Advice Please- Poorly Hamster

Lozz · 11-26-2015, 07:27 PM

Hi,
This is my first post so apologies if I stray from the guidelines- I basically wanted to ask for advice because there are a lot of people on here who seem to really know their stuff.
My hamster Coco is approx. 17 months and has been a bit unwell since I adopted her about 2 months ago. The information I have about her past is limited as I took her in after her previous family could no longer keep her, but she had previously rescued her from someone who didn't want her, so I'm her third home.
I noticed her bum was very, very dirty and she had a mole so I took her to the vet and he said it was nothing- I've since learned he is a bit rubbish with small animals so haven't been to see him again.
She began limping and holding her foot very closed up about a month ago, two weeks after her first vet trip, and the vet said it was either arthritis or a stroke. She seemed to respond to the pain relief (metacam) but after the course had run out I was advised to give it a few days to see how she was so we could determine the problem. All seemed OK for the first 2 days, then on the 3rd I found her in her bed surrounded by blood.
I called the on-call vet, who gave me the usual 'not a lot we can do, it's only a hamster' so I took her in the next day. The vet she saw was excellent, he checked her urine and stools and said the blood was not coming from either of those areas, which means it would be from her vagina. He said this would mean it is either an infection or a tumour (she has a mole on her back but he isn't concerned about it), and she is now back on metacam and baytril and we have to see whether she responds to the antibiotics. So far there has been considerably less blood, which I hope is a good sign, but she is acting oddly.
She has now been sitting on top of her little square house for quite a long time, very still and hunched over, her nose almost touching the ground, occasionally rocking and shifting but that is it (apart from the odd scratch). I could very well be overreacting- I'm really paranoid about her now- but I was hoping someone could tell me why this could be? Is she in pain? Is it a reaction to the baytril? I'm just so worried about her.
As a side note, and also hopefully someone can give me some advice, about a week before her vet trip about her foot, she started squeaking quite frequently and this has carried on. I have a male hamster in my room who she could be calling out to, but could it also be pain? The thought of her being in constant pain breaks my heart but she just doesn't seem old enough for this to be happening. She was so active when I first adopted her and she has just deteriorated ever since and I'm terrified I'm somehow behind it, or am missing something because she is looked after exactly the same as my other hammies but just seems so unwell.
I'm so sorry for the rambling post, I'm just worried about her- I really hope someone can help.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Lozz x

racinghamster · 11-28-2015, 03:37 AM

Hello Lozz, it sounds as though you have done everything right by phoning and attending vets especially when blood is seen. She does look a bit hunched over but oddly, this is exactly how we might feel if we were ill or feeling so ill that our body just wants to go into some kind of zone that means us sleeping and not wanting to eat or get up. Poor lass...

The Baytril, now this `should` be helpful if she has a bacterial infection but you would want to see (a) an improvement in her overall wellbeing in a week or so and (b) any blood going away. Blood from female hamsters usually comes from the womb and she could have a pyometra. Is her abdomen swollen at all? I can`t advise on this condition as I`ve always kept male dwarf hamsters, so my knowledge with female hammies is limited. Hopefully some of our members who can advise best on pyometra can come in and give you some help on that. Google it too. She obviously has an upset gut if her bum is messy.

If she`s not eating well, perhaps try her with a small piece of raw broccoli, apple or soften some Supreme Science Selective biscuits and crush up some nuts into it. Sometimes keeping their energy going can be the hardest part. A little cooked rice can also be good, but just a teaspoonful.

How is she today? Make sure she warm and her body doesn`t get too cold. When they are not being active, it can be difficult for them to retain body heat, especially in cold weather. x

Pebbles82 · 11-28-2015, 06:37 AM

I think she does look a bit sad and unwell. She is an old lady as you say and may well have some condition. I think see if the baytril makes a difference as RH says and if not within a few days maybe take her back to the vets if she seems to be still suffering. Has she got lots of nesting material? ie lots of torn up toilet paper to build a cosy nest with? Ours has built an enormous nest since the weather turned cold.

