Very sick hamster

MontstersMum · 07-22-2018, 01:43 PM

Hi everyone

I haven't posted for a long time but i'm in desperate need of advice regarding my beautiful boy, Remi.

It all started on Monday night when we realised that he hadn't come out to collect his treats. Remi is a very active boy and he's always buzzing around his cage, so we knew instantly that something was wrong. We woke him up and when he popped his little face out, we noticed that one of his eyes was glued shut. We offered him some food but he wouldn't take it, so I took him out and when I picked him up he felt a little big - kinda like a water balloon. We booked him an appointment at the vets for the next morning.

The vet gave him a good checkover and agreed that he seemed a little swollen around his stomach and suggested that he may be a little impacted. He was given a shot of pain relief (metacam), antibiotic (marbocyl) and a prokinetic (emeprid) along with some antibiotic eye drops (Exocin). The vet said not to worry too much and he didn't think it was disastrous and that hopefully, we should see poop soon!

The next day his tummy was less swollen, we saw some poops but his appetite hadn't come back so we asked if we could have a course of oral antibiotics in case he had some kind of infection going on. The vet agreed to us giving him a 5 day course of Marbocyl (0.05ml) and some metacam (0.05ml) and we were also to continue the eyedrops. Later that day one of his eyes was glued shut with orange gunk. We wiped it off, put in the drops and it appeared to open up. Unfortunately this wasn't a good thing because from then on it has been bulging

It's dull and looks dry. I'm guessing he is now completely blind in that eye.

We are now half way through the antibiotics and there is no improvement. My poor little guy still doesn't want to eat but he is taking his medication well and he will attempt to drink some water if we put his water bottle next to his house. On top of the medication he is getting syringed some water for some addition fluids and from today he is also getting a small amount of natural yoghurt because his poops haven't been the best since starting the antibiotics.

All in all my sweet baby is in a bit of a state and it's breaking my heart. He spends most of his time sleeping and I don't believe that he is suffering... but i'm very aware that I may need to make a difficult decision in the next few days. That being said, I want to continue the course of antibiotics/metacam and give him a chance of recovering.

I just have a few questions....

1. Is there any side effects from the metacam/antibiotics such as lethargy? (Other than obvious issues with kidneys etc)
2. Once the course has finished, would you give him a few days off medication to see if he improves?
3. Has anyone experienced these symptoms before? If so, what was the problem and did the meds help?

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give as much info as possible!

Pebbles82 · 07-22-2018, 03:49 PM

Hello. I'm sorry your hammy is having such an awful time. How old is he? If he is an older hamster then signs of bloating are usually not a good sign and suggest he may be in his twilight time and has some kind of organ failure with fluid or a tumour. If he is younger then you would need a clear diagnosis as to what is going on. Sticky eyes is also something they get when ageing and in their twilight time.

The metacam will help keep him comfortable but if he begins to show signs of distress or pain even with the meds it may be better to think about how much he is suffering.

Sorry I can't be more help - it would help to know his age.

MontstersMum · 07-22-2018, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Hello. I'm sorry your hammy is having such an awful time. How old is he? If he is an older hamster then signs of bloating are usually not a good sign and suggest he may be in his twilight time and has some kind of organ failure with fluid or a tumour. If he is younger then you would need a clear diagnosis as to what is going on. Sticky eyes is also something they get when ageing and in their twilight time.

The metacam will help keep him comfortable but if he begins to show signs of distress or pain even with the meds it may be better to think about how much he is suffering.

Sorry I can't be more help - it would help to know his age.

Thank you for replying. He's around 13-14 months old... so not super old but not young either. I just can't believe how quickly it came on. He was his usual self on Sunday with no signs of illness at all. The swelling in his tummy seems to have gone down now though so I'm not entirely sure what is going on with him

Thin Lizzy · 07-23-2018, 03:59 AM

I would get him checked him out at the vet for peace of mind.

Pebbles82 · 07-23-2018, 05:34 AM

I think there is a probiotic called Pro C that some people recommend. That may be better than yoghurt as hammies shouldn't have a lot of dairy things - they don't digest it well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vetark-Prof...ro+c+probiotic

I would keep observing him. He doesn't sound very well. As you say he's not old but not young either.

If he doesn't improve in a few days I would think about seeing a different vet. If you google exotic vets in your area - they tend to know a lot more about hamsters and the various conditions. It may mean going a little bit further to see a vet.

It seems to me that you haven't really had a diagnosis and there are so many things that can cause bloating and lethargy. Generally bloating is not a good sign though. Does he have any fur loss? Is he hunched at all?

MontstersMum · 07-23-2018, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I think there is a probiotic called Pro C that some people recommend. That may be better than yoghurt as hammies shouldn't have a lot of dairy things - they don't digest it well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vetark-Prof...ro+c+probiotic

I would keep observing him. He doesn't sound very well. As you say he's not old but not young either.

If he doesn't improve in a few days I would think about seeing a different vet. If you google exotic vets in your area - they tend to know a lot more about hamsters and the various conditions. It may mean going a little bit further to see a vet.

It seems to me that you haven't really had a diagnosis and there are so many things that can cause bloating and lethargy. Generally bloating is not a good sign though. Does he have any fur loss? Is he hunched at all?

Hi and thanks for the reply

Remi is already under the care of an exotic vet that I trust

The only other exotic vet that I would go to is a specialist exotic/rabbit vet around 90 minutes away and I don't think I'm prepared to put him through such a long journey feeling the way he is right now. I guess his symptoms have changed really because the bloating has gone... he isn't bloated at all anymore, that seemed to go the day after he was initially treated. No fur loss etc, if anything his coat looks a little better over the last day or so. It's mainly his eyes and the fact that he is lethargic/not eating etc. I'm wondering if this could be side effects from the medication? But I'm not sure and my vet is off until Wednesday (obviously!). I've used these meds before in my other animals but not my hamsters, so I'm insure if there are any side effects from them?
I've just had him out for his medication and he was climbing out of his carry case and walking around on my bed. So I'm hoping this means he's got a bit of fight left in him.
We have 3 more doses of antibiotics and then I guess we reassess and take him back

Pebbles82 · 07-23-2018, 07:37 AM

Good that you already have an exotic vet. The lethargy could be caused by all sorts really - it could be the illness or it could be the antibiotics or even the heat exacerbating things. I haven't heard of Metacam causing it. Maybe just see how he goes until the antibiotics are finished and you see the vet again. Glad he is still walking around and doing things. Fingers crossed he improves.