Thick Ears

by Brynne Fri 22 Jul 2016, 6:12 am

Has anyone ever heard of swelling within a mouse's external ears (pinna?) This a new one for me!
My dear Lorca is 28 months old. That's as old as my mice get, so I realise that her body is starting to fail. For several weeks, she has been slowly swelling all over. Yet she is as happy as ever- playing, grooming Sarah Jane, eating, drinking, producing normal waste. She bruxed with me a couple of days ago when I had her on my shoulder. She surprised me with a few hours of tandem jogging on the wheel.

For a week now, the skin on the underside of her tail and netherregions has been red from the swelling and a bit dry. Now her ears have the symptoms as well. They are getting a bit dry and flaky on the outermost layer of skin and are reddish from the swelling inside.

What do you think? Heart failure? Nutrient deficiency?

by scaredymouse Fri 22 Jul 2016, 7:41 am

huh... that's unusual for sure. either heart failure or kidney failure would cause swelling but that is usually dependent swelling in the legs, feet, lungs or abdomen... not the ears! Does she have any other symptoms like shortness of breath or fatigue? those are the other big symptoms that come with heart failure and sometimes kidney failure.

then there are allergies, ear infection, or ear mites. is she scratching, shaking her head or any discharge?

as far as the tail and nether bits, that sounds consistent with organ failure. poor lorca, that sounds uncomfortable. i wonder if something like dandelion root might help her be more comfortable... dandelions are safe and also natural diuretics which decrease swelling and can also help with eczema. they sell organic bulk dandelion root at whole foods. I've been getting all kinds of herbs for the chinchillas, they love all kinds of funny stuff like bee pollen, hibiscus flowers, chamomile, lavender, dandelion root, rosehips, and goji berries! they are strange little creatures Bouncy

by Brynne Fri 22 Jul 2016, 6:56 pm

I'll offer her some dandelion root tonight, thanks!

I'm pretty sure that ALL of her skin has gone this way, but the rest is covered in fur so it doesn't have the dramatic visual effect.

by Brynne Thu 25 Aug 2016, 2:19 am

Strange update on this. I thought that Lorca's skin was going to stretch and start to tear, but the opposite happened. The skin turned thick and leathery. So the thick ears had nothing to with fluid being trapped, it was the skin itself that was growing!

I think she has skin cancer, where the entire skin is cancerous. The fur on her bottom and snout has mostly fallen out. I'm surprised her breathing passages, urethra, etc are all still working. So far, they seem unaffected. She's lost a few grams, but still comes out for playground time every night, still jogs on the wheel, and still eats- Eating has always been her favourite pastime!