Wettail - HELP! - how long before he gets better

[Carolyn9]

Hi,
I really need some help. I'm wondering how long it takes for the Baytril to kick in and stop the diarhea? Thanks in advance for your advice! (more details below)

We got a new baby Syrian hamster from the pet store, left him alone for 3 days of which he slept almost the entire time. The morning of his 4th day with us, we found diarrhea and got him to the vet and on Baytril antibiotics that same day. He was prescribed a 10 day dose of 1ml Baytril. His symptoms were lethargy, ears down, feces on bottom and super smelly. After the first day his ears perked up and he seemed to have more energy. If it were't for the wet feces stuck to his bottom, he looks great - curious, energetic, clean coat, eating and drinking. But it's now been 6 days on the antibiotics and he still has the same amount of diarrhea. Last night it even took on a green shade and it's still super smelly. How long does it take for the antibiotics to cure the wet tail and end the diarrhea?

I started sprinkling a probiotic (Floristor) on his food last night to try to help with the diarrhea.

His food is lab blocks, seed mix and timothy hay.

Every evening I remove his soiled bedding and wipe his bottom. Last night I sterilized his full cage.


Age: 8 weeks? (we bought him the day he was brought out on the floor at Petsmart, and we've had him 10 days.)
Gender: male
Species: Short-haired Syrian

I really appreciate any advice!
thanks,
Carolyn

[AmityvilleHams]

It may take the whole treatment to show signs.However,I'd be certain the probiotic does not contain fructose or similar processed sugars/artificial sweeteners(sorbitol,maltodextrin,dextrose,etc).If it does,find a higher quality probiotic and switch.I'd also not feed any hay at all(even once this clears up),as it's completely unnecessary for hamsters

Examples of good probiotics just in case:
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/gard...re-2-4-oz-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/dr-m...-90-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/gard...-81-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/pure...-80-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/natu...teri-5-oz-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/alle...140-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/prog...-60-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/sedo...c-1-48-oz-pwdr

Also,exactly which foods are you feeding?Not all foods are created equal and unfortunately a very large amount of foods are quite unhealthy or even unsafe!While this may not be completely related to the wet tail issue,it is still extremely important to feed a good diet.This means no unspecified biproducts in any product(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal,biproduct meal,animal liver or animal fat,etc),no propylene glycol,no artificial flavors,no artificial colors,no processed sugars/artificial sweeteners,no sulfur dioxide,and nothing from China or that is irradiated.There should be no BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin either,or in UK products you'll see "E&C approved" or similar.Any treats or products generally shared with dogs or cats(and other carnivores)should be free of corn,wheat,and derivatives of those.I know it might be overwhelming if you've not known this information before,but it is very important information to know.

Hopefully the little guy gets better very quickly though,it can't be nice to be going through this

[Rsclio197]

I wouldn't be giving him loads of new foods while his tummy is still upset. Just stick to basic hamster mix and offer a tiny bit of porridge oats mixed water only. Make sure he is eating and drinking fine too. I had this problem not long after adopting a Syrian from a pet store. Porridge and meds did do help her.

Make sure he's kept stress free and away from loud noises around the house while he's poorly.

[Rsclio197]

The above advice is from a senior and trusted member on this site.

Also please Do not feed him fresh fruit and veg while he's poorly too. Once he's better, introduce these foods slowly into his diet. I'm confident he'll be on the mend soon. Let us know how the little fella gets on.

[Pebbles82]

You are doing a great job. I agree about keeping diet basic. I wouldn't give timothy hay - it might be too much roughage and be making the diarrhoea worse. Hamsters don't need hay to eat. A good basic hamster mix and keep it simple until he's better. I wouldn't even give the lab block right now, just dry hamster mix. If you can get Harry or Hazel Hamster is has everything in they need. In the US it's not that popular but it contains all the nutrients and vitamins they need and is sugar-free. You could supplement the protein when your hammy is better but it contains an adequate amount really.

Having said that, if it's a change from the seed mix then it would need to be introduced very gradually. Over a week or two, add a bit with the seed mix then increase the amount a little bit each day, reducing the seed mix a bit until you've changed over.

Coconut has a tonic effect on the bowel and can help prevent diarrhoea in humans. So if you can get any fresh coconut pieces a little treat of that might help. But I would stop the hay.

[AmityvilleHams]

I honestly wouldn't recommend Harry/Hazel anymore.It does have artificial dyes(not clearly listed but have been confirmed unfortunately),making it better to avoid in my opinion.Higgins Sunburst can be combined with Carefresh,flax seed,and a bit of freeze dried chicken though to make a good diet(two thirds Carefresh,one third Higgins,a few pieces of freeze dried chicken,and a pinch of flax seed,the chicken and flax is for skin and coat benefits as well as protein boosting since it would be too low otherwise).I forgot to mention but a tip on Higgins is buy it from Petsupermarket if you can!It's usually cheaper there than other pet stores

I think coconut would be a good idea as mentioned,but pureed pumpkin(plain,only water as the other ingredient!)is excellent for both constipated animals and animals with unstable bowel movements(such as diarrhea).I didn't even mention that before,but it's definitely something I'd do no matter what else is being given.It's more widely known in the dog community,but is safe for hamsters and would work the same You could probably try pureed sweet potato(again water only and nothing else)if the pumpkin isn't popular with your hamster,so that would be another good option.

[Carolyn9]

Great information. Thank you so much AmityvilleHams. The probiotic is the same one my pediatrician recommends for my daughter and I googled it and saw that they actually did hamster lab trials with it so I assumed it was safe. But thanks to you, I looked at the label and found it does indeed contain Fructose. So that's out!

