# Respiratory Infection?



## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

My male mouse passed tonight.

I checked on him this morning because he is a normally very active mouse and I hadn't seen him on his wheel yet today. He was looking lethargic, and breathing a bit hard. He also had watery swollen eyes. I am assuming this was a respiratory infection... do you think so? Is it normal for them to pass so quickly from it? Or am I looking at something else?

He has not been in contact with my female for over a month now, and she seems fine. And I made sure to wash well before checking her. I will be bleaching his home...


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

Sorry for your loss. I would guess that it was most likely a respiratory infection. Perhaps he wasn't showing symptoms for a very long time and sometimes a secondary infection can do them in too. I would treat your other mouse with antibiotics just to be safe. You can pick up a bag of Agrimycin soluble powder from your local feed store for $9. It's for poultry and swine but you dilute it in their water bottles. 1/4 tsp to 8 onces of water, shake it and change the water daily for about 10 days.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Mice are prey animals so they hide their sickness until it's just too bad to hide anymore. This is because if a cat (or a hawk, or a snake) were hunting animals, they'd go after the one that shows signs of sickness because it makes an easier catch. So mice can sometimes hide their ailments until they're nearly dead. Many birds do the same thing. In finches sometimes people speak of "sudden death syndrome" because this happens with them.

If you plan to breed them, be aware that tetracyclines (like agrimycin) can sometimes cause infertility in female mice. My vet said they scar the fallopian tubes in mice and since the tubes are so small (the width of a hair) that a few little scars can prevent fertilization of an egg. I've experienced this, and a few others have (Allison Hamilton Thompson has spoken out about it as well).

Tetracyclines are not broad enough to kill the most common URI-causative agent, mycoplasma, anyway. Enrofloxacin (or Enroxil, a generic form, or Baytril, the name brand) are the most effective single antibiotic. They're prescription only, so you have to get them from a vet.


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

I had no idea, thanks for letting us know  I heard there wasn't an actual cure for mycoplasma, do I have outdated information on that too? I think you can treat it but it can come back when mice are stressed?


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## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

Thank you so much for that information. At the moment I only have (had) two mice, and my female has already proven an unreliable mother, so she will not be bred again. So I have no worries about possible infertility with her.

I will look into getting the antibiotics. 

ETA: Is this the same stuff (I'm assuming its just by a different provider): http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/ ... oz-2206034


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Whether or not enrofloxacin _cures_ mycoplasma or just severely weakens its effect is debated, but either way, enrofloxacin does the best job in treating _and eliminating_ URIs in mice. There's danger in using too-weak antibiotics (like the tetracyclines) first, because it makes the myco stronger and more resistant to treatment. The same thing happens in people when you use too-weak antibiotics or use antibiotics inappropriately (such as stopping them too soon--that's what those labels saying "You must finish all of this medicine." are for).

Because for generations people have been using the wrong medicines and using them inappropriately, some vets are now actually prescribing a combination of enrofloxacin _and_ a tetracycline (usually doxycycline) at the same time because myco is becoming more and more resistant to everything.

It seems those people who treat URIs in mice with tetracyclines invariably have the URIs come back within a couple weeks or months. I haven't had a URI in a year, but I keep generic enrofloxacin around just in case. If a mouse has a URI, I treat it. If it has a URI a second time, it is euthanized. This helps ensure that only the healthiest mice are able to reproduce, but honestly only very rarely (2 or 3 times in 10 years) has a mouse treated with enrofloxacin had a recurrent URI.



Bella said:


> Thank you so much for that information. At the moment I only have (had) two mice, and my female has already proven an unreliable mother, so she will not be bred again. So I have no worries about possible infertility with her.
> 
> I will look into getting the antibiotics.
> 
> ETA: Is this the same stuff (I'm assuming its just by a different provider): http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/ ... oz-2206034


You're very welcome! 

Duramycin is similar to Agrimycin, just a different brand name. Often with antibiotics, the last part of the name being the same is indicative that they're from the same family. Duramycin is tetracycline hydrochloride and Agrimycin is oxytetracycline hydrochloride. Duramycin seems to be even weaker than agrimycin, though, at least in treating chickens.


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