Pinky and the brain..

[tgsachris]

So it's been a about a year since I got my cute little mice Pinky and the Brain. I don't post often, but yeah...
I need advice, to put it bluntly they are both dying and idk what to do.
Pinky, my cute little white mouse with pink eyes has some sort of growth on her forehead, I took her to the vet and the vet told me she wasn't 100% sure what it was but the best course of action was probably to surgically remove it since it's so close to her vital bits.

The problem is I can't afford the $200+ it would take to do so, so I am resigned to just trying to keep her comfortable until it happens. I was hoping the growth would turn out to be nothing but, well it grew, like the vet said it probably would, and Pinky has been slowly deteriorating.

As of now it doesn't appear like she is in any pain but she is moving slower, less often, and her motor skills are dropping. She can barely eat at this point and im frightened. I can't get the surgery done now, especially not after brain, but I don't want her to just sit and suffer. Should I put her down? Should I wait it out? Idk what to do.

Brain, my little black mouse is a different story, she was fine, but at some point Pinky lashed out at her (She has squeaked at her in the past but nothing like this)
she bit her right ear leaving a gash and it got infected.

I took brain to the vet as well and got her antibiotics but she absolutely refuses to eat them. So her infection is slowly getting worse. Im at a loss, Like with Pinky she doesn't appear to be in pain (besides scratching once in a while) but idk what to do, I don't want to wait until it gets horrible, I don't want to rush and put her down either, she refuses to eat the antibiotics so there is nothing I can do x.x (she also stops eating when i separate her from her sister so if Pinky does go she will die too...)

Any advice? I am seriously at a loss here

[alpacassei]

Honestly, rodents are pretty good at hiding pain so its hard t otell whether or not she’s hurting and if you cant afford the surgry, it might be time to say goodbye, i’m so sorry.

For now, she might eat better if you soak her food in water so its soft and doesnt take as much strength to eat, you can also feed her plain porridge.

If Brain’s refusing to take the antibiotics in food then you could try putting them in her water, just measure the dosage by how much of the bottle she drinks a day and multiply it. Its not ideal, but if she’s not taking them in food, theres not many options. If you havent already, she might eat it mixed into a little bit of porridge, especially if you add a little honey. Antibiotics are quite bitter so disguising the taste in something sweet might work.

Bathe the wound in salt water solution to clean it and that will help clear the infection faster. Mix half a teaspoon of salt with cool boiled water and use a q-tip to clean her

[tgsachris]

Porridge? I never thought of that, I guess it just never occured to me that antibiotics would be gross <_< it's worth a shot. We have loads of honey sitting around too. Ty for the suggestion

Also to clarify Pinky isn't, not eating, as much as I will hand her food... and she just drops it and seemingly forgets about it, sniffing and walking around in circles until I give her more, I have to sit and watch her to make sure she remembers, I guess she, has food and eats it. Then she eats it up like normal. It's the same food/fruit snacks I have always given her