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Very sick little mouse, my little miracle.

6028 Views 63 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Lizzle
One of my younger mice, named Amica (yes, after the auto-insurance), has diarrhea all over her bottom.. I first noticed that this particular cage of my girls smelled 'poopier' than normal, and I noticed that Amica was hard to rouse.. I gently picked her up and her eyes had that pushed-in, dehydrated look and I found the diarrhea all over her bottom..

I'm sort of freaking out here. :( I love this little girl.. I'm about to wipe her bottom (front to back with a different cloth each time I wipe, I know!), but I need to know if this is wet tail and anti-biotics are needed (i would assume for all the girls she lives with as well).

Is there anything I can get over the counter, maybe at Petco or something, rather than waiting to go to the vet? I know how quickly dehydration can kill small mammals. Please and thank you all!
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Get some heat on now, and liquids to her, and off to the vet. Most important thing to do as well is pick her cage up and everthing including other mice in there away from all the others. I am afraid the outlook is not good. You should take some deep breaths and think of saving the other stock.
Could you try an electrolyte formula or some re-hydration fluids? You would be able to get something like that from a normal pharmacist and I've heard a few people use dioralyte or children's rehydration meds successfully in mice with diarrhoea to keep them hydrated from the loss of fluids. But I would definitely say get her to a vet as soon as you can. Good luck!
Oh god.. yes, I have separated her and she is in a warm tissue box now (with food and water). She doesn't appear to have interest in either one and will not take the water even if put up to her mouth. She isn't skinny, however (yet?). I need to find a vet around here (I moved recently) and I'm currently scouring the web..

Thank you zany toon, I'm going to try this idea.. is pedialyte the same thing? I'm assuming it is.
I'm honestly not sure if pedialyte is the same! (Different country giving different names to meds and all that.) Alternatively you could use some salt and sugar in the water. If you have cornflour or arrowroot you could make a homemade "pudding" for her (my family and I have used these home made remedies ourselves for years and they've always worked.) It's normally made using:cupful of milk (you'd probably need some puppy or kitten milk), thickened with arrowroot or cornflour. To make it even more fulfilling you can add a little sugar, and the white of a raw egg stirred into it when it is about to be eaten. We normally mix it up so it ends up like a thick, tasteless custard. If you have some rice grains you could heat them in a microwave and put them in an old sock as they will retain the heat longer than a box and put it on one side of the box so that she can move closer to it for heat or move away as she needs to (also means that she doesn't get too hot because the rice really heats up.) I hope you manage to find a vet soon - have to admit that's usually the last thing I think of when I've moved :(
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That's a great point about the sock filled with rice - I have heard the same thing but never tried it (it never even dawned on me - right now, I have a cup full of hot water in there).

Thank you for that recipe! I'm really worried it's too late.. however, I was able to almost force-feed her plain yogurt. I put the yogurt on her little face (she did not like that) but then she appeared to eat it and swallow it. The closest vet I found is 43 minutes away (yes, exactly 43, thank you mapquest), and I just called to ask if they treat mice but there was no answer. I don't want to make my poor girl suffer longer via a car ride if it's for nothing. Right now she is resting against the warm cup of water, and I'm going to let her rest a bit longer before trying to feed her again (I don't want her to become exhausted again). She's in that position, though, with her eyes a little closed (they open when I pick her up, though) so I know that she's in pain.. but maybe there is hope.. I'm going to keep calling that vet's number and try to get some kind of kitten milk at the very least. Thank you so much.

