using Baytril on my hamster.

[colabeare]

Hi everyone, my hamster has been prescribed a course of Baytril to clear up what we're hoping is a UTI rather than something more serious. She started spotting blood the other night and after reading some experiences from other Syrian hamster owners, we got her to the vet the next day.
He checked around an couldn't find any lumps or bumps so suspected it may be a UTI and gave us a course of 4mls of Baytril. 1ml to use in 100mls of water every 2 days. As our water bottle only holds 75mls of water, we were told to dilute it down to 0.75mls. Little Archie (originally thought she was a he) is on her 3rd day of antibiotics and due another change tomorrow, but we're getting worried because she is still spotting blood.

We were hoping that somebody could give us some advice on her situation. We fear that she's not getting enough Baytril as we were told to discard the solution every 2 days regardless of how much she has drunk. We've been hand feeding her water to try and give her much as possible. Luckily she doesn't seem to have been put off by the taste like in some other cases. I've read that people feed their hamsters straight from the syringe, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea? Also people have suggested to feed hamsters some natural yogurt but only after 6hrs of having Baytril, we don't know how to go about that as it's made up in her water.

Could anyone help us with Archie as we are starting to get worried, how long does Baytril take to work and is there anything else we can do for her?
She's a Syrian hamster and is about 18 months old. she is active when she's awake, although we are trying to let her rest as much as possible. She doesn't seem to have lost her appetite, and we've been feeding her some kale as we read that's good for them. We're keeping her warm and changing her bedding daily. Apart from the bleeding, you wouldn't really guess that she was ill, but I understand that they are good at hiding it!

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated to put our minds at ease or tell us where to go next. Thank you,
Scott, Nicola & Archie

[souffle]

Hi there
Sorry to hear Archie has been poorly.
Do you find the blood is in her urine or would you say it is discharging from her vent? The uethra and the vagina are so close that sometimes it is hard to tell where the blood is coming from. Blood from the bladder usually tends to show the symptoms of cystitis with pain on passing urine and straining to pass urine which can smell bad.
If there is a tumour in the bladder this can result in passing fresh looking bright red blood but this can also be similar to a tumour in the reproductive tract.
A Pyometra also presents with similar symptoms but you will usually get a bloodstained pus discharge from the vent which has an odd smell to it. The hammie can appear quite fine with this and act normally till it is quite advanced. They do tend to drink more than usual with a pyo.
If there is an infection the dosage sound about right though normally the vet would give a bit longer and I would say that if she is still passing blood then further investigations are needed. If there is a lump or a pyometra and she is still quite fit she would be a good candidate for a spay or lump removal.
A short whiff of gas and a scan can often see if there is a cyst or pus in the womb so this is possible.
Some hamsters with a hormonal issue due to cysts on the ovaries can have a blood stained discharge.
The yogurt is to try and replace good bacteria in the bowel lost with the meds. With her having it in water it is more tricky so I would suggest a teaspoon on live yogurt once a day at a time she is likely to sleep afterwards. Ours like the peach one!
I hope she rallies round soon and welcome to the forum

[colabeare]

hey, thank you for your quick reply..
the vet was confident that the blood was coming from the vagina. there doesn't seem to be any blood in her urine, and from what i can tell, is she isn't in any pain when going to the toilet. it's hard to tell, but i haven't seen her peeing more regularly either. i've kept an eye on some of the other symptoms suggesting it maybe Pyometra, such as, i believe she may swell a bit, or infact look pregnant? but again, i don't believe that is the case and there doesn't seem to be any pus on discharge.

shes due her final dose of antibiotics today, so i'll give her that then book her in to the vet again on Wednesday if it hasn't cleared up. I'm really grateful for your help, i'll mention it to the vet and see what he says too. i'll also pick up some yogurt later and see if she likes that treat!

do you know how long it takes roughly for the antibiotics to work if it was just an infection? i've read people saying it can take a couple of days up to a couple of weeks.

thanks again for your help.

