Life threatening wound - any rehab bets in Eugene , Oregon?

[jeanniechapman]

Help! My beloved rescue Squirrely of about 8 months had a thin scratch on his shoulder a few days ago - dry and tiny scab. Then he started scratching it. The next day there was a hairless patch around it - very small. The next day it was a bit bigger. He was still spending several hours out in the trees as usual. The next day he was out for 3 hours and came back with a big raw wound because he’d been scratching it even more. He hasn’t been outside since.

I cannot eliminate his scratching. I bought a tiny cone to put around his waist, but can’t get it on. I finally covered his (back) scratching foot with sports tape so his nails were covered. It continues to look raw and is bigger than the pic, now 2” in diam!) with some infection. I’ve put antibiotic cream on it, but it’s really difficult. He is wary and in pain. Can anyone offer ideas or pain medication? I’ve used kids ibuprofen but now he won’t take it. No vets or wildlife rehab centers will help here.
Thank you! Squirrely’s mom

[CritterMom]

Help! My beloved rescue Squirrely of about 8 months had a thin scratch on his shoulder a few days ago - dry and tiny scab. Then he started scratching it. The next day there was a hairless patch around it - very small. The next day it was a bit bigger. He was still spending several hours out in the trees as usual. The next day he was out for 3 hours and came back with a big raw wound because he’d been scratching it even more. He hasn’t been outside since.

I cannot eliminate his scratching. I bought a tiny cone to put around his waist, but can’t get it on. I finally covered his (back) scratching foot with sports tape so his nails were covered. It continues to look raw and is bigger than the pic, now 2” in diam!) with some infection. I’ve put antibiotic cream on it, but it’s really difficult. He is wary and in pain. Can anyone offer ideas or pain medication? I’ve used kids ibuprofen but now he won’t take it. No vets or wildlife rehab centers will help here.
Thank you! Squirrely’s mom

You can try these folks: https://squirrelrefuge.org/ Michael, one of the people there is a poster here at TSB. They do not euthanize eastern grays.

Go to the drug store and buy a bottle of Betadyne 10% povidone iodine in the wound care aisle. You want to soak that area at least twice a day with a mixture of 25 drops betadyne to 1/4 cup water. You could even put it in a squirt bottle - it is a wonderful anti bacterial/anti-viral/anti-fungal and does not sting at all. It also doesn't guck the fur up like creams do which make them want to groom the cream out.

Call friends and family and see what you can dig up for antibiotics, then come back and list them and we will see if you can find something that will help.

Sometimes you just have to grab them, stuff the syringe in their mouth and force the medicine issue. Something else that may help when this begins healing is children's strength Benadryl. When wounds heal they itch, which is the result of histamine release - and Benadryl is an anti-histamine. If yo can get the thing healing he may not need it.

[jeanniechapman]

Thank you! I will do that ASAP. He has gotten really agitated with this, so I hate to traumatize him further, but we’ll just tough it out. I don’t want him to suffer more or die! Poor boy.

[CritterMom]

BTW, the antibiotics do not have to be for animals - I am referring to meds used by people, most of which can be given to animals as well as long as you know how to do so.

If you warm the betadyne/water solution to the same approximate temp of the squirrel's body temp - about 102 F - it isn't as jarringly noticeable for them. It is a lot more pleasant to be hit with a warm water than cold!

[jeanniechapman]

Also, a person at the wildlife rehabilitation nearby said he was an Eastern Fox squirrel, an invasive species here, by a pic I sent. They’re considered an invasive species and they will only euthanize him.

[CritterMom]

That is why I referred you to Squirrel Refuge. Washington's laws are different.

[jeanniechapman]

That is why I referred you to Squirrel Refuge. Washington's laws are different.

Ok, gotcha! Thank you so much for your help. Got Betadyne and he tolerated it pretty well. Working on the Neosporin and bandage, not so well.
By the way. Thanks for the great info in all your posts, CritterMom, they’re the best. You and Bill are lifesavers. ❤️

[CritterMom]

I would not use neosporin. It isn't the med itself - I use it on my own booboos all the time - it is that the salve gooks up their fur and they are very obsessive about their fur. It will make them lick and groom and fuss over the area, which is why this thing looks like this now. The betadyne dries like water - no residue to attract their attention.

[jeanniechapman]

I would not use neosporin. It isn't the med itself - I use it on my own booboos all the time - it is that the salve gooks up their fur and they are very obsessive about their fur. It will make them lick and groom and fuss over the area, which is why this thing looks like this now. The betadyne dries like water - no residue to attract their attention.

Thanks for your help! After the vets and wildlife rehab wouldn’t help, I was feeling pretty alone. Your responses were a huge boon.

I got Betadyne and Neosporin and used them on him successfully. Today it looks a bit better with the white infected area gone. However, I was unable to get a bandage on it, and got bit a couple of times in the trying. So now I’m sore too. Poor boy. I felt so badly - just trying to save his life.

That’s the end of that. Tonight we had a nice grooming session and forgave each other for all. I’m going to keep his foot covered and forego anything but those two treatments. Thanks to you i now have hope he’ll be ok.

[Rock Monkey]

Tonight we had a nice grooming session and forgave each other for all.

Yes, those early evening grooming sessions are a good way to rebuild the bond of the relationship. They are more forgiving if you have some relationship capital stored up. They are also more likely to mind you when you tell them to stop doing something.