Possible incorrect dosages? :( advice please

peridotgreen · 10-09-2015, 02:38 AM

Hi all, i have got another thread but i am kinda desperate

My hamster has some sort of breathing problem, he has had baytril and metacam 0.05 and 0.06 dosages, for about 1 week and 4 days

He is now on sulfatrim and metacam

However, i did his medication today ( my dad normally does it) and i noticed that when some gets stuck in the little nozzle, i pulled the syringe down and this would account for 0.1!

I feel bad, if we have actually been giving him 0.1.

So my question is now, do we continue with the "incorrect" dosage, or make sure we do the correct one? Im asking this because im not sure if hamsters get addicted to drugs or anything and then get other symptoms which could cause more problems

cypher · 10-09-2015, 04:09 AM

Be really careful, I know it's hard with such small amounts but just try to make sure you get as close to the correct dose as possible.
You can't undo what's done but don't continue with a dose higher than prescribed.
Sometimes it's easier to mix the dose with some soft food like porridge or baby food (no salt, onion or garlic in that!) if they'll eat it, I always do it that way.

Shannonmcn · 10-09-2015, 04:10 AM

Antibiotics aren't generally addictive so there's no need to worry about that at all. I would definitely make sure and give the CORRECT dose from now on, and the best way to find out if the larger dose could be harmful is to ring your vet and ask. Prolonged antibiotic use can make antibiotics less effective in the future and might cause kidney damage if it's for a long time but that's taking human reactions and assuming hams are the same so only a vet will know really.

peridotgreen · 10-09-2015, 04:51 AM

I just feel really bad for my little hammy

Im concerned that ive caused the new antibiotics to be less effective from now on.

I went to the vet yesterday so hes basically up to date apart from his medication last night, i will have a chat with my dad later and show him what ive found out

Shannonmcn · 10-09-2015, 04:55 AM

I maybe shouldn't have said that, what I mean is over a long time with repeated dosage antibiotics might not be as effective. This isn't a nice thing to say and I'm sorry but hamsters don't really live long enough for that to be a huge concern. It will only really be relevant if he needs the same antibiotic in the future.

peridotgreen · 10-09-2015, 04:58 AM

There is no need to apologize. No, it wasnt nice but you know.. i would worry about those sort of things too eventually if you hadn't said it anyway probably

racinghamster · 10-09-2015, 05:03 AM

Did both these vets give good reason why your hamster is having to take these medications? Silly question I know, but sometimes vets prescribe these drugs/pain killers because the hamster is giving off signs that something isn`t right, for example, making breathing noises but is otherwise okay. How is your little guy normally apart from making the noises?

Hamsters are not easy to treat due to the regime of dosing and the stress this can cause them if they have to be gripped or held firmly to administer the drug every day. Sometimes applying it to drinking water is the best way over a longer duration, but I know vets don`t particularly like diluting it, but would suggest this protocol if the hamster wasn`t easy to handle or you were finding it difficult to dose/apply. Baytril can be added to drinking water but I have no idea whether sulfatrim could be. I`m guessing not, but sometimes these types of antibiotic are made up from a powder form and water added to the correct concentration anyway, so if that`s what this is, it should be easy enough to mix it with something tasty. Get into a routine with it and make things easier for yourself. x

cypher · 10-09-2015, 05:12 AM

If the meds are in liquid form it should be fine to mix them with food, you can give the vet a ring if you're not sure, personally I don't add them to drinking water as it's just too inaccurate, if you just use a tiny bit of food you can be pretty sure they get the whole dose, but with water you don't know how much they're going to drink.

peridotgreen · 10-09-2015, 05:33 AM

@racinghamster, no apart from these noises and breathing problems he seems fine, still eating and drinking and stuff. The first said said "start of resp infection", the second vet basically said after sulfatrim they are running out of things to use

i wasnt told to mix sulfatrim with anything, but when he was taking baytril i could. (juice), but didnt

What is the best food to mix it with? if he eat it it would be so much easier to do when people weren't home. Would the food not interfere with the medication working?

cypher · 10-09-2015, 05:38 AM

The food shouldn't interfere with absorption of the meds at all, my vet's always been fine about me mixing it with food.
Best things that mix easily are plain porridge (no sugar or anything added) or baby food, I usually use something like the little jars of cauliflower cheese or pasta & broccoli in cheese sauce, the ones for babies of 4mths or under are usually safest & free from salt or onion etc always read the labels though.
You may have to experiment a bit (without the meds first) just to see what he likes then mix it with about half a teaspoon of the food.