7 replies to this topic

[anjuhluh]

Have I asked for help on this hamster before? (If yes, do not start a new topic. Look for your old topic and continue to post there so that other members can refer to previous symptoms)
No - This is the first time I am asking for help on this hamster.

Here is information about my hamster -
Age: 19m
Gender: male
Species: syrian

These are the details of my hamster's ailment -
When did it start:
Just now

Description of Ailment:
[Please provide photos if possible]

Any specific physical changes:
[For example, sudden weight loss, localized weight gain]

I just checked my hams burrow for pee and he had just peed and there were red spots in the pee. I poured a bit of hydrogen peroxide on the pee/bedding and it had a couple bubbles but nothing crazy and after a minute or so the red was gone from some of the pieces. I've seen previously this could help determine if it was truly blood? I checked his feet and toenails for scratches or possible bleeding but seen nothing. This was the only red spots I found. He eats Higgins sunburst, critter cubes, science selective and fresh veg. I know there are carrot pieces in the Higgins and they look fairly dark but I've never seen red spots before. He had a scratch on his tail that formed a little scab a couple of weeks ago but the bedding for this spot gets changed weekly/multiple times weekly because he alternates peeing there and in his sand. His weight was 153g and he is normally 154-156. Having just peed I think that weight is normal. His behavior is normal. Sorry if this is all over the place I'm really freaking out.

https://ibb.co/QCvW0vH
https://ibb.co/C7rJsQp

[Kikya]

It sounds like he could have a UTI, you could monitor his pee for a couple of days and see if you continue to see the spotting. Also, I would try to contact a vet and get an appointment, because sometimes that's the hardest part. You can always cancel it if the spotting stops. I would think if the color was from food, it would be all the urine not just a couple of spots. I would also monitor his weight and his drinking habits.

 

Peroxide cleans urine and blood so I think it would be hard to tell just from some bubbles.

[anjuhluh]

It sounds like he could have a UTI, you could monitor his pee for a couple of days and see if you continue to see the spotting. Also, I would try to contact a vet and get an appointment, because sometimes that's the hardest part. You can always cancel it if the spotting stops. I would think if the color was from food, it would be all the urine not just a couple of spots. I would also monitor his weight and his drinking habits.

Peroxide cleans urine and blood so I think it would be hard to tell just from some bubbles.

A couple hours later he peed in his sand and there was no red and I just checked again now and I don't see any red. I'm wondering if the red was there and then he peed over it. He does bury his food right there and mix the bedding together.

Edit: I've emailed the picture to my vet and asked what she thinks I should do. The problem is ever since covid they are backlogged on appointments and the last 2 times I went the appointments has been pushed out a month. I've also read about hamsters having heart attacks because of the stress from a vet visit which is why I don't want to take him unless it's absolutely necessary. It's not a money issue or me just not wanting to care for him, trust me, I've spent a small fortune on vet visits lol.

 

Edit 2: The vet got back to me and said to her it looks more consistent with peeing out a mucous plug and having a bit of blood come out. She said to monitor the pee and if it happens again or if he starts acting different to bring him in for urinalysis and an x-ray to be safe. We spoke about me dropping off a urine sample if I can collect one but