Wet tail?

Kirstyw · 09-20-2015, 12:07 PM

Hello

We have a two year old Syrian, Missy, who has just been diagnosed with having a urinary tract infection. She had a little blood in her wee and when took to the vets she was prescribed a weeks course of Baytril and for a few weeks she was fine- it cleared right up. Last week she got it again and we took her back and they said the infection might not have been fully removed with the antibiotics and she was put on it again for two weeks. Since then she's not been really active, only coming down for drinks but that's been all really. We have been putting food directly into her little penthouse and she's been eating bits of it.

Now she come down tonight and we saw her back end was a bit wet- above her tail. Is this wet tail? Or to do with the antibiotics and with her being unwell she's not grooming herself properly etc? When giving the antibiotic we have been using kiwi every night as the vet said this was alright as long as she was eating it. If we put it on anything else she would just store it.

Been reading up on wet tail and it sounds awful so I'm really hoping it's not that. I would take a pic but she's asleep again and I don't want to wake her with her not being well.

Any ideas? Thanks

Jeir · 09-20-2015, 12:48 PM

Wet tail is severe diarrhea caused by stress. When a Syrian (dwarfs and Chinese don't get it, if I remember correctly) gets extremely stressed, their immune system weakens and the bad bacteria that's always on them multiplies and gets into their system without any real resistance. This is why it's always recommended that, when getting a new hamster, you leave it alone for a while to settle, as this is the most stressful time for them.

If it was wet tail, then you'd find a very nasty mess of slimey faeces around their bottom; if it's only a little wet patch above the tail, she probably just sat in something. =) If she's only coming out to drink, you may wish to check her house for wet patches from urine, and clean/replace bedding as necessary. If you're in the UK, the weather has suddenly become colder, so she could also be reacting to that (give more tissue to snuggle in).

Generally when a hamster is prescribed antibiotics, a two-week course is the norm, to ensure none of the infection is still in the system (or at least is low enough for their immune system to take over). It could be that the initial course simply wasn't long enough to deal with the infection. You may also want to give her some low-fat, low-sugar plain yoghurt after a week to help with her gut bacteria; the antibiotics are rather harsh in the digestive system after a week or so.

For the tiredness, it could be simply due to her age (at two years, she's certainly an old lady), combined with being ill, and the cold; when you're sick, the last thing you want to do is crawl out of bed. It may also be a rare reaction to the antibiotics (two of my hamsters became less active on baytril), although if she was fine on the first course, and the antibiotics are the same with both, it's probably not that. Just keep an eye on her, make sure she's getting enough food and drink, and just wait and see how she manages with this (hopefully last!) course of antibiotics.

Kirstyw · 09-20-2015, 01:11 PM

Hello Jeir
Many thanks for your reply. What a relief! I think I saw the wet patch and immediately thought wet tail. Literally. We do get worried as we know she's getting on a bit now and might be a bit succeptable to more things. I will get her some natural yogurt tomorrow- we started on the antibiotics on Wednesday last week so it's nearly been a week. We read somewhere to give her water through a 10 ml syringe so we tried that tonight And she's been taking it. She only come down for a drink and is now back in bed. We are cleaning her house nightly and giving her fresh tissue every time. When I gave her some food, I put it directly into her house And she started putting it in the right corner for it. I thought if she was really bad she wouldn't be bothered so I thought that's a good sign.

Thank you! ��

Nancy's Hamsters · 09-20-2015, 01:18 PM

If she is not upset by you handling her I would suggest dosing her directly in her mouth instead of all that Kiwi as if she is not used to that much fruit it could cause her already stressed digestive system to develop into diarrhea quite quickly with the Antibiotic killing off all bacteria including the good bacteria.

Though Natural Yogurt is good when the hamster is not stressed it is far better to give Missy Probiotic powders which can be found at P@H. In the states(since I'm not sure where your located) you can go to any Heath food store and buy 5,000 unit probiotic capsules which you would then twist the capsule open and slowly pour a 1/2 capsule of the powder directly into Missy's mouth. You can wash it down with a childrens Electrolyte drink to also give her a boost of energy too.

