Swollen cheek, penis stuck out, seems wobbly

[Mel1959]

People on here can help you if it's necessary to lance. Very warm compresses can be applied to try and bring it to a head. If it's an abscess the infected material will have to come out.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Robyn, the yogurt will be GREAT for Earl. He needs the calcium and the probiotics from the yogurt while he's on antibiotics. Remember to follow the MBD protocol precisely. Only give the amount of calcium indicated in the protocol. You don't want to overdose the calcium. Too much calcium is not good either.

Be sure to spread out the calcium over time. You want to keep the calcium levels up. I am hopeful that Earl can recover. With a diet of nuts he undoubtedly is suffering from lack of calcium. MBD causes pain. You may have noticed signs of pain. His bones are very brittle so you need to be very careful with him.

The swollen neck and the issue with the penis are not related to MBD but we need to address the MBD now because it can be deadly. Squirrels tend to hide illness or pain so they can be in advanced stages when you actually see symptoms. Frequently, the first signs people see are seizures and/or hind end paralysis. Earl isn't there yet (thankfully) but he will be if he continues to eat nuts. Changing the diet for an adult squirrel is going to be difficult. He wants nuts but you will need to be strong. It's called 'tough love'. His life depends on it.

I wouldn't suspect a brain/spinal cord infection. He would be critically ill if that was the case. Let's treat the obvious first and see what happens. I am very concerned about the swelling. You seem to be a medically oriented person. Does this look like an abscess to you? It is red? Is it warm? I'm anxious for you to get Earl on the Clavamox. I have never seen Baytril have any effect on cheek/neck abscesses in squirrels.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Robyn, you need to get a weight on Earl so that when the antibiotics arrive it can be dosed properly. You can get a small kitchen scale at a big box store like WalMart or Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. They are $20 or less. We need the weight in grams.

[rjtxoxo29]

I don't want to Jinx him, but as of last night he seems to be doing a little better. He seems to be more alert and his personality is coming back. He was also able to clean his face with both hands and not be all wobbly... his penis is still out, I'm keeping it as lubricated as I can but I noticed the tip of it seems kind of rough and hard... im concerned maybe that is playing a roll on why it won't go back in.
He is on top of his cage at the moment where I can't reach him so I'm going to wait for him to come down on his own and see if I can get a better look in his mouth to see if I can determine whether it is an abscess or not..Usually he will jump into my hand, I think he's mad at me for taking all his nuts away... I will go get a scale today and get a weight on him, he's a little guy, always has been (in comparison to some of the squirrels I see outside he seems teeny)...
I don't know if its the calcium, the antibiotics, or the anti-inflammatory that is making him feel better.... but I seem to be doing something right.

I'm hoping the augmentin will be here today or tomorrow, so I will get a weight on him today for sure.

[rjtxoxo29]

Good news people!! I was able to get his weewee to go back in... hopefully it stays that way.

[Mel1959]

That's great! What did you do that made a difference? I would check periodically, especially after he urinates. Keep up the calcium and good foods. Hope the meds arrive today, do you can start them.

[rjtxoxo29]

I noticed it seemed like just the end was out of its sheath. And it seemed like there was what I thought was swelling right above it on the top of the sheath. I gently pressed and palpated on the top and all of a sudden the rest of it came out. (I'm quite impressed. lol. My little guy is well endowed). Anyways. I noticed what kind of looked like a big patch of dry skin... Not sure what it was but it didn't look like it belonged there so I took a wet qtip and gently wiped it away... Then gently maneuvered the sheath back over it and boom... It was away!

The meds and the picky eaters blocks just arrived. I got a notification on both packages while I was at Target getting a scale.
As soon as I get home I will get a weight on him and hopefully I can start his new antibiotics tonight.
Thanks again everyone!!!!

[rjtxoxo29]

EARL IS 391 GRAMS. The Augmentin arrived today. Not sure how much to give him

[rjtxoxo29]

Robyn, you need to get a weight on Earl so that when the antibiotics arrive it can be dosed properly. You can get a small kitchen scale at a big box store like WalMart or Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. They are $20 or less. We need the weight in grams.

391 grams

[Nancy in New York]

EARL IS 391 GRAMS. The Augmentin arrived today. Not sure how much to give him

What is the strength/mg of the Augementin. Is this in pill form?

[rjtxoxo29]

What is the strength/mg of the Augementin. Is this in pill form?

CV 625

Amoxycillin - 500mg
Clavulanate 125mg

Yes, it is in pill form unfortunately.

[Nancy in New York]

CV 625

Amoxycillin - 500mg
Clavulanate 125mg

I will type this up now and send in a pm.
Start crushing up the ONE 625 mg pill into a fine powder and place
that into a small container with a lid.
Will pm the rest now.

[Nancy in New York]

OK, I sent the dosing information,
along with the page from the Wild Mammal Babies book.
I hope this helps your little buddy.

[Mel1959]

How's Earl doing today??

[rjtxoxo29]

Earl seems to be doing much better... He still has swelling in his cheek, that doesn't seem to be going down; however his personality is back... he is back to being active, and playful. He was reluctant to eat the rodent block at first but today he gobbled up a half of one for breakfast. I've been mixing the antibiotics with the tums since he LOVES the tums. (literally won't let go of the syringe)
I'm hoping that the swelling will begin to go down in the next few days.
I'm not sure how long it would generally take to see some improvement if it is an abscess. I'm really hoping thats all it is.

My neighbor a couple houses down also has a little girl that they rescued a few weeks ago I guess she climbed up someones leg at a little league game. She has NO fear of people, but is still pretty young. I'm going to bring them over some of Earls picky eater blocks so they don't make the same mistake I did and feed her too many nuts.

Again, Thank you everyone for helping Earl and I through this! I wish there was something I could do to thank you all!