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Thread: Possible fall, or cat attack

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    Default Possible fall, or cat attack

    Hi!
    We released our 12-13 week old Wally today, and he did really well, going up and down the tree, coming back for snacks and a snuggle, then back up the tree. I came inside. My son got home from school with his other mom and they found Wally, laying by the pool, wet and injured, with one of our cats close by. The cat was supposed to be locked up inside! Anyway, we retrieved Wally, and it's obvious his left arm in injured, and possibly his ribs. He's holding his left arm up and makes lots of noise if I try to pick him up around his chest area. Back legs and right arm seem fine. He was super hungry and ate tons of nuts, veggies and water once in our care again. I don't know how to treat his injury, or if we can give him anything for pain? He's back inside in a crate, with soft bedding, water, food, and darkness. Time for rehab. Poor guy. His glorious release day didn't end well. I suspect the cat went after him, injured him, and he probably accidentally fell in the pool while trying to escape. Please advise. We are so upset over this! We've put months into raising this baby and want him to have a happy free life in the trees.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Call all of your friends and check your medicine cabinet and see what you can find for antibiotics. Cat's saliva is full of pasturella which will be fatal without antibiotic intervention.

    Cipro would be good, augmentin would be good, but see what you can find and list it here.

    Your guy can also have infant ibuprophen for pain. You can get at any drug store. We will need his weight to dose everything and you will need a 1cc syringe to prepare and administer the meds.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Thank you for your speedy reply! We have the children's motrin and figured dosing based on a previous post about arm/foot injury. But could use confirmation on dose. It's 100mg/5ml, which equals 20mg/ml, and think we should give 0.4ml? We have a syringe ready, but only filled it to 0.2 bc 0.4 looks like so much! We just weighed him...he's 1.06 lbs. Please help with dosing!

    I don't see any cat bites or source of bleeding. Should I treat prophylactically anyway?

    Thank you!!

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    The children's motrin is less concentrated than the INFANT is - you will want to give him .25ml every 4 hours as needed.

    If you give for several days it might be worth getting the infant strength because you only have to give half as much.

    The rule of thumb is that if an animal has been in contact with a cat's teeth or claws (they lick their paws to clean them and thus coat them with saliva) they should be treated prophylactically, so yet, I would start hunting.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Ok, perfect! I searched high and low in my house...no antibiotics. I'm contacting neighbors now and I'm certain to find something with the number of elderly, and families with kids. I'll be back in touch for dosing on that once I acquire! Stay tuned! Thank you so much!!!

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    CritterMom! I've acquired the antibiotics! My neighbor brought me Keflex, 250mg capsules. She gave me two but can give me more if needed. What do I do now?

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Quote Originally Posted by Sblaine View Post
    CritterMom! I've acquired the antibiotics! My neighbor brought me Keflex, 250mg capsules. She gave me two but can give me more if needed. What do I do now?
    Sblaine, I will private message you how to breakdown and dose this.
    Give me a few minuntes to type it up, then check your pm.
    Last edited by stepnstone; 10-22-2020 at 02:11 AM. Reason: spel
    Step-N-Stone
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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Thank you so much! One more question....he is refusing the ibuprofen, probably because of taste. It's grape flavored Motrin. We only got one dose in him last night about 7. How can I get him to take it?

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Huh. My guy LOVES the infant formula - it is pink - bubblegum, maybe? He will grab the syringe from me and run away with it to lick anything he may have missed. You might try to get the infant formula - you can give him HALF the dose so not so much to give is easier and he may like the flavor better. Other than that, all you can do is grab, dose and done as fast as you can!

