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Old 09-22-2021, 06:10 AM   #351
Petite
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Default Re: Pickle's Thread

Hope the vet manages to squeeze you in, Serendipity, and that things turn out as okay as possible. Pickle's eye doesn't sound good, but at least he is still active and going about his hamster stuff.
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Old 09-22-2021, 06:45 AM   #352
Pebbles82
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Thank you Ria and Petite. Yes Ria, Pickle's behaviour and activity is no different. I still think it must be causing some pain or discomfort, even with Metacam but he doesn't seem unhappy or changed in behaviour.

I am still having communication mix ups with the vets. Had a call but it wasn't the exotic vet it was the other one, who didn't know I'd asked for a call with the exotic vet. So might end up speaking to two vets today. Although she said exotic vet is so busy she doesn't always get chance to see her emails (receptionist was emailing her to ring me). But she might see her later and ask.

What she did say (a bit late now) was she had spoken to the exotic vet the other day who said the baytril should be for at least two weeks and he should have had some drops to relieve the discomfort of the dry eye. But as I said - a bit late now. So I'll carry on the Baytril for now (and I did think he should have it for at least 10 days). In a way I'm quite glad I wasn't given drops as that would have been hassle for Pickle trying to put them in every day. Instead he's had no hassle and had his meds in tasty food. And seems fine.

The vet who called looked at the photos and said she did think it was a tumour pushing the eye out, not an abscess (but she's not 100% and that's why I want the exotic vet to see him and have an appointment - because she will know just by looking at it I think). And the other vet so far has been a wee bit unreliable and just caused uncertainty and anxiety - by not knowing certain things - so I'd rather see and speak to the exotic vet.
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Old 09-22-2021, 10:34 AM   #353
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Well neither of the vets called back. The exotic vet had been sent a message to call me. The other vet said she'd call back later today anyway. Maybe one of them will call this evening or tomorrow. Actually all I wanted was an appointment with the exotic vet but seems they're not easy to come by. I'll ring back in the morning and make one for next week and just keep Pickle on the meds till I hear from someone.
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Old 09-22-2021, 10:52 AM   #354
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Vet just called this evening (not the exotic one) and says carry on with the baytril for two weeks and has made an appointment for me with the exotic vet on Monday (which is about 10 days into the baytril). Seems a long time to wait till Monday. Very frustrating not being able to get an appointment this week. I'll probably end up running out of baytril again!
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Old 09-26-2021, 05:51 AM   #355
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Pickle seems to be doing well. The protruding thing from his eye has now disappeared - maybe either popped or fell off. But gone. His eye is looking quite a bit better abd the swelling round the eye has gone down a lot. Hasn’t gone completely but not as bad as before. Pickle himself is still behaving normally, using his wheel and very active. He came out last night and was energetically climbing the sofa as usual- quite impressive for a 2 year old hamster. So I am thinking it was/is infection.

Carrying on with antibiotics longer was the right thing. I had enough in the bottle to easily do the rest of the two week course but blooming well knocked the bottle over last night when measuring out the second dose - most of it spilled out! In hindsight I should have just sucked that back up a syringe off the worktop but I just wiped it off with a wipe. I think there os enough left to do two more doses today and then he is seeing the exotic vet tomorrow. So I may need to pay for more again - ouch.

It has been an anxious time of ups and downs and too much doom and gloom and confusing info from the other vet- I really don’t need someone telling me it’s probably a tumour all the time until the antibiotics are finished! Also she said she will also be there when he sees the exotic vet. Not keen on that idea. I want a proper conversation with the exotic vet on the phone (she phones after examining while we’re in the car) and she will be distracted by the other vet discussing it with her. Or even delegate the other vet to ring me. I really don’t want another phone call with the other vet- she waffles on too much and is contradictory (doesn’t really know much about hansters). Very nice but not much help!

So fingers crossed it was an infection or abscess that is resolving. Pickle certainly doesn’t seem unwell or showing any signs of discomfort (I know they can hide pain but maybe the Metacam is doing it’s job).

Bizarrely I seem to have gone out in sympathy with Pickle and now have a painful tooth abscess!
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Old 09-26-2021, 07:10 AM   #356
Ria P
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Default Re: Pickle's Thread

I'm so glad that everything points towards a treatable infection or abcess.

