draining a mouse abscess

Question
QUESTION: so i went to petsmart today to see there animal doctor and i was told i could drain my mouses abscess at home but i would need to separate her from the other mice. I know that female mice are very sociable and need to be around other females and so i was wondering how long is it okay to have her separated from them because i do not know how long it will take for the abscess to completely drain. I have already noticed that she has become skittish and is not interested in cleaning herself and she is just sitting on her wheel moving occasionally i figured this was because she is draining and has been scared by having the spot shaven and opened by the vet so i expected abnormal behavior but how long is too long because i do not want her to get depressed and then die when she doesnt have to. i am giving her tetracycline along with the draining process to hopefully prevent any infections, she however has not cleaning it off of herself yet and it is in her water. please help asap any advice would be great

ANSWER: Hi Sara,

It's not clear to me from your question whether the abscess has been drained or not, and by whom.  Forgive me if I misunderstood your question, but I'm going to try and cover as much as I can:

You should NOT drain an abscess at home, and Petsmart is NOT qualified to give an abscess a diagnosis or give medical advice.  I am not a vet, either, so for veterinary advice please visit a licensed and practicing veterinarian.  Sometimes a bump is not an abscess at all but a tumor, and lancing it could be a gigantic mistake.  Even if it is an abscess the process is very dangerous to perform in anything but sanitary conditions.  I cannot stress this enough - only a vet should diagnose and/or drain an abscess.

It sounds like you are doing the tetracycline correctly, but since she is not grooming it off herself you will need the aid of a vet to administer antibiotics.  Please ask your vet for the best antibiotics to use and explain to him or her the symptoms you're seeing - anxiety, lethargy, and a lack of grooming.  These ARE symptoms of depression or illness, and if an abscess was drained incorrectly the infection could spread and cause a very serious problem needing immediate veterinary attention.  To reduce how scary the whole situation is to her, cover her cage with a blanket and bring the entire cage in to the vet for assistance.  Until then, the only thing you can do is to continue the tetracycline in the water (putting it on the fur won't help in the future if she isn't grooming), keep the site of the abscess clean, and keep the cage in a comfortable area away from electronics, drafts, excess heat or excess cold.

Best of luck,
Tam

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

QUESTION: well she is back to her normal self and she seems to be okay so do you think it would be okay to reintroduce her to the rest of the mice again?

Answer
That's up to you, but the normal isolation period when anything is wrong with a mouse is 3 weeks without symptoms.  Remember to continue the tetracycline for the full cycle recommended by your vet, despite how well she may be doing.  Until she's off the medication, I would keep her separate for ease of giving the antibiotic.

-Tam