Worried about Phoebs - **good news!**

[Emma]

Phoebe didn't go to bed last night! It's not like her at all.



I came home last night about 10.30pm, she was up & about in her cage very active. She had a run in her exercise ball whilst the rats had playtime, then the rats went back to their cage to have some dinner and Phoebe got her playtime with me - that's when I took those shoddy photos! After that she was back to her cage with dinner - just hamster mix as she still had an uneaten piece of broccoli from the day before. She also had a banana chip and had had about 4 or 5 choccy drops at playtime.



I went to bed about 1am when I went to bed she was busy stuffing her pouches and taking things to the bottom level. Woke up around 6 to go to the toilet. At 6 she was still up and about in the base of her cage. She looked funny - just standing in the corner, quite low to the floor - not sitting, lying, hunched or anything. Her pouches were chock full. She would walk slowly around the bottom of the cage, and stop in corners, but make no attempt to unpouch or go up a level. I was a bit worried that she was in pain - maybe she'd hurt a leg or something - I took her out and let her walk around on the bed, she seemed to be using all 4 limbs equally.



Now (7.45am) she's still on the bottom level, still massive pouches with no sign of anything being unpouched. Still acting a bit strange - perhaps gingerly. She looks very well and bright, anyone looking at her would say there's nothing wrong, I just know something isn't *quite* right with her. She's normally gone back to bed by now. I picked her up and put her on the top level next to her bed, she sat there still for a few minutes before shuffling back downstairs and returning to the corner-standing and looking restless.



My suspicions are she's in pain from something, or she's impacted her cheek pouch. I'm feeling very guilty as the choc drops last night were dog choc drops not hamster ones. I remember once reading that hamster ones are treated in some way so they don't melt in the pouch?



I'm not sure how long to let her unpouch before I really suspect impaction and take her in to University. I could probably get an appointment this morning for her, but it would be quite embarrassing if she merrily unpouched on the exam table (although I'd be relieved and wouldn't mind too much!). Does anyone know any other signs of impaction? My books just say that it can happen, can be assessed with radio-graphs and unimpacted with fine forceps under anesthesia.



It's just really unlike her to be awake this time in the morning, and also not usual for her to have full pouches for too long. She always fills them to the brim but only for transport, she usually unpouches as soon as she's got her cargo where it's going.



I'm such an over-protective worrying hamster mummy.

[Emma]

Ha, result. She unpouched whilst I was in the shower :) There are still two small hard lumps in her left pouch though, suspiciously drop-shaped but I think I'm feeling into things! Fingers crossed they're gone later.



Phew. You see all you have to do is tell people and then your hamster will embarrass you!

[Skwee]

teehee :lol: I'm sure she's totally fine :)



Skwee has gone for 24 hours without stopping once!! it was me in tears from lack of sleep though, not him ;) he totally wrecked his cage and food and bedding and pulled his house to bits and his wheel etc. the noise was crazy!!

[babyboos]

Is she in her new Cambridge Emma? I would put it down to an unfamiliar environment - poor wee girl will be unsure of whether to unpouch or not in case her cage changes again and she looses her stash, or because it is different to what she used to have, she hasn't quite decided where she wants her food stash to live in her new cage.



Dog and hamster choc drops should be made from the same mixture normally, but you are right about the special treatment to make them have a higher melting point than normal chocolate.

[Emma]

Dog and hamster choc drops should be made from the same mixture normally, but you are right about the special treatment to make them have a higher melting point than normal chocolate.



That's made me feel better :)



I was thinking it could just be new-cage syndrome. It's just she seemed so settled in it initially - seems to have taken her a while to realise she's in a new place!



Just come home for lunch (1pm) and she's STILL up and about, pacing around the bottom of her cage. If she was a cartoon she'd have rings around her eyes and frazzle lines coming off her. GO TO BED!!!

[souffle]

I would agree with Babyboos about the new cage thing. Maybe it's like when we move house and you can't find anything or anywhere to put your things. I think we actually mentioned this when you first suggested a new cage as being a bit stressful as some of ours have found it hard when moved i.e sleeping in the potty for days or under the wheel, digging frantically. It occasionally happens even if you put a new toy in bless their little hearts. I'm sure she will settle. Did you add some of her old bedding / sawdust to the new cage to carry her scent?

[Emma]

Yeah she had all the old litter from the other cage, topped up, and her igloo was just moved over bedding & all.



Phoebe travels with me when I go away, she has a cage at my parents house and at my boyfriend's parents. She's visited both before with no upset in settling in at the other end - she's been very steady all the time I've had her, as long as she had her food and her bed she was happy. Which is why I wasn't too concerned about a new cage being stressful, as she's fairly used to moving about.