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Quote Originally Posted by CritterMom View Post
    Huh. My guy LOVES the infant formula - it is pink - bubblegum, maybe? He will grab the syringe from me and run away with it to lick anything he may have missed. You might try to get the infant formula - you can give him HALF the dose so not so much to give is easier and he may like the flavor better. Other than that, all you can do is grab, dose and done as fast as you can!
    ................. I agree, same here.
    Step-N-Stone
    State Licensed
    Wildlife Master Rehabilitator


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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Hello wonderful helpers! Update on Wally...he's back inside, in a dog crate, after overdoing it in his larger crate the other day. I put him in it to clean out smaller crate and he seemed to be moving around well and enjoying it so I left him to play, realizing later that it was far too much activity for him and his pain really shot up...making lots of noise and very unhappy with any touch, even light touch. So, he's been back inside, in the smaller crate for 2 days. He's still in pain, and not using his left arm/shoulder. We've been medicating regularly with the antibiotics and the ibuprofen. I went ahead and picked up the infant ibuprofen for easier and less frequent dosing. He does not like to be picked up right now, and it's obvious it hurts him. There may be some rib involvement too. He's eating fine and pooping just fine. How long do I rehab him? How long in a smaller cage with restricted activity? Trying to get an idea of what we do and how we do it and if we need to be doing anything else for him. Do I need to take him to our local wildlife rehab? Thank you.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    I wouldn’t take him to your local wildlife rehab. They may euthanize if he’s not functioning at 100% and not give him the time to recover.

    I had a released squirrel that hurt her shoulder. I took her to the vet and she was put on prednisolone for the anti inflammatory properties. Much the same as your ibuprofen, but stronger med. The vet said it could take as long as 6 weeks for the muscles to heal. I’m not sure if it took a full 6 weeks, but it was pretty close.

    I’d continue to keep him contained in the smaller cage where he can’t use the arm too much.

    I see you’re in Texas. That’s a dicey state about confiscation. There are a couple of squirrel safe vets, but it’s a BIG state, so I’m not sure you’d be close to them.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    He should be fine relaxing and recuperating for several weeks. We really don't recommend release until 18 to 20 weeks so he was a little on the young side anyway. If he is in a small cage, he may do alright without the Motrin and just self-restrict movement. Pain is a body's own reminder of what not to do.
    Squirrels, squirrels and more squirrels....
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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Thank you so much for your advice! I’m just worried about him. He’s so lethargic and not moving around much. We finished the cycle of antibiotics and stopped the infant ibuprofen last night to see if we could get a little more activity out of him. Not much difference today. He seems depressed and not interested in much but sleeping and remaining still. He’s not moving around much and when he does, he kind of hobbles. It’s hard to tell where he hurts now. I guess I just keep up the monitoring and rest? I’ve added a heating pad to his cage since we got a cold front here in TX. I could try to find a vet to treat him? I can check with mine.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mel1959 View Post
    I wouldn’t take him to your local wildlife rehab. They may euthanize if he’s not functioning at 100% and not give him the time to recover.

    I had a released squirrel that hurt her shoulder. I took her to the vet and she was put on prednisolone for the anti inflammatory properties. Much the same as your ibuprofen, but stronger med. The vet said it could take as long as 6 weeks for the muscles to heal. I’m not sure if it took a full 6 weeks, but it was pretty close.

    I’d continue to keep him contained in the smaller cage where he can’t use the arm too much.

    I see you’re in Texas. That’s a dicey state about confiscation. There are a couple of squirrel safe vets, but it’s a BIG state, so I’m not sure you’d be close to them.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    I hope he’s ok. Like I said in reply above, he’s so subdued and not himself. I’m sure it’s the pain but it’s been a week of not much but sleeping and disinterest that naturally I’m concerned. If I’m to expect this for a few more weeks, then I can breathe a little easier, knowing this is normal. We’ve put so much time into his care, I don’t want him dying on us. Whatever I can do to help him, I want to do it. Thank you for your advice.


    Quote Originally Posted by SammysMom View Post
    He should be fine relaxing and recuperating for several weeks. We really don't recommend release until 18 to 20 weeks so he was a little on the young side anyway. If he is in a small cage, he may do alright without the Motrin and just self-restrict movement. Pain is a body's own reminder of what not to do.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Are you giving him anything for pain? Sometimes pain management helps them heal quicker.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    I timed out on being able to edit.

