Results 1 to 20 of 20

Thread: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    48
    Thanked: 23

    Default Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Hi all!!
    My little guy Squeegee has what looks like an inflamed or infected knuckle on his back right pinky (see photos below)!

    Name:  47A51655-1437-40B9-AD77-B5D9CF994E45.jpg
Views: 100
Size:  127.7 KB
    Name:  96A03445-7154-49F8-AF83-52B013622B25.jpg
Views: 98
Size:  120.8 KB
    Name:  D719B133-7A96-4AC1-8B07-9E8DEA5CB1E0.jpg
Views: 102
Size:  132.5 KB
    Name:  A94F6F49-4B1B-4179-A098-B26A593A83AC.jpg
Views: 97
Size:  122.0 KB

    He is still very active and running around and this is the first day I’ve seen it. I tend to be pretty aware of any physical issues with him so hopefully I’m catching it before it spirals. What should I do? I know different antibiotics are recommended for different ailments (plus dosage differs of course). I also may need some advice on how to acquire antibiotics (I’m in Southeast Michigan). Thank you so much for any help!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2022
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    450
    Thanked: 346

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Are they able to still bend all those “fingers/toes”? Able to easily grasp something, and climb without pain?

    I can’t speak to what might be going on. But I’m curious to rule out a fracture.

    Could it have gotten caught in something or stuck?

    If blood flow is good, flexibility/strength is the same and it doesn’t seem to cause pain, I believe those are all really good signs. ��

    Their little nails are so long and the bones in hands/feet are so delicate and small, they can easily get them caught on a loop of fabric or cage wire.

    sending you and your little one positive energy and love ��

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    West Coast
    Posts
    3,587
    Thanked: 3398

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    How old is he? Did it suddenly appear overnight, or was it smaller at first now bigger?

    it could be an abscess; but also other possible causes. Is the bump squishy, or hard when you feel it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    48
    Thanked: 23

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Quote Originally Posted by Diggie's Friend View Post
    How old is he? Did it suddenly appear overnight, or was it smaller at first now bigger?

    it could be an abscess; but also other possible causes. Is the bump squishy, or hard when you feel it.
    He is 6 months!! I realized immediately after publishing this that I was off by a month in the thread title 🤦🏼*♀️

    I can’t say with absolute certainty that it appeared overnight, but I am confidently leaning toward it being pretty sudden. I noticed it yesterday immediately when I took him out for playtime, and I genuinely tend to be very perceptive about any changes in his physical appearance/demeanor so I definitely don’t think I failed to notice it for that long at least. I feel safe saying that if it was swollen the day before, it was incredibly minor at that point.

    So I just now went and touched his knuckle, it’s not really squishy, but also not hard like the way a bone is hard. It feels almost like the consistency of a mole or skin tag on a human if that makes sense! Definitely not squishy like a blister or something would be.

    He isn’t behaving injured in any way—no holding weight off that toe/foot, no decreased coordination, no hesitancy to perform his more acrobatic maneuvers. He doesn’t seem more bothered by me touching that toe as he does any other toe (I tested a few and he was equally annoyed with my intrusion on all of them &#128514. Also, no indication of lethargy or general malaise that might point to a fever/infection.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    48
    Thanked: 23

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Quote Originally Posted by Tashahaven View Post
    Are they able to still bend all those “fingers/toes”? Able to easily grasp something, and climb without pain?

    I can’t speak to what might be going on. But I’m curious to rule out a fracture.

    Could it have gotten caught in something or stuck?

    If blood flow is good, flexibility/strength is the same and it doesn’t seem to cause pain, I believe those are all really good signs. ��

    Their little nails are so long and the bones in hands/feet are so delicate and small, they can easily get them caught on a loop of fabric or cage wire.

    sending you and your little one positive energy and love ��
    Thank you so much!!

