eye infection

[MissSuzie]

My squirrel friend seems to have an eye infection. Her eyelid is red and a little crusty and there seems to be some discharge. How should i treat this eye?

[Charley Chuckles]

[Charley Chuckles]

I'm sorry no one has answered you yet.
How is she doing? Can you give more details.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

My squirrel friend seems to have an eye infection. Her eyelid is red and a little crusty and there seems to be some discharge. How should i treat this eye?

I'm sorry that you have not had any suggestions or opinions com from TSB except of course for the considerate response and subsequent "bump" by Charley Chuckles.

The single photo you uploaded does not suggest a definitive diagnosis. It does appear in the photo that the margins of the eyelids may be minimally crusted but that may be the photo itself. Perhaps a photo of the other eye would help for comparison. The eye itself does not appear show and generalized or local cloudiness. Is the drainage or discharge from around the eye that you mentioned clear or cloudy and is it colored? Is your Squirrel a wild Squirrel or a pet Squirrel and if a pet (or awaiting soft release); does she live with other Squirrels or alone? It is not unusual for a Squirrel to have an eye or even both eyes become scratched in a fight or physical interaction with a dog, cat or other animal and a scratch on the eyeball can result or even a perforation of the eye. It is also quire common for the Squirrel, herself to inadvertently scratch an eye with her own claws while grooming or rubbing the skin near the eye. If the injury is to the white part of the eye, this is usually noticeable by bleeding but since this part of the eye is fairly well protected, it is not injured as often as is the clear part of the eye that is exposed and seen in your photo which is called the cornea. A scratch or other injury (even a perforation) may not be easily recognized on the cornea because there is no bleeding as there are no blood vessels there and usually requires application of anesthetic "numbing drops" to the eye and then using a special dye of sorts called Fluorescein which shows up a scratch when examined with a Black Light to diagnose. This is obviously not something that the average pet owner has available. Ideally, any eye problems should be evaluated by an Veterinary Ophthalmologist which is a specialist in eyes. This approach is usually far easier for me to make the recommendation than for someone to actually make it happen! There may be also have been contact with some substance that has caused a sensitivity or local allergic reaction to the eyelids. If there is a scratch of the cornea (the clear part of the eye), use of antibiotic drops made especially for the eye could be beneficial. A good choice is ofloxacin which is also commonly available for the human population. Do you have any eye antibiotic drops available or obtainable for friends or family and if so, what is the name of the medicine(s) and the concentration (listed on the label)?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[MissSuzie]

I'm sorry no one has answered you yet.
How is she doing? Can you give more details.

Thanks for your reply, charley. her eye looks irritated around the lid. red, and the fur there is a little crusty. when she woke up the other day the eye was stuck shut until she rubbed at it. i don't see major discharge running out, but there is some because of the crustiness. it's been this way for a while. just a little weepy and red. i don't know what to do to treat it.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I'm sorry that you have not had any suggestions or opinions com from TSB except of course for the considerate response and subsequent "bump" by Charley Chuckles.

The single photo you uploaded does not suggest a definitive diagnosis. It does appear in the photo that the margins of the eyelids may be minimally crusted but that may be the photo itself. Perhaps a photo of the other eye would help for comparison. The eye itself does not appear show and generalized or local cloudiness. Is the drainage or discharge from around the eye that you mentioned clear or cloudy and is it colored? Is your Squirrel a wild Squirrel or a pet Squirrel and if a pet (or awaiting soft release); does she live with other Squirrels or alone? It is not unusual for a Squirrel to have an eye or even both eyes become scratched in a fight or physical interaction with a dog, cat or other animal and a scratch on the eyeball can result or even a perforation of the eye. It is also quire common for the Squirrel, herself to inadvertently scratch an eye with her own claws while grooming or rubbing the skin near the eye. If the injury is to the white part of the eye, this is usually noticeable by bleeding but since this part of the eye is fairly well protected, it is not injured as often as is the clear part of the eye that is exposed and seen in your photo which is called the cornea. A scratch or other injury (even a perforation) may not be easily recognized on the cornea because there is no bleeding as there are no blood vessels there and usually requires application of anesthetic "numbing drops" to the eye and then using a special dye of sorts called Fluorescein which shows up a scratch when examined with a Black Light to diagnose. This is obviously not something that the average pet owner has available. Ideally, any eye problems should be evaluated by an Veterinary Ophthalmologist which is a specialist in eyes. This approach is usually far easier for me to make the recommendation than for someone to actually make it happen! There may be also have been contact with some substance that has caused a sensitivity or local allergic reaction to the eyelids. If there is a scratch of the cornea (the clear part of the eye), use of antibiotic drops made especially for the eye could be beneficial. A good choice is ofloxacin which is also commonly available for the human population. Do you have any eye antibiotic drops available or obtainable for friends or family and if so, what is the name of the medicine(s) and the concentration (listed on the label)?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Hi MissSuzi:
I just wanted to make sure you saw the post pasted above. This was posted after CC's second post. How is your Squirrel doing this morning and what is her name?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[MissSuzie]