    I know you had been giving ibuprofen. Do you think he still needs ibuprofen? Can you get metacam? It might be more effective. Keep him well hydrated on those meds.

    The only vets I know of are: ABC Animal and Bird Clinic, 11930 Hwy 6 South, Sugarland, TX 77498, 281-495-9445, Dr. Fronfield AND Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, 8042 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024, 713-693-1111, Dr. Antinoff is no longer there but someone might see wildlife. If not you might see what clinic Dr. Antinoff has moved to.

    Because you are in such a dicey state, please call and confirm they won’t seize prior to divulging any personal info.

    As I think I already said, it took my girl almost 6 weeks to recover from a torn ligament in her shoulder.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    Yes, we had been giving him infant ibuprofen regularly, as recommended here. We stopped on Wednesday eve to see if it would increase his mental status and activity level to not be on it. It really hasn't done that, so we're giving him meds again.



    Quote Originally Posted by Mel1959 View Post
    Are you giving him anything for pain? Sometimes pain management helps them heal quicker.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    We stopped the ibuprofen the same night we finished the antibiotics, just to see if his mentation and level of activity would improve. It really hasn't. Today, he was at the front of the cage, so I opened it to take him out and once I picked him up, holy sh*t, he latched onto my finger with his teeth sunk in, and I couldn't get him off. After controlling the bleeding, I'm now sporting a nice big bandage on my middle finger with 3 different puncture sites.

    He very slowly hobbled underneath my bed, while I ran to get something for the blood on my finger, so I had to get help from his other momma, and we had to push him out from under the bed with a board. He just fell onto his side at one point during this. We wrapped him up in a shirt, and gave him more ibuprofen. He was pretty limp at that point, dozing into sleep. Making noises but little ones of discomfort. It now seems that more than just his left arm is hurt, with the way he was moving or rather not moving. Such a struggle, and in little increments.

    I've called my vet and another, here in Austin, and neither sees squirrels. They only suggest the wildlife rescue. I know they'll probably euthanize him in his condition. Is it time for that? Or do we keep fighting the good fight in hopes of his recovery?

    Anything specific I need to do for these bites? I took ibuprofen for the pain and dang, it hurt! I have a high threshold for pain but man, it really hurt. I was surprised.

    Many thanks for the locations in Houston. That's my hometown.





    Quote Originally Posted by Mel1959 View Post
    I timed out on being able to edit.

    I know you had been giving ibuprofen. Do you think he still needs ibuprofen? Can you get metacam? It might be more effective. Keep him well hydrated on those meds.

    The only vets I know of are: ABC Animal and Bird Clinic, 11930 Hwy 6 South, Sugarland, TX 77498, 281-495-9445, Dr. Fronfield AND Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, 8042 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024, 713-693-1111, Dr. Antinoff is no longer there but someone might see wildlife. If not you might see what clinic Dr. Antinoff has moved to.

    Because you are in such a dicey state, please call and confirm they won’t seize prior to divulging any personal info.

    As I think I already said, it took my girl almost 6 weeks to recover from a torn ligament in her shoulder.

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    Default Re: Possible fall, or cat attack

    I would say that he isn't done yet. If he is still alive this long after the initial incident, the trauma wasn't acute.

    Part of what you may be seeing is depression at no longer be in the outdoors. Also, the older they get, the more freedom they need. At his age no squirrels wants to be in a cage, especially a small one.

    Is there a release cage that you can put him in, whether indoors or outdoors? Something where he can move about, do some climbing and jumping.

    Or is there a room where he can be allowed to roam? One where objects that can tip over have been removed and all cords unplugged.

    As you suspect, there is probably both a physical and a psychological component involved.

    The bite could be the byproduct of pain, he may have a tender spot, or he could see you as his jailer.

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