very very ill wild mouse

Question
Hi I found an adoult mouse yesterday when I found him he wasn't running away. Ater closer inspection I noticed he his curved to one side. He does not open his eye , his ear is flat and he can't seem to be able to use his front paw on one side also he apears to have a big lump on that side. He was able to jump quite high so I decided to bring him home I didn't have the heart to leave him in that condition outside so I found a crisp wraper and got him inside.I noticed instead of walking he is spinning around to get where he needs to go no sracthes or visible open wounds. We gave him some wood shavings and hay to make him comfy I gave him an apple and water but he did not seem to eat , drink or relieve himself in anyway. When I checked on him he got a little worse he kept falling over on his paralised side the side he has the lump on and didn't seem to want to move I gave him a little piece of apple he was eating it. But things got worse as my mum said she doubts he will make it through the night. We checked on him now. He sits in the corner on his paralised side reponds to touch and when my mum tryed to give him water he was falling around and attempting to spin he won't eat now. What can I do ? Vet isn't an option we have no such money. Do we make him cofmy till his time comes or is there a chance he will survive?

Thank you

Pat

Answer
Hi Pat,

It sounds like he isn't doing great at all - sounds like an internal injury, perhaps. While a vet is the only person able to help professionally, should he still be with you in the morning you should also try asking your local rescues, shelters, and pet shops if they know of anyone in the area who works with mice and can lend the little guy a hand.  I am not a vet, so I can't tell you what his chances are specifically, but it doesn't sound too promising.  He is lucky to have you in a time like this!

In the meantime try to give him some space and some kind of hide, such as an empty tissue box, so he feels safe and secure. You can move his food closer to where he is laying as well - dry cat food, stale bread soaked in water, and scrambled eggs made with water are excellent healthy treats to give him protein and some strength. Make sure his home is away from chills or drafts.  Honestly, that is just about all you can do for him.

Best of luck, and thank you so much for caring for him, even if there isn't much to do! Hopefully he has a chance, but if not, at least he is with someone caring somewhere safe.

-Tam