I've also removed the hay. I had him on no hay, but at the first sign of wet tail I called Petsmart and the small animal specialist told me to buy Timothy Hay, as that's what he was on as they use it to prevent and treat diarrhea in their hamsters. Whoops, bad information. Hay is out!

As for food. I have him on Envigo Lab Blocks 2018 and Higgins Sunburst Seed Mix. But I'm seeing that he's picking and choosing what he likes, namely eating all the sunflower seeds out of bowl and mostly leaving the rest. I didn't want to give him the stress of having an empty bowl, but I'm thinking of just giving him the lab blocks for food in his cage and then using the seed mix as treats for hand feeding and foraging in his playground.

Thanks again for your help!
Carolyn

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

It may take the whole treatment to show signs.However,I'd be certain the probiotic does not contain fructose or similar processed sugars/artificial sweeteners(sorbitol,maltodextrin,dextrose,etc).If it does,find a higher quality probiotic and switch.I'd also not feed any hay at all(even once this clears up),as it's completely unnecessary for hamsters

Examples of good probiotics just in case:
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/gard...re-2-4-oz-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/dr-m...-90-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/gard...-81-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/pure...-80-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/natu...teri-5-oz-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/alle...140-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/prog...-60-grams-pwdr
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/sedo...c-1-48-oz-pwdr

Also,exactly which foods are you feeding?Not all foods are created equal and unfortunately a very large amount of foods are quite unhealthy or even unsafe!While this may not be completely related to the wet tail issue,it is still extremely important to feed a good diet.This means no unspecified biproducts in any product(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal,biproduct meal,animal liver or animal fat,etc),no propylene glycol,no artificial flavors,no artificial colors,no processed sugars/artificial sweeteners,no sulfur dioxide,and nothing from China or that is irradiated.There should be no BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin either,or in UK products you'll see "E&C approved" or similar.Any treats or products generally shared with dogs or cats(and other carnivores)should be free of corn,wheat,and derivatives of those.I know it might be overwhelming if you've not known this information before,but it is very important information to know.

Hopefully the little guy gets better very quickly though,it can't be nice to be going through this

[Carolyn9]

Thanks! Hay is now out. When you say "Dry Hamster Mix" do you mean seed mix? He's been on that (but I pick out the raisins and dried apples since I thought that'd be too much for his tummy right now).

My seed mix actually has some dried coconut pieces in it, but hammy has been leaving those in the bowl and not eating them.

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

You are doing a great job. I agree about keeping diet basic. I wouldn't give timothy hay - it might be too much roughage and be making the diarrhoea worse. Hamsters don't need hay to eat. A good basic hamster mix and keep it simple until he's better. I wouldn't even give the lab block right now, just dry hamster mix. If you can get Harry or Hazel Hamster is has everything in they need. In the US it's not that popular but it contains all the nutrients and vitamins they need and is sugar-free. You could supplement the protein when your hammy is better but it contains an adequate amount really.

Having said that, if it's a change from the seed mix then it would need to be introduced very gradually. Over a week or two, add a bit with the seed mix then increase the amount a little bit each day, reducing the seed mix a bit until you've changed over.

Coconut has a tonic effect on the bowel and can help prevent diarrhoea in humans. So if you can get any fresh coconut pieces a little treat of that might help. But I would stop the hay.

[Carolyn9]

Great. You know I remember hearing about pureed pumpkin when my dog was a puppy. I'll head out to the store today to get some. I also read that whole fat, not flavored yogurt could be good for him- thoughts? I hate to give him the wrong thing again and make it worse.

The super GOOD news is that he's running around, curious, ears are up, coat is clean and although he has diarrhea he looks otherwise healthy. So I am hoping the wet tail is behind him and this is just diarrhea resulting from the strong antibiotics he's on (and the mis-step of this new hamster owner in feeding him hay )

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

I honestly wouldn't recommend Harry/Hazel anymore.It does have artificial dyes(not clearly listed but have been confirmed unfortunately),making it better to avoid in my opinion.Higgins Sunburst can be combined with Carefresh,flax seed,and a bit of freeze dried chicken though to make a good diet(two thirds Carefresh,one third Higgins,a few pieces of freeze dried chicken,and a pinch of flax seed,the chicken and flax is for skin and coat benefits as well as protein boosting since it would be too low otherwise).I forgot to mention but a tip on Higgins is buy it from Petsupermarket if you can!It's usually cheaper there than other pet stores

I think coconut would be a good idea as mentioned,but pureed pumpkin(plain,only water as the other ingredient!)is excellent for both constipated animals and animals with unstable bowel movements(such as diarrhea).I didn't even mention that before,but it's definitely something I'd do no matter what else is being given.It's more widely known in the dog community,but is safe for hamsters and would work the same You could probably try pureed sweet potato(again water only and nothing else)if the pumpkin isn't popular with your hamster,so that would be another good option.

[AmityvilleHams]

Higgins Sunburst is great,but there is one controversial ingredient in the lab block you're using.It contains menadione which is not only an unnecessary synthetic but is known to be quite problematic(sometimes even toxic to various species!).Plus,synthetic k3 is much different to naturally occurring vitamin k found in natural food sources which are healthy and not harmful(if the particular food is hamster safe at least).

Higgins Sunburst and Carefresh both do not contain menadione,unless the ingredients have somehow changed.You might also find that the lab blocks are simply too large for hamsters,whereas Carefresh pellet sizes are more hamster friendly.This could certainly explain not wanting the lab blocks

I wouldn't remove any pieces of food from the mix either,as that would create an imbalance which can cause serious health problems.

I'd avoid yogurt too.It's not easily digestible for hamsters to begin with,so to add it especially when the stomach is already in a less than ideal state is not the best idea.