Thanks for all your well wishes and sorry not for the further update sooner (especially
SKB - so sorry to worry you!)
I took Wonder to the Vets again because she was still on antibiotics and metacam for a further week even though there was a marked improvement.
This time I saw another Vet I hadn't seen before.
I explained the symptoms. Although they have reduced a lot since I first got her, they have been the same for just over a week.
She is still making intermittent wet noises when breathing and rubbing her nose/sneezing at times. It's like she has little bouts of it.
I explained this to the Vet but because she couldn't see it for herself, and that Wonder is in such good health other than that, she did not see a need to continue with antibiotics/seek further treatment.
She also said that it would be obvious to see if anything was wrong with her because 'like cats, they show their illness very obviously' ...
To my knowledge (thanks to you guys!), I know it to be the
exact opposite of that - because they are prey animals, they are very good and will go to extreme measures to conceal an injury/illness.
As she was explaining all of this, Wonder began a bout of sneezey snuffling and I pointed it out.
The vet then changed her tune and said that she could refer me to a specialist if I would like.
I then explained the situation - because Pets at Home sold me a sickly hamster, they are covering her vet bills if I see the associated vet, but I wasn't sure if they would cover a specialist referral.
She casually said 'Oh no, they won't cover that. They would just give you a new hamster.'
.............
I was beyond shocked!
I had a lump in my throat at the thought of this being a standard response to a (potentially) sick and (definitely) beloved pet!!
I can't imagine they would ever say that to a cat or dog owner!!!!
As you can imagine, i'm getting in touch with customer services about it.
I deeply regret being a Pets at Home customer. I'm so utterly disappointed in them.
I intended to get my next hamster from Tuftyfluff, but I happened to pop into Pets at Home for a friend's cat food and saw Wonder and fell in love with her.
Anyway, I will follow up this rather moany post with some cute pictures to make up for it