My housemate has suggested that maybe it was rather a lot of choccy drops last night and maybe she's wired :shock:



When we came home at 5pm, she was sitting in the bottom of the cage, almost asleep, nibbling on a peanut. I picked her up gently and popped her up next to her bed, and she crawled in. Result thought I. But 30 minutes later she was up again and now she's back to pacing around the cage. She can't have slept properly for coming up 24 hours now, it's definitely at least 20.

[babyboos]

Does sound a bit peculiar Emma I don't blame you for being a bit concerned. Pouches seem fine now do they?

[Emma]

Yes pouches are completely clear now, that's one good thing. She seemed to fall asleep in a corner for a few minutes but then was up again. She's ignored the dog biscuit poking through the bars too, that's not like her! I'm just going to leave her be this evening, keep an eye on her and hope she settles down. I can only think either it's strange behaviour because of the new environment, or possibly strange behaviour because of pain? She is moving fine though nothing obvious, and is fairly bright in herself for the amount of time she's been awake.

[Emma]

She's STILL awake!! She's making me feel tired, it's definitely been at least 24 hrs now. She's not so active now though, and seems to have started to make a makeshift nest downstairs. Hopefully she'll get comfy and kip down there maybe.



I do hope she settles. There was me thinking I was being nice by getting her a bigger cage.

[babyboos]

Oh they really can make us worry - evil minxes at times. Have you tried moving her house down there?

[Emma]

Yup. Just after I posted, I moved some of her bedding down there, and she made herself a nest and went to sleep. Finally!!! When I got up this morning, she was awake but sitting in her nest quietly. Now I've come home (no lectures 11-2 today :) ) she's got up and is being very active again!! Her body clock must be all messed up. She's behaving less strangley than yesterday though, she's now using all the cage, seems to be exploring, chewing, moving things around. Yesterday it was the aimless pacing that was worrying me.



One thing - her wee has gone quite orangey - but she had half a cherry tomato yesterday so that might explain?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/funkyvixen/a8aa85e4.jpg

Yes, I am THAT sad that I will take pictures of wee when it looks interesting! I think it's probably normal, its just usually paler more creamy yellow. Don't have urinalysis sticks at home to test it which I'd like to - really should get some of those.

[Skwee]

I'll be able to post some soon if you are still worried ;) Goodness knows what I'm going to do with 50 Diastix and 50 Ketostix!

[Emma]

Thanks - although it'd be multistix I'm after, they do lots of things. I have ketostix in!!! Loopy me.



I've posted that picture on a vet website to see if I can get an expert opinion.

[babyboos]

It may be a sign of a urine infection (if reddish tint in pee is from blood) though she would look a little uncomfortable usually if she was suffering from this - it could just be the tomato, or she could be going through the menopause... Do let us know what they think.

[Emma]

Well worry got the better of me!! I got a Multistix from university and tested Phoebe's urine, it showed positive for blood and protein and also had a very low specific gravity (meaning it was very dilute). She was showing strange behaviour again - the pacing and also burying herself in litter and squirming - so she came into see a clinician at uni with me. She thought the same as me, possible urine infection, so Phoebs is on Baytril for 5 days and I also have some painkiller to give if I feel it is necessary. Phoebe has actually been behaving pretty normally since we got back so I haven't given that yet but its good knowing I have it here.



It was quite reassuring that the university vet wasn't any surer than I was about whats going on!! Fingers crossed Phoebe improves, if she's still doing this in 5 days then we go to imaging to look for pyometra or bladder stones. But I've got a gut feeling it's just mild UTI.



The vet complimented me on Phoebe's good condition :)

[babyboos]

Oh I do hope so too Emma I would be expecting more discomfort if it were bladder stones.

[souffle]

Glad to hear your mind is at rest now she is examined & on treatment. It is hard to tell what is wrong with our tinies sometimes. Get well soon Phoebe

[Emma]

Well, good news and bad news! Phoebe has improved in herself although still does not seem 100% to me, I've left her off pain medication for a few days and her behaviour is definitely improved.



However I re-checked her urine today, and it is still abnormal, in fact even more blood than last week.



We're a bit puzzled, and we're going to ultrasound her tomorrow - she doesn't need anaesthetic for this so there's very little downside. We're not quite sure what to look for though, as it's not a very common thing to do!! The ultrasound department agreed to do it though on the grounds that she doen't bite through any wires - which she had better not do as these things are worth four figures.



So, she's doing better in herself but I'm still worried :s going to try and speak to the US experts again about whether hamster urine affects dipsticks differently.