>It does appear in the photo that the margins of the eyelids may be minimally crusted but that may be the photo itself.

it is minimally crusted. and no drainage drips down to crust on her cheek. it is only the one eye. the lid on the one eye is a little red at the edges with just light crust.

>The eye itself does not appear show and generalized or local cloudiness.

no cloudiness. except for the little bit of redness to the lids and little bit of what looks like sleep around the eye her eye looks healthy. my concern arises only because it has been this way for several months with no change. not getting worse, but not going away.

>Is the drainage or discharge from around the eye that you mentioned clear or cloudy and is it colored?

clear or maybe slightly yellow

>Is your Squirrel a wild Squirrel or a pet Squirrel and if a pet (or awaiting soft release); does she live with other Squirrels or alone?

My dog found her at the end of the summer. she was about 5 weeks then. i tried to locate her mother but no one came for her. that is when i ordered squirrel formula and got to work. the plan was for soft release but now i am not sure. she is not afraid of anyone. she is also very attached to us and loves our attention and affection. i've tried to keep her away from my dog but every chance she gets she is attempting to engage my (very gentle) dog in play. i am worried she will do the same outside. approach a dog. run up a person's leg. my heart would break if Bee went to live outside and quickly perished.

>Do you have any eye antibiotic drops available or obtainable for friends or family and if so, what is the name of the medicine(s) and the concentration (listed on the label)?

i don't. frustrating that i did just have some ofloxican that i threw away! i should have saved that!! when i see the eye my first thought is conjunctivitis, which would require antibiotic. the light is still low here this morning and Bee is having her morning frisk, but when she settles in a bit i will try to take a few more pictures.

i apprecaite your response, and your feedback. Thank you, Sam!

[MissSuzie]

here's a couple of pics. one is blurry, but you can see the redness and slight puffiness.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

here's a couple of pics. one is blurry, but you can see the redness and slight puffiness.

Thanks! The slight swelling of the eyelids may be due to exposure to an irritant and may also be a local sort of smoldering infection is some of the structures around the margins of the the eyelids. There may a certainly be a conjunctivitis and the conjunctiva that covers the white part of the eye (called the bulbar conjunctiva) is connected directly to and is really a part of the conjunctiva that is behind the eyelids (called the papebral conjunctiva). Yes, it would be great if you had kept the eye antibiotics! Have you checked with friends and family to see if maybe someone has an ophthalmic (eye) antibiotic. Do you have any oral antibiotics available? It may be an option to try that approach. How long have the problems you have mentioned been going on? Do you think you could arrange to have Bee seen by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist (a Veterinarian who specializes in the eye) or even a Veterinarian familiar with rodents. Rats are commonly kept as pets and it is not unusual for Veterinarians to see these animals and while Squirrels are not rats, of course, there are many similarities and much of our treatment options for Squirrels has been derived at least in part from the care of rats.
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[karenkresgs]

I usually go to the veterinarian for any diseases of my pets! It's faster and more efficient sometimes you need to pass certain tests! It's hard to tell from the pictures...