I would be quite firm here and point out that i'm paying for this consultations so would insist to see the exotics vet because you want Pickle to have her undevided attention. They should at least ask if its ok with you for another vet to be present at Pickle's consultation and then i would decline.

Good luck with the dentist.

Last edited by Ria P; 09-26-2021 at 12:10 PM.
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Old 09-26-2021, 09:57 AM   #357
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Thanks Ria. As mentioned before we’re still doing car park handovers DP I probably can’t stop the other vet being there. But I will insist on speaking to the exotic vet personally on the phone as soon as I get there. No more of these second hand passed on messages. And I have questions I want to ask her as well. I get the impression the other vet now sees it as her case. But I have been clear I wanted a consultation with the exotic vet.

I’m just pleased Pickle isn’t showing any signs of suffering in any way. I know he can’t see out of that eye abd is adjusting to that - but he os incredibly boisterous and energetic.

I still reckon he got something in his eye when free roaming that night but I have a feeling the vets still won’t be able to say definitively what it is when they see him. Which is why I have questions about whether the eye could continue to be a source of infection if left as it is. And also about continuing the antibiotics a bit longer - the swelling has gone down a lot but not completely. And if it is a tooth abscess. I’ll have to see what she says tomorrow.

My tooth has settled down now
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Old 09-26-2021, 11:01 AM   #358
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Default Re: Pickle's Thread

Really relieved that Pickle is progressing well and that the antibiotics seem to have been doing a good job on his eye.
Make sure that you get the consultation that you want and are paying for tomorrow. You have had to wait long enough.
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Old 09-26-2021, 11:34 AM   #359
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Thanks Coco. Yes it has been a wait. The appointment is made with the exotic vet so I will be treating it as such and asking reception to ask her to call me to discuss when we arrrive. That’s how she was doing things during lockdown. She wanted to talk to you first, then havd pet carrier over at the door. Then bring hamster back. Then another call to discuss her views. She is very thorough usually. Can’t stop the other vet deciding to be there when she sees Pickle I guess. But I have had communication issues with this vet practice before.
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Old 09-27-2021, 08:53 AM   #360
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Just had vet consultation today with exotic vet who was very good and quite a long discussion. I had been thinking for a while that it was a complex situation in that leaving an eye could mean recurrent infections but removing it is surgery. Pickle is actually blinking again now and his eye looks more or less normal apart from being non functioning for sight. But there is still slight swelling around the eye.

Vet said although the eye infection has resolved she thinks it was a secondary infection caused by a mass behind the eye which is still there. Whether that is a tumour or abscess. She doesn’t think it’s a dental issue. She is not certain it’s a tumour but says that the eye is a common location for secondaries. She said he would need to stay on Metacam full time and both she and I seemed to be in two minds about the surgery. She said removing the eye would prevent recurring infections and recurrence of the eye protruding, but that as she doesn’t know what she would find behind the eye there could be a lot of bleeding and it would be a bigger op than a standard eye removal due to the swelling. And that his chances of surviving surgery were 50/50.

I got the impression she didn’t sound too confident about it and my thoughts at that point also were that he’d have to go through surgery recovery while possibly coping with cancer. The vet thinks it probably is secondaries. And that better to just keep him comfortable and carry on with metacam. However the infections are likely to recur once antibiotics finished if the eye isn’t removed now.

And I needed to weigh up the suffering - either from another op to try and prevent ongoing eye protrusion and infections, or more surgery. Or - as I said to her - will he keep needing baytril? We talked about quality of life (I said he is very active still and she said monitor his weight as regular weight loss can be a sign of cancer in the system) and she said if the eye infection does keep recurring that may be the time to consider euthanasia as his quality of life affected.

So basically it is likely to be both a tumour and infection and the tumour pressure leading to eye infection. The operation sounded too much and, as she said - it’s close to the brain if there was a bleed. Momentarily I thought if he died under surgery that would save long term decline and euthanasia, and a chance to relieve eye problems and pain. But it is too big an op because of the swollen area. And if he survived the op he may not recover well.

I knew it was a difficult complex one because there is no solution to keeping the eye comfortable long term. Right now he is comfortable (and blinking). What she said there was - you could continue the baytril for another 10 days. That of course will be quite a long course of antibiotics so I’ll need to start giving probiotics. My feeling after the call was that he perhaps needs an ongoing maintenance dose of baytril - like a lower dose ongoing. But you always think of these questions afterwards.



So basically ongoing monitoring of his
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