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moral dilemma?

PumpkinPunk

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Hey guys,
One of my roomates has pet mice and yesterday I noticed a large lump on the side of one of them and I think it might be a tumer. So I pointed this out to my roomate and he's like "yeah it probably is a tumer, they're common because pet mice are so in-bred". I asked if he would take it to the vet to get it treated or euthanized and he refused, claiming it's just a mouse and he'd rather "let nature take it's course" than pay to have it put to sleep. I can't stand the fact that he doesn't take care of his pets, so my question is, should I just take it to the vet without telling him or get into another argument without him about his lack of responsibility (we've already been in a few)? :( It beaks my heart when people get pets and don't care for them...
 

bubbleguine

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I have asked my family and they said it is not your so do not take it to the vet. Also no offense i like animals but it is a mouse so it cost like $2.00. So let him do what he wants, but that is only my opinion.
 

PumpkinPunk

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The cost of the mouse is not my concern; Some people would say the same about your guinea pig ("it's only $20"), would you just sit by and "let nature take it's course" if your pig got sick and you knew about it? My point is that I don't see any need to let an animal suffer due to a neglectful owner.
 

*Piglets-Angel*

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I agree with you %100 PumpkinPunk it does NOT matter how much it cost you shouldnt just leave it there to die, if you were a mouse and someone said "it only cost $2 so just let it die and i'll get another one" its just not like that. Now Im not trying to be mean im just telling you that it doesn't matter how much it cost, and you shouldnt let it die.
 

bubbleguine

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But I mean it really is only a mouse I know you must not like animals suffering but I would never take a mouse to a vet. But I would take a gp because he is more important to me then a mouse. So your roommate must not care about a mouse but i bet if it was a dog or something he would have run straight to the vet because dogs are a mans best friend. I total understand pigletangel that you aren't being mean and neither am i trying to be so please dont take what is have to say offensive and i hope u r not. But pumpkinpunk you can't/shouldn't take the mouse to the vet if your roommate does not want to take it to a vet and that is why i say just let nature take its course. REMEMBER PLEASE i am not trying to start a fight or be mean to animals cause i love animals so please don't be pissed at what i say.
 

bunnyluv17

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I agree that the cost of the pet should not matter; but the vet won't be able to operate on the mouse. Is the mouse suffering at all? Tumors are not usually painful and unless the tumor is getting in the way of the mouse's normal activity I would let him live out the rest of his life. If the mouse is visibly suffering, then you could take him to the vet to be put to sleep. Our dog has many small tumors on his body, we had a couple of them tested and they are non cancerous; he is perfectly fine living with the tumors because they don't interfere with his quality of life.
 

Slap Maxwell

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A GUINEA PIG MORE IMPORTANT THAN A MOUSE? Bubbleguine, stop it. That's like saying white people are more important than latino people. It just dosn't make sence, and it's not true.
 

bubbleguine

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No slap-maxwell like mice or important too but i feel a guinea pig is more important in my life than a mouse since it is my sisters.
 

PumpkinPunk

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bunnyluv17 said:
I agree that the cost of the pet should not matter; but the vet won't be able to operate on the mouse. Is the mouse suffering at all? Tumors are not usually painful and unless the tumor is getting in the way of the mouse's normal activity I would let him live out the rest of his life. If the mouse is visibly suffering, then you could take him to the vet to be put to sleep. Our dog has many small tumors on his body, we had a couple of them tested and they are non cancerous; he is perfectly fine living with the tumors because they don't interfere with his quality of life.
I asked some people in my primate lab about it today and they said the same thing. I thought that a tumer would be painful but if it is not having negative consequences than I agree that there is no need to have it euthanized. The thought of trying to treat it seemed a bit unrealistic to me, so if I did bring it in to the vet it would be to have it euthanized. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it seems bothered at all. So far the only thing I've noticed is that it can't scratch behind one of its ears because the tumer is just a little behind its neck and it can't reach around it. That doesn't seem too terrible, though. Anyways, I appreciate all the input from everyone, thanks.
 

RubyPiggie2

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bubbleguine said:
No slap-maxwell like mice or important too but i feel a guinea pig is more important in my life than a mouse since it is my sisters.
Since it's your sisters? Since it's this guys mouse? What if this mouse was yours, or what if it was your guinea pig.

but it is a mouse so it cost like $2.00.
That right there is practically saying that they don't matter. If I had a mouse that was suffering, I'd take him to the vet so he could die peacefully.
Also, why are you even posting in this thread? PumpkinPunk is concerned about this mouse, and you're talking about how they aren't important.

But I mean it really is only a mouse I know you must not like animals suffering but I would never take a mouse to the vet.
slap_maxwell is very correct. Just stop saying those types of things. Every post you post you say a mouse isn't as important as a guinea pig, or it only costs $2.00.

PumpkinPunk, I'd only take this mouse to a vet if you could tell he/she was suffering. . . Is the mouse with another mouse? Just wondering, I don't think so, but can tumors be spread? :/
 

PumpkinPunk

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RubyPiggie2 said:
PumpkinPunk, I'd only take this mouse to a vet if you could tell he/she was suffering. . . Is the mouse with another mouse? Just wondering, I don't think so, but can tumors be spread? :/
The mouse is in with another, but if it's a tumer I'm pretty sure it won't spread, as generally (I think?) tumers imply cancer which is not contagious (sp?). Please correct me if I'm wrong..
 

tinkerbell

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Are you serious?

Cancer is deffinitle NOT contagis!!! the only place that it can be spred to is in side the persons body that the cancer in already in.

