Hates us?

[cypher]

Good luck at the vets, I really hope they can sort this out for you & get her better.

[Nyxietrixx]

I'm just so scared they will have to put her down.

[cypher]

Try to take things one step at a time & (hard though it is) stay calm so you can explain things clearly to the vet & talk things over with them.

[Nyxietrixx]

Just got back from the vet. They are now telling me she has a possible abscess behind her eye and needs to take oral medication. If it hasn't gotten better by next Friday she will either need operated on or put down.

I am seeking a second opinion from my vet in my home town. The verdict has went from conjunctivitis to abscess in less than two weeks - how can that be?

[Bbhami]

I'm sorry to hear about Elsa's illness. Remain strong for her, I hope she will pull through this. I'm sending you some positive thoughts.

[cypher]

I imagine an abscess in the early stages could appear very similar to conjunctivitis, try to give the meds a chance to work before you get too worried about anything that might happen after that, it can take a while but hopefully they will work & clear the infection up.

If you have any problems giving oral meds try putting it in some baby food I've found that the easiest way to give it.

[Bertiebobbins]

I'm so sorry your little ham is poorly, I hope she gets better quickly.

I imagine the vet can say it's not conjunctivitis because it didn't respond to the treatment for that, so they'll move on to a different diagnosis. Bacterial conjunctivitis would have responded to eye drops, and I guess they'd expect a viral conjunctivitis to have started getting better by now - my small child has had it a couple of times and that was the drill.

I suppose without doing scans etc they're kind of making an educated best guess from the symptoms and progress so far.

[Thin Lizzy]

I'm saying my prayers for you and Elsa. Sending both of you hugs xxx

[Nyxietrixx]

Hi all,

Elsa isn't doing much better. She is on baytril and since starting the course doesn't seem to want to drink. We have been giving her blue berries to try and get some fluid in to her but she isn't drinking or going to the loo as far as I can see. Her stomach isn't swollen either so she doesn't feel constipated, and she is eating. I have been lifting her and rubbing her wee belly frequently just to try and help but she is getting very annoyed with us.

She also keeps running to one corner of the cage, the corner where she used to pee, and just sits there and rubs her nose and sneezes constantly.

She was on her wheel the first night after her first treatment but hasn't been up for much since. Is it the antibiotics? Should I try feeding her natural yogurt (just a bit) to see if it helps her tummy? A friend of mine who used to keep hamsters told me this but the vet made no mention of it. The vet also only gave us enough Baytril for the week and then told us to bring her back so we could decide where to go. I honestly think it could be a URI - most of the symptoms are there - sneezing, sore eyes/eye, hunched over when sitting, what sounds like ratty breathing. I could be wrong but I honestly think the vet didn't even look her over - she was so rough and eventually just barked at me to lift her. She didn't examine her or anything.

I'm at my wits end, I'm not sleeping and I'm spending my night up trying to ensure she is okay. She just won't come out at night, only to sit in that corner or rummage through her food dish.

[cypher]

I always give my hams probiotics if they're on antibiotics, personally I think the probiotic powders are more effective than yogurt, if she isn't drinking try sprinkling just a pinch on something wet like cucumber or baby food, or whatever you think she might eat.

It really does sound as though you're not happy with the service & care provided by the vet you've seen, having had a couple of very unfortunate experiences with vets I do know how that feels & would suggest for your own peace of mind as much as for Elsa's well being that you try to find a vet you'd be happier with if that's at all possible.