Persistent Respiratory Infection

[bellaboo]

Hi all,

My hamster, Oscar, has had a respiratory infection for two weeks now Intitially he was on Septrin but this made no difference so has now been on Baytril for four days. He seems brighter in himself, the vet gave a decongestant which has helped slightly and he has been using a nebuliser with an f19/saline mix for over a week now. But he still makes a whistling noise intermittently and as though he is trying to clear his nose as its a jumpy squeaky sound every now and then, particularly when he's eating. I give him the dwarf hamster mix as I thought that would be easier to eat, baby banana porridge with guardian angel mixed in and he is on Fitch. I can't understand why it hasn't cleared yet, or will it? The vet has suggested doing an X-ray but this seems too risky to me. I also tried the thyme in his bedding and Olbas to help breathing, but this did not help. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Nb: Oscar is a Syrian hamster, a rescue and approx 20 weeks old

[racinghamster]

Hi bellaboo. Giving Baytril on it`s own for at least two weeks usually helps in upper respiratory cases. It can be hit and miss though. Giving the full dose helps and making sure Oscar is consuming the dose fully. If he shows some improvement, I would keep the Baytril going for longer. I used to have to do this with my mice when I had them as mice suffer greatly from mycobacterial respiratory infections and Baytril can be something they live on from time to time.

Being on Fitch is excellent so that won`t harm him. Don`t worry about little hic-cup sneezes now and then. The noises can be due to the airway being compromised. How long has he had this? I would advise spot cleaning only as well so as not to stress him. Weather changes can also affect their breathing, going from warm and stuffy to cooler temps overnight.

Fresh air is good, so keep the room door open. Don`t go near Olbas oil or anything irritant. These are very strong and not necessary. Make sure he`s getting small amounts of good raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, green peas, sweetcorn and a variety of crushed nuts like hazelnut, cashew, brazil and walnut. Lidl, Aldi and other supermarkets sell these packets of mixed nuts and they can be a nice treat. I break them up for my Russian dwarf and he loves them. You can also mash them or grate them into soft food like Supreme Science Selective biscuits and soak one in water, mash it up and add in the mixed nuts.

Hope Oscar is well soon. Keep his diet varied and most of all, rest and no stress. x

[cypher]

I agree about it being too early for the baytril to have really had a chance to work, you may just have to be patient & hang on it there as it does sometimes take a while to work & completely clear the infection.
I wouldn't use anything like olbas oil or putting thyme in his cage as they are too strong for such a small animal, I think some people do use thyme putting some in hot water to make a kind of tea then putting that close to but not in the cage as that is more than enough.
His diet should be fine & Guardian angel is good, maybe add some potent brew as they generally do better with a probiotic when on antibiotics, I give it to mine once a week anyway just for a bit of a boost.
Porridge is great for giving meds but other than that if he can manage the mix you're giving him I would stick to that so he is still getting a balanced diet & primarily hard foods which is important.
If he's unused to veg introduce them gradually, a small piece every few days gradually building up to a piece daily.

[bellaboo]

Thank you both very much. Two weeks seems such a long time for him to be going through this, he has been up and down during this time. I took him straight to the vets at the first sign, hoping to nip it in the bud but it wasn't to be. It was so incredibly hot to start with which I don't think helped, though I did my best to keep the temperature even and also use an air purifier to keep the air as fresh as possible.. I have been giving him sweetcorn, carrot, broccoli and apple, all tiny pieces. I went and got the nuts, fresh peas and cauliflower, will introduce this slowly and will stop the Olbas. I have Fightback by DrS is that the same as potent brew? I will hold out on the porridge for now as I'm giving him the med directly. He is on 0.07 ml twice a day, he is around 170g. The first antibiotic did nothing, so I'm hoping this will work, it has been so stressful, but I'm hoping he will start picking up soon, it's reassuring what you have both written, so thank you.

[cypher]

The length of time it's taking may just be because the first antibiotics didn't work for some reason so it may take a bit longer for the baytril to work.

I wouldn't give fight back with guardian angel, I think that may just be overdoing it with vitamins especially if he already has added vitamins in his mix, potent brew does have some vits but is mostly a probiotic & is compatible with guardian angel so giving those together should be ok.

I really hope he starts to pick up soon too but you're giving him great care so try not to get too disheartened, it's hard to see them unwell but fingers crossed he'll begin to get better soon.

[bellaboo]

Thanks cypher, I have ordered the potent brew so he can be getting on with the guardian angel for now. I'm keeping everything crossed I see it fading in the next couple of days or so. Thanks again.