Ham solo has sores/scabs , not getting better

[Alison79]

Hi , hoping someone can help . Our hamster Ham Solo is male 18 months. June this year I bought him soft new bedding , cleaned him out , he was fine. A few days later he started losing some hair and was itching which has caused several deep sores/scabs . Took him to the vet where he was treated for mites and given a steroid injection to stop the itching , vet suspected the bedding was infested He has now been treated every 2 weeks for mites and steroid injections given , did seem to get better and hair started to grow back however one week ago looked on his tummy and it was all infected, he must have been scratching alot . I really thought taking him to the vet this time he wasn’t going to come out alive as he seemed really poorly . Luckily she said we would try antibiotics and she’s gave me cream Betafuse (for dogs) the infection on his tummy seems to be clearing slowly , older scabs still look awful and are taking a very long time to heal however can see a little improvement and some hair growing back but the vet doesn’t seem to be getting to the bottom of what is wrong. He’s had a skin scrap (3 weeks ago) and no mites seen , cushings ruled out and doesn’t think it’s skin cancer. Mange was mentioned but again not certain. He’s now developed a wee sore on his mouth , all that being said he’s eating and drinking normally , and still lively however skin doesn’t seem to be getting better and anytime the steroid is wearing off he starts itching . Any ideas would be amazing ! Also I’m a little weary about the cream the vet has given me , ive read many posts saying sudacreme is good for healing . Any advice would be very much appreciated, Ham solo is the best hamster 🐹 Thank you !

[souffle]

This does sounds like Cushing's disease to me. Maybe it is an antibiotic resistant infection or even a severe allergy to something. I hope you can find the source but at 18months he is quite an elderly hammy and his system will be much weaker now especially now he has been through such a lot.

[Alison79]

Thank you so much for your reply. If honest deep down I think this too. The vet disagreed with me and said if Cushings they lose their hair on their back and Ham solo hasn’t lost his hair there. I have another appointment on Thursday, I might ask them if we can try treatment for Cushings (if there is any) see how we go. Thank you again for your reply , really appreciate it ☺️

[Ria P]

You could also ask for a different vet and get a second opinion.

One of my hamsters saw a vet not long ago who didn't prescribe the correct treatment for a urinary tract infection so i went back and saw another vet who immediately prescribed the correct and effective treatment.

I hope that a vet will be able to help your hamster and find a treatment that works.

[cypher]

It is normal for Cushing’s to start on the back but I’m not sure that’s always the case, your vet will need to do a blood test to be sure.
You might find it helpful to read Coco’s post about the diagnosis & treatment for her ham.
Cushings and Treatment

[Alison79]

Thank you everyone , I’ve had a second opinion from another vet and that was the vet that ruled out Cushings , tumours and treated him again for mites after seeing no mites on the skin scrape . I read the coco post which has described some of Ham solos symptoms. I’m going to ask the vet if she can do a blood test and to try the medication that worked on cocos hamster , sounds very promising. Wish I’d found this site a few weeks ago ! Thank you all again ☺️

[cypher]

Good luck, I hope the vets can help him.

[Alison79]

**UPDATE** Ham Solo’s follow up appointment at the vet last night didn’t go too well. Although his wounds improved he’s lost quite a bit of weight in the past 10 days. The vet also felt one of his kidneys was enlarged and said it’s likely he has Cushings disease after all. I mentioned Coco’s post regarding trialing Vetoryl, she called back today to say she’s done some research and is willing to give it a go. I also watched a YouTube video on how to feed a elderly/sick hamster , take the seeds and corn out the muesli then put some oats in , add boiling water to help soften then once cool put in a wee dish. I did this for Ham solo , once awake he was at his dish for about 5 mins happily eating away. He has a wee sore beside his mouth which is making me wonder if the muesli was too hard/ sore for him to eat hence the weight loss. He still seems happy in himself , I’m really hoping the meds work, fingers crossed he responds well. We have another appointment in 10 days time. Praying this works �� Thank you again for the replies and advice.

[cypher]

I’m sorry to hear Solo is so unwell, if it is Cushing’s & your vet is willing to give the treatment a go that’s good though, I really hope it helps.
Have you tried science selective pellets? They are easy to soak in warm water to soften them & that way you can offer him some complete nutrition. Hamster safe baby foods & porridge are also really helpful when they’re unwell or unable to eat normally, most hams love a bit of porridge, a tiny bit of baby food can also be useful for giving meds mixed in.

[Pebbles82]

I am sorry to hear this too. Have you ruled out allergy? It is possible that the enlarged kidney could be a normal age related thing (their kidneys start to fail) and the skin issues be an allergy. Particularly if steroids help. Steroids would make Cushings worse. So that makes me think it may be something else. Steroids would be increasing the amount of cortisol in the system (Cushings is over production of cortisol).

I think Cushings needs to be properly diagnosed (or at least allergy ruled out) before treatment being given in case it isn’t Cushings. A lot of Cushings symptoms can also be other things and diagnosis is usually an assumption (and not always correct). Unless, like Coco’s vet, a blood test is done. My vet said that isn’t possible (taking the blood test). It does need a Specialized vet to do that.

So before going ahead, what bedding are you using? The most hypoallergenic bedding is probably Fitch which is just recycled food grade paper. Kaytee clean and cozy might be ok but isn’t pure paper. Carefresh can cause allergies as can any kind of wood bedding (whether softwood or hardwood) and hemp.

If it is not allergy then it does sound like Cushings although that shouldn’t affect the kidneys. It is over production of the hormone cortisol- two types of Cushings - either the over production is from the pituitary gland or it is from the adrenal glands. I believe the treatment only works on one type (Coco’s post should say).

Metacam (Pain relief) is also contra indicated in Cushings and makes it worse. Without pain relief these hamsters often need to be helped on their way when suffering becomes an issue.

But I think if you could rule out allergy first (or find out if this helps resolve the skin issues).

Hair loss can also be caused by a number of things. Giving a pinch of linseeds daily can help the hair regrow. Works wonders. Are his nails ok? If they get overgrown then scratching fur less skin will cause sores.

However if allergy is ruled out then trying the vetoryl without clear diagnosis could be an option, bearing in mind his age.