After treating a sick wild mouse for free, vet tells teen boys: 'Don’t even think about taking it home'
A video on YouTube of three elementary school students bringing a sick wild mouse to an animal hospital has gained attention online, racking up over 290,000 views since it was uploaded Saturday.
The footage shows the children standing outside the clinic on July 19 with a plastic bag containing a mouse.
Worried that the 20,000 won ($15) they had was not enough to cover treatment, they asked a veterinarian who happened to be passing by, "Do we need a lot of money to treat this?"
The vet brought them to the hospital's head veterinarian, who initially hesitated. He had never treated a wild mouse before and was concerned about sanitation and infection risks, as mice are typically classified as pests.
He later explained in the video that what moved him was seeing three young children pool their money to save the small animal. "It mattered to me that they wanted to save its life," he said.
After noticing signs of hyperthermia and exhaustion, the veterinarian treated the mouse with IV fluids and glucose.
He then declined to accept the children's money, telling them to spend it instead on caring for the mouse. He offered guidance for the days ahead: to keep it away from other people and pets, wash their hands after contact and provide food and water until it recovers enough to be released back into the wild.
Closing out the video, the vet said he wanted to praise the children, adding that the story was really about "the children who cared for even the smallest of creatures and the warmth behind their action."
seoy@heraldcorp.com
