Mouse with "tumor" on leg

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Isabella Whateva

Isabella Whateva

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
560
Location
Virginia
Hey guys
My little sister has four mice, and my mom said the other day she noticed one of them has a large bump that looks like a tumor on its front leg. She says the mouse doesn't seem to be in pain since there is no change in behavior even when she touches the bump.

Anyone have experience with this in the past? Do you think we should take the mouse to the vet? Would a normal vet even look at a mouse, or is it not worth the money?

I haven't had a chance to take a look at it myself yet, since I'm away at school but I figured I'd ask the animal experts :))
 
in my personal opinion i wouldnt bring a mouse to the vet , they just arent worth it...i had a dwarf gerbil or something like that lol that had a large tumor on its belly. i just let it live its little life with me until he passed...
 
Yeah I mean, I feel like the only reason we would bring it to the vet would be to have it euthenized if it really was in pain. It doesn't look like it's in pain, but I know with chins they sometimes hide it if they're hurting since they're a prey animal.
 
Yeah, I hate to say it, but I would just let it be. I have mice as pets and as feeder animals, and I wouldn't take them to a vet. It sounds cruel, but if something really bad happens to them (like a prolapse) then I humanely kill them. If it is something like a tumor, I would just leave it alone. Mice only live a max of a few years anyway, so is it really worth it to spend that much money on them at a vet? I personally dont think so...my chin on the other hand....the vet is def first :))
 
I am shocked at the responses so far from supposed "animal lovers." The size and original cost of an animal should not dictate whether or not you take it to the vet. When you bring an animal into your home you are making a commitment to care for that animal for it's lifetime, this includes veterinary care. If you are not prepared to provide it with veterinary care, then you need to rethink having animals in your life. Animals, no matter their size, are not disposable.
 
Menagerie, you beat me to replying to this thread.

I have 8 hamsters and have taken 7 of them to the vet before. They are my pets and no matter how big or small they are, they worth my care and money, there's no such thing as "not worth it." You bought/adopted these animals in the first place, so you should have thought about the consequences are, including necessary and required vet trips.

I've had a hamster that has experienced a severe prolapse, and some that have had cancers. They all deserve a pain-free life & that's why I took them to the vet. If they still look active, I don't dare put them down as they also do not feel it's time for them to go yet.

Rats, hamsters, and even chinchillas are good in masking their pain.
However, cancers and tumors are prevalent in smaller rodents such as hamsters & rats.
If the mouse can still go about doing his/her daily activities with no difficulty, I'd say leave it alone as surgeries for small rodents are risky. If not, might be worth to ask for a proper expert's opinion (i.e. a vet's opinion) whether the mouse's leg needs to be amputated or not.
 
Wow people. You would let an animal just sit there in pain even if it was just a mouse? It isn't worth it? What makes you think that? The fact that it's tiny? That it's cheap? A sugar glider is tiny, but people bring them to the vet all the time. Why? Because you paid more for it? Should we not bring a free dog or cat to the vet because we didn't pay anything for them? Oh wait, they are larger so it's worth it.

A tumor on the leg has got to cause pain, just from the size alone. Something that looks large to you has to feed even larger on something as small as a mouse.

I've brought a hamster to the vet to be put down before and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. If you don't want to bring an animal to the vet, don't own the animal. At least bring the mouse to the vet to be put down. Don't let them live out the rest of their little lives in pain.
 
There is no way I could let an animal sit and be potentially in pain when there is something wrong- be it a mouse, chinchilla, dog, horse, cat, bird, whatever. It is still a living, breathing, feeling being. I find it sad to say that just because it is a mouse and doesn't live long, it is not "worthy" of a pain free and healthy life.

I would and have taken a mouse to the vet. I had him humanely put to sleep so he would not live out the rest of his life in pain.
 
Yikes guys... I never said it wasn't worth it... I'm more than willing to take him to the vet, that's why I came here to ask for advice. I guess I worded my post wrong. The main part of my question would be where to take it. Would a regular vet see a mouse? Or would I have to find one that specializes. I'm aware of an animal hospital that I can take my chin to for emergencies, but its extremely far away and I'd rather not take the mouse there unless it was, in fact, an emergency.

My sister loves these mice and I would never just "let one die" simply because it was cheaper than our other animals.
 
Isabella, my reply was more to the people who said it wasn't worth it to bring the animal to the vet, not to you for asking for advice. Any vet that sees rodents would work if you are bringing the animal to be seen. If you are just bringing the mouse in to be humanely euthanized, any vet can do it.
 
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Thanks, essentia :)) there isn't really much they can do for a tumor though, is there? Hopefully they could at least tell me if he was in pain or not. Any idea how much it would cost to get him checked out?
 
I brought my mouse to the vet to get it x-rayed and found out in had a tumor in its knee, bone cancer. There was nothing they could do nonetheless. I agree with what the posters are saying about the size of an animal not dictating whether it recieves treatment or not but I think in the case of a mouse, there just isn't a lot of things a vet can do for it. They can't take blood/urine, they may not be able to operate, it's hard to keep them still for x-rays etc. Maybe that's what people were referring to when they said it isn't worth it. There's little diagnostic testsing and treatment they can do.

Personally, it was completely worth it for me to bring my mouse to my vet, even though it almost cost me $100. I found out what he had and where he was hurting so I could manage his pain better. If you talk to the vet they may bring the price down some.
 
i typed 3 different replies and than deleted....

i think your sister should take him to the vet & at least find out what is wrong and and if he is in pain or it is incurable, she can decide to euthanize.
 
Well, she's eight years old haha. So the decision is more up to my mom and me, but I get what you're saying. We'll call around and see who will agree to see the mouse at a reasonable price
 
There really isn't too much that a vet can do for a mouse (as in actual treatment). I was speaking more along the lines of people just letting the animal live its life with a massive stomach tumor, leg tumor, etc. Rodents often don't show that it is in pain because that's what they are programmed to do. It's still engraved in them that if they show pain, they get eaten first. Small rodents do sometimes get cancer, which is most likely what this tumor is. The vet can a least look at the mouse and let you know what he thinks is the best option for it. If he can't do anything (which is most likely the case), then it may be time to let it go so that it isn't in any pain.
 
Right. This is probably a silly question, but there's no way this is going to affect the health of the other mice, right?
 
well if it is a tumor......no.

without seeing what it is, kinda hard to say, but the chances are probably slim unless it is a fungus.
 
i work at petco - and to our standard of animal care-any and every sick/injured animal sees a vet. we have had mice fixed, had tumors removed, had tails docked due to broken tails, checked for parasites, prolapse rectums fixed, and several male-mice war wounds healed and even had a few broken legs splinted and healed.

i think people think if its not a cat or dog there isn't a vet to treat it. i can say that once i inform them of exotic vets, some do actually get an animal treated. in our case at work fixable issues are resolved. it drives me up a wall when customers at work who own animals think "o its just a (fill in the blank ranges from mice, lizards, birds to even dogs and cats), why does it need to see a vet?" yes. if u take in an animal you take on the full care of it including vet care.
 
if you all took offense then sorry but its my personal opinion...its a mouse, there is not ALOT you can do for a mouse.....but let it live its life and hope that you can make it happy....seriously
 
Or you can actually pay a little bit of money to put it out of its misery. There is absolutely no reason to let any animal, not matter how large or small, suffer just so that it can live out its life and be "happy".

You're breeding, correct? A kit isn't much larger than a mouse. In your opinion, since a vet also can't do that much for a kit, should you not bring it to the vet either? And if you are about to say that's different, I then am curious as to why it is different.
 
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