Syrian hamster allergies - any advice?

[Minnie]

Hi

I took my Syrian hamster to the vet because he was constipated. It turns out that the reason he is having difficulty going to the toilet is because the faeces is full of fur.

The vet suspects that he has an allergy to something, which is causing him to wash himself and scratch more and as he licks his paws he is ingesting fur. The body can't digest this so it causes problems trying to come out the other end.

He's on Piriton syrop to ease the itching (which doesn't seem to be working), pineapple juice which has an enzyme in it which breaks down the keratin in the fur in his digestive system and lettuce to help move things along. The hope is that as going to the toilet becomes easier for him, his stress levels will also decrease which in turn will help with the itching.

I've also switched his bedding from wood shavings to the white paper "safe bedding" from Pets at Home.

Unfortunately none of this seems to be working. Treatment began on Saturday and I've seen no improvement.

Has anyone tried Bio Catolet as a form of dust free bedding? My vet recommended shredding napkins but when I did that I seemed to create more dust than ever before.

Any advice would be most welcome as it's horrible to see him in such distress.

Minnie