# swollen eye, leaking



## gingerdragon (Nov 11, 2014)

My oldest male has had a swollen eye for a few days now. I've been cleaning it once a day and it started to look a little better and the swelling started to go down but now he has white goo coming out from around the eyeball and I'm concerned that it's actually getting worse. Any advice? Clean it more often? Also I put cold water on a cotton ball after cleaning it and he lets me just hold it there for a minute to try to reduce the swelling before putting him back in his cage. Btw he lives alone now but there was another he shared his cage with who died from this eye thing overnight after being put in his own cage. I don't want another dead mousie so anything I haven't tried is appreciated.


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

you can buy antibiotic drops instore or online for the eyes.Chloramphenicol drops.


----------



## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Whenever I've seen a mouse with white discharge from the eye they have been severely ill. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case here too given the fact that the cagemate has already died.


----------



## gingerdragon (Nov 11, 2014)

I think it's pink-eye from the bedding and that the cagemate had something else going on but it was a coincidence and that was hard to ignore. Bear's eye has stopped oozing but the swelling hasnt completely disappeared. I'm going to change the bedding to plain, flat newspaper for a bit to see if that helps. He likes to sleep with his face flat forward down in the bedding.


----------



## raisin (Sep 22, 2014)

SarahC said:


> you can buy antibiotic drops instore or online for the eyes.Chloramphenicol drops.


how do you administer them to mice? Just follow the instructions?


----------



## raisin (Sep 22, 2014)

I went to the pharmacy to see about the chloramphenicol drops. Turns out they don't even make them anymore! They were apparently so potent that there were a bunch of side affects.


----------



## gingerdragon (Nov 11, 2014)

So I broke down and took him to the vet. It turns out that he had a trauma to one or both of his eyes and developed edema in both. We gave him an antibiotic and an antiinflammitory but he's still probably completely blind by now. The vet also gave me a name of a medicine that is supposed to get rid of a parasite, he was worried about the missing fur on his bum. I tried to tell the vet that he was caged with his brother until he died of unknown causes and that he had attacked him shortly before his death. He thinks that the other mouse probably bit his eye and attacked him because he was sick. I'm hoping that it's not a parasite and that his fur will return but it's not certain how much longer this year old mouse will live anyway.
How does a mouse get a parasite if he rarely leaves his clean cage and clean play area? I'm worried about his progeny and the rest of my stock. He is currently being quarantined and will remain as such until I am very sure that he will not infect anyone which may be forever but he used to like playing with some of the others during playtime. Very sad. 

Also but unrelated, my cat was bitten by a brown recluse spider. Evil little basement dweller.


----------



## raisin (Sep 22, 2014)

I'm sorry that it seems like you're having a hard time. Sometimes it's just thing after thing with animal after animal. Just poor luck.


----------

