Baytril for Syrian - when does it start working?

goldenkimono · 02-11-2019, 03:12 AM

I feel like I'm only here to ask about health issues, but hopefully Rookie will be better soon so I can actually post pictures of the hamsters!

Anyway, Rookie had an eye infection, we got given Maxitrol, and this seemed to work quite well. Took away the swelling, at least. The downside was that she got extremely distressed by the entire process and started squeaking etc. Once we finished the course, we realised the eye still didn't look entirely better and on Friday we realised there was some clicking as she breathed and some wheezing as well - and now the other eye looked as though it wasn't entirely okay either.

Initially I'd made an appointment with our regular vet, who could fit us in on Monday, but on Saturday we realised she hadn't touched her food, hadn't been drinking, and when we checked on her, she really didn't look well so instead we made an appointment with an out-of-hours vet (thank god for my father-in-law, who could drive us there).

The vet there was absolutely lovely, checked her over entirely (something our regular vet hadn't, she'd only looked at the eyes and had initially misdiagnosed her) and said it appeared as though the infection had now gone for the eyes and the throat. She prescribed Baytril, which Rookie luckily seems to like for some reason, and we've now administered two doses (0.1 ml, once a day in the evening).

So far there's not really been any difference and I know I'm undoubtedly far too impatient, but does anyone know when you can start to notice that it's working? Thanks!!

cypher · 02-11-2019, 04:02 AM

Sorry to hear she has more problems, how long has the vet prescribed the baytril for? I would think you're looking at a week to see any real improvement although it's hard to guess, some infections clear up really quickly & others need more than one course.
Hope she's better soon.

goldenkimono · 02-11-2019, 04:13 AM

She prescribed it for a week, but gave us enough to last longer if needed - though in that case we should probably ring to ask or visit our regular vet. And thank you so much.

souffle · 02-11-2019, 04:15 AM

3 days minimum before things start to improve.
Often eye and nose issues are actually a reaction to something else going on rather than the root cause of an illness. Is there anything else you can pinpoint? Is she swollen at all? Any discharge? Is she drinking more than usual?

goldenkimono · 02-11-2019, 04:19 AM

Apart from goo from the eyes, there's no discharge elsewhere, and she's actually eating and drinking less than usual. I do know it's been quite cold in the flat recently, and although we try to keep her warm as well as we can, I'm not sure if she might've caught something somehow anyway?

souffle · 02-11-2019, 04:20 AM

what about her tummy? Does she look pear shaped or feel sort of squishy at all?

goldenkimono · 02-11-2019, 04:42 AM

It's hard to tell, since she doesn't like being picked up at the moment and starts squirming a lot, but it feels like normal? Perhaps a bit squishy, but I'm not sure if that's just her natural squish or not. I'll check again when she's more awake! (She did seem calmer just now and had something to eat and drink without needing prompting.)

We did get another hamster fairly recently, which I considered to be a possible issue at first, but he seems perfectly healthy and we've kept them separated the entire time.

souffle · 02-11-2019, 05:03 AM

OK well keep a close eye on her and lets see how she responds to the Baytril. Hopefully it is kicking in now if she is starting to eat herself.

goldenkimono · 02-13-2019, 01:00 PM

She's eating and drinking now, started wandering around a bit more today. Her eyes are still mostly closed, though, and earlier we saw some poo stuck to her (hard, not liquid) and what might have been urine? Looked a little like goo, but I know hamster urine looks odd. Her belly doesn't seem swollen or different at all; my wife and I both checked.

Is there cause for concern or is all this normal?