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Injured Mouse - Please help

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  • 13-08-2010 7:08pm
    #1
    nalorac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20 ✭


    I am writing this frantically, my dog caught an adult mouse today which I managed to get off him. Think it is a door mouse as he looks like the ones you see in the pet shop. The prob is he appears to have broken his back leg even (and I hope not) his both back legs. I can't seem to get information on how to help him anywhere. People have mostly laughed at me because he is a wild mouse.
    He is currently in a shoe box with a lid filled with grass which I have place on a hot water bottle. He drank some water from a soda cap and showed some interest in a piece of cherry but in the past few minutes has begun to squeek and is trying to move around
    Does anyone know any wildlife places I could call? I dont want him to suffer. It's so so sad. When I lived in UK I found a injured baby squirrell and there was a choice of wildlife sanctuaries to take him to its just awful over here, I don't know what to do for him.

    Anyone any ideas, no smart ar$es please as I'm upset and don't need it


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    #2
    Random
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    try calling the local vet for advice?


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    #3
    Sue85
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Sue85


    You should take him to your nearest small animal vet.. Im assuming they would have experience of working with mice,gerbils,hamsters etc. I hope they can do something for him


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    #4
    Interceptor
    Registered Users Posts: 3,180 ✭✭✭Interceptor


    +1 on the vet - mostly they will treat wild animals f.o.c if you don't make a habit out of bringing them in. Don't dawdle - if it gets infected or inflamed it will be in a lot of pain.

    'cptr


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    #5
    maryxyz
    Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭maryxyz


    What about phoning the DSPCA (Dublin Society for prevention of cruelty to animals) ? They came and took an injured pigeon away a couple of months ago

    Maryxyz


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    #6
    Sigma Force
    Registered Users Posts: 5,132 ✭✭✭Sigma Force


    Is it a field mouse or a dormouse?

    This site might help, can't see dormice listed but here's the link http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/


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    #7
    convert
    Registered Users Posts: 9,338 ✭✭✭convert


    If it looks like both the mouse's hind legs are broken, then there could be a chance that your dog has broken the mouse's back. I've seen it happen a few times. It's to do with the way the dog catches and bites the mouse.

    As mentioned above, your best bet would be to try and see if you could get a small animal vet to treat it. They're the best person to advise you, and can also put the mouse of its pain, if necessary. However, given that it's probably in quite a lot of pain and shock if it's squeaking, it may not last the night.


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    #8
    anniehoo
    Registered Users Posts: 6,596 ✭✭✭anniehoo


    Maybe contacting some on here might be able to help.


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    #9
    Sue85
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Sue85


    Let me know how it works out, iv been thinking about it all evening.


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    #10
    bad2dabone
    Registered Users Posts: 6,333 ✭✭✭bad2dabone


    my cat brought home a mouse recently in a very bad way, I'm afraid nothing could be done for the little guy as he was really quite injured. I had to put him out of his misery, I was gutted.


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    #11
    nalorac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20 ✭nalorac


    Hi all, Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately the little guy didn't make it through the night. His back seemed to be broken because he couldn't move both his back legs. I made him as comfortable as possible, he was kept warm and hopefully he was in too much shock to really know what was going on.
    I tried calling a 24hr vet he wasn't very helpful and said that it was,quote - 'going to die anyway and if I wanted to pay the €60 call out fee it was up to me'. :eek: I was shocked! I live in quite an isolated part of Cavan so hadn't many vets I could call - most deal with livestock etc.

    It's insane really because I found a Hare on the road last year who also had a broken back but was still alive I kept him out of pain with cat pain meds until I could get him to a vet next day and the vet charged me for euthanising the poor animal then slapped a consultation fee on top of it too. Never ceases to amaze me!

    Thanks again for your help, nice to know people care as much as I do.
    A life is a life...


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    #12
    nalorac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20 ✭nalorac


    anniehoo wrote: »
    Maybe contacting some on here might be able to help.


    Thanks for this too, I'm going to keep it handy for future ref.


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    #13
    Welruc
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Welruc


    nalorac wrote: »
    It's insane really because I found a Hare on the road last year who also had a broken back but was still alive I kept him out of pain with cat pain meds until I could get him to a vet next day and the vet charged me for euthanising the poor animal then slapped a consultation fee on top of it too. Never ceases to amaze me!

    Why would you expect the vet to do it for free? :confused:


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    #14
    nalorac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20 ✭nalorac


    deuceswild wrote: »
    Why would you expect the vet to do it for free? :confused:


    I don't expect the vet to do it completely free it is after all his or her job, but to me it doesnt make sense to have to pay a consultation fee, medicines fee and a call out fee for an animal found injured or a wild animal. The vet I contacted could only confirm the 60 euro call out and didnt know how much extra the meds would be. I would be fine with paying for one or the other but in the case of the injured Hare it cost me €94 in the end which I couldn't afford but definately wasn't going to leave him on the road!

    The vet at the shelter I volunteer at now (on holls, so couldn't go to her in the mouses case) will treat wild animals, feral cats etc but just asks for the cost of the medicines to be covered because she says it is a wild animal so therefore not your financial responsibility. I know many people will disagree with this but if I had the veterinary knowledge and skills I would do the same for the care of the animal and not the financial reward.


