Poor hammy, breathing problems? :(

[peridotgreen]

Hi all

My hamster has been making odd noises, squeeking through nose, little coughs and clicking noises when he breathes

I took him to the vet, they gave me 1 lot of liquid antibiotics, they seemed to work which is good but when i came round to doing the 2nd lot of anti-biotics the symptoms seem to have come back

Im really lost on what to do, i bought him in 2013 december

I dont like to see him suffering

[cypher]

How long has he been on the antibiotics altogether? Sometimes it can take a while for them to really work especially with an older ham so if may well be worth continuing for a while.
Have you been back to the vet to see what they say now?
Have you changed anything like substrate that could be causing breathing problems?

[peridotgreen]

about 1 week and 2 days altogether.

Ive not taken him back to the vet, however his symptoms are very similar to when he first went in, so im not sure what they could actually do for him. They said there isnt much they can do for hamsters when i first went in aswell

and no, ive not changed anything that could cause breathing problems as far as im aware of

[cypher]

He may just need a longer course of antibiotics then, given his age I would think that likely, it might be worth going back to the vet just to check on that.

[peridotgreen]

yeah, they said it should be about a months worth of anti-biotics, ill see how he goes after the next lot has been taken

Bless him just dont like hearing these little noises coming from him

[cypher]

Poor little guy, I hope he's better soon.
If he's going to be on antibiotics for a while it will be worth giving some probiotics too.

[racinghamster]

Hi peridotgreen. You wee man must be a good age now then if you got him back in December 2013? How long has he had these breathing symptoms/making noises? Did they come on suddenly and has he been showing any other signs of illness or weight loss generally?

Baytril (if that`s what the vet prescribed) is usually best kept going with no break in between for at least two weeks, sometimes three if the noises are generally still audible. Was it liquid Bayrtil he was given and did you start it for a week and then broke the cycle? Or have you kept his therapy on going?

If the antibiotics seemed to be working, I would advise sticking with it now until symptoms have cleared up and you can`t hear any audible sounds. Failing that, if the drug doesn`t seem to be having the effect it did previously, it may be better to see the vet again and ask for something else that is broad spectrum, tastes nice and hope it does the trick. Remember too though if he`s fine in himself, eating, drinking, no sudden weight loss or other signs of concern, he may make some noises from time to time, as long as his breathing pattern isn`t changing or he seems out of sorts. x

[peridotgreen]

Hi

Its baytril and metacam. Hes been having symptoms for about 1 weekish altogether, and ive kept it going apart from one day.


His breathing pattern is changing, the noises are everytime he breathes basically, and the noises arent consistent


I dont believe its time to get him put to sleep yet because hes still eating and drinking.
Im unsure of what to do because i dont like to see him suffer

I was thinking giving it a few days to see how he is then going back to the vet.

do you think this is a good idea? or do you think he should be put down?

[cypher]

I know how helpless it can make you feel when they're ill & it can be difficult to know what to do for the best but if he's managing to eat, drink & get about the cage ok then I do think it's worth giving the meds longer, I wouldn't wait too long before going back to the vet if there's no change, I'm sure they'd be able to advise you about whether another course of antibiotics or any other meds may be needed.

[peridotgreen]

trouble is, im out of work so im not sure how long i can continue paying for his treatment.

I have some money saved up from previous job, but still

it costs £21 for animal consultation by itself, have already spent about £80