Young squirrel; hurt by dog

[Gsevens7]

Please help me identify possible injuries and how to help! We rescued a baby squirrel a few months ago. She is around 16 weeks old now. We felt guilty not allowing her to be in her natural environment so We build her a house outside and tried to release her. We kept close eye and made sure she had food and water. She was terrified. And it was beyond hot outside so I was worried to death. We climbed up and checked on her multiple times a day. She got down and our neighbors German Shepard puppy chased her and grabbed her. She bit him so he slung her off. Our neighbor ran to her and saw her have spasms and just laying on the ground and called us. My husband ran out and she was gone. He found her about 30 yards away laying under some junk in the ditch. He brought her in to me and she just laid in my hands. When I went to put her down to assess her, she started screeching and bit me (I understand completely and took the bite) she was oddly flailing like she didn’t have control of her body? I only held on because I didn’t want her falling. When she bit I knew she barely had any strength left. I know she’s in pain. It’s been 36 hours. She’s eating, drinking, but sleeping a lot. She only moves when we talk to her or pet her, she only wiggles or turns over. We got her out tonight and she is staying in a hunching or arching position. She’s not able to walk very well. She kind of scoots her back end. My husband mentioned her back legs seem more bowed outwards than usual. We are heartbroken, she had just started to explore and this happened. Now she may never survive on her own. I at least hope she can survive with us! What could possibly be wrong? What are things I should be looking for or doing besides water/food/comfort? What can I give her? Any medicine? What kind of electrolytes? How can I save her?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Please help me identify possible injuries and how to help! We rescued a baby squirrel a few months ago. She is around 16 weeks old now. We felt guilty not allowing her to be in her natural environment so We build her a house outside and tried to release her. We kept close eye and made sure she had food and water. She was terrified. And it was beyond hot outside so I was worried to death. We climbed up and checked on her multiple times a day. She got down and our neighbors German Shepard puppy chased her and grabbed her. She bit him so he slung her off. Our neighbor ran to her and saw her have spasms and just laying on the ground and called us. My husband ran out and she was gone. He found her about 30 yards away laying under some junk in the ditch. He brought her in to me and she just laid in my hands. When I went to put her down to assess her, she started screeching and bit me (I understand completely and took the bite) she was oddly flailing like she didn’t have control of her body? I only held on because I didn’t want her falling. When she bit I knew she barely had any strength left. I know she’s in pain. It’s been 36 hours. She’s eating, drinking, but sleeping a lot. She only moves when we talk to her or pet her, she only wiggles or turns over. We got her out tonight and she is staying in a hunching or arching position. She’s not able to walk very well. She kind of scoots her back end. My husband mentioned her back legs seem more bowed outwards than usual. We are heartbroken, she had just started to explore and this happened. Now she may never survive on her own. I at least hope she can survive with us! What could possibly be wrong? What are things I should be looking for or doing besides water/food/comfort? What can I give her? Any medicine? What kind of electrolytes? How can I save her?

Hello Gsevens7 and thanks for finding The Squirrel Board. What is the name of your Squirrel?
I have lots of questions but let's first discuss the dog/Squirrel incident. There are a number of concerns when a Squirrel finds herself in the grasp of a dog's mouth such as: 1) puncture wounds from the teeth; 2) lacerations from the teeth ripping skin with the Squirrels struggling; 3) crush injuries from the force of the dog's mouth parts around the Squirrel which can involve bones (fractures are an example) muscles, and internal organs including the brain if gripped by the head; 4) the chase could have resulted in Capture Myopathy (CM) which is a nearly always fatal breakdown of muscles with release of substances such as potassium, myoglobin and others from damaged muscle tissue. Often a very significant acidosis develops where the acid/base balance of the blood leans more toward the acidic than normally kind of in the middle. Here is a link to a recent post regarding a Squirrel with CM ( https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ld-I-have-done ) It is essential that a very careful examination of your Squirrel be done to help identify wound, deformities of any of the extremities that would suggest fractures, unevenness of the spine, inability to turn the head fully in all directions (suggests an injury to the neck), inability to function as usual which could be loss of bladder control or no or decreased urination, walking with a limp and much more of course!

