mouse injured by cat

Question
My cat somehow got one of my mice out of the cage i got her to drop the mouse and i examined the mouse & found two small wounds from the cats teeth where she had been carrying it & also the mouse will not use her back right foot. Do you think that she will be ok shes still eating and drinking & urinating and defecating. Can she live with just 3 legs?

Answer
Dear Allison,

I had a mouse once who survived cat bites and was fine the next day but died of the infection the following day.  Your mousie needs antibiotics or the same thing may happen.  If you can get her to a vet that would be great.  Do it immediately; she is an emergency case because every hour counts.

If you cannot get to a vet and you can't get a vet on the telephone for advice, then the following is my home remedy which works for many infections.  This is what I do:

Go quickly to your nearest pet store or aquarium store and buy Tetracycline, which is for fish.  It is in capsule form and there is powder in the capsules. Take about 1/2 capsule and mix it with about tiny drop of water until you form a loose paste.  If it doesn't work the first time, you have plenty of capsules left to use.  Also make some which is more watery. Take the mouse by the scruff of the neck-- which means the skin right behind its ears-- this does not hurt but the mouse will squirm.  Try to get a teeny bit of the paste into the mouse's mouth.  Put a little around her mouth too, but be careful not to plug her nose.  Then use the more watery mixture to rub gently onto her wounds.  Next put a half capsule of powder into her small water bottle or a whole capsule in her larger water bottle, shake it up well, and change it every day.  It will not be a problem for the other mice.

As to your question, yes she will be fine with only three legs.  She'll figure it out and soon will be hopping around the cage.  You and she will have to find out what she can't do so she doesn't fall off of things she used to be able to climb on.

I wish you the very best of luck with your little  mouse.

Please let me know what happens, especially if your vet does something else or tells you something else.  He or she might be against home remedies at all, but sometimes it is the only choice.

Again, if she can go to the vet right away that is the best.

squeaks,

Natasha