# Necrotic skin tissue



## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

Pixie my pet mouse had a tumour successfully removed at the start of this month and has been doing great after her operation but is still alone because there were a couple of areas of thin skin that I was worried her friends might tear when being their usual feisty selves. These bits of skin were so thin they were almost see through and bright red. Well I got Sunday night, to find that one of these tiny little bits of skin had grown in size from an area half the size of my pinkie nail, to the size of a ten pence coin  I rushed her up to the vet Monday morning, and the prognosis is not good. It appears that Pixie's skin has become necrotic and is dying off. The vet says that it might stop, but not to count on it. Pixie has been given another course of Baytril to help prevent any infection and some steroids to help inflammation.

I'm hoping that some one has come across this before and can tell me it will be ok or that the odds are good. Pixie thankfully doesn't seem too bothered by it just now, so I'm hoping that is a good sign. Here are a couple of photos to let you see the difference:
Pixie the day of her operation = skin all looks ok despite the stitches:









Pixie today:









It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all and she is taking her medicine like a good girl (as long as it comes on a biscuit :lol She is running around as normal and throwing her egg box around with gusto as usual, but I just wanted to see if anyone had any other suggestions as to how I can help speed up Pixie's recover and give her the best chance of recovering from this. I would have used some saline solution just to wipe the affected area down, but Pixie hates water with a passion - if she even has her eye lid touched with a wet cotton bud she will claw at her eye until it's swollen and painful so I don't want to draw her attention to the area.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

Oh...this is so sad. Honestly I put a mouse down for a reason similar to this. Decide how much time she needs for a turn-around (and stick to it) and watch her behavior closely. Listen to your vet. I know this is basic stuff, but I wish I could be more help.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I had to pts a rat for a similar reason. The steroids made her infection progress at a much faster rate than they had been, and the antibiotics weren't enough for the advanced stage of infection. That said, Pixie's wound looks much better than our rat's did. If you can't wash out the wound to remove the dead tissue, do you think she'd put up with you removing bits with tweezers? The dead stuff she can't feel, and if you can remove it, it could help. I'm glad to hear she doesn't seem to be suffering too badly. Best of luck to you both.


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions  She still seems ok and certainly doesn't seem to be bothered by it which is a great sign  I will see how removing the worst bits of dead tissue with tweezers goes, that's if I can get her to keep still long enough to let me do it. I know that there is a chance she may need to be pts if it gets much worse or if it starts to hurt her, but hopefully it will all be ok. At the very least she has had several weeks without a horrid tumour weighing her down.


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## NuttySian (Sep 1, 2010)

Poor you and Pixie. I hope she will be ok, will send all my good thoughts your way!


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## Galaxy (May 25, 2011)

I was just reading your post. Very sad for both of you. I wonder (and I know its a long short & probs impossible) but what about maggots. You know eating the dead tissue - if you could somehow get a bandage on her or something with the maggots inside - they would eat the dead tissue.....


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

I rather like that suggestion, Galaxy. If I thought I could get some and that Pixie would leave them alone long enough it's certainly something that I would try  Thankfully, her skin doesn't look anywhere near as bad now  So thank you for the suggestions and best wishes everyone  She is to get checked out at the vet tomorrow night as her tablets run out then but I'm hoping that this is the start of her improving


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm so glad to hear she's doing better! That's fantastic news! Go you and go Pixie!


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## Galaxy (May 25, 2011)

Hear! Hear!


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