Emergency, need help! Fell down and suddenly cloudy blue eye

[Princessj]

Hi I was wondering if anyone can help me with my situation. Over a month ago I found a baby squirrel at my cottage whose eyes were still closed. I tried to reunite her with her mother but she didn’t come back the entire weekend. I also live in an area where you’re not allowed to keep a squirrel unless you’re a licensed rehabilitation professional which I am not. However from calling a few animal hospital/vets in my area it seems no one will even see her because she’s a squirrel and it’s not allowed here. I was also told it’s a possibility they may just euthanize her and that’s why I decided to keep her and try to do everything to help her.

I’ve been following the steps I’ve seen here and on the Henry’s website to the best of my ability and for the past month she’s been doing great. She quickly started growing more fur, gaining weight, her eyes opened and she’s way more active.

Everything’s been going great until today. For context her eyes opened last week and they were perfectly normal. But today she was on my shoulder and I guess she tried to make a big jump and ended up falling from about my shoulder height. I held her after and looked at her, she seemed to be okay. She went to sleep after and when I went to check on her and feed her I noticed something was wrong with her eye. It’s significantly larger than the other one and it’s got a cloudy blue colour. I’m not sure if this is because of an injury or a nutrition issue or if she’s gone blind but I’m freaking out and looking online and no veterinarian or animal hospital will see her and they say to call a humane society. What should I do in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Charley Chuckles]

Keep feeding her and don't let her jump from high places I keep mine in a cage for safety.
I'm sure others here will be able to help 🙏

[Tashahaven]

Can you post a picture of what the eye looks like?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi I was wondering if anyone can help me with my situation. Over a month ago I found a baby squirrel at my cottage whose eyes were still closed. I tried to reunite her with her mother but she didn’t come back the entire weekend. I also live in an area where you’re not allowed to keep a squirrel unless you’re a licensed rehabilitation professional which I am not. However from calling a few animal hospital/vets in my area it seems no one will even see her because she’s a squirrel and it’s not allowed here. I was also told it’s a possibility they may just euthanize her and that’s why I decided to keep her and try to do everything to help her.

I’ve been following the steps I’ve seen here and on the Henry’s website to the best of my ability and for the past month she’s been doing great. She quickly started growing more fur, gaining weight, her eyes opened and she’s way more active.

Everything’s been going great until today. For context her eyes opened last week and they were perfectly normal. But today she was on my shoulder and I guess she tried to make a big jump and ended up falling from about my shoulder height. I held her after and looked at her, she seemed to be okay. She went to sleep after and when I went to check on her and feed her I noticed something was wrong with her eye. It’s significantly larger than the other one and it’s got a cloudy blue colour. I’m not sure if this is because of an injury or a nutrition issue or if she’s gone blind but I’m freaking out and looking online and no veterinarian or animal hospital will see her and they say to call a humane society. What should I do in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi PrincessJ:
Thanks for finding The Squirrel Board and thank you for your concern and love for this baby Squirrel! What is her name? I am so sorry about the fall that your little Squirrel sustained today! As TH mentioned, photos would be of great potential benefit for helping to determine what might be going on with the eye! Ideally, any eye problem but especially those likely to be serious or likely to compromise sight or comfort should be seen ASAP by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist! This is a Veterinarian with specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of animal eye conditions and diseases. I know it seems impossible for your Squirrel to be seen by a Squirrel Friendly Veterinarian so probably there is even less likelihood of her being seen by a Veterinary Eye Specialist but I did need to mention this because this is the very best way to deal with eye conditions!

Again, [lease post photos ASAP and include at least 2 from each side; one looking directly at each eye and another at an angle so that we would be looking across the eye from the front or back although from the front is usually easier and usually more of the eye can be seen with the photo being taken from front to back (take the photo with the camera held just in front of the nose and to the side of the eye that is to be photographed and pointed back toward the tail so the photo is taken looking at the curvature of the eye while the other photo is taken looking directly at the eye. There will usually be a glare from a flash so try to take the photos without flash.

Please also verify that what you have observed with the eye began following the fall and before this incident, both eye appeared normal and the same! I feel it is necessary to inform you that I am not an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) or a Veterinarian but from what you have described, I suspect (especially assuming that this condition was associated with the fall) that your baby has sustained what is called a Luxation of the Lens. This is where the lens of the eye has become dislodged and it can be dislodged posteriorly (toward the back of the eye) or anteriorly (toward the front of the eye). IF this is what is going on and IF the lens is dislodged anteriorly, it can cause an increase in the pressure inside the eye (a type of glaucoma) because it's position anteriorly can block drainage of fluid made inside the front part of the eye and cause very significant pain and blindness. A posterior luxation will definitely affect vision but is painless. There are some glaucoma medications that have been used in rodents with glaucoma such as pilocarpine that can help decrease pain if glaucoma develops. Other more likely to have available medications that may also help with pain if glaucoma develops are infant ibuprofen, meloxicam (metacam for veterinary use) or carprofen (this is often given to dogs and is a veterinary medication and this may be available to you).

Another possibility is that your Squirrel has developed what is called an Anterior Uveitis which can result from a number of causes including blunt trauma which when the eye was actually hit or struck a hard object from a fall or whatever. This is an inflammation of the components of the front part of the eye. Decreasing pressure inside the eye can help as well as using Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) applied to the eye itself. Systemic steroids may also help BUT systemic NSAIDs and systemic Steroids should NEVER be used together!!

I wish we could somehow get your Squirrel seen by a Specialist or at least a Vet!

Please take the photos and let us have a look. IF there is any other possibility for getting your Squirrel seen by a "safe" and Squirrel friendly Vet (even if not an eye specialist) it would be the very best approach and should be accomplished ASAP!

Thank you again for your caring for this Little One!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel