what to do about potential respiratory infection - Page 2

Amethyst_ice · 08-16-2021, 02:49 AM

Fingers crossed

Pebbles82 · 08-16-2021, 03:04 AM

Good luck. How old is your hammy npw? Really dont envy the situation as others just don't understand how a hamster's health is more important than other things sometimes. Let us know how you get on. I would hate to be in your situation, and if I was and really wanted to get away I might be tempted to ask the vets if they could keep him in for a few days.

Benefitsben · 08-16-2021, 04:09 AM

another update:

he's been put on a longer course of antibiotics, he's been prescribed baytril and another medicine (I forgot the name lol) that he'll be on for 3 weeks. You were right amethyst_ice, he does have pneumonia. The vet also thinks that the infection could potentially have been caused by a heart issue like a heart murmur, so if he shows no improvement after the antibiotics he'll be going to the vet again to get xrays and see if his heart and lungs are normal, but if there's nothing wrong with them and he's not getting better he may have to be put down :( hopefully he won't though. Also, he's not going to my grandparents and instead I'm taking him with me on holiday in his travel cage (by travel cage I mean a smaller cage which is 530 sq in I think, not a carrier) as my nan wouldn't be able to administer his medicine

Benefitsben · 08-16-2021, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Good luck. How old is your hammy npw? Really dont envy the situation as others just don't understand how a hamster's health is more important than other things sometimes. Let us know how you get on. I would hate to be in your situation, and if I was and really wanted to get away I might be tempted to ask the vets if they could keep him in for a few days.

he's just over 1 1/2, he was born on boxing day 2019 :)

Pebbles82 · 08-16-2021, 04:39 AM

He's a good age at 18 months. I do hope he improves. Pneumonia is treatable - lets hope it's just that.

Just a tip for taking him with you (I've taken ours with us a few times). It's better if they travel in the pet carrier and set up the holiday cage when you get there. Much safer if they're in the pet carrier as they can get thrown across a cage and injured if there is a need to brake hard in a car eg.

I am usually a passenger when we go away so have the pet carrier on my knee (where I can hold onto it securely) and a blanket over the top for less stressy disturbance and so its dark. They usually just go to sleep quite quickly.

At the other end, set up the holiday cage and get the hamster settled. So you'll need to take substrate. I usually take a bit of the current substrate in a bag to sprinkle on top as well so its familiar, and take the usual food bowl and water bottle as well. Plus the cleaned out litter tray and another plastic bag of sand. Hamster food bagged up in a plastic bag and a few treats - and a toilet roll! Hamster's own toilet roll from home (in case there isn't enough where you're going). For new nesting material.

The whole lot can sit inside the holiday cage usually I find. Including the wheel. I have a 10" wheel I take to fit in a holiday cage. Then try and find a quiet corner to put the holiday cage, set it all up and pop the hamster in. I usually find best to leave them alone the first night or two and just check on them. But after that I let ours out for some out of cage time and familiar handling (that may not be an option if your hammy is sick).

Sounds like youll be busy on holiday giving baytril every day. It tastes nasty - have you thought about how to give it?

Amethyst_ice · 08-16-2021, 04:51 AM

I'm glad you were able to get to the vet and take my advice seriously. Hopefully you have got to the pneumonia in time, it is treatable but it's still quite serious and can leave lung scarring and ive still lost them after or during treatment. Why any chesty noises are best checked out if they last longer than a day....and thyme tea wont help

Hope you havent far to travel and manage atnice holiday,the both of you

Pebbles82 · 08-16-2021, 05:02 AM

Agree thyme tea is a bit of a trend. Thyme is an antiseptic herb with some antiobiotic properties - may be helpful for bathing a cut eg but no replacement for oral antibiotics and not for drinking! For serious infections an antibiotic needs to be broad spectrum as well (ie hit on various different strains of bugs).

Benefitsben · 08-16-2021, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

He's a good age at 18 months. I do hope he improves. Pneumonia is treatable - lets hope it's just that.

Just a tip for taking him with you (I've taken ours with us a few times). It's better if they travel in the pet carrier and set up the holiday cage when you get there. Much safer if they're in the pet carrier as they can get thrown across a cage and injured if there is a need to brake hard in a car eg.

I am usually a passenger when we go away so have the pet carrier on my knee (where I can hold onto it securely) and a blanket over the top for less stressy disturbance and so its dark. They usually just go to sleep quite quickly.

At the other end, set up the holiday cage and get the hamster settled. So you'll need to take substrate. I usually take a bit of the current substrate in a bag to sprinkle on top as well so its familiar, and take the usual food bowl and water bottle as well. Plus the cleaned out litter tray and another plastic bag of sand. Hamster food bagged up in a plastic bag and a few treats - and a toilet roll! Hamster's own toilet roll from home (in case there isn't enough where you're going). For new nesting material.

The whole lot can sit inside the holiday cage usually I find. Including the wheel. I have a 10" wheel I take to fit in a holiday cage. Then try and find a quiet corner to put the holiday cage, set it all up and pop the hamster in. I usually find best to leave them alone the first night or two and just check on them. But after that I let ours out for some out of cage time and familiar handling (that may not be an option if your hammy is sick).

Sounds like youll be busy on holiday giving baytril every day. It tastes nasty - have you thought about how to give it?

Yeah that's what I was planning to do, I've set up the cage already but haven't put him in it. I only have an 8 inch wheel and a 12 inch wheel but the 12 inch didn't fit in the cage, so I put in the 8 inch even tho it s too small for him - it's only for a few days and I doubt he'll use it much anyway due to him being ill. As for the baytril I'm gonna try and hold a sunflower seed between the bars of his cage just out of reach of him so he'll open his mouth to try and get it, then I'll squeeze the medicine in a little at a time. Hopefully he'll be OK with it though, when I gave it to him before he didn't seem to mind that much, although I was giving him a lot less of it

Amethyst_ice · 08-16-2021, 06:01 AM

Given he has a serious chest infection I'd leave the wheel out while he is on meds. There are lots of threads with giving med advice, as you have to give oftena disguising it in something is better as it is bitter and doing direct unless scruffing they catch on and likely not get a dose in

Benefitsben · 08-16-2021, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice

Given he has a serious chest infection I'd leave the wheel out while he is on meds. There are lots of threads with giving med advice, as you have to give oftena disguising it in something is better as it is bitter and doing direct unless scruffing they catch on and likely not get a dose in

OK thank you for the advice, any suggestions on what to hide it in?