I would strongly recommend that your Squirrel be seen by a Squirrel Friendly and experience Veterinarian ASAP (we may be able help you locate such a person in your area of the Country) for a professional examination and evaluation along with appropriate x-ray studies (best facilitated with light inhaled anesthesia for sedation although there are inherent risks with this) which IMO would include a total body film with the Squirrel on her belly with her four extremities outstretched and the x-ray beam shot in the Dorsovental direction (from top to bottom) and then lateral view (from the side) of the entire body which will help identify any spinal damage among other possibilities. The four extremities should also be evaluated with additional x-ray views as suggested by problems with movement or functioning such as you already mentioned.

Other questions;
How old was this Squirrel when you adopted her?
What has been her diet? Has had formula and is she still drinking formula? Does she have quality Rodent Blocks to eat such as Henry's Healthy Blocks, Teklad Blocks, Mazuried Rat and Mouse Diet or Oxbow Regal Rat Diet? Diet problems and specifically Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) is very common with captive Squirrels! MBD is where the bones are "robbed" for calcium when the Squirrel gets inadequate Calcium in her diet or when there is excessive phosphorus in the diet or some of both! Nuts are NOT good for captive Squirrels and they are only to given, if at all, as rare treats and only given to a nutritionally healthy Squirrel! Captive Squirrels, once they wean themselves (usually around 15-16 weeks) should have at least 80% of their dietary intake as quality Blocks and more is just fine!

The reason I spent this time on your Squirrel's diet is that an inadequate diet which would include inadequate calcium and/or excessive phosphorus can make injury more likely as well as present significant general health concerns such as possible development of MBD!

It sounds as if your Squirrel lives outside but it also sounds from what I may have read in error, that one point, your released this Squirrel into the wild and she was terrified and came back into captivity. If so, this is what is called a Hard Release (this is where the Squirrel is simply let loose) and if allowed to proceed, a Hard release invariably results in extreme fear and an agonizing death by predators! Baby Squirrels raised in captivity and destined for release must ALWAYS be Soft-Released. This is where the Squirrel is placed outside in a specially constructed cage that is protective and where the Squirrel is provided water, food, a nest box, some protection from the elements and is allowed to become acclimated to the local wild and other Squirrels and "wild-up" by having there natural instincts begin to function and then become fully present and effective! A Soft-Release is a well planned and necessary strategy to ensure that the baby Squirrel has maximum potential to thrive and survive after release. The Soft-Release process take at least 2 weeks and often considerably more!

This is all quite likely to be far more than your were asking for but I have have concerns not only in regard to the recent dog attack but also for some of the elements how this Squirrel has been raised. I am not trying to find fault or be accusatory as these issues are very common and even the most well-meaning Squirrel parents must actively become educated (and quite rapidly) on Squirrel care because proper baby Squirrel care must be learned, it is in no sense intuitive! One of the main functions of TSB is to provide advice and guidance to those raising baby Squirrels because there is a vast wealth of knowledge and experience here on TSB that can accessed by anyone in need of Squirrel info!

Please keep on with the updates and give us a bit more information on your Squirrel. Also, when I mentioned finding a Squirrel-Friendly Veterinarian; I meant just that. Squirrels are wildlife and most Vets will not see them and other will confiscate your Squirrel or euthanize it! Also, the Game Warden, the Wildlife Department of any government or the like are NOT the people to contact or trust for help with your Squirrel. The WILL confiscate, euthanize or simply hard-release your Squirrel! Do NOT risk contacting any of these entities! Ask the Vet specifically whether or not they will let you be with your Squirrel while in the office and whether or not they will return your Squirrel to you after the examination and treatment if any!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[CritterMom]

Well, she needs a vet, but you can help to relieve her pain. Weigh her and give us her weight, then get to the drug store and get a bottle of INFANT IBUPROFEN - not acetaminophen - ibuprofen. You will need a 1cc syringe to administer it to her - hopefully you have some left from nursing her.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Well, she needs a vet, but you can help to relieve her pain. Weigh her and give us her weight, then get to the drug store and get a bottle of INFANT IBUPROFEN - not acetaminophen - ibuprofen. You will need a 1cc syringe to administer it to her - hopefully you have some left from nursing her.