[souffle]

If he was confident it was from the vagina and not the bladder it is not a urinary infection. It sounds like there is something going on in the womb or ovaries.
Antibiotics usually take around 3 days to kick in then around one to two weeks for a full getting rid of an infection provided the bug is sensitive to the drug used. Some situations like abscesses are harder to penetrate and take longer. Chest infections can be like that too and will recur quickly with a couple of weeks.
With a pyometra you often do get a remission for a few weeks but in my experience it always comes back usually much worse. A cure has to be an operation to spay the hamster though some people have had good results with the drug Galastop in older less fit animals that would not stand an op. Vectis may be able to advise on that route.
A closed Pyometra shows no discharge and usually just swelling abdomen. This is generally worse as the pus cannot escape. An open pyo will show as a discharge with an odd smell to it and can upset the tummy too as they clean themselves. Antibiotics for 5 days are great to prepare the hammy for an operation for pyo if this is what she has.
Bright red blood is usually due to a bleeding tumour inside or a hormonal issue. This can also be helped by a spay if your vet will do it and you are willing to take the risk that when they do the operation they may actually find something that is in fact inoperable and that you may have to give her rest there and then. That would be a decision you would need guidance from the vet to make.
Tumours causing bleeding could be anywhere really including womb, bladder, bowel, uethra etc. Hamsters are so small and the organs close together so it is hard to pinpoint sometimes.
I hope the vet can get a better picture of what is going on on Wednesday. Let us know how she does. x

[colabeare]

hey, just to give you an update on Archie. she's currently running around in her ball, and we're feeling positive because by the looks of things, she hasn't been bleeding today. she looks alot cleaner, and shes just as active as ever. we've changed her water and given her her final dose of baytril. we're obviously a bit anxious about her and hoping that we don't find any fresh blood. as for the dried blood, is it a good idea to clean her with some warm water and cotton? or just let her do it herself? (there doesn't seem to be alot, especially compared to what we have been dealing with).

thanks again for your help, i'll take on board what you said about remission of the Pyometra. we're hopeful about it not being that as she has no other symptoms of it, but we shall see.

i'll keep you updated. i've attached a picture of the little madam from a few months back!
thank you

[souffle]

Aww she is lovely Glad to hear things have stopped. Could she have had a little cut or something that was bleeding. I hope she continues to do well, Be sure to keep a close eye on her and go straight back should it recur.

[colabeare]

Hi again. Archie has finished her course of Baytril now and we thought it was getting better but she still seems to be bleeding, although not as much. We're taking her back to the vet tomorrow she doesn't have any other signs of pyometra like swelling or pus so I don't know if it's that? She is about 18 months so not sure if the vet would want to operate... we're really worried I'll let you know how we get on x

[souffle]

They don't always have a swollen abdomen with pyo. At 18months and still fit she would have a good length of life left so it is up to you to make a choice for her. It is not easy but based on love it will be the right one. Perhaps a scan would tell you if there was any lump or cysts on the ovaries before trying an op? She can't afford to constantly lose blood though as they don't have an awful lot to start off with. I hope you get an answer this visit xx

[racinghamster]

I can`t really offer any further advice as I have never had a Syrian with suspected pyometra, only a female Chinese who started to pass blood by spotting and in the end, she couldn`t pass urine and I had to rush her to an emergency vet, but she passed on the next day, so I really do sympathise. Blood in the urine or from the womb is never a positive sign and you are right to be concerned. It could be infection or from the bladder or the female organs. My suspicion would be the womb infection and as soufflé suggested, they don`t always show bloated symptoms as a sure sign. I` not sure how a vet would diagnose what`s going on without taking an x-ray or having an educated guess and offering a spey, but it`s a major operation for such a small animal if it`s not pyo, but it`s never easy to diagnose when they start to spot blood.

If she is squatting to pee normally and you watch for her to `go`, wait until she walks away and then go straight in and move the shavings to see if the urine is just watery urine, or if there is also blood present. I used to place some folded toilet paper beneath my Syrians pee corner and this soaked in any urine. It help to discover whether they are managing to pee and leaving a good amount. x

[colabeare]

Hi everyone. We're back from the vets. Unfortunately little Archie more than likely has a tumor on her womb, as she is bleeding lots and it's not in her urine. The vet said she is big enough to operate on and it's best to do it ASAP so she is booked in from 8am on Tuesday morning. We have been given Metacam to stop any pain (although she seems fine but I think they're really good at hiding it) so we will keep her on that until the op. We're really worried but hopefully doing the best thing for our little baby. We'll keep you updated, thanks for all your help and advice. x