I'm sorry about this mouse but I have to agree with somes of the other people that have posted already: it is a mouse we are talking about here, I'm sure that everyone here that at one time or another in there live has caught a mouse in a mouse trap before. you may not have had to deal with it, look at it , or dispose of it but it happens. Life should go on. I don't want to step on anybodies toes her but lets be real. I'm sure that if the roommate was concered about the well fair of the mouse and thought that if it was in pain, I think that he would have dealt with it, in the most appropreat manner.

Now I don't want people saying that I'm healtless or that it's just like a guinea pig, beacuse to me its not the same. I'm an active member of PETA and I have been with there group in supporting alot of what they do for the past 3.5 years.
Every one lives a different live and we just have to accept it and live our own. For example my best friend for 5 years is also a apart of PETA and does the most she can to help save the lives of animals from all harm but she has lived a very different live then most of us. !!!!!!!!!HER FAMILY EATS RABBITS!!!!!!!!!!Gross I know! don't worrie every time I go over there I bring along a big bag of extra treats for them and they are not miss treated at all. They actually live better live then most pet store rabbits, they have a HUGE field that they live in during the summer and in the winter they have a heated barn to go in side when ever they want,. Don't worrie I HAVE NEVER EATEN ANY RABBIT!!! I'm actualy starting to go vegitarien and even before I thought about going veg. I have never eated any rabbit. To my they are pets and I have never thought other wise.I hate tyhe fact that in the end they are served as dinner and I tell them that every time I go over there. her mom doesn't eat meat either ( she doesn't like it) but she is the one to cook it as the men in the household don't know how. (very old fashion in that men in women are to be treated -in someways any ways) Her family has been doing this for over7 generations! I don't think there's much we can do what they do and as much as we try there is nothing that can be done to change peoples lives and the way they view the lives of others.

I love my giunea pigs and I take VERY good care of my other animals ( one dog -My baby-, and two cats, also two fish tanks) I have to pay for there vet bills ( the last one being over 200 dollars- my cat went into renal falure after being spayed) I will continue to take care of them for as long as they live.


please don't bash what I've said I have just wanted to get this off my chest since I started to read this thread and all of the stuff I have said is true and we all just have to accept the fact that everyone values the lives of others different then we would like to accept.

sorry if you are offened by any thing that I may have said.
 

PumpkinPunk

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I'm not offended by what anyone has said. I posted here to get different opinions from other animal people, which is exactly what I got. If I only wanted one-sided opinions that confirmed what I was originally thinking, I probably wouldn't have bothered to post and just gone on what I thought. I have decided not to take the mouse to the vet, at least not yet. I am keeping an eye on it, and I have heard from people more knowledgable than myself that tumers are not always painful, so as long as the mouse is not exhibiting any abnormal behavior or distress, I see no reason to have it euthanized. If things change, then I will probably either talk to my roomate about the condition or do something about it myself. Thanks to everyone for your replies.
Oh, and tinkerbell, I don't think eating rabbit is wrong or gross. Actually, it sounds like they have much better lives than most of the animals the general meat-eating population eats. Personally, I would love to raise my own food animals when I get my farm; that way I'd know 100% that they were properly cared for during their lives, and humanely slaughtered. I'm not against eating meat, just industrial farming.
 

tinkerbell

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thanks for reading my VERY long post. I know that I didn't help you much proberly but I thought that I would at least try.

I don't think that eating meat is gross it's just that I have always grown up with rabbits being pet, not dinner and mice being pests not pets. I too would love to own my own farm someday and would also like to raise my own animals but I don't think that I would be able to do my own slaughting. I just wouldn't be able to do something like that. It's not wrong or anything- it's the way live is and that's that, but I just wouldn't be able to bring myself to do that.

It's good to know that the little mouse has someone looking out for it and if your roommate doesn't notice that he's suffering then at least you will and you will also then be able to help him make a dicision aswhat to do.
 

RubyPiggie2

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tinkerbell said:
mice being pests not pets
Well, PumpkinPunk is seeing this mouse as a pet, not a pest, so she dosen't need people telling her that mice aren't that important.

Cancer is deffinitle NOT contagis!!!
Thanks, I was being a little mixed up there. I know it isn't contagious (even before I read your post), but I was just being... eh.

its a mouse we are talking about here,
Why does everyone keep saying that?! If PunpkinPunk thinks this mouse is important, don't tell her that it isn't! Mice are just as important as guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, at least to me. I might be weird, but I think every living life is important in that respect. That life may make no impact, little impact, or a huge impact on another life, but no matter what it is important.

PumpkinPunk, I think you're doing the right thing, watching out for the mouse incase it becomes obvious that it is in pain. Hopefully you don't have to take it to the vet.
 

tinkerbell

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I'm sorry if it seems like I don't care for the little gut because I do! It's not very nice for the little thing to have to suffer if it dosn't need to. I was just stating my opion. sorry again if you were offened.

Sometimes I'm alittle "eh" too, don't worry about it.

sorry yet again for the "rudeness" (if that's what you want to call it) I didn't mean to upset any one. (especially today--EASTER!)


----------------HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE-------------------
 

mncavylover

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"It's only a human, let's just let nature take it's course..."

That's what went through my mind when I was reading this. :) I do believe my point has been made.
 

tinkerbell

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I'm sorry but what is your point? is it good then that the mouse is just a mouse or not. I'm sorry also if it's clear but i'm a little confused :/
 

mncavylover

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It's fine, I was saying that it's sort of, well, "species-ist" to say something like, "It's just a mouse" so I gave an example of something that would relate to humans. Most everybody would think saying, "It's only a human, ..." is bad. I think we need to realize that all life should be equal, not based off of mere monetary value. Sorry if that was unclear, I'm sure you're not the only one who had questions. Thanks for asking! :)
 

tinkerbell

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Thanks for clearing that up for me. I do belive that all life is equal but when it comes down to it I belive that a humane life is more important then a mouses. (very sorry if that seems rude or heartless)
 
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