Pet Grey Squirrel - Lesion under arm - Safe antibiotic?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Thanks Sam. I really appreciate that info!

Here are some pictures that I took tonight. One after he had just been licking it, and the other after he played a while and let it dry a bit. Compared to the last photos, there is some redness that formed around it. I can't tell if the redness is from him messing with it though, or from an infection trying to come back. What do you guys think?

I truly believe that the increased redness of the lesions themselves is from irritation by recent licking, especially since you actually caught him in the act! If you look at your earlier photos, there was a third lesion at that time that was closer to his chest. That one has essentially resolved and most likely this was due to how close to his chest it was which made it difficult to impossible for him to reach it to lick and it is my guess that without further irritation, it could heal. I believe the secret to these lesions resolving is somehow to restrict your Little One's ability to reach the remaining lesions with his mouth. Yes, I know; easier said than done! It might be worth trying applications a thin layer of plain Zinc Oxide ointment over each of the lesions every 6-8 hours. This might help speed resolution. Zinc oxide has been used for many years in wound care to facilitate healing. The Zinc Oxide ointment might also deter your Squirrel from further licking as its taste may be unpleasant taste to your Squirrel. No guarantee about that though! I have used Zinc oxide ointment on Squirrels and other small animals with wounds without incident. Interestingly, Zinc Oxide is on the on the FDA Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list of food additives. I have no idea why anyone would add Zinc oxide to food but if someone wanted to, apparently it is safe to so so.

[DavidDane]

Thanks Sam! Yep I agree with you. I finally started him on the Benedryl yesterday like CritterMom had suggested a while ago, and this morning it was already looking quite a lot better than last night, and even better tonight! It does seem like it's really helping to calm it down and keep him from aggravating it so it can heal. Here are some pictures from this morning and tonight

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Thanks Sam! Yep I agree with you. I finally started him on the Benedryl yesterday like CritterMom had suggested a while ago, and this morning it was already looking quite a lot better than last night, and even better tonight! It does seem like it's really helping to calm it down and keep him from aggravating it so it can heal. Here are some pictures from this morning and tonight

Great! Lesions looking better!
Regards,
StS

[Diggie's Friend]

Should you have any more issues with your squirrel licking at the lesions; this page has illustrations and instructions on how to construct a homemade E-Collar

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ng-an-E-Collar

Just a note on Zinc oxide. The over ingestion of this form form of zinc lends to zinc toxicity.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Should you have any more issues with your squirrel licking at the lesions; this page has illustrations and instructions on how to construct a homemade E-Collar

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ng-an-E-Collar

Just a note on Zinc oxide. The over ingestion of this form form of zinc lends to zinc toxicity.

Without belaboring this; not all forms of zinc and not all types of exposures to zinc are the same. Further, they do NOT all carry the same risks. Ingestion of zinc such as found in some galvanized steel cages (if you are using galvanized "housing" for your Squirrels, potential ingestion of the zinc is a distinct risk!) and inadvertent ingestion of US Pennies (minted within the past 40 years) contain METALLIC zinc and do pose significant risks and may result in zinc toxicity. INHALED zinc oxide nanoparticles may also pose a risk for zinc toxicity. Ingestion of zinc oxide ointment, even relatively large amounts are not usually associated with this same risk of zinc toxicity but can cause Gastrointestinal symptoms especially if ingested in relatively large amounts. The truly minuscule quantity of Zinc Oxide ointment applied in the thin layer to the tiny lesions on DD's Squirrel every 6-8 hours even for several days would pose little, if any risk, if the Squirrel should decide to lick it.

By the way, an E-collar may be the best or only way to ensure "no licking."

Respectfully,
SamtheSquirrel

[DavidDane]

Hey guys. I appreciate the replies! Here are some updated pictures. The last picture is from this morning and two top ones are from tonight. Again, this morning he had irritated it. I gave him medicine, he slept most of the day, then tonight it looked a bit better again. This whole ordeal is really stressing me out though, ya know? I haven't worked up to the 0.3cc's that CritterMom told me to use just yet, I've been dosing him at 0.15 twice a day. Maybe I should try to up the dose to what she suggested which is 0.3cc every 8 hours. Do the collars for squirrels really work? I'm not sure what else to do. The vet told me to put the neo def or whatever that powder is on it to dry it up, but when I told him I didn't really want to use anything with neomycin he said I could probably use baby powder. Have any of you guys used that for wounds?

[island rehabber]

Try Gold Bond powder. I used it extensively last year when I had pox squirrels and it worked wonders.

[Chirps]

Don't know if anyone here has ever used Wonder Dust, but it's for wounds. It has charcoal in it. I guess that could be another option for drying? I get it at my feed store, but maybe TSC or others have it too.

[Diggie's Friend]

In this veterinary article it states that the repeated licking of zinc oxide cream by pets can result in zinc toxicity. And though it might be argued that this depends upon the concentration of zinc, in general this form of zinc is noted in the literature in rats also, as having an issue of toxicity based upon dose dependency. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to using Zinc oxide cream on a wound.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-p...xicity-in-pets

[DavidDane]

Thanks for the replies back everyone. Here's a new picture from this morning. The vet did give me another round of SMZ antibiotics in case I want to use it. Do you guys think I should, or wait? I did just up his dose to .2cc on the Benedryl. What was the amount you used island rehabber? And do you think think it's safe for grey squirrels?

