# Please help me with this.... skin infection ?



## yyoung

My poor mouses ears are not getting any better ..... in fact I would say they are getting worse.

When she was pregnant her ears were bloody and scabby and it got worse so I've been putting a tiny bit of bepanthen (baby botty cream) on and look whats happened.......

I think it looks worse...can't decide whether this is because of putting the cream on or whether it was naturally going to progress to this state anyway. She is okay in herself, no weight loss or listlessness but this has got to be unpleasant at the least. She's in with 6 other mice and all the others are unaffected (so far)

This is what it was like ...









Now it's like this ...









And the other ear is now affected ...









Looking nasty









Anybody know what this is and how to treat it. This mouse has been ivermec'd 3 times so I doubt it is ear mites but I am open to any suggestion.

Cheers


----------



## Maplewood Stud

id say an ear infection, but ive never seen anything like this before. is she walking with her head tilted or as if shes off balance at all? erm.. only thing i can think of is u could try cleaning it up with some cod liver oil, as i know people use that when they have an ear infection - this may relieve it a bit for them but i wouldnt know how to teat them other than getting the vet to have a look, i dont know if giving baytril would work?! x


----------



## Maplewood Stud

is the stuff by her ear discharge coming from inside the ear or is it that whole patch thats sore? x


----------



## Maplewood Stud

found this:

Ear infection
A simple ear infection can cause circling behavior in mice. Sometimes ear infections are obvious by the secretion coming from the ear. However, some ear infections are deep inside the ear and can't be seen. An ear infection can be cleared up with a round of medication and the mouse can go on to living a normal life.


----------



## yyoung

Theres not really anything to clean up..... its just like raw flesh....no blood or pus or anything. But she's obviously been scratching her eyes as well. In the absence of any suggestions I will give her some Septrin or Marbocyl (got no baytril). Try that for a day or two then back to the vets it will be. She is totally normal apart from the ears and now the eyes. No tilt or circling and she's full of beans.

I have been watching this daily for weeks and it's only today that its gone like this..... if that helps anyone to tell me what it is.


----------



## yyoung

Sorry didn't answer your question fully....

That whole area is sore raw flesh. I know it looks like an erupting volcano but theres nothing coming out. In fact to the bottom you can just see where it was scabby.


----------



## Maplewood Stud

i dont know then honey as i said ive never seen anything like it, i know u can out vitamin e or savlon on sore skin in mice that might be worth a shot?! x
thats all i can really suggest though as ive never experienced this before i dont wanna tell u something that might be wrong. x


----------



## dangermouse

Something called mouse pox is a kind of skin infection I belive (im not saying that it is that by the way .. just an idea).... having never seen it in the flesh I really dont know but I think mouse pox is catching and causes sores on the body etc... someone please feel free to correct me if im wrong  ...... perhaps one of the more experienced breeders could be more help than me..... sorry


----------



## x.Laura.x

hi i got my dad to have a look at the pics of her as hes a vet nd he says he thinks it could be mange. Mice can get demodex mites, which doesnt react to ivomec treatment for mites. Ask your vet to do a small skin scrape to find out if it is mange. It also might need anti-biotics to clear it up so if it doesnt get better go back to your vet

Hope this helps and that she gets better soon!


----------



## SarahC

the rust coloured tears round the eyes are just a non specific symptom of illness,rats get them as well a bit like we get a bunged up nose as a symptom of many viruses we pick up.I wonder if the mouse has an inner yeast/fungal infection going on.I only say that because we have had twenty years of ear infections with our breed of dog,large open ears small narrow canals.Had all the usual mite treatments,canurel etc.Then we took one young one to see a specialist for something else and that chance crossing of paths with him changed everything.Theyve been suffering repeated fungal infections.He prescribed a fantastic new ear drop,Aurizon, that treats all the usual suspects plus fungal infections.I don't know if they could be prescribed for mice.The drops are £13 for a bottle.He also said treating or cleaning the ears with anything wet makes the problem worse.Worth mentioning to your vet anyway.


----------



## julieszoo

I was thinking fungal too, not because I know anything about mice, but because the pictures are like fungal in piggies, possibly with a secondary bacterial infection. As the skin in so damaged I would not suggest the usual otc of canestan cream. It might be worth asking the vet to do a skin scrape and see what is growing in there, for treatment to target the specific pathogens. Good luck!


----------



## Maplewood Stud

hey hun, how is this mousey of urs now? x


----------



## yyoung

Actually ... its got a lot worse. I am applying anti fungal cream but I dont think its working. Also tried giving antibiotics but not having a lot of luck in that department.

Will try and get an updated picture but if anyone has any suggestions ... please feel free ...


----------



## Maplewood Stud

oh bless her 
i hope she gets better x


----------



## lydxx

i had the same problem with a very old (4yr) Syrian hamster, took to the vets, wasn't very helpful they just gave me some cream, made it turn into a scab which fell off , he may of recovered but he died of old age.

maybe it is mites or some kind of skin infection is there any good rodent vets in your area?

also my first mouse i had years ago had very sore skin all over.. i cant remember were it started, but no vet could give us answers , but Ive recently that diet can have a effect and can cause skin reactions so maybe have a look at there diet?


----------



## Maplewood Stud

have u tried tea tree oil...? x


----------

