Can I euthanize mouse at home?

Question
QUESTION: okay, so I'm not entirely sure what the signs of aging are for a mouse, but...I'm pretty sure thhat if my buck is not simply getting old/has liver failure he has given himself iron oxide poisoning(which usually results in liver failure anyway; at least it does in birds) I will try to send a pic if I can. So here's what he looks like(it ain't pretty) so he is very scary thin and will not eat heavy, hard food(lab blocks, which he eats fine softened in water;sunflower seeds that have their shell, the like) he eats birdseed and soft, pourous foods fine(puffy foods in his feed) but not much else. Most the time I've had him he has insistently gnawed and chewed on the bars of his cage, stripping the paint and making them rust from urinating on them. Then he continued to chew them, and now, out of the clear blue he has stopped chewing on anything hard, and his incisors are a nasty orange-red color, most likely from the rust. They're also little nubs, not long, "this could hurt you" teeth. The white on his pelt and the bare skin on his tail and feet are generally very pale and/or a yellowish color. While I'm pretty sure this is a sign of liver failure, I'm not certain what caused it. I've had him for a year and I have no idea how old he was before that, so...

ANSWER: Dear Sam,

The mouse must go to the vet and either treated or put to sleep right away.

I have no medical training and this is certainly not a common ailment.

I am going to give the list of his symptoms to a couple of vet tech friends but the likelihood of anything OTC or at home treatment  is pretty small.

If anyone has any answers for me I will amend this answer and you will get an email notifying you. My guess is anyone I talk to will echo what I said: go to vet to treat or pts; do not wait.

Best of luck to him. Can you please let me know what the vet says?

Squeaks,

Natasha



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay, so I called a vet in town and they said that they don't really know what's up with him, and that, as suspected, he could very well have liver failure or some kind of jaw problem. They said that it would be best to euthanize him at this point, and that I could pay 30$ to have them do it or do it myself (either freezing or severing the spinal chord if I could stomache it(which I may)) its best not to let him suffer. Thanks for the support tho :(

Answer
Dear Sam,

I am shocked that the vet told you you can pts by yourself. Even experienced breeders do not use those methods. Spinal dislocation goes really wrong if you do not know what you are doing, and them you have a mouse you have injured severely, maybe a quadriplegic, who is in great pain. And freezing is a terrible way to do it. Have you ever been really, really, really cold? Think of the coldest, most miserable you have ever been. Now stay that way and imagine it getting worse until slowly, every part of you freezes.

$30 is actually a low price. Make sure they gas or anesthetize the mouse before they inject the poison. It hurts terribly. One time I went to a vet who didn't, and my mouse screamed and screamed. It was terrible.

I am so sorry about the little fellow.

squeaks,

Natasha