Be sure to give the Antibiotic at least 2 hours before the probiotic powder other wise one will destroy the other and will be just a waste of time and money.

Jeir · 09-20-2015, 01:25 PM

I agree about giving her the antibiotics with the syringe. Hold her with one hand, and then (after getting the correct dose in the syringe) ease the syringe past her lips and quickly 'inject' the antibiotics into her mouth. Hamsters really hate it, but it's quick and you can be certain they're getting the full dose. You can then give a treat of some kind (sunflower seed? Pumpkin seed? Monkey nut?) to make up for the unpleasantness. A bit of cucumber is (almost - some hams are fussy) always welcome, and will help with hydration.

Also if possible, try to leave some of her nesting material in her house. I know you want to keep her clean, but having it replaced so often may be upsetting. Imagine someone coming into your house and removing/replacing all your furniture on a daily basis (just after you got it all as you want it, too). At least if you leave some of the tissue in there, it'll be a familiar scent.

Kirstyw · 09-21-2015, 06:51 AM

Hello Nancy's Hamsters and Jeir
Thank you for your advice. We tried lots of times to give her just the antibiotic but I think it must smell or something because she won't take it directly from the syringe. She just won't go near it. It was pushing it to even try and get her to have it off some kale or broccoli. Would putting it on cucumber be ok? I've never tried her with it before though.
We give Missy a bottle of water and also a bottle of Pro C probiotic drink. Is this what you meant Nancy's Hamsters? She bypasses the water to get to the pro c almost always. Lol.
Thank you for the advice about her bedding. I'll try and leave some in next time as long as it's not wet.
Also when I give her natural yogurt how much do I give? And is it just in a little bowl?
Many thanks for your replies. Much appreciated.

racinghamster · 09-21-2015, 07:07 AM

Hi Kirsty, have you heard of Supreme Science Selective hamster biscuits? I will post an image for you. Any good pet shop will sell this food and it can be softened into a soft paste to hide Baytril in. At the same time as being a gravy bone flavour, so it might be a good thing to use while administering the drug. Ideally, antibiotics should be given for two weeks as the five to seven days normally quoted only stave off the weaker bacteria, but allow any remaining bacteria to remain and sometimes prove more difficult to eradicate. A bit like our GP telling us not to skip a dose or stop too early!

Baytril tastes foul, but so do most small animal drugs. There are things you can add in small amounts to the selective biscuits once softened like a very small amount of peanut butter or coconut paste. Using very tiny amounts just to make the taste interesting. The trick is not to give too much food in one go as they usually detect the drug mixed in! If you can dampen a science selective biscuit, use half and add the drop of Baytril and then lightly fold it in and then about a cm of peanut butter, this might help.

There are baby foods that could be added to taste as well or chopped nuts. Use a pestle & mortar to mash them all up into a paste.

Hope this helps and here is the image of the Supreme Science Selective hamster food biscuits:

racinghamster · 09-21-2015, 07:12 AM

Just to add, kiwi is a citrus fruit so I would avoid feeding that right now in case it is causing her an gut upset if it`s something she`s not used to having. My dwarf hamster loves garden peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and nibblets of sweet corn. All safe, but feed in moderation. x

Kirstyw · 09-21-2015, 01:09 PM

Hello Racing Hamster and thank you for your reply. We are going to reserve and collect some of that Supreme Hamster food- it was only a reserve option online, not actually stocked in our pets at home. We will get some peanut butter too and take your advice- thank you. We will avoid the kiwi for a bit and maybe try her on some of the foods you suggested. Sounds weird but these are all fresh right? Not tinned or anything? Also do you have any tips on which baby food? Will it be ok if she hasn't had peanut butter or any of these veggies or the baby food before?
My husband said when I'd gone to bed he took her out and put her in the bottom cage to clean her penthouse (she has two savic hamster heaven metro cages with the penthouse joined together with the tubes) she looked a lot better, she'd groomed herself and the wet patch wasn't there anymore. So that's good.
Thank you for your help