Mouse gagging/weight and hair loss

Question
Hi Tamarah,

My pet mouse BB is about one year old and very recently she has become bony to the touch; I can't feel muscle or fat when I pet her. A couple days ago her belly got bigger (it feels soft, so I don't know if it's a tumor), and despite having less energy, she seemed in good spirits. Tonight she was much more sedentary and just started what I can only describe as gagging/looking like she's trying to vomit, but she's not making noises, opening her mouth, or actually vomiting. Two of my other 3 mice have chronic respiratory problems, and I have to give them antibiotics daily. BB received some of that medicine for brief periods of time due to sneezing a lot. I started her on them again because I didn't know what else to do and my vet is unavailable (the meds I have are Cipro and Vibramycin). Also her hair has been thinning. I know that mice have fragile health, so I was wondering if you've encountered any or all of these symptoms before, what they might mean and what I can do to help her if possible. Thank you, -T

Answer
Hi T,

I can't explain the hair thinning with anything except age and stress (including that of being sick), at least not with anything that makes sense with the rest of your situation.  The antibiotics are a terrific idea and I would absolutely keep giving them, at least until your vet becomes available.

I would also separate her from the other girls if you haven't already, since the rest of the symptoms sound like something gastrointestinal.  All of the possibilities I can think of involve transmission through a fecal-oral route, so keeping her away from the others should keep any potentially contagious problem from spreading.  I would also up the protein in her diet for the time being, supplementing with dry cat food, and perhaps a thin layer of peanut butter across a salt-free cracker.  Things with extra moisture in them would be a great idea, too, in case she's having trouble maintaining hydration, which can result in a shrunken, bony appearance.  Kitten milk replacement is also an excellent addition which you can mix into her food either in powder or solution form.  All of these things will help her make the most of the nutrients she takes in, whatever the problem may be, so she can help fight it off.

Remember to keep her warm, as even though cold is pretty unlikely to have caused the problem, any sickness can make a mouse have a very hard time keeping up their body temperature.  Even though I can't be sure what the problem is, I can guess that it's either in the GI, in which case the antibiotics are your best bet until you can get professional advice, or simply old age taking a toll on several body systems at once.  Even though one year isn't particularly old for a mouse (most live about 2, give or take), genetics can affect that greatly, so without pedigrees it can be pretty tough to tell.

I hope she's doing okay!  Best of luck,
-Tam