Eye removal surgery

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I will get a better photo of the eye today. It can't be saved at this point. It actually looks like it's about to rupture and when I was putting the antibiotic drops and eye lube in it this morning there was pus coming out of the corner. They gave her Buprenex yesterday and she was feeling great after that. She is dumpy this morning now that it's worn off. I contacted another vet that sees my exotics and has seen my degu. I'm waiting on a call back from her. She enucleated the eye of my friends hedgehog so I would feel more confident using her. I'm hoping she gets back with me today. It's so bad being a holiday weekend. If she gets to the point where she needs to be put down I will absolutely make that call but right now I don't feel that is necessary.

I'm so very sorry for your little Squirrel! What is her name? I know you love her and are doing the best for her Cmiddl3! I hope your Exotic Vet will get back to you in record time! Please keep us informed with how things are going for your Little One and I hope she is tolerating the Ibuprofen as recommended by CM!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[CritterMom]

She has been getting meloxicam for pain. She is around 420 grams. I weigh her twice daily. She has lost a little weight. Yesterday she was about 410 before she ate.

Is she still on the meloxicam? If so, she can't have the ibuprophen, since they are both NSAIDS. I have found that they seem to respond better to the ibuprophen, probably because it can be dosed multiple times per day and the meloxicam is normally just one dose. Very few pain meds will actually work for 24 hours. I will send you the dosing for the ibuprophen, and if you would like to try it after going off the meloxicam, you can.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Is she still on the meloxicam? If so, she can't have the ibuprophen, since they are both NSAIDS. I have found that they seem to respond better to the ibuprophen, probably because it can be dosed multiple times per day and the meloxicam is normally just one dose. Very few pain meds will actually work for 24 hours. I will send you the dosing for the ibuprophen, and if you would like to try it after going off the meloxicam, you can.

ABSOLUTELY!! Thank you for catching this CM!! These medications are in the same family and combining them or dosing more than recommended of either can multiply the likelihood of complications such as bleeding and kidney damage!
SamtheSquirrel

[Cmiddl3]

I could definitely stop the meloxicam and start with the ibuprofen tomorrow if that would be better. I think twice a day would be beneficial since I know this is very painful for her. She cannot close her eye at all and it's so dry. I put eye lube in it as frequently as I can but it's not enough. Her name is Smelly! She got the name because when I found her as a baby she smelled rotten. I believe her family had died in the nest or something so she came down for food and that's when I found her. She walked right up to me!

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I could definitely stop the meloxicam and start with the ibuprofen tomorrow if that would be better. I think twice a day would be beneficial since I know this is very painful for her. She cannot close her eye at all and it's so dry. I put eye lube in it as frequently as I can but it's not enough. Her name is Smelly! She got the name because when I found her as a baby she smelled rotten. I believe her family had died in the nest or something so she came down for food and that's when I found her. She walked right up to me!

Hi Smelly and Cmiddl3. I hope for the very best for you little Squirrel! CM has a much more extensive experiential database in treating Squirrels with NSAIDS (Ibuprofen and Meloxicam are NSAIDS) than I and my advice would be to follow her advice. Please do NOT use more than one NSAID. Meloxicam has a relatively long Terminal Half-life (the time it takes for the current drug concentration in the body to decrease by 50%) that in humans (I doubt that this information is available for Squirrels) is around 15-20 hours so there will be some Meloxicam remaining for the next 3-5 days but this would be decreasing regularly and very significantly decreased within the first day. Smelly definitely needs pain relief so I would recommend, if you are going to transition to Ibuprofen, let 1 full day elapse after stopping the Meloxicam before beginning the Ibuprofen and then carefully follow the recommended dosing interval and dose amount provided by CM in her message to you. Please keep us posted on Smelly's condition, progress, and eventual diagnosis.
Regards,
SametheSquirrel

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I'm sorry but I meant to ask you in my prior post as to whether you had heard back from the Exotic Vet? I hope so and that Smelly will be seen soon!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Cmiddl3]

I did not yet but am calling again first thing Monday morning since they are closed for the holidays. Smelly seems brighter again today. More her normal self. Getting stir crazy in her hospital cage. Here is the eye tonight.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I did not yet but am calling again first thing Monday morning since they are closed for the holidays. Smelly seems brighter again today. More her normal self. Getting stir crazy in her hospital cage. Here is the eye tonight.

I'm glad Smelly is doing better overall but her eye looks very bad. I am so sorry for this little Squirrel! Cmiddl3, I sure hope you will be able to get in touch with the Vet on Monday!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

How is Smelly doing?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Cmiddl3]

She is about the same. Not allowing me to force feed her as much and not being still for eye meds. She is definitely feeling better. The eye seems less swollen but still looks terrible. The exotic vet is seeing her in the morning and going to do the enucleation tomorrow afternoon hopefully. She has done them on many small mammals and rodents so I'm confident in her ability.

