Paralyzed mouse (injured by dog)

Question
QUESTION: I read one of your posts from April that stated you had a mouse that was unable to use her back legs. My pet mouse had an accident last night and my dog got a hold of him. Now he cant use his back legs. His back seems to be raised a little, or his lower back is just sagging. Im afraid he is paralyzed because he makes no sounds when I handle him and is able to move his top half. Like your mouse however, he cant move around in his cage. Should I wrap his back to try and straighten it out?

Also, I have had my two male mice for just under a year. I got them together from a pet store and they have lived in the same cage this whole time. How will this affect my other healthy mouse?

Thankyou for your time.

ANSWER: Dear Amanda,

How terrible!  If you can find a mouse vet (specializing in pocket pets or exotics), please bring him in as an emergency.  Besides the possibly broken back, he might have internal injuries.

If you can't get him to the vet, there's no way you can reset his back yourself, or help it heal.  You can only hope.  Some paralysis is temporary. He may, even if he remains paralyzed, learn to get around by dragging himself, and as long as he manages to eat and drink, he may survive.  One thing to remember is that a mouse doesn't have the social knowledge that a person does, and doesn't know  things like that every mouse doesn't lose its walking ability at some point.  Once he is out of pain, he will just do his best and he won't feel like life is unfair.  He won't know he is handicapped.  He won't be depressed and unhappy like a person would. However if he is unable to eat and drink, or seems like he is in pain (squeaks at touch), he should probably be put down.

However, the other *severe and immediate danger* right now is infection from the bite.  Normally I would recommend hand dosing with antibiotics, but there's no way you can do that now.  Still, if you have access to a pet store that sells fish supplies, you can buy Tetracycline in capsules, powder, or tablets. In the following post I explained how to treat a mouse who had been bitten by a cat.  You should not try to feed him the paste you make, but if he is able to wash his whiskers, smear a little on them. And definitely put the powder in the water bottle.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2009/4/mouse-injured-cat-antibiotic.htm

As for his friend, he won't be adversely affected by his companion's paralysis or injuries, but he may be exposed to any bacteria the mouse picked up.  Thus it's important that he drink the treated water too.  Putting them back together will also help the injured mouse's chance of survival.  

It's truly important right now that the mouse not get cold.  If you can turn up the heat a little for a couple of days, that will help.


I truly hope things go well for the little mouse.  

squeaks,

Natasha



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

QUESTION: Thankyou for your response. As for a bite, I havent found any kind of bite on him. It seems that my dog did not break the skin. Should I still get some tetracycline? I work in a Petsmart so it is easy for me to obtain it.

Unfortunately, a vet is not an option for me right now. So is there no way I can help him without professional help?

Thankyou for your help.

Answer
Dear Amanda,

I had a mouse once who was attacked by a cat. She also showed no external injuries and she was fine the next day.  The following day she died.  It was clear that she died of infection.  This is why I stress the importance of treating them even if you don't know they have an infection.  

Do let me  know what happens to the poor thing.

squeaks,

Natasha