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    #15
    ISDW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,378 ✭✭✭ISDW


    deuceswild wrote: »
    Why would you expect the vet to do it for free? :confused:

    Why not? The OP didn't own the animals, they found them injured and tried to treat them humanely, why would a vet not do the same? I'm sure that if the OP had the required medical training, they would have treated the animal, but unfortunately they don't, so asked a professional to help out. Why should everything be about money, should a vet not have some kind of obligation to treat an animal if they can, without making a profit out of it? I know that my local vet would have treated them without charging, as I know they have stopped at the side of the road themselves to help injured wildlife without feeling the need to send a bill to anybody.


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    #16
    turbobaby
    Closed Accounts Posts: 927 ✭✭✭turbobaby


    ISDW wrote: »
    Why not? The OP didn't own the animals, they found them injured and tried to treat them humanely, why would a vet not do the same? I'm sure that if the OP had the required medical training, they would have treated the animal, but unfortunately they don't, so asked a professional to help out. Why should everything be about money, should a vet not have some kind of obligation to treat an animal if they can, without making a profit out of it? I know that my local vet would have treated them without charging, as I know they have stopped at the side of the road themselves to help injured wildlife without feeling the need to send a bill to anybody.

    Very well said.


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    #17
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    Alot of vets will not charge for treating wild animals....


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    #18
    Welruc
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Welruc


    If the vet stopped at the side of the road to treat the animal then thats their choice, but bringing a wild animal into a vets clinic or asking that they do a call out and then expecting them to treat the animal for free is a bit much.
    ISDW wrote: »
    Why should everything be about money, should a vet not have some kind of obligation to treat an animal if they can, without making a profit out of it?.

    If they started working without making a profit they wouldn't last very long.
    What would happen if they got lots of wild animals in every day?


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    #19
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    deuceswild wrote: »
    If the vet stopped at the side of the road to treat the animal then thats their choice, but bringing a wild animal into a vets clinic or asking that they do a call out and then expecting them to treat the animal for free is a bit much.



    If they started working without making a profit they wouldn't last very long.
    What would happen if they got lots of wild animals in every day?
    I agree with your first point.

    However not too many wild animals will be brought to the vet.


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    #20
    ISDW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,378 ✭✭✭ISDW


    deuceswild wrote: »
    If the vet stopped at the side of the road to treat the animal then thats their choice, but bringing a wild animal into a vets clinic or asking that they do a call out and then expecting them to treat the animal for free is a bit much.



    If they started working without making a profit they wouldn't last very long.
    What would happen if they got lots of wild animals in every day?

    I think that they would cope with the amount of animals that they would be paid for. I'm not going to bash vets and say that they are all rich, they work very hard for their money I know, but I've honestly not yet met a poor vet. Do they not take some kind of hypocratic oath to treat animals? So one animal that can be paid for is worth saving from pain, but another that can't pay a bill isn't? Would you expect a vet not to treat a dog lets say that was found at the side of the road after being hit by a car? If someone brought the dog to the vet and it had no id or microchip, would you consider it okay then for the vet to say no, take it away and let it die in agony? I would hope that they would be struck off if they did that.


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    #21
    Welruc
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Welruc


    ISDW wrote: »
    Would you expect a vet not to treat a dog lets say that was found at the side of the road after being hit by a car? If someone brought the dog to the vet and it had no id or microchip, would you consider it okay then for the vet to say no, take it away and let it die in agony? I would hope that they would be struck off if they did that.

    I would expect the vet to treat the dog but i would also expect the person who brought the dog to the vet to pay for the treatment. If you find a dog at the side of the road then its your choice to help it or not.

    Im sure there are plenty of animals put to sleep because their treatments would be too expensive. How many humans are suffering because they cannot afford certain treatments let alone wild animals?

    What is there to stop me bringing one of my dogs to the vet saying its a stray so treat it for free?


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    #22
    ISDW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,378 ✭✭✭ISDW


    deuceswild wrote: »
    I would expect the vet to treat the dog but i would also expect the person who brought the dog to the vet to pay for the treatment. If you find a dog at the side of the road then its your choice to help it or not.

    Im sure there are plenty of animals put to sleep because their treatments would be too expensive. How many humans are suffering because they cannot afford certain treatments let alone wild animals?

    What is there to stop me bringing one of my dogs to the vet saying its a stray so treat it for free?

    Because obviously you're a responsible dog owner, and its microchipped, so the vet would be able to tell its your dog:D

    If you did that, the dog would obviously stay at the vets, or go to a local rescue, so you then would lose the dog.

    Yes you are right, if I find a dog at the side of the road and its injured, it is entirely up to me whether I help it or not. And you know what, I'm glad that I'm the sort of person that would help it, and I'm glad that there are thousands of other people in this country, and a helluva lot of vets that would also help it, whether it cost them anything or not.

    BTW, putting the animal to sleep would also be a treatment, and I'm sure that a vet is under an obligation to stop suffering in an animal, so if someone brought an animal to the vet that was obviously in a lot of pain and couldn't be treated, I would expect them to put that animal to sleep humanely.

    If you want to turn this into a debate about people versus animals, then go ahead, but I won't be joining you.


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