Russian dwarf hamster fur loss on chest, underarms & tail - Page 3

**Coconut Latte** · 10-27-2015, 11:06 AM

P.S. Coconut..my bebe Robo is going on an Oxbow diet...not seeds cause she's picking out only the treats! She's getting tough love too!

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 06:15 AM

I tested Xena for diabetes this morning & she read the brown boxes to the right at 30 seconds it read 1000 & at 35 seconds she read 2000 or more with a trace of ketones.

I tested her before but u was using the ketone only strips..didn't test 4 glucose...didn't know..so I ordered the brand name Keto-Diastix & those r the results I got just now.

Any advise is welcome as 2 how bad off she is & her prognosis. I'll go on the websites & change her diet immediately. Do diabetic hamsters have other health problems down the road because of diabetes & do they live a shorter life? She's still scratching a lot mostly in the evenings..

cypher · 11-06-2015, 06:29 AM

Are you talking about the reading for glucose? On my strips it only goes up to 110 so I'm not sure what readings you may be looking at sorry.

If she is testing positive for diabetes, high glucose & or ketones you really need a vet to help with management, all you can really do is maintain a good hight protein, high fibre, low fat & complex carb only diet.
Some can live quite well for some time after diagnosis but they generally don't live as long as normal & can develop other health problems so it's best to keep in touch with your vet & get professional advice.

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 07:10 AM

I am using the brand name Keto-Diastix..maybe the US has different bottles apparently..the vet is calling me back at 10:30..it would be helpful 2 show compassion

Pebbles82 · 11-06-2015, 07:19 AM

Hi - you might want to do a second test before taking her to the vets. I'm sure you followed the storage instructions and so on (below) but a reading can be affected by bathroom humidity etc.

Diastix Strips - Pet Drugs Online

I don't know about the numbers - we just used to match the colours (for humans) - how far up the brown scale was it?

Here are the instructions from the manufacturers about reading ketodiastix - you have to read the first square (the glucose I think) after EXACTLY 15 seconds (colour match it to the colours on the bottle). Then colour match the second square (if it changes colour) exactly 15 seconds after that.

So a brown reading for glucose after 35 seconds is incorrect. It needs to be after 15 seconds exactly.

Prob the best way is to set a stopwatch for 30 seconds. Dip the stick in the urine (not in a bathroom! Where it could be steamy) Over kitchen sink maybe. Dip the stick in the urine and start the stopwatch simultaneously. Watch the stop watch until it reaches 15 seconds then read the stick for glucose. The stopwatch will keep counting down so you don't need to watch it, it will ping when it gets to 30 seconds and you then read the ketones square.

Most mobile phones have a stopwatch on.

Diastix | Page 2

Hope this helps

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 07:28 AM

I'm following the instructions on my bottle that I just ordered yesterday. The bottle clearly says 30 seconds..i of couse used a watch. I'm pretty sure how 2 match up colors...not that difficult..like I said the vet is calling me back 2 discuss this.

My bottle reads both Glucose & ketones...yes it does have the blue/green/brown colors..Xena is in the brown colors but your right in that I need 2 test more than 1x as glucose fluctuates..am aware of this

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 08:14 AM

This bottle I bought yesterday says..intended for USA...on the label..that is why u r confused

Pebbles82 · 11-06-2015, 08:33 AM

Ok - sounds like the instructions are different on the ones you are using. I thought you were querying if the results were correct so just looked up keto-diastix website. Yes it sounds like a good idea to ring the vet then.

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 08:40 AM

One good thing that is happening is that I am starting 2 let the management of pet store chains know about the minimum cage size for hamsters & that most dwarf hamsters should be using the 6.5 in wheel if not all..I believe both robos & Chinese should use the 6.5 in size if your talking about silent spinners that is anyways..I like those horizontal saucers too.

I'm making them aware of sugar content in the foods they are selling...about the hybrid dwarfs not pure bread..they didn't even know that the hybrids and Chinese Hamster are diabetes prom they told me thank you for the information and if they're going to pass this on to the powers that be, whether they do or not I don't know but at least I'm trying to do something about this in the Buffali,NY area

Pet-co mngt said to send e-mail to the 3 major chains & even one small pet store that I can think of...she said that they probably already know but to do it for my own peace of mind

**Coconut Latte** · 11-06-2015, 10:55 AM

I started off by talking to the owner of a smaller pet store in the area & he didn't care about anything I had to say about dwarf hamsters. He said they will never be sold as hybrids cause people don't care what kind of species they are..he also said that there is no scientific proof that hybrids & Chinese hamsters are genetically diabetes prone & people don't take hamsters to vets. He said they are a $15 pet & that they are not as important as a dog or cat & unfortunately that's just the way the world is.

He said that hamsters will most likely not be sold as pets any more in 10-15 years. He could care a less about cage size minimums or wheel sizes or sugary treats or the quality of hamster food here in the USA. He stood up for companies like Kaytee who a major pet store chain feeds their hammies out on the floor. This healthy support diet contains molasses dextrose dried cane molasses deet pulp and they see nothing wrong with any of this and all of this is sickening to me