Here are the x rays from last week.

https://www.idexximagebank.com/email...ungwvgs3fctl.1


Nothing going on with her teeth other than they don't line up. It seems like there is something in her neck but it's hard to see and I'm definitely no pro on reading x rays.

[tnballgirl]

Those are really good imaging!

Other than some *minimal* rotation on the AP/PA views, they are super!

You can definitely see the "bad" eye, but I don't see anything wrong with her neck?

[Cmiddl3]

Good news! Smelly had her enucleation today and the vet said all went well. She had an abscess which caused the infection to go up into her eye. There was absolutely no saving it but at least it's out now and she won't be in pain anymore. She is starting her back on clavamox. I'll be going to pick her up in the morning. She has already adjusted to not being able to see with that eye for the last week so hopefully now she can adjust more without the pain.

[CritterMom]

Aw. Any idea what caused the abscess? Did they check her teeth while they were in there?

I am so glad she made it through. She will be ok. She has YOU to watch out for cougars and stuff on her blind side.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Good news! Smelly had her enucleation today and the vet said all went well. She had an abscess which caused the infection to go up into her eye. There was absolutely no saving it but at least it's out now and she won't be in pain anymore. She is starting her back on clavamox. I'll be going to pick her up in the morning. She has already adjusted to not being able to see with that eye for the last week so hopefully now she can adjust more without the pain.

Great news! No tumor! Smelly is doing well! I'm glad that you opted to seek treatment for Smelly with the more experienced Vet! It's great the Smelly will be back in your loving care tomorrow! Please tell Smelly that Sammy and I said hello!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Cmiddl3]

We aren't sure but her teeth looked perfect so it doesn't seem that's related. Possibly a bite or poke from an insect or her cage caused it? I never saw anything outwardly. She already seems to feeling better! She will be my go to vet for the squirrels from now on!

[Cmiddl3]

Well, Smelly now has more swelling again. In the same spot. I noticed a few days ago and brought her in Thursday. The vet x rated and said her bones on the left of the face are much larger than the right so she suspects a tumor. I picked her up today and it's way more swollen and she hasn't really eaten. So I'll start Springs feeding critical care today and she wants me to give meloxicam once a day to help her feel better. She didn't want to do antibiotics again incase it's not infection and make her more sick. When they swelling came up this fast last time the antibiotics made it go down pretty quick. She wants to reevaluate on Monday and we may change the plan. I'm really hoping it's infection again and not a tumor. She was going so well after her eye out. She put her on clavamox after the eye removal fir 7 days. So she has been on clavamox twice and TMS now. I want to try to aspirate or lance it to see if I get anything out. I know she isn't eating due to the pain. It seems like the exact scenario that started a month ago is back. I'll post the x rays and a picture of her face soon.

[Chirps]

Bummer to hear but thanks for the update. Praying for quickest and most pain free resolution. Poor girl, what a trooper! And you too.

[CritterMom]

Just some info for your consideration:

A couple weeks ago I was helping a person who's squirrel had undergone odontoma surgery, which is highly invasive, had developed pneumonia afterward, and was put on antibiotics and meloxicam. She then developed a huge abscess on her cheat. Poor baby is 11 years old and was absolutely miserable - totally dumpy and sick. The vet had gone on vacation. And the meloxicam had run out. I suggested she begin giving infant ibuprophen to help with the pain from the massive abscess, as the squirrel had quit eating. She gave her the first dose and about half an hour later called me. Her squirrel had jumped up, cleaned her dinner plate, ran into the kitchen to beg in front of the fridge for more and was teasing her dog friend. She remained on the infant ibuprophen until after the abscess got lanced and cleaned out and her energy level remained great - like nothing was every wrong. The squirrel's mama now calls it "The Feel Good Juice!" Ibuprophen is an NSAID like meloxicam, but in the doses we give, can be administered every 4 hours instead of the once per day that you give meloxicam. Meloxicam is still in the blood at 20 hours but the pain relief doesn't last that long. No pain meds do. Being able to give something more frequently can keep them pretty pain free.

If you want to try it instead of the meloxicam let me know the weight of your squirrel and I will give you the dose.

[sundoesshine]

If you want to try it instead of the meloxicam let me know the weight of your squirrel and I will give you the dose.

You really may want to consider this.

I have chronic back pain and migraines. I began meloxicam for the back pain which has helped somewhat I think, however it doesn't do anything for migraines. When I get one, I withhold my meloxicam for the night and take 4 advil and 2 otc sleeping pills. They may both be nsaids but they sure don't act the same for me.

[Cmiddl3]

The swelling has gone down and she is eating better. I'm still waiting on the x rays because they didn't send them Friday or Saturday. I started TMS back Friday night so I'm not sure if it's due to that, the meloxicam or both but she is feeling better. I feel like it's infection and maybe has spread to the bone. Her x rats from almost 4 weeks ago were clean in the bones but the vet Saud last week she thought cancer. I really hope we can get ahead of it if it's fixable.