For those of you who missed this big change in our family, we recently acquired a mouse. (It was a wedding gift to Cami, some kind of inside joke from a friend). Well Cami didn't want the mouse and Jaxon did. So we got Sami, the mouse. Then we bought her a friend (no idea if it's male or female).
Last night, the mouses' wheel overturned on top of Sami, and when I took it off, she started convulsing and writhing. It looked really sad/disgusting. Mark was very upset with me (for ever consenting to allow animals in the house and for placing the cage in a child accessible location) and the kids (for bothering the poor mice). Jaxon was in hysterics because he thought the mouse was dying. He kept reassuring himself, "Her eyes are open, she's alive." It was really sad, but he prayed for the mouse's health that night. (he even prayed twice, to make sure he was clear on what he was asking for). It was really sweet.
Did I mention the new mouse escaped today? Well, I guess Asher let him out. But, we had to chase him around the room for 20 minutes until I finally caught him and put him back. It was really scary for me, I can't imagine how the mouse felt.
Back to the convulsing.
So, after I went to bed Mark took Sami the mouse to an Pet ER. No kidding.
The Vet told Mark it was a girl (we weren't sure before) and that she probably had brain damage, as she leans to the left when she walks. He gave her cortisone shots and some other treatment to the tune of $150.
Mark didn't get home until midnight.
He says that if we have to euthanize her, it will be $50.
Luckily, she's doing better today. She's walking around and has stopped convulsing.
Am I the only one who thinks that taking a mouse to the vet is crazy?
Mark says if we have a pet, we have to take care of it. And if he's going to do it, I guess that's just fine.
13 comments:
so funny, glad we don't live nearby, my husband has mouse/rodent phobia and would keep my up with nightmares if he heard this story :)
Hope Sami gets better--for Jaxon's sake. Hats off to you for letting your boys have 2 mice!
Mouse: $1.50
Vet bill for mouse: $150
In our married life I've had two dwarf hamsters, Hermione and Squishy. Mostly because I wasn't allowed to have "real" pets like cats (fish and rodents don't seem to really count) and I wanted something furry, pet-able and interactive. Oh yeah, and Squishy was featured on youtube as the jumping dwarf hamster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3XBifeBhC4 - sorry, I laugh way too loud in this video, it was so entertaining).
When Hermione got sick, probably with abdominal cancers, we had her euthanized for $60. I think that was worth it, to not make her suffer. I was too attached to her to let her die any other way.
Although, if you know someone with a snake, she won't go to waste. Circle of Life, etc., etc. (midly kidding).
I think mice are kind of cute, but not $150 cute. It would be pretty funny to see you trying to catch one! I do hope he gets better for Jaxon's sake (and testimony)!
I find I'm defending myself way too much on this blog.
I stewed about what to do with the mouse. It was writhing around its cage for a good two hours. I felt terrible and Jaxon was crying. After Jaxon went to bed, I found a couple of movies on Youtube of mice dying to see if it looked comparable. So there I sat, watching Youtube, looking back at Sami, watching the video, looking back at Sami (repeated several times).
Jessica's idea was to freeze the mouse after Jaxon went to bed. And let me say here, Jessica has NO feelings for little animals, even baby seals.
Anyway, I looked online for live chats to see if I could ask a vet a question. But I didn't have any success. I called a local vet and here was the conversation.
Me: Um, yes, I have a little mouse and I think it's dying. I'm not sure if I should bring it in.
Vet: What's it doing?
Me: It (wasn't sure of sex) is writhing around and convulsing.
Vet: If you think it's dying you should bring it in.
Me: Um...what will that cost me?
Vet: $110.
Me: The mouse only cost six bucks
Vet: ......
Me: Seriously?
Vet: Well, we could euthanize it.
Me: No questions asked? I could just wash my hands of it? What will that cost?
Vet: $50 bucks
Me: You're kidding. It's a mouse.
So I pace back and forth, weighing my options. I didn't want it to keep suffering so I decided to take it to the vet to get it euthanized. But, when I went to pick it up, it stopped convulsing and started walking around.
I pulled up to the ER and the vet called it an "exotic" pet. To which I responded, "Really, it's a mouse, it costs six bucks." This point seems entirely lost on vets. They took my mouse back and I sat and waited anxiously. Then they called me back and said this,
Vet: Looks like head trauma
Me: No #$%@@!
Vet: Yep, you can tell because it can't walk straight.
Me: At what point do you start adding value?
Vet: Too early to tell if it's going to get any better.
Me: And for this I'm going to pay $110?
Yes, yes I am...for Jaxon. The vet gave it two shots, and IV and bit the vet. Good work little mouse.
I mean, the mouse bit the vet. I like that part.
Think of all the things you could have done with that $150.
Nate: No kidding.
This is the dilemma with pets and children. Kill it or don't "take care of it" and are you teaching the child that anything broken is disposable?
I'm glad our vet only charged $5 to put our hamster down.
I think I would have asked my Doc dad to come over and quickly break it's neck. (I've seen him do it lots of times with one caught one in a trap.) THen I would have told the kids it was at Grandpa's getting better. Then bought another mouse that next day. But then my dad took care of all the lab mice at the U.
Now we have a dog. He had a red ear. $85 for visit and meds. (Turns out the med was animal neosporin for an allergy to the tune of $20. Another $20 for the meds that make him stop eating his own poop.) That was after the monthly grooming bill of $55.
At least you didn't have to go through Rabies shots.
I love this story! Mark, I'm sure you have now been nominated for sainthood in Mouse Heaven. That is totally worth $150.
UPDATE:
The mouse is probably pregnant.
There really aren't words to describe this situation.
I was just going to ask how the little thing was... Seems you may have a replacement soon. ANd it was free... except you'll have to separate the male from the female and that will require another cage? And then the males babies in a third cage in a short two weeks or they will all be daddies. Ah mice.
I should say that the last comment by Jenga was actually by me.
Not that it matters much.
But, really, I'm beside myself.
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