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Thread: Injured toe

  1. #1
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    Default Injured toe

    A bit over a week ago, Bella caught her toe in the upper corner of her cage. I had used this cage before with a prior squirrel, Lily, as a transition cage without issue. I didn't realize I had a gap in one corner that I'd missed...or Lily had chewed the zip-tie off that side (I zip-tie the corners to pull them close together). I was only going to have Bella in this cage for a few days while I readied up yet another even larger transition cage for Bella.

    I was in the room when Bella caught her toe on her front right paw. She squealed in distress and jumped around...her weight was wedging her toe ever further down. I didn't have a screwdriver handy to widened the bars apart, and I simply wasn't strong enough to do it bare handed. I didn't have time to find the proper tools (Another lesson learned...I now keep a screwdriver and wire cutters in the room at all times for just-in-case). The only thing I could do was take the bottom of the cage off and turn it upside-down to get her weight off it and push her toe towards the top where it widened to release her. I comforted her, calmed her down best I could and checked her foot and didn't see anything wrong with it. Everything happened so quickly, I was hopeful she'd escaped any true injury. I kept an eye on her, but for the past week, she seemed fine.

    However, yesterday I noticed she was favoring her right front paw. She was curling it in towards her chest and licking it. But she was still using that paw; jumping, climbing and eating with it. I looked her over as best as she'd let me, and didn't see anything right off. But later that night at her next feeding, she was favoring it even more so...grunting when she put weight on it. I still couldn't see what the injury was. I have macular degeneration, so it's possible I just couldn't see the difference.

    This morning she was worse, and I could see the swelling of her right front toe. I took her out to get pictures...she was not happy about that, but I was able to get some photos. I don't think this injury was from last week....surely she would have presented with problems before now? And it grew worse throughout the day and night. Is it possible I could have missed it for so long? I don't think so...she was rough housing and playing with my hands all week long without pain (my hands look diseased or something from all the scratches from playing). I'm thinking she must have re-injured that toe. I wasn't here to see what she did though. I had already made sure I secured all the corners of her new cage before I put her in it. She does have a lot of hanging toys, a rope and hammock inside her cage.

    My mom fed her for me when I was at work, and I thought it was possible Bella had' gotten her foot caught in the door when mom was putting her up...but mom said nothing happened while she was there, and Bella seemed fine. Mom would have told me if something had happened before I had to ask, so I must assume this is from either her previous injury or something happened between mom's visit and when I got home Friday. It's Saturday now, and it will be Monday before I can get Bella to the vet, 30 miles away...if he will even see me then. Sometimes it takes days to get an appointment with him, but he's the only vet in my area that will look at wild animals. I'm including pictures of her toe (best I could get). I'm sure she's in pain as she grunts and teeth chatters. But she does play, resting some during play. I'm also worried about infection. If I could get dosing for pain relief that would be great! Bella is 2 months and 5 days old. She weighs 14 oz 11g. If needed, I have Augmentin 500 mg, Ciprofloxacn 500 mg, and maybe Amoxicllian 500. Please and thank you all around! I appreciate any input offered...
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: Injured toe

    Check very carefully, thoroughly and diligently for a thread or even a long human hair wrapped around that toe. We have seen this so many times this is always the first thought... that a piece of material, a thread or even a hair has gotten wrapped around that toe. Often a magnifier is needed to seen the darn things...

  3. Serious fuzzy thank you's to Spanky from:

    AuntieWycked (10-01-2022)

  4. #3
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    Default Re: Injured toe

    If you can give us her weight we can give you dosing for infant or childrens ibuprophen. We will need to know which you get (try to get the infant - it is more concentrated so you give a smaller dose - but there is a strange national shortage of childrens meds... You will need a 1ml syringe to give it to her with. Every squirrel I have given this to LOVED it so dosing was a breeze.

  5. Serious fuzzy thank you's to CritterMom from:

    AuntieWycked (10-01-2022)

  6. #4
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    Default Re: Injured toe

    As soon as you mentioned hair, I thought that might be the answer! Bella likes to crawl up in my hair, and it's very long. Sometimes it gets pulled out trying to get Bella out.

    Along with my glasses, I took a magnifying glass and a very bright overhead light and gently went through the fur on her toe and paying attention to the pad underneath where I'd most likely see a hair wrapped around it (I'm surprised she let me). Unfortunately, I didn't find anything...hair nor thread. All I saw was the swollen pad of that toe and what might have been a tinny tiny skinned place that had crusted over...presumably from the injury a week ago. The toe doesn't look broken...it appears she curls it under when she holds the paw to her chest and straightens it out when walking.

    She is now back in her cage chattering her teeth and grooming her paw. Well, she was...now she's trying to get back out to me. That won't last long and she'll be going back to her cage 🙄

    I took her out and examined it again...no hair. But that would have made sense. I wonder if she caught the cage or something when she was being taken out or put up and that nail was pulled too hard? I try to be very careful not to pull or jerk her when she latches on to something with her feet...but usually she does that with her back feet, not her front. I'm at a loss

    I sure appreciate the suggestion though...it was worth checking. Thank you again, Spanky!

  7. #5
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    Default Re: Injured toe

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    If you can give us her weight we can give you dosing for infant or childrens ibuprophen. We will need to know which you get (try to get the infant - it is more concentrated so you give a smaller dose - but there is a strange national shortage of childrens meds... You will need a 1ml syringe to give it to her with. Every squirrel I have given this to LOVED it so dosing was a breeze.
    Bella is 401 grams, or 14 oz, 11 gr. I do have a ml syringe. I'll try to get the children's ibuprofen this evening...thank you, CritterMom 🙂

  8. #6
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    Default Re: Injured toe

    Try to get the infant strength if you can.

    I sent you dosing for both of them by PM.

  9. Serious fuzzy thank you's to CritterMom from:

    AuntieWycked (10-01-2022)

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