Hamster dragging back leg

[Nube]

Definitely better. Chewing the kitchen door right now trying to get in there, has not done it for ages

[cypher]

Sounds like he suddenly has a whole new lease of life

[Pebbles82]

Excellent Hmm tricky re the Metacam lasting. At 2 drops a dose I would have thought 1ml would last at least a week, so a 3 ml bottle should last 3 to 4 weeks - technically - but sometimes it's hard to get things out of small bottles when they're nearly empty. How long have you had the bottle? I'd be tempted to phone the vet and say as you'll be away and he is so much better on the Metacam, you would like to pick up another bottle just to be on the safe side. If they expect you to make another appointment when the first bottle is finished, then just make an appointment for when you're back, but ask to have another bottle of Metacam to pick up now. Once it's been prescribed they should be able to prescribe more.

I've left OH to do feeding etc with an older hamster before, and as long as he has a list he followed it to the letter I couldn't rely on him remembering everything, so I set it out with a daily list. eg Monday - broccoli on big dish, half a walnut on kabob, refill food bowl with scoop in food box, one teaspoon of baby food in egg cup, change water. Tuesday carrot on big dish, pumpkin seeds near kabob. And so on. So I would only have him top up the food bowl and change the water every other day. Veg and an extra every day, and baby food every day. And specify it to the letter!

Then I would leave all the plastic boxes together on the kitchen table with the sheet so he could find everything easily (eg hamster food, pumpkin seeds, nuts).

At the top of the sheet I would write a short general bit - eg - take baby food egg cup out of cage every morning, wash it so it's ready to refill it night. All veg on list in bottom drawer of fridge.

In your case as the baby food contains meds I assume you're just giving a tiny bit on a teaspoon so that maybe isn't an issue.

I'd then actually show him before I went, exactly how to change the water and how tight or loose to screw the water bottle, and where to put everything so the list made sense!

[cypher]

Sorry I missed your post about going away.
1 ml is supposed to be 20 drops, not sure how accurate that is but it should be close so 3ml should be enough for a month in total if that helps.

I'm not really sure you can do much more with cleaning him up, it's ok to get his fur a bit wet if absolutely necessary as long as you make sure he gets thoroughly dried quickly afterwards.
It sounds as though he could be slightly constipated from the way yo describe it but it's hard to guess really, try to make sure gets enough fibre in his diet if you can & that he's staying hydrated, if he eats veg that should help, not sure what else to suggest for that really.

[Nube]

Thank you all for comprehensive replies. Have pinned a poster to a door with instructions and phone numbers for vets and emergency vets. Should suffice I hope Hope the ham is still alive when we come back but it is a bit touch and go... Will hope for the best. At least he is now not in so much pain the rest is up to his little body and big spirit.

[Pebbles82]

You can phone him If you phone other half he can put the phone next to the cage so hammy can hear your voice - he will recognise your voice.

[Nube]

Well they both survived my absence. Hammie is worse in terms of mobility and balance. Tummy pretty dirty. Poo still stuck I think his muscles in the lower body maybe so weak he cannot poo properly? Lots of poo around his house though. Some of it is obviously coming out.
Anyway am planning to take him for the follow up appointment. Last time the vet said to bring him back and see if he is better, otherwise we may need to make a decision. I am not ready for such decision as I am not convinced he is suffering that much... How can one tell? Am pretty scared that the vet will be hinting again. My husband does not care and it is unfair to involve my daughter so it will be me deciding

[cypher]

Good to hear all went ok while you were away but I am sorry to hear that his mobility is worse now, it can be difficult to know when or if the time is right to help them on their way & a very hard choice to make but you know your ham best & I think you will be able tell if he's suffering, struggling & had enough, don't let others sway you but just be honest with yourself, it can be hard to let them go & some would say better too soon rather than too late, I guess I'd go with that but if you feel he's still having some quality of life & not suffering then he may still be fine for a while & you'll know that too.

[Nube]

Ok. The vet looked at hammie. Said that he did not seem to be in pain, which I think is true. Said to continue and come in 6 weeks and try using baby shampoo to clean the botty. Have not tried yet, life has been hectic. Anyone with any experience?

[cypher]

I haven't had any experience of bathing hams with shampoo but it should be ok as long as you just use a very mild solution, rinse it really well & most importantly make sure you dry him really well as they can easily get chilled if wet.