Absolutely! I didn't make that recommendation in light of the possibility of CM and inevitable kidney involvrment from this condition but this Squirrel shouldn't suffer while we wait and see about CM as she most certainly is in pain! Thank you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Gsevens7]

Absolutely! I didn't make that recommendation in light of the possibility of CM and inevitable kidney involvrment from this condition but this Squirrel shouldn't suffer while we wait and see about CM as she most certainly is in pain! Thank you!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

To start, she was around 3/4 weeks old when my husband found her in the yard. Not near trees, he thought she was dead. We nursed her back to health with formula and stuff. I’m not a clueless person on raising wild animals, just to clarify. I have successfully rehabbed raccoons, and lots of other animals. She has been fed well. It was a soft release. Like I said, I was worried about her because that’s what I do. I was her mom so I worry.
She was outside until the dog grabbed her. She was fine until then.
No puncture wounds, no obvious injuries. I literally just paid for our dogs leg amputation so I do not have the financial ability to find a vet right now. That’s why I’m here in this group.
The dog is only 3 months old, I don’t believe the dog actually hurt her when he grabbed her, but him slinging her off when she bit him. I also think she could have just been in shock or over heated because it was also EXTREMELY hot that day. The dog literally chased her around their house multiple laps until he caught her. She was breathing heavily, heart racing, and so very tired. I know she was beyond scared by the situation.
I think the actual impact of being thrown off the dog is what could have injured her or she’s just very tired/dehydrated. I would like recommendations on safe amounts of the children’s ibuprofen per oz of weight and what kind of things are recommended to give in these situations. Or what to actually look for if there is an internal, spinal, or bone injury.

[CritterMom]

Medical math is based on grams and kilograms, not ounces and pounds. The dosage parameters we use for infant ibuprofen is also. As I said, if you can provide us with ANY weight - if only oz then it is easy enough to calculate to grams and give you the exact dosage she needs.

Without vet intervention, your eyes will be the best judge, but you MUST get pain meds on board so you can really determine what is happening here that is just caused by pain. She may begin to move and move easier, in which case she may be bruised but not broken. So if you can just give us her weight you will have the dosing.

[Gsevens7]

Medical math is based on grams and kilograms, not ounces and pounds. The dosage parameters we use for infant ibuprofen is also. As I said, if you can provide us with ANY weight - if only oz then it is easy enough to calculate to grams and give you the exact dosage she needs.

Without vet intervention, your eyes will be the best judge, but you MUST get pain meds on board so you can really determine what is happening here that is just caused by pain. She may begin to move and move easier, in which case she may be bruised but not broken. So if you can just give us her weight you will have the dosing.

Good grief. You are horribly rude. I’ll remove myself from this website. This was my first time even posting here because I was desperate and of course there’s rude people like you who treat others as if they are incompetent.

[CritterMom]

I don't see any rudeness here. We aren't interested in hurting people - we are here free of charge to provide the best advice we can. Dosing is not done on the open board because too many people were using the info incorrectly. I will PM you the dosing formula and the dose of the infant strength ibuprofen bracketing several weights starting at about a pound. I certainly hope you will use the info.

[CritterMom]

Dosing info sent by PM

[island rehabber]

Good grief. You are horribly rude. I’ll remove myself from this website. This was my first time even posting here because I was desperate and of course there’s rude people like you who treat others as if they are incompetent.

I realize that I am a day late and it's the middle of the night but, Gsevens7, where did you see rudeness in Critter Mom's response? I see only concern, expert advice and urgency that your little one not suffer one minute without pain relief.
We are all squirrel lovers who are here on our free time to help people save squirrels; CritterMom is one of our very, very best. What a shame that you won't stay so your little one can benefit from her knowledge.

[TubeDriver]

That seems unfair to Crittermom who spends hours on here DAILY trying to help folks with hurt critters. I hope you can help your injured one, CM's advice would be a good place to start.

Good grief. You are horribly rude. I’ll remove myself from this website. This was my first time even posting here because I was desperate and of course there’s rude people like you who treat others as if they are incompetent.