Need Squirrel Vet in my area for possible concussion

[Spanky]

I have never had a squirrel undergo abdominal surgery but I wanted to chime in since (my) Sidekick's thread was linked. Sidekick was a wild squirrel found in the middle of a busy highway, not doubts about a concussion... and top teeth knocked out.

I fear your little one's problem is more likely MBD than concussion.

As far as him (what is his name BTW?) "hating" the Henry's block, especially the picky formulation, he is not eating it because he has been provided the option of not eating it. Remove the option. Think of it like offering a toddler a bowl of broccoli and a bowl of cotton candy then saying they hate broccoli because they eat all the cotton candy and leave the broccoli untouched. It should be no surprise they choose the cotton candy. It's already been mentioned this requires "tough love", and especially so when they are older, but they need to be trained they have to eat the block before they get the goodies. Block, then lots of veggies (and the natural foods you do provide)... a bit of fruit and nuts as a treat (and no treats if one has not eaten their blocks and veggies first).

I have posted this analogy frequently, but once they learn they get other goodies after (and only after) eating the block they will line up to eat their block like kids at an ice cream truck (and it it just as fast!).

So the MBD Protocol for now and work on introducing block to his diet, increasing the veggies, decreasing the fruit and limiting nuts to rare treats.

[tree bunny]

Spanky, did you miss-read my last post? His name is Johnny, BTW. I have ordered Henry's blocks to try again. Both the Adult, Picky and baby formula, the latter for my new baby of 8-9 weeks. I will be more tough this time...if I have the chance. Something else is going on with him, not MBD.

[Mel1959]

Hi Treebunny, will Johnny be going back to the vet this week? I don't blame you for being furious about the blood work not being able to be completed. I'm sorry you and poor Johnny are have to go through all that trauma again. Please keep us posted when you have more info as to what the mass in his abdomen might be. You both are in my prayers.

[PennyCash]

Update on Johnny: I got him to Vet on Friday July 15. He was sedated, blood work drawn, X-rays taken, Nails trimmed, Given sub-Q fluids, Penicillin, Metacam and Calcium injections. X-rays shows normal Bone Density so MBD is NOT the problem. Lab work got messed up because Vet hemolyzed the sample (bad venipuncture) and now Lab is saying insufficient sample for doing any Chemistries. I'm FURIOUS! His Xray was read by a Radiologist. He has a large mass in the abdomen that is pushing his organs upwards. Radiologist feels it is Visceral Fat but an Ultrasound and probable Biopsy is needed. Plus now blood work must be redone. I'm pretty angry. It has been a VERY stressful 8-9 days and Johnny is so traumatized by being captured and now I have to do it again!!! I've lost his trust. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? He's not an obese squirrel. Even the Vet commented that he's just a large framed boy with some abdominal and chin fat. He weighs 2.75 pounds. Anyone ever have their squirrel undergo abdominal surgery?

Hi Tree Bunny,
That was quite a bit that was done to Johnny. I've no doubt that he's traumatized and understand your frustration about the blood work needing to be redone.
I'm curious if the vet explained to you why they gave him sub Q fluid, calcium, Penicillin,and Metacam?
My brain is one that always wishes to know the why behind a course of action. For instance if there was no indication of loss of bone density why did they give him a shot of calcium? Unless you asked for it? Even so if it really wasn't necessary? I've firsthand experience with vet's lack of expertise when it comes to squirrels in this state. Having driven hours to a very knowledgeable expert that I was referred to who didn't have the experience or success rate to fix my baby.
As for him not trusting you now, I think that given a bit he will. This has all been a pretty new experience for Johnny.
I literally have been working on getting my squirrel accustomed to me picking her up because I don't ever want to have to do scary things again. We're taking it very slow started by simply moving the baby from say the shoulder to the hand. I dohope that this is simply fat and by trying to be tough about eating it resolves on it's own without surgery needed.

[Spanky]

Spanky, did you miss-read my last post? His name is Johnny, BTW. I have ordered Henry's blocks to try again. Both the Adult, Picky and baby formula, the latter for my new baby of 8-9 weeks. I will be more tough this time...if I have the chance. Something else is going on with him, not MBD.

I should have seen your sweet boy's name was "Johnny", sorry I missed that and I apologize (). I do hope Johnny is feeling better.

I did see the notes about calcium injections, Metacam and nails being trimmed and perhaps perhaps I jumped to the wrong conclusion. To me it seemed the treatment leaned more towards MBD treatment, but I am not a vet. I was unaware that a routine / normal X-Ray could reveal much about bone density, per se? My vet still uses film and chemicals versus digital!!!

They will eat the blocks long before they starve.. or even get very hungry. If they realize other food will follow after, and only after, they eat the blocks they will eat them with a vengeance in my experience.

