My mouse has a wound. How can I prevent infection and help it heal?

Poor Hasbrown! I can see where he has some healing wounds on his rump, which is a common place that mice attack each other. The good news is that the wounds seem to be healing and there does not appear to be any sign of infection. You can gently trim his nails to prevent any further trauma and apply SSD (silver sulfadiazene) ointment to the area once a day.

Keep him separated, warm and as stress free as possible. Minor wounds can be cleaned with Betadine or chlorhexidine. A triple antibiotic ointment can be applied once or twice daily. Make sure he continues to eat and drink. Keep his cage clean. If he does not heal, loses his appetite or becomes lethargic then have him examined by your veterinarian. Contact the local humane society for information regarding low cost or no cost clinics and charities to help defray costs. Friends or family members can also be asked to help out if necessary.

Just make sure to keep an eye on it and try to clean it very gently at least once a day with warm water and a mild soap, you can use a gauze pad to do this. Dry it carefully and then apply your topical treatment. However, if this stresses him out too much, just continue as you have been doing. Make sure his toes stay pink and warm and he keeps getting better. If anything at all changes for the worse, swelling, weeping wound, loss of appetite or activity level, if his toes change color or get cold, get him back in to see your vet right away. It sounds like you're doing a good job caring for his injury.

Hi there! Fur mites are relatively common in mice, especially if they are from a pet store. There are other conditions that can cause hair loss and skin lesions, but many times the most damage done is self-inflicted. I strongly suggest trimming little Rosy's rear toenails if you can, especially if the skin lesion is at a location that she can scratch at (like the back of her neck, or between the shoulder blades). A tiny scissor or a human fingernail trimmer is good for this. In albino mice, you should be able to see the small, pink vein in the nail - avoid cutting past this. If you do accidentally nick a toenail, don't worry - a small bit of corn starch should stop this up. In a pinch, scratching a bleeding nail on a bar of soap can help, too. Usually, simply putting pressure on it for a minute or so is enough to stop the bleeding, too. Once her nails are trimmed, I suggest cleaning up any skin lesions with a mild soap and water solution, then placing a protective ointment (like the antibiotic ointment you have) on the lesion before applying the mite spray. Most rodent mites live in the fur, so protecting the skin lesions shouldn't decrease the effectiveness of the mite treatment. Do avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth, and follow the directions on the box or bottle carefully. If the toenail trim and mite treatment doesn't help, it might be time to visit the vet to check for ringworm. This is unlikely, but possible, especially if the skin lesions have a crusty or flaky center. Be sure to practice good handwashing after handling Rosy as ringworm is contagious to humans. Good luck, and I do hope that Rosy recovers quickly!

Thanks for reaching out. Scratching to the point of bleeding and wounds, is likely fur mites, which are difficult to see with the naked eye. A veterinary visit is recommended to take a skin scraping and examine under the microscope. If positive, both mice need to be treated. Good luck.

It doesn't look badly infected to me, just monitor it, it should get smaller every day, if it starts to grow or to look more red and moist, then it's likely to be infected, in that case you will need to take her to the vet in order to get an antibiotic course.

I can see that the wound is moist and there is a scab in the center..An abscess is likely to be raised and closed, and this wound appears rather open. Because the wound is large, it may take several days to heal, but I can see that it is beginning to close. If you are concerned that Hashbrown is uncomfortable, you can always bring her to a vet for pain medication and antibiotics. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!