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Littlephodopusmom · 02-18-2020, 10:46 AM

[QUOTE=Periwinkle;934293]Thank you! Great info. How is it given, is it dissolved in water or into food? I'm going to try to find the food you mentioned.

I didn't feel comfortable adding the probiotics to his water just in case it put him off drinking, and because I wasn't sure then how much he'd be getting. I just sprinkled a small amount on the top of a piece of moistened food that he likes, and offered him that food off a spoon so I could be sure he ate or pouched it. I was modest with how much I gave him because too much probiotic can cause tummy upset too, so I gave only about .025 of a ml, if you can imagine it as a liquid. If you have a 1ml syring or the vet can show you one you will see how little it is. Enough to fully cover an unshelled sunflower seed.

I've never had a hamster with a URI but wanted to add my experience with URI and nasal problems in case it helps. My bunny had an incurable URI for 8 years. He was on antibiotics for life. I have Rhinitis, allergies and asthma. With my bun and myself the more you sneeze the more your nasal passages get inflamed and swell. This causes heavier breathing especially in a bun because they cannot breathe through their mouths. I'm not sure if hamsters can breathe through their mouths but if they can't then it makes sense to me that they will have the same symptoms we had at my house. Shortness of breath or heavy breathing, fatigue with exercise, and loss of sense of smell. I wonder if your hammy might also be experiencing these things. I wonder if she could have environmental allergies since her lungs sounded clear at the vet and if she's got Rhinitis like we did / do. It helps greatly for us to have humidity in the air to breathe better so maybe you could ask a vet if it might be ok to have a little tabletop humidifier in the room she's in to keep her nose more moisturized. When my bun couldn't smell he ate a lot less because the sense of smell is so important and he couldn't smell his food. Mucus in the nose and throat makes it harder to eat also. I'm sharing it to tell you to try not to worry and don't feel like you are being a bad Mom because dealing with a URI and or allergies can be very challenging and you are doing the best you can.

02-18-2020, 10:46 AM
Littlephodopusmom Hamster Pup Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Canada Posts: 124	Re: Is the Vet really doing the right thing? [QUOTE=Periwinkle;934293]Thank you! Great info. How is it given, is it dissolved in water or into food? I'm going to try to find the food you mentioned. I didn't feel comfortable adding the probiotics to his water just in case it put him off drinking, and because I wasn't sure then how much he'd be getting. I just sprinkled a small amount on the top of a piece of moistened food that he likes, and offered him that food off a spoon so I could be sure he ate or pouched it. I was modest with how much I gave him because too much probiotic can cause tummy upset too, so I gave only about .025 of a ml, if you can imagine it as a liquid. If you have a 1ml syring or the vet can show you one you will see how little it is. Enough to fully cover an unshelled sunflower seed. I've never had a hamster with a URI but wanted to add my experience with URI and nasal problems in case it helps. My bunny had an incurable URI for 8 years. He was on antibiotics for life. I have Rhinitis, allergies and asthma. With my bun and myself the more you sneeze the more your nasal passages get inflamed and swell. This causes heavier breathing especially in a bun because they cannot breathe through their mouths. I'm not sure if hamsters can breathe through their mouths but if they can't then it makes sense to me that they will have the same symptoms we had at my house. Shortness of breath or heavy breathing, fatigue with exercise, and loss of sense of smell. I wonder if your hammy might also be experiencing these things. I wonder if she could have environmental allergies since her lungs sounded clear at the vet and if she's got Rhinitis like we did / do. It helps greatly for us to have humidity in the air to breathe better so maybe you could ask a vet if it might be ok to have a little tabletop humidifier in the room she's in to keep her nose more moisturized. When my bun couldn't smell he ate a lot less because the sense of smell is so important and he couldn't smell his food. Mucus in the nose and throat makes it harder to eat also. I'm sharing it to tell you to try not to worry and don't feel like you are being a bad Mom because dealing with a URI and or allergies can be very challenging and you are doing the best you can.