Urgent- Bleeding.

[Lozz]

Hello,
I woke Harriet (robo) up this afternoon to give her her antibiotics and found blood all over her cage. I rushed her to the vet who said she has chewed the skin around her tail and has lost a lot of blood. She gave me some hibiscrub to bathe it with (I haven't yet, I'm worried the chemicals will irritate such a sensitive area) and told me to try and fashion some form of ring or nappy with gauze to prevent her being able to chew.
I managed to make a ring around her tummy which worked but didn't look at all comfortable, but after about two hours she managed to slip out of it.
She is really poorly. She let us give her antibiotics with no fuss at all which is completely unlike her and she kept falling asleep on our hands. Now she is just sat on her cage floor, refusing to go into her bed or any bedding I have left out. She looks terrible and my vet isn't open now until Monday and I'm worried she has lost a lot of blood. She looks so lethargic she can barely keep her eyes open; she tried to have a drink and I find her asleep under her bottle.
Has anyone ever experienced this? I don't know why she is biting herself and I don't know how to stop her, although she has been too exhausted to do so for the past few hours. I'm worried she might be dying and I don't know what I can do to help her.
Thank you x

[herbi7]

Oh crumbs I think all you can do is make her as comfortable as possible. How old is she? She has more chance of recovery if she is young. If she has tried to drink and can't and u think she may still be thirsty give her some water to lick off a spoon or something. It doesn't sound good really if she is so weak. Take care, if you're desperate most vets have an emergency out of hours number you could call for advice. Thinking of you both...

[cypher]

Poor Harriet, she must be feeling really weak & is probably dehydrated after the blood loss, have you tried holding the water bottle for her? I've found sick hams who didn't have the energy to get to the bottle will gratefully & readily drink if you hold it up to their mouth, don't force it on her, just offer it gently & let her drink/lick it if she will.
Do what you can to keep her comfortable & warm, if she won't go into her nest maybe just put plenty of tissue around her & make sure the area where the cage is is warm enough.
No idea really why she's doing this but I really hope she pulls through.

[racinghamster]

So sorry to hear your wee robo isn`t coping well right now. Why is she chewing her rear end? Is she actually passing blood do you know Loz? What is she on antibiotics for? If it`s for blood coming from an internal area, it could be something far more serious than a bacterial infection, but given the weak state she is in, I would be inclined to leave her be to sleep or even to pass if she`s heading that way. Stressing her too much could be detrimental. Make her a cosy nest in a dark box or under a shelf were she can rest. Hold the water bottle to her mouth low down and see if she wants to drink. Offer a small piece of apple as moisture.

If she refuses anything, she won`t have the energy to eat, so time will tell if she`s strong enough to overcome her issues. Monitor her today and just go with leaving her be or comfort her if she`s looking for you. x