    So honestly he doesn’t seem to be holding weight off that toe whatsoever. I just watched him climbing in his cage for a while to see if he was favoring his other feet/toes and he was hanging upside by that foot with the swollen-knuckled toe gripping equally as hard as the other toes 😁

    I also tested it for tenderness by touching that toe along with a few non-swollen toes to gauge his reaction and he didn’t seem any more put off by me touching the swollen toe. Definitely was irritated with all of them, but not MORE irritated with that one specifically 😂

    In terms of it getting caught on something, certainly possible! He’s in a critter nation 2-story cage and I don’t have any string or loose bits of fabric in there with him but he has a running wheel! I purchased one that was recommended in another thread on here specifically addressing the issue of toes/tail catching. It’s 12” wide, no internal axle, and it’s made for sugar gliders. He uses it CONSTANTLY. I just checked that it wasn’t bent or coming loose in a way that could create potential pinching. As far as I can tell, nothing was posing an obvious risk. But looking at his cage, knowing how squirrels are, I wouldn’t rule out pinching because suddenly I’m aware how literally everything could cause a snag if caught at the wrong angle! Gosh he flies around so fast I don’t understand how he ever manages to safely dismount! Like I have a fabric cozy pouch with velcro cage attachments made for squirrels from Henry’s Healthy Pets in there, and even with that i’m suddenly worried he could accidentally snag his nail crawling in or out of it 😫🤦🏼*♀️ But okay, aside from now feeling very mommy-paranoid about every little thing he could possibly touch, I don’t see any glaring hazards!

    He’s not acting lethargic or generally “off” at all either, so he doesn’t seem to feel sick like he might with an advanced infection. He’s eating normally, drinking normally, peeing/pooping normally, and being an absolute little hellion normally.

    I wish he could talk so he could tell me what happened and how he’s feeling! I’m so worried, but glad that it’s currently not impeding his regularly scheduled craziness! I’ll be keeping a very close eye also to see if pain does seem to creep up or if he starts seeming otherwise sick. :-(

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Northeast
    Posts
    20,012
    Thanked: 9440

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    In the first pic it appears whitish, but the other pics just show the reddish purple. Are you actually seeing anything white?

    It looks like an abscess to me, and if it is, it will get bigger and you WILL be able to see yellowish-white in there, which is pus. Often they will break and drain on their own, or you can do that for them. But you don't want to do ANYTHING until the formation of pus tells you that it IS an abscess and also that it is "ready."

    Please don't do this without some help - don't be grabbing a sewing needle and start poking.

    If you dampen a q-tip with alcohol and swab the area with it, it will make it easier to see what is going on under the skin. You do't need much - alcohol does something weird; it makes the surface skin seem more transparent as well as the hair covering it. I have no idea why, and plain water doesn't, but it is an easy way to monitor it.

    If it continues growing and starts to show the pus signs, come back here or PM me and I will tell you how to do this in a SAFE way (for the squirrel, I am NOT responsible if he kicks your @$$). Unburst abscesses can hurt because of the pressure they apply on the skin. When that is released, it feels GREAT, rather than being painful.

    A few months ago I helped a person here who's 11 year old developed a huge abscess on her chest area (have you ever heard someone gross completely out on the phone?). She had been getting more and more lethargic, not eating, just miserable, and after it was drained and wiped down, her mama put her in her bed to rest. Instead, she popped out of bed, did some zoomies, and trundled into the kitchen to sit in front of the refrigerator and wait for some goodies! Mama, who had to do the "surgery" told me that SHE needed the nap to recover, her squirrel was ready to go clubbing!

    So monitor and keep us posted on what you are seeing.

  7. 3 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to CritterMom:

    Lighten-Up (12-01-2022), SamtheSquirrel2018 (09-25-2022), Syd and Squeegee (09-28-2022)

  8. #7
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    48
    Thanked: 23

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    In the first pic it appears whitish, but the other pics just show the reddish purple. Are you actually seeing anything white?

    It looks like an abscess to me, and if it is, it will get bigger and you WILL be able to see yellowish-white in there, which is pus. Often they will break and drain on their own, or you can do that for them. But you don't want to do ANYTHING until the formation of pus tells you that it IS an abscess and also that it is "ready."

    Please don't do this without some help - don't be grabbing a sewing needle and start poking.

    If you dampen a q-tip with alcohol and swab the area with it, it will make it easier to see what is going on under the skin. You do't need much - alcohol does something weird; it makes the surface skin seem more transparent as well as the hair covering it. I have no idea why, and plain water doesn't, but it is an easy way to monitor it.

    If it continues growing and starts to show the pus signs, come back here or PM me and I will tell you how to do this in a SAFE way (for the squirrel, I am NOT responsible if he kicks your @$$). Unburst abscesses can hurt because of the pressure they apply on the skin. When that is released, it feels GREAT, rather than being painful.

    A few months ago I helped a person here who's 11 year old developed a huge abscess on her chest area (have you ever heard someone gross completely out on the phone?). She had been getting more and more lethargic, not eating, just miserable, and after it was drained and wiped down, her mama put her in her bed to rest. Instead, she popped out of bed, did some zoomies, and trundled into the kitchen to sit in front of the refrigerator and wait for some goodies! Mama, who had to do the "surgery" told me that SHE needed the nap to recover, her squirrel was ready to go clubbing!