[babyboos]

Oh Emma fingers crossed, I was hoping she would be well enough to come to Birmingham at the weekend :cry: It is sounding more like stones than a UTI but the ultrasound will hopefully show something up

[Emma]

It doesn't look like she'll be able to come to Birmingham I don't think. I'm quite worried about her now - she isn't acting herself, there are still mealworms in her foodbowl from last night - they should have been scoffed by now! She's very jumpy when she's being handled (to the point where if we said anything with a harsh "s" sound in it she was jumping) and she's just in her nest all the time. The skin on her abdomen has also become slightly discoloured, which is very worrying. And she's put on weight - 166g today - her last recorded weight is 150g, that wasn't so long ago, before that she was steady around 145g.



I've spoken to an exotic vet friend of mine for some ideas, he's given me some pointers on what to look for tomorrow. We're looking at bladder, uterus and kidneys. Fingers crossed we find something treatable - even if it is treatable it may mean surgery though (hysterectomy) - something that sounds quite scary to me as a student vet, although the experienced exotic vet said he's done quite a few, they generally do quite well and the surgery isn't too difficult.



Meh it's been a stressful day, what with Phoebe, also my housemate's rat had to be PTS today leaving his brother a lone rat and we're trying to decided how/when to introduce him to my two. Also, I went to the small animal handling place at uni to see if I could borrow a female hamster to compare to Phoebe tomorrow at the scan - and I found a hamster in the most appalling state. The poor animal was dealt with, but I've made my concerns about the animal handling facility known to the person in charge and it's just all stressful to deal with :(. And I've got a test tomorrow!!! Argh.[/i]

[SnuggleHam]

Im sorry to hear about your Ham Emma * frown* I hope that you are able to determin what it is, and hopfully there will be some kind of treatment for whatever it happens to be. Ill be putting out positive thoughts for you both! *hugs*

[babyboos]

Oh thinking of you Emma, good luck for the test and the ultrasound.

[nooboo]

I hope she recovers quickly, my thoughts are with you

[Emma]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys.



Ultrasound went well - Phoebe behaved herself although was quite wriggly! We saw her bladder and it looked quite normal, fairly sludgy urine but that is normal for a hamster, there were no obvious stones. The ultrasonographer was quite happy with the kidneys too (which is a relief). There was suspicion of an enlarged uterus, which is our working hypothesis now, that she has a pyometra - an infection of her uterus meaning it is enlarged with pus. This fits with her symptoms and the information we have.



Now, treatment of choice for this is to spay her - only trouble being, finding someone willing & able to do this!!! I have to go and talk to various vets at my uni to see if anyone thinks it a feasible option. I know that the exotic vet I know in Wales would do it, but he is in Wales and at the moment Phoebe isn't.



There's also the consideration of whether it is ok to put her through a bit op with all the anaesthetic risk, recovery, stitches etc.



For now we are switching her antibiotic (had to order something in so she'll start that tomorrow) and giving that at least 7 days to work, and she can stay on pain relief for now too.



Phoebs is now tucked up back in her bed - grooming off what is left of the ultrasound gel (we got as much off as possible) and going back to sleep. Have to see if she improves over the next week.

[souffle]

Emma, I hope Phoebe gets well soon and does'nt need the op. It seems all to common in female hams which is one of the reasons we prefer males as pets having had pyo in quite a few females

[babyboos]

Oh Emma I hope you manage to find someone - I have had to go through a few operations for this condition - and it has always been successful. The Glasgow Vet School has an excellent small animal surgeon, so I feel really lucky I have them on hand. I hope you get the chance to sit in on the operation :shock:

[Emma]

Chatted with various people today and there are 2 people happy to do the op, 1 is a vet I've chatted to quite a bit about exotic things and I'd be very happy for him to do it. He also said it'd be fine for me to observe and just winked when I asked about cost!



But, *fingers crossed* won't have to worry about that. Phoebs is actually fairly bright today - she's been back on painkillers since yesterday and she does seem better on them. I looked at a urine sample under the microscope today and it seemed to have quite a lot of bacteria in it, however the dipstick results were slightly improved. So here's hoping! Got the trimeth sulph today she's starting on that tonight - I'm feeling quite hopeful.

[souffle]

She is so lucky to have your expertise on hand. Fingers crossed the antibiotics will do the trick.

[Emma]

Good news :)



I've been monitoring the blood & protein in her urine, and it's steadily been going down since the weekend. She's also been doing very well in herself, so I decided to not put her through the operation as she was improving. Today there was no blood at all in the urine :) and it was back to a normal pH as well (it had got a bit acidic). I'm very pleased!!! Going to keep monitoring but signs are good. She's still not out of the woods - she may relapse when we take her off antibiotics - but fingers crossed.



She's just got so much better since last week I didn't want to put her through the surgery.

[souffle]

Brilliant news Emma. So glad she is so much improved. Long may it continue.