[tree bunny]

I took Johnny to a different Vet on July 20th. We first visited the Vet without Johnny to go over results from the first Vet. This Vet is a long time Vet of my partner Lisa. She and her family have used him for 45 years! He's not an Exotic Vet per se but according to Lisa, he is highly respected in the community and has taught in Veterinarian Schools. Thank God we took him in. Johnny does not have an abdominal mass! The Xray showed no evidence of a mass! He also could not feel any mass in his abdomen. X-rays were done first so biopsy was not needed. The Xray looked better in one other respect, his intestines were not pushed up as far anymore. His lungs still showed a bit of cloudiness in the upper lung area. He does have some arthritis in one vertebrae of the lower spine. The Vet believes Johnny has an intestinal obstruction but that it must not be severe or he'd be dead. He gave him another dose of Penicillin, another antibiotic that lasts for 2 weeks, I cannot remember the name, and another injection of Metacam which I guess is the same as Rimadyl. He gave us tablets call Nu-cat to give Johnny for 5 days. These are nothing more than vitamins, probiotics and enzymes to try to dissolve whatever is causing this blockage. Today is the 25th. Absolutely no chance of getting him to take those tablets. They are the size of a round aspirin. No way to disguise it in food or force anything into him orally. Not a chance! The second Vet visit has him more traumatized and non trusting than ever! His bowel movements are of extreme importance now that I must monitor. As long as he is pooping, I have hope. I can tell they are not normal, they are very sticky, they get stuck to his testicles and they are a bit harder and a dark russet brown color, not the usual dark brown but they don't look like there's blood in them. I must collect them every day so I know what is new the next day. He is being extremely finicky about food. We have boughten almost every kind of fruit there is. Trying hard to get watermelon and papaya into him. We bought a liquid probiotic for babies in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods. It's oily, clear and completely tasteless (to us) so I can pet him early in the morning, get him trance like then wipe the oil across his lips. I'm waiting for my Benebac to come in the mail, no local pet store has the gel, only the powder. That is a Gel for small mammals and will work better to get on his mouth plus it has more strains in it. He is really yanking our chains. I'm praying so hard and working from sunup to sundown monitoring him in every way possible. Plus at the first Vet, I had them trim his nails because they were getting caught so easily in some blankets. Now they are too short and he can barely cling to anything so it makes him appear unstable. He goes in his outside cage a lot and moves about very well. He licked his salt lick today! I'm ecstatic about that! I'm logging everything he eats, when he pees and poops! He's still very strong. I'm a wreck!

[tree bunny]

I forgot to mention his lab results. Chemistry results were normal but different Lab could not perform the CBC. I don't know why exactly. The Vet consulted a squirrel specialist in California and they both concurred it was something intestinal going on. 6 days wasted on thinking it was an abdominal mass. I'm furious! Now it's very apparent it's intestinal as now I'm very focused on his pooping. I've tried twice calling the manager at the first Vet to get money refunded for lack of providing complete Lab results because of not enough specimen and for incorrect interpretation of X-rays and poorly taken X-rays. The Vet had told me I could bring Johnny back in at no charge to redraw his blood. No thanks! Now you're just going to refund a good portion of my money! Manager hasn't called me back. As far as the Sub-Q fluids and Calcium injections go, I requested those as a precaution. The Penicillin was for the slight cloudy appearance of the upper lungs and the Metacam for what appeared to me as possible pain in the way he held his body and wincing of the eyes. Well, now I know he's got some arthritis. The radiologist couldn't even see that on the first set of X-rays. The second Vet did his own interpretation and did a much better job at it!

[Daisey007]

Hi TreeBunny:

I've been reading your posts on Johnny. I'm so sorry Johnny is having these issues. It hasn't been very long since I was calling the vet and pacing the floor myself. I'll send up some prayers for both of you. I know how you feel.

About the only help I can offer is about the big tablets and trying to dose Johnny. Have you ever heard of or do you have a "mortar and pestle" set? If you haven't, it's a type of bowl (mortar) with a hand held tool (pestle) that's used to crush and grind pills and tablets (and spices and herbs etc). It is indispensable when it comes to dosing squirrels! You can crush and grind a tablet into a fine powder in mere seconds! They're cheap too $5 - $20 per set. You can find them on Amazon. The one I have is made of marble and the pestle is mushroom shaped so the head fills up the the whole bowl. It seems to make it even easier to get the job done.

Once the pill or tablet is crushed you can either mix it in something that he will eat and eat all of, or add a TINY (drop or two) of juice (apple or watermelon etc) and then draw it up in a syringe, then add a couple more drops and draw that up, then add a couple more drops and draw that up (3 times). Each time you're getting more and more of the medication into the syringe. Obviously - the smaller the amount of liquid (medication) that you have to get into Johnny the easier it will be on both of you! I preferred to put Daisy's meds in a syringe because I knew that she was getting all of what she needed.

Special note: Some tablets will not mix or dissolve into a liquid to become 'one'. You're able to get the powder into the liquid but the powder drops out or settles at the bottom rather than dissolves. That's OK... BUT you have to keep shaking it up as you dose it so that he gets the medication and not just liquid.

Sending up prayers...
Kindest regards,
Daisy