Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Eastern Gray Squirrel

What do you see in this x-ray?

Did you notice that this squirrel is pregnant?! If you look closely at the x-rays, you can see the spines and skulls of her developing fetuses!

This squirrel came to us after she was chased into a drainage pipe by dogs.

On exam, our veterinary team noted that she was obtunded (only weakly responsive to stimuli), with a wound over her neck, corneal ulcers, and inflamed muscles.

At this time, we cannot be certain if all of these signs are related to trauma experienced prior to the dog chase or if some of the signs we’re seeing are related to exertional rhabdomyolysis (capture myopathy).

Capture myopathy is a serious condition that can happen to wild or domestic animals when they go through intense stress, struggle, or exertion—like during capture, handling, or transport. It’s not caused by a virus or bacteria, but it can lead to severe muscle damage and death.

Given her condition, we were concerned that the fetuses may have passed away in-utero.

This is where ultrasound comes in very handy! Our vet team was able to ultrasound this patient’s abdomen to confirm that these developing fetuses have active heartbeats. For now, these growing babies appear to be alive and well.

While this patient’s prognosis is extremely guarded due to the severity of her condition, we’re giving this mom-to-be the best care possible in hopes that she will survive and be able to raise her litter!

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