Edit -- The skin around her anus is very, very red and swollen.. very poor skin integrity.. I'm keeping her on a lot of tissues to help absorb the moisture and to try to reduce the wetness of her bum. I hope I can save her.. she's an amazing little one.. only about a month old. :cry:
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I just hope that it works for you Liz, I have my fingers crossed that she pulls through. I thought that about one of mine a few weeks ago but she's still here and is running in her wheel so I really hope that she surprises you x
Really? That gives me hope, zany toon! I'm sure as hell not giving up until it's clear that she's reached the point of no return. Do you have any idea if I could put something on her bum to reduce the irritation? I was thinking petroleum jelly, but then again, could that clog up her delicate anus? :| I am contemplating whether or not to take a picture of her to show you all how she is, but I don't want to stress her out further. She's the only cream I have ever had. So beautiful and sweet. :cry:
I've never had to try and put any cream near my mice's bums (because like you I'd be a little worried about it maybe clogging things up down there.) However, I have used something called sudocreme in the UK - it's a nappy rash cream that can be used for a multitude of things (acne, wounds, rashes, allergic reactions,) because it contains a natural antiseptic as well. Way I look at it, if it's safe enough to put on a baby's bum it must be okay to use in really delicate areas otherwise I'm sure a lot of babies would scream in pain and it would surely not be used by mums all over the UK. I'm not sure though what the US equivalent is hun. If you have a nearby pharmacy you could have a word with a pharmacist to see if they have something to be used on a sore bum that your "baby" has as a result of the diarrheoa and you are worried about how sore her bum is from all the wiping ;)
Actually, I know Desitin (spelling?) is often used on baby's bums similarly here. I'm going to look that up right now! I'm so afraid that the wetness will cause her bum skin to crack and then the bacteria to get into her bloodstream.. not to mention a ridiculous amount of pain to go along with it. Thank you for that suggestion!!!
You're welcome. Hope it works
How is she now??
She's still alive, unbelievably.. I was certain she would die early yesterday. I nearly culled her a few times, but I just.. couldn't do it. She appears to get 'better' for certain periods of time, then goes back to looking like she's in pain. I've been giving her sugar water, Bene-bac, and plain yogurt via plastic syringe because she will not eat it herself. She is now very thin, but she still cleans herself and expresses an active interest in her environment! I am truly so torn.. I don't want her to suffer, but if there is a chance she can be saved, why not take that chance? She seems 'stable' for lack of better words - her condition hasn't changed at all this past day. I've been putting Hot-Hands in her little container to keep her warm and cozy. Those things last for quite awhile, and seeing as she isn't chewing anything, I'm not worried that she could bite through the material of the Hot-Hands things. I've been keeping an eye on those teeth, too, and I cut them myself about an hour ago after doing an immense amount of research on how to do it without injuring her. I did it perfectly, thank god!
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Well being stable is something, and if she is still actively interested in her environment even better. I really hope she pulls through, please keep me updated!!!
OH MY GOD!!! Just after I wrote that, she actually drank quite a bit of the sugar water ALL ON HER OWN!!! :D :D :D
Thank you, NuttySian ! :D :D

It does seem like she's suddenly become slightly more active.. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up too much, as I suspect that her emaciation has caused organ damage by now.. but I'm really not sure..
I forgot to add some things - I didn't end up getting the Desitin because there was some sort of warning about zinc oxide overdose on it. Instead, I got pure aloe gel and was using that. Right now, her bum is DRY (thank god) so it should hopefully, hopefully start healing. I felt horrible that it had to be wet.. the choices were either diarrhea wetness or aloe wetness.. so obviously I opted for the aloe.

Anywho, she is grooming herself more now, though she still looks a mess. Her eyes have opened more, so clearly her fluid intake is improving. I think the sugar water really gave her a little boost - I just hope it can last.
It's after 2pm and she has taken a severe turn for the worse. I suddenly smell that awful, depressing smell of dying organs.. so I'm putting her to sleep/culling, whichever you prefer to call it. She's slipping off into a nice, warm sleep as she drifts into unconsciousness. Rest in peace, my sweet little girl.

She has been more of a fighter than any mouse or other small animal I've ever had, truly.
Awww Liz, that's so sad. I was following this thread and had my fingers crossed for both of you :(
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