    So monitor and keep us posted on what you are seeing.
    Yeah, that first pic is a little misleading in terms of color, I think the camera flash just made it appear all white. I just swabbed it with alcohol and took another pic! Name:  1E087C65-48C2-4D68-BA13-68F669C9E4F0.jpg
Views: 88
Size:  115.6 KB

    Sometimes when I upload here the quality seems to diminish a bit, but to me it looks like there is a bit of a white tip like a white head zit. It’s definitely not seriously full of pus yet, but my impression is that it’s probably an abscess that just has started to get more full of pus.

    Squeegee and I are twins, I literally JUST had two abscesses lanced on my nail bed!! Chronic nail biting caught up with me, it’s like he has a sympathy abscess �� But I know the feeling and the following relief!! Luckily I’m not too squeamish so if it doesn’t drain on its own, I’m not freaked out about manually draining it (properly with your guidance!). Also luckily not too risk-averse, him kicking my butt is expected and won’t stop me from getting in there ��

    Today, he still doesn’t seem lethargic or even like he’s holding weight off of that toe. I think it’s not quite progressed enough to be super tender, he didn’t really seem to mind me swabbing it or anything. But I imagine it’ll get tender as it gets more swollen!! I’m keeping a close eye for any signs of drainage and just keeping up with its swelling. I seriously appreciate the help so much!! You’re an invaluable resource to this community and we all are very grateful!! I’ll keep you updated as things progress also!

  9. #8
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    48
    Thanked: 23

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    In the first pic it appears whitish, but the other pics just show the reddish purple. Are you actually seeing anything white?

    It looks like an abscess to me, and if it is, it will get bigger and you WILL be able to see yellowish-white in there, which is pus. Often they will break and drain on their own, or you can do that for them. But you don't want to do ANYTHING until the formation of pus tells you that it IS an abscess and also that it is "ready."

    Please don't do this without some help - don't be grabbing a sewing needle and start poking.

    If you dampen a q-tip with alcohol and swab the area with it, it will make it easier to see what is going on under the skin. You do't need much - alcohol does something weird; it makes the surface skin seem more transparent as well as the hair covering it. I have no idea why, and plain water doesn't, but it is an easy way to monitor it.

    If it continues growing and starts to show the pus signs, come back here or PM me and I will tell you how to do this in a SAFE way (for the squirrel, I am NOT responsible if he kicks your @$$). Unburst abscesses can hurt because of the pressure they apply on the skin. When that is released, it feels GREAT, rather than being painful.

    A few months ago I helped a person here who's 11 year old developed a huge abscess on her chest area (have you ever heard someone gross completely out on the phone?). She had been getting more and more lethargic, not eating, just miserable, and after it was drained and wiped down, her mama put her in her bed to rest. Instead, she popped out of bed, did some zoomies, and trundled into the kitchen to sit in front of the refrigerator and wait for some goodies! Mama, who had to do the "surgery" told me that SHE needed the nap to recover, her squirrel was ready to go clubbing!

    So monitor and keep us posted on what you are seeing.
    Gahhh okay so now I’m not so sure it IS an abscess! It’s not getting bigger, it actually seems to be LESS swollen and less irritated…

    Here is a photo from today: one with flash and one without flash. I still don’t think it’s fractured because he’s not avoiding using that toe…at the bottom is an older picture for reference to his “normal” toe posture…
    Name:  F135A006-0520-457B-B4F2-2265A6344990.jpg
Views: 83
Size:  120.7 KB
    Name:  89642969-A17A-46CB-AE86-61C32233196C.jpg
Views: 76
Size:  98.4 KB
    Name:  CA70B7C4-48A1-4A14-AF0B-60D8B52FB3AC.jpg
Views: 79
Size:  118.4 KB

    I feel like I’ve lost perspective because I keep looking at that toe so much day after day, maybe it is an abscess and it’s just slow growing?

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Northeast
    Posts
    20,012
    Thanked: 9440

    Default Re: Swollen Knuckle on 5 Month Old Red

    Well, they don't ALWAYS come to a head - sometimes they are absorbed and go away on their own. I would continue monitoring it to see where it is heading.

  11. 2 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to CritterMom:

    Syd and Squeegee (09-28-2022), Tashahaven (09-29-2022)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •