Pickle's Thread

[Pebbles82]

Thanks Ria. It’s actually quite a few months since his surgery now and he’s been doing great.

Vet phoned back this afternoon - not the exotic vet, she was lovely, but this new vet is lovely and very caring and thoughtful. She said she had a brief word with exotic vet who said the eye would need to be removed and it was probably neoplasia (ie cancer). Probably because he had that cancerous lump removed. So it’s a case of waiting to see if the antibiotics work. I said I was still hoping it might be infection and the vet said she was hoping that too and asked me to keep an eye on the swelling on his head around the eye area and if that goes down it’s more likely a tooth abscess - then he’d have to have some dental work.

I was asking whether they would still remove the eye if it turned out to be a tumour - with it causing discomfit being left. She didn’t know so it’s basically see what happens but reckon next visit should be with the exotic vet.

I am still hoping it’s infection because it seems to have come out of nowhere and I’m remembering that funny circular dance Pickle was doing the other night - grooming, running round in circles over and over. That may have been something hurting or bothering him and wonder if he scratched or caught his eye maybe.

Or could be it’s been going on in the background and just starting to show.

Vet said if it is neoplasia he should still have a few weeks of being kept comfortable.

He’s had two doses of baytril and will have today’s first dose soon.

As I’m mixing it with the beefy stuff I’m just leaving it out in the afternoon (yesterday it was gone by early evening) and again at night (and it was gone in the morning) - so that seems to space the doses out.

I thought 0.04ml was quite tiny for a large Syrian - considering the Metacam is 0.2 or 0.3 (bottle days 0.2 post op but vet said 0.3 now). I double checked it though. Been given wrong dosages before!

[Coco61]

Do hope that it is an infection and it responds to the medicine. It’s all going down with the dog food and so should work soon.
Pickle is enjoying his out of cage time and active enough so that is hopeful.
Nothing wrong with his rear end was good news.

[Pebbles82]

Thanks Coco. The vet was really lovely - talked quite a bit and she said she thinks all animals and humans are on the same spectrum- so if a human eye being dry and protruding gave pain and discomfort it would be the same for a pet even though hamsters hide pain. But that is why he’s on Metacam.

She also said I could call her whenever I wanted if I was worried about him.

[Pebbles82]

Pickle‘a has 2 days worth of antibiotics now. No real improvement but it’s early days. If anything his head looks slightly more swollen at that side. The eye is very sad and looks like it it is going a bit white at the front.

I am still hoping it’s infection as it came on so suddenly after some free ranging last week end. Although for a while now he has been coming to the cage door each night and sitting for whisker kisses so I wonder if he was trying to tell me something wasn’t right.

Before I put him back in his cage after the vet visit I had cleaned out his toilet and slightly spot cleaned the area in front of his house and added a bit more substrate there as it had gone flat. Mixed it in well so still some old there.

But he did seem a bit disorientated last night in that area - was digging in it a bit and looked surprised when he dug the end of his chew stick. So I think he’s adjusting to the loss of sight. From now on I won’t be changing anything - he shouldn’t need any spot cleaning for a while other than his toilet emptying.

Mind you he’s bound to be a bit disorientated after being awake in the afternoon yesterday and going to the vets.

He eats his baytril and Metacam in food in two goes. Eats about half then eats the other half a bit later.

I’m glad he’s on Metacam.

[Ria P]

Makes me wonder if its a cataract if the eye is going white.

You have such a deep connection with your hamsters which is lovely.

Can't imagine Rodney giving me whisker kisses. He'd be more like, stop messing about and pick me up.

I do find that some hamsters become more tactile and affectionate when they get older or unwell. It's almost like they realize that maybe, there's more to humans than a food and taxi service.

[Pebbles82]

I think so too. Maybe he was starting to feel a bit unwell. He’s never done whisker kisses before - although I hadn’t tried before! Although he has been coming to the door to have a look out for some time.

I think if it was cataracts it wouldn’t be so swollen. A bit worried the eye itself may be ulcerating. It’s been left I’ll call the vets Monday unless anything gets worse meanwhile.

[Pebbles82]

Pickle's meds are going down well. I can't see any change yet but at least it's not looking worse (apart from the white spot in the eye). He seems just as active as ever, saw him zipping around his cage on the hamstercam last night and he definitely went in his wheel for a bit - maybe not for long (didn't watch the whole recording). Maybe the metacam helps or maybe it just isn't bothering him that much. He doesn't show signs of discomfort or being unwell in any way. But they eye must feel awful if open and dried out all the time. Hence the Metacam I guess.

Annoyingly I am going to have to get more Baytril and go all the way back to the vets to pick it up. Technically there should have been enough in the syringe they gave me (about 1ml which technically should last about 10 days). But there is quite a bit of wastage trying to transfer it from the syringe to the small syringe via a needle and it gets lots of bubbles in it, which causes more wastage when trying to get the dose right and tap the bubbles out. Some of the med gets stuck in the top part of the syringe and comes out with the bubble. Don't see why they couldn't have given me a bit more to allow for wastage! It seems such thick sticky stuff too. So goes into a thick blob stuck behind a bubble rather than slipping into the syringe

The only way to get it in the small syringe, via a needle, without too much wastage, is to draw up too much. But then you can't get it back in the needle. So more wastage.

Oh well. I reckon I only just have two doses left - and they are fiddly to get out of the syringe with the needle now it's not got much in.

Metacam is a doddle compared to this. I'm sure last time I had it, I just had a small bottle and no issues.

[Ria P]

Yes, i drew up the baytril from a small bottle into a small syringe. Could it not be transferred from the syringe into a bottle and then drawn up by a small syringe?

I'd keep Pickle on the metacam permanently. It does help older and/or ill hamsters a lot. Can't see the point in worrying about longterm effects like kidney damage because of their short lifespan.

[Pebbles82]

There isn't enough of it to put in a bottle. 1ml of sticky stuff with air in the syringe! I'd rather pay more money for meds and be sure I can draw up a full dose - anyway it'll run out tomorrow now so I'll have to get more. They were probably trying to save me money doing it this way (ie drawn up from a bigger bottle maybe) - but that's the problem with car park consultations! No real discussion before they come out with meds and hand them over.

Yes I think Pickle would need Metacam permanently - unless it turns out to be an infection and they decide to remove the eye and it gets resolved. But he may need it anyway at his age - he waddles a bit so may have some arthritis.

I am still in slight shock that all this happened so quickly as he's such an active, healthy hamster - then over the space of a few days - this. He's still very active and hamstery as well. Loves the meaty baytril!

My vet last time was a bit disapproving of the meaty dog food as well saying - too much protein bad for them, but heck it's a great solution for baytril, the hamster loves it and - well things aren't perfect in old age. He's loving his meaty treats. And he may be very cross when they stop. I'll continue with baby food after that (which I'm using for the metacam anyway).

[Pebbles82]

It helps discussing it on here, where we all know our hamsters. The vets all seemed very negative about his prognosis and condition. But they only saw him for a short while - just another hamster. And while I realise there may be some tricky decisions coming up re the eye - he is not unhappy right now and is enjoying things.

I need to find out more about eyes though. I know they would normally remove a "dead" eye. But would they actually just leave it like that? As in - apart from the discomfort (which hopefully the metacam will relieve) - will something bad happen if the eye is just left. I don't know.

It seemed to me, on the day that the options given were - he should be pts - (them assuming it's cancer), or, if it does turn out to be an infection, eye should be removed - but he may not be up to that therefore pts. Then the vet later talked about keeping him comfortable to live out his days (I think basically she doesn't know and the exotic vet is the one who knows whether he could live out his days and leave the eye as it is). That probably would mean another appointment with the exotic vet but I'm not inclined to drag Pickle out again until the antibiotics are finished at least. Unless they say they eye can't be left like this.

All a bit stressful really!