Piebald · 11-28-2015, 07:40 AM

How long has she been on the Baytril and Meticam? It isn't clear from your post. If it's early days, like a day or two it may be a bit soon to expect results but if it's 3 days and she is still hunched like that I'd give the vet a call. The meticam should be helping with pain relief but it is very tricky getting the right dose with such a small animal and the vet may have been (rightly) conservative with the dose. However do not increase it without getting the vet's say so I am not a vet and am only speculating. Poor thing. It's not your fault you are doing the best for her. Hope she feels better soon. x

Lozz · 11-29-2015, 11:00 AM

Thanks so much everyone for your replies. She's been on both the metacam and beautiful for about 4 days now (0.025 ml of baytril and 0.05 ml of the metacam). When she is playing on my bed she can be very active but tires quickly, and she no longer chews on the roof of her cage to come out which she used to do very often as she loved attention.
Overall she just isn't as active as she was before all of this started, the vet didn't mention pyometra but it was something I thought about after looking at other threads- does anyone have any experience with the illness?
The vet said to finish the course of antibiotics then go back but I'm wondering if I should go back sooner, while she's having good days and bad days x

cypher · 11-29-2015, 11:59 PM

How long before she finishes the course of baytril? Some times it can take a while for the meds to really get to work, 4 days isn't that long, & it may be that she'll need another course so I'd be inclined to do as the vet suggested, finish this course then take her back if she's still unwell.
Have you thought about giving probiotics? Antibiotics can make them feel unwell generally but also upset the digestive system so probiotics will help with that as well as giving her immune system a bit of a boost.

racinghamster · 11-30-2015, 05:12 AM

Ideally, if she`s faring well on the Baytril, it`s better to keep it going for another week or sometimes longer if the vet thinks it would be in her best interest. Starting a course of Baytril, stopping and then starting again isn`t good as it allows any infection or bacteria to take hold between dose gaps, therefor usually kills off the weaker bacteria leaving the more resistant strain to come back again.

I always kept my mice on Baytril for at least two weeks. Sometimes longer if I wanted to kick their respiratory problems well and truly. I used to be prescribed Baytril for one week only at the lowest dose and it NEVER worked. It wasn`t until my vet upped the dosage and said to give it for a longer period that I actually saw a vast improvement in my mice if any had to take Baytril for respiratory problems. So keep the faith. x

Thin Lizzy · 11-30-2015, 09:43 PM

Keep giving Coco the baytril, 4 days isn't long so don't be too disheartened. I find that hams can take longer to react to the medication if they're older. I found this with Archie who was on antibiotics for 6 weeks. Baytril can be hard on their gut so trying soft foods like baby food can help. I found that baby Cauliflower Cheese and Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese from Cow N Gate & Heinz helped Archie, I also mashed up some veg, also gave a small amount of scrambled egg.
Got my fingers crossed for Coco to get well soon.

Pebbles82 · 12-01-2015, 04:00 AM

Keeping my fingers crossed too! She could be in that inbetween bit where the infection makes you feel ill and the antibiotics make you feel ill, and then the antibiotics start winning the battle.

Lozz · 12-22-2015, 05:08 AM

Thanks everyone for your help, sadly my little Coco had to be put to sleep today as she never fully recovered after the antibiotics and, although the bleeding mostly stopped for a while, it started again two days ago and it was too much to put her through it all again.
I was just wondering, and I'm sorry if this is a little graphic but it is playing on my mind, I kept her in her bed for a couple of hours after she had been put to sleep and when I went to bury her there was blood from her mouth and nose, and quite a lot of it. Is this something that happens after a hamster has been euthanized? I'm really hoping it was quick and painless and this 's something that has happened afterwards, but I was hoping someone might know a little more and be able to tell me.
Thanks again x