Mouse with a swollen jaw

Question

Assassin   I am writing on behalf of my 11 year old son who has a beloved pet mouse, named Assassin (It's because she is so cute and tiny and black!).  He is very attached to her and I am concerned because she has been acting strangely for about the past week.

We noticed that one day last week she seemed to be having very loose stools, and the next day she was fine.  She acted normal for a few days and today when I went in to wake my son up, I looked at her and her jaw seems to be misshapen and swollen.  It isn't a tumor because it is equally swollen on each side.  She is a little quieter than usual but still responds to our voices and is eating normally.  

I am willing to take her to the vet, but it would be an extreme financial hardship to do so.  Thank you for any help you can offer:)

Answer
Dear Andrea,

Unfortunately a vet visit is unavoidable. If it is a serious infection, any infection like that can turn to blood poisoning, so I don't even want to offer you a lesser remedy hoping the swelling goes away. The face and neck area are also a pretty serious place for a problem.

I really, really understand about the difficulty of getting to a vet. But if this little mouse is very dear to your son, she needs to see a real vet. It must be someone trained in either "pocket pets" or "exotics."

In the meantime, give her a drop of children's liquid ibuprofen, every 8 hours, to address swelling and pain.

I wish her a speedy recovery. Let me know what happens-- this isn't a common issue for me.

Squeaks,

Natasha