Cow breathing hard and "panting" not sure if emergency

by Cow on Thu 23 Jun 2016, 2:48 am

Hey mouse fanciers,

I was abroad for about two weeks and left Cow in the care of my brother, who lives with my parents and significantly younger brother. He had been acting sluggish while he was there and my brother said the last two days, he refused to climb into his ball. Since I got him moved back in with me, I haven't had him run in the ball either but otherwise he was acting normal.

Last night I noticed he's been perched on one of his favorite spots and breathing hard. I can see his sides moving with each breath and he sort of stares off into space at the ground as he does it. Sometimes he'll move to another favorite spot and continue it there. He has been grooming, eating and drinking normally, but I have yet to see him exercise on his wheel either. It's pretty sad to watch and I don't understand what's wrong. I don't know what could have happened while he was being pet sat, but the behavior is really pretty different than how he acted before.

I know they changed his bedding right before I picked him up (it's still fresh looking, been less than a week, but that means they also went about two weeks without changing it. It's the Kaytee white unscented 'cozy' paper that he's always used.

Tl;dr, Cow was pet-sat and came back breathing abnormally hard and staring at nothing but seems to eat and drink as usual

Thanks for any help or suggestions Crying or Very sad

by **scaredymouse** on Thu 23 Jun 2016, 3:12 am

How old is cow? Is he making any noises when he breathes?

So, it could be a couple things. All the stress of being moved and pet sat could have caused him to get sick. If it is an upper respiratory infection, he would need to see a vet for antibiotics.

The timing could be coincidence... And he could have an obstruction of some sort, like a tumor, causing difficultly breathing. In this case, there isn't anything that can be done other than keeping him comfortable.

He could be having an allergic reaction to having a dirty tank for two weeks. This seems the least likely, though.

I have had a few mice with symptoms like you describe and it's not a good sign. It's good that he's still eating and drinking, but he sounds miserable. I had mice hang on like that for a little while but they have all declined to the point where I needed to humanely euthanize them to end their suffering.

I wish I had a better answer for you. Cow would really benefit from seeing a vet. I hope I'm wrong!

by CinnamonPearl on Thu 23 Jun 2016, 8:28 am

Scaredy pretty much nailed it, but I hope your sweet boy feels better!

by Cow on Thu 23 Jun 2016, 6:56 pm

Not very old, probably about nine months now? He is a big-box retail store mouse, but even so, it's pretty young isn't it? I didn't hear anything yesterday but this morning when it was very quiet, I was able to hear a steady click with each breath so it likely is a respiratory infection. I'm going to see if I can find a small animal vet that doesn't break the bank and hopefully some medication (baytril?) will do the trick! I really hope I don't have to euthanize him Sad

He just declined so quickly that it really took me by surprise, especially since I didn't see him for two weeks

Thanks for the advice Scaredy, and thanks Cinnamon too!

by **scaredymouse** on Thu 23 Jun 2016, 7:53 pm

I just had a mouse died of cancer, with tumors, and respiratory distress but she was only 6 months old. That said, typically nine months old is on the young side for serious stuff like cancer. But, the clicking does sound more like a respiratory infection which is totally treatable with Baytril. Poor little fella. Let us know how it goes!

edit: i just noticed your avatar picture... so darn cute. i put a moustache on my boy too, except i used the fancy old-timey one Smile

by Cow on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 1:45 pm

Haha Scaredy, what a cute picture! After I wrote my post, he seemed to go downhill at a fast rate and I wasn't sure I'd have a mouse anymore. He spent an entire day in his little coconut loft and somehow got a piece of fleece to sit on top of him. He stayed all burrito'd up in his blanket for a solid day and didn't seem to be eating or drinking at all anymore. I gave him some hydrating vegetables and his favorite seed, which he ate.

This morning it's pretty different! He jumped onto my hand, he used his wheel for the first time in a week or even longer, he's drinking, eating, grooming and when I took him out to play, he was running around about 80% speed (it was like 10% speed the past few days)

No more clicking when he breathes, the rattliness in his lungs isn't as loud anymore. I'll probably take him to the vet anyways because I know these things can come back (haven't gone because it clashes with my work schedule :c ), but for now I'm just happy he's acting a little more like himself again

by **scaredymouse** on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 2:02 pm

Glad he's doing better. A vet visit would still be good. Left untreated, respiratory infections can cause scaring in the lungs. He sounds cute!

by CinnamonPearl on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 2:10 pm

Good to hear that he's doing well! Did you ever get him to the vet?

by Cow on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 2:26 pm

No vet yet, they're closed all weekend and then I work until they're closed except for Tuesday Sad

But I'm glad that I think he will hang in there semi-comfortably until then. The one I found charges $39 to get the exam, then an additional 15-20 for the medicine it sounds like, is that consistent with most vets?

by CinnamonPearl on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 2:27 pm

That's pretty cheap, actually. The two veterinarians I've taken my pets to both charge about $60 for examinations. It's good that you found a cheaper one, but be careful. It might be a case of "you get exactly what you pay for." Not sure if it applies to vets, though.

by **scaredymouse** on Sat 25 Jun 2016, 3:24 pm

That sounds like a good price. That's what my small town local vet charges. And they are great for little stuff that just needs antibiotics. Then I have a special vet I go to vet serious stuff like tumors and surgery, but they are a bit of a drive and more expensive but still only about 50.00 for an officer visit!

by Brynne on Sun 26 Jun 2016, 6:27 pm

Ha ha! I love the mousetasches!

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