face. Dehydrated no pinch in skin.
    Last edited by Cobeal; 06-20-2021 at 11:55 AM. Reason: Add photo, hopefully

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    What is the milligrams of your prednisone?
    Step-N-Stone
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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    I have a lot of 20mg. and 1tablet of 10mg. I do not want to prolong any suffering. How long would it take to see meaningful improvement. I am willing to put in the time to see this through but not at the animals expense.

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    I have a lot of 20mg. and 1tablet of 10mg. I do not want to prolong any suffering. How long would it take to see meaningful improvement. I am willing to put in the time to see this through but not at the animals expense.
    I have sent dosing via your private messages.
    If in my care I would run a full course of prednisone before evaluating any future outcome.
    They can recover, it all depends on extent of head trauma. Just like a human suffering from
    a concussion it takes time to recover from one and only time will determine if any permanent
    damage has been caused as a result.
    Step-N-Stone
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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Please keep this little one well hydrated
    What formula, if any, are you feeding?
    Thank you for helping him. You are his hope.

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    I have a lot of 20mg. and 1tablet of 10mg. I do not want to prolong any suffering. How long would it take to see meaningful improvement. I am willing to put in the time to see this through but not at the animals expense.


    Where in Maine do you live. Just the town, nothing specific.

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Mid coast

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Nancy in New York View Post
    Please keep this little one well hydrated
    What formula, if any, are you feeding?
    Thank you for helping him. You are his hope.
    I am giving dilute sugar water, plain water. He ate liquid peanut butter, applesauce a slurry of mixed nuts and greens. What else?

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    Rock Monkey (06-23-2021)

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    I am giving dilute sugar water, plain water. He ate liquid peanut butter, applesauce a slurry of mixed nuts and greens. What else?
    Here is a list of foods which are okay for captive squirrels. Their diet needs to be different from wild squirrels. Pay attention to the items to be avoided. This list will give you some notion of what vegetables to try.
    With a head injury you may want to stick with softer foods. Things like butternut squash and sweet potato can be microwaved. Try avocado, ripe, not blemished, no pit or skin as these contain some toxins.

    https://henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

    Also, be sure never to give salted nuts or roasted nuts. Nut should represent a very small part of a captive squirrel's diet.

    They have great healing powers, but not super powers, patience is required. The are many stories of here of successful healing from nasty wounds.

    How's your squirrel?

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    Cobeal (06-24-2021)

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Update on this little one. Seems to be doing pretty well. Very active with slight deficit in right front foot. Does tend to circle a lot. I believe he is younger so I started formula after giving him pedalyte for a few days. He is not very interested in any sold food. I have been encouraging him to hold whatever food he was interested in with both feet. The right seems weak. He will be as busy as I let him but we are still limiting activity and exposure to bright lights to help his brain heal. I am totally winging it. There are five siblings in the yard I am so hopeful he can rejoin them in a while. Any advice or suggestions are welcome.

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Would like to send video.can’t quite figure out how.

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    TSB's platform does not host videos. You need to post to a platform like YouTube and then post the link here on TSB.

  20. #15
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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    A little concerned about the circling. If he isn’t eating he is circling. Is this normal? How much free running about should he be getting? Seems happy to eat be rolled in a blanket and held for a while and he is sleeping again. Is this part of the injury or he is just young. Tries to nibble on solid food but doesn’t get very far. I am offering broccoli, grapes, cantaloupe, lettuce a clover bud,maple whirlybird gigs,avocado, walnut. He nibbles circles nibbles circles, but never really ingests much. He is very interested in formula and pedalyte, feed separately. What to do?

  21. #16
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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    A little concerned about the circling. If he isn’t eating he is circling. Is this normal? How much free running about should he be getting? Seems happy to eat be rolled in a blanket and held for a while and he is sleeping again. Is this part of the injury or he is just young. Tries to nibble on solid food but doesn’t get very far. I am offering broccoli, grapes, cantaloupe, lettuce a clover bud,maple whirlybird gigs,avocado, walnut. He nibbles circles nibbles circles, but never really ingests much. He is very interested in formula and pedalyte, feed separately. What to do?
    The circling is indicative of neurological issues resulting from head trauma, it may get better.
    Unfortunately many times it's permanent and they are non-releasable. I hope you have stayed
    the course of prednisone and I would even suggest extending it. If there is a chance or way to
    get an actual weight on him it could help with accurately dosing. If possible to get hold of some
    Gabapentin and use in conjunction with the Pred it may also help lesson the circling activity.

    Please be aware that neurological trauma as such leads them to be prone to seizure activity and there
    can be "triggers" you will need to watch for. Your instincts so far have been good by limiting excessive
    running around and bright light. There is something about Almonds that appears to help keep seizures at
    bay, I would definitely introduce almonds in his diet even if you need to crumble them for him.

    Have you gotten a look at his teeth to be able to determine if they were damaged or misaligned in his fall?
    Step-N-Stone
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    Wildlife Master Rehabilitator


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  23. #17
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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by stepnstone View Post
    The circling is indicative of neurological issues resulting from head trauma, it may get better.
    Unfortunately many times it's permanent and they are non-releasable. I hope you have stayed
    the course of prednisone and I would even suggest extending it. If there is a chance or way to
    get an actual weight on him it could help with accurately dosing. If possible to get hold of some
    Gabapentin and use in conjunction with the Pred it may also help lesson the circling activity.

    Please be aware that neurological trauma as such leads them to be prone to seizure activity and there
    can be "triggers" you will need to watch for. Your instincts so far have been good by limiting excessive
    running around and bright light. There is something about Almonds that appears to help keep seizures at
    bay, I would definitely introduce almonds in his diet even if you need to crumble them for him.

    Have you gotten a look at his teeth to be able to determine if they were damaged or misaligned in his fall?
    Yes the teeth are broken, hope they will grow back. Ate well today working on drinking from water bottle. What a mess! I am suspicious about his sight. Won’t readily pick up food and hold it. Has to have help to hold the food encouraging to hold with bad foot . One seizure early on haven’t seen any since. Don’t think we are out of the woods yet. It has been 8days. I am on the single dose of prednisone daily. Do vets see squirrels?

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    Default Re: Fell from wire head injury

    Quote Originally Posted by Cobeal View Post
    Yes the teeth are broken, hope they will grow back. Ate well today working on drinking from water bottle. What a mess! I am suspicious about his sight. Won’t readily pick up food and hold it. Has to have help to hold the food encouraging to hold with bad foot . One seizure early on haven’t seen any since. Don’t think we are out of the woods yet. It has been 8days. I am on the single dose of prednisone daily. Do vets see squirrels?
    If you can manage a picture of his teeth at some point would like to observe condition.
    You are right to question his vision, very often these type head traumas that cause neurological problems
    also affect the vision to varying degrees. Some may have partial vision, some see light and shadows, some
    are left blind.
    The majority of States it is illegal to have a squirrel and illegal to treat unless one is a licensed rehabber.
    Even if one were licensed finding a vet to treat a squirrel isn't easy and most would just euthanize.
    State laws require euthanasia if an animal is too compromised and / or can not be returned to the wild.
    I do not know of any "safe" vets in your State.
    Step-N-Stone
    State Licensed
    Wildlife Master Rehabilitator


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