Possible incorrect dosages? :( advice please

[kyrilliondaemon]

In my opinion if she said what mark to put it to then I'd put it to that mark regardless of the nozzle, but I would definetly ring the vets and confirm now that you've ended up confused.
I know when my vets prescribe my pets meds I can ignore the amount in the nozzle and put it to the number they've said, but I have noticed that once I've given my pet their dose there's still a small amount of medication in the nozzle (that I can't really get out without washing the syringe) so I think whatever is in the nozzle to begin with should be there once you've given the hamster a dose - which means you can ignore the nozzle. Thats what happens when I give my pets medication anyway.

[peridotgreen]

mostly, the stuff that in the nozzle can come out because its up to the top and still at the 0.05 mark, which is why im confused because if its at 0.05 mark and there is stuff in the nozzle which comes out, how does it add up to 0.05...sigh

I probably sound really stupid

[souffle]

The syringes are callibrated to take in to account the fact that some will stay in the nozzle part so he will be having the correct dose I;m sure. Chest infections can take a long time and multiple courses to clear an infection and if it is a viral infection it is down to the hamsters own immune system to clear it.
I hope he is better soon xx

[peridotgreen]

its just all so confusing :/

Im quite nervous about ringing the vet because i dont want to sound stupid, its really hard to explain what im trying to say aswell

[kyrilliondaemon]

*shrugs* I once took an aging hamster to the vets to check if something was a lump or just her bones getting visible after losing a bit of weight. It was a bone... You can probably imagine how daft I felt but the vet didn't mind in the slightest. They just explained things properly and that was that, didn't hold it against me and think I was an idiot or anything

I do think Souffle is right though, she's said something similar to what I was thinking and has just phrased it better than I could
It is up to you what you do, I just figure the vets are probably best placed to reassure you now you're confused and concerned. To measure a 0.05ml dose I've always drawn the medication up to the 0.05ml mark on the syringe with no problem though and its definetly what my vets mean when they prescribe meds (One of the vets who doesn't know me too well even demonstrated how to give a dose of medication a few months ago and thats what they did.)

I really don't think you've been getting it wrong before today though. It sounds like you've been giving the metacam for a while and if it was a major issue I'm sure you'd know by now.

[Thin Lizzy]

Whenever I've had to give mine medications, my vet would mark several syringes with a piece of coloured tape to where it's to be filled up to, like Cypher, I too would put the correct dosage into baby food as I know it'll be gobbled up, when it's added to water, you can't be certain that your ham has gotten enough.
Don't feel silly about phoning up the vet and checking, that's their job.

[cypher]

Don't be nervous about phoning the vet, or even calling in to see them if you find that easier than trying to explain things on the phone, when you're new to taking hams to the vet it's not always easy to know what questions to ask & even with more experience it's easy to forget but your vet will want your ham to get the correct treatment as much as you do & should be happy to explain anything you're unsure of.
I always bombard my vet with questions & ideas whenever I go & he's always really good about explaining or discussing things!

[peridotgreen]

hi all, just to let you know i rang the vet, he said basically just 2 drops, which is basically what we were doing before

he likes porridge, just not with sulfatrim on! so i had to do it orally which is such a pain

he didnt seem that well today, his noises are getting worse, but i guess ive done all i can now, he has new bedding on the way and some new treats so :/

[cypher]

Good to hear you got the dosage sorted, I always find drops a lot easier to measure than mls but then I only have dwarfs so the dose is even less!
Shame he won't take it in food though.
I hope the meds do work, it may take a while but fingers crossed you'll see an improvement.

[peridotgreen]

Yeah, im trying to keep positive but at the moment its not looking good.

It would be harder for me if he was young but still