[CritterMom]

David, the dose I gave you for the Benadryl was based on a squirrel weighing about 375 grams. Given that everyone is making the assumption that he weighs 1 pound (454 grams) you can see that I ALREADY reduced the amount to give substantially. I did this knowing that A) the weight was approximate; and B) you are very paranoid about dosing.

Please go to Walmart/Target/Bed Bath and Beyond and buy a "pound to kilogram" digital scale. They will be in the department that has kitchenwares - they are used by many dieters to weigh their food. You should be able to get one for less than $20.

Get a LEGIT weight on him. If you do this, we can give you a dosage based on his weight and know it is the CORRECT dose. The fact that he left it alone for a while indicates that it was working...a little. But the dose you were giving him would be correct for a 150 gram BABY. No treatment is going to work if the animal is only getting 25% of what is required. Having the proper weight may help put your mind at ease about giving it to him.

[DavidDane]

Hey CM! Thanks for the reply. Yes lol, I am a bit paranoid about dosing. I do it with myself as well. I always work myself up to the dose just to test the waters. I went ahead and gave him another .1cc's to make it the .3 you calculated for me. Thanks for taking those things into consideration and dosing it low for me. This afternoon I'll go and pick up a scale like you recommended and get his actual weight.

I can't help but wonder though, that when he was on the antibiotics the wounds had very defined edges, pink wounds with nice white edges that were healing. I stopped the antibiotics and a few days later they looked aggravated again. Now they have blended pink and red edges and kinda been back and forth. Do these look like I should put him back on another 10 day dose, or try the other options first?

[DavidDane]

In this veterinary article it states that the repeated licking of zinc oxide cream by pets can result in zinc toxicity. And though it might be argued that this depends upon the concentration of zinc, in general this form of zinc is noted in the literature in rats also, as having an issue of toxicity based upon dose dependency. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to using Zinc oxide cream on a wound.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-p...xicity-in-pets

Is it just toxic in the zinc oxide cream, or also in the Gold Bond powder that Island Rehabber suggested to try?

[CritterMom]

Hey CM! Thanks for the reply. Yes lol, I am a bit paranoid about dosing. I do it with myself as well. I always work myself up to the dose just to test the waters. I went ahead and gave him another .1cc's to make it the .3 you calculated for me. Thanks for taking those things into consideration and dosing it low for me. This afternoon I'll go and pick up a scale like you recommended and get his actual weight.

I can't help but wonder though, that when he was on the antibiotics the wounds had very defined edges, pink wounds with nice white edges that were healing. I stopped the antibiotics and a few days later they looked aggravated again. Now they have blended pink and red edges and kinda been back and forth. Do these look like I should put him back on another 10 day dose, or try the other options first?

I would hold off on the SMZ-TMP for now. Do keep dabbing the sores with the diluted betadyne a couple times a day - it is a topical antibiotic. The SMZ-TMP you have may be pink and fruit flavored, but it is also a strong antibiotic that can be somewhat hard on the kidneys and requires plenty of hydration while taking it. I think that 99% of the problem here is caused by his licking. And I think that if you can at least dramatically cut down on it that he will heal up fine. E-collars are almost impossible with squirrels because their heads and necks are about the same circumference - like many football players. To keep him from just backing right out of it you would have to darned near strangle him with it.

[DavidDane]

Yeah, I figured that might be a little difficult to try to use one. Here are some more pictures from this afternoon and then tonight for you guys to see. I got the scale today also. It measures lb/oz and he weighed 1.02. I'm not sure if that's 1 lb and 2 ounces or 1 lb and .02 ounces. It looked like he was between 485 and 500 grams.

[DavidDane]

Something else to add:

Rocket is also getting this white milky stuff in the bottom of his eyes and in the corner. I noticed it just before I started him on the SMZ antibiotics, but I haven't noticed it since then. Although I haven't looked particularly hard for it lately. What could this be?

[DavidDane]

Hey guys. Here's a picture from last night and then this morning. I'm giving him the 0.3cc of Benadryl every 8 hours and the Betadine. They seem to be getting bigger and now a third spot is popping up. The top picture is from this morning and the bottom is last night. I think I'm going to try the Gold Bond powder too. Should I start him back on SMZ? Let me know what you guys think I should do next. Thanks alot

[CritterMom]

He is still licking it. The ACTUAL dose of the benadryl for him is .36ml. You may want to give him the full dose right before bed, because he is obviously doing most of the kicking at night. You can knock it down to the .3ml for the other doses.

How about giving him something besides his little armpit to fuss with? This is a little outside the box but I have done similar things with parrots to keep them away from a wound. Honey. NOT on the wound, in fact, nowhere NEAR the wound. I would put a little in his tail, and a fair sized blob of it right on his backbone a couple inches above where his tail meets his body - where he will have to really bend and contort and WORK to get to it and lick it all off to get the stickiness off of him. In fact, I would pour some honey out on a flat plate right now and let it sit someplace that has some airflow for the rest of the day. Honey has moisture in it and that will evaporate some of it away, making it even more sticky than honey normally is. Again, you don't want to put any on the top half of his body - you are basically making a red herring to take his mind off the armpit itching and spend his time trying to work the sticky stuff off of himself.

It certainly isn't going to hurt him.

[DavidDane]

Haha that's a very creative idea. I might try that. You mean the Benedryl dose is .36, not the Betadine right? I'm going to go uptown today and get him some Gold Bond too. I might also put him on the SMZ again to prevent any infection from the licking. I just wonder if it's okay to give him that in conjunction with the Benadryl and the Gold Bond, if they are given at seperate times

[CritterMom]

Yes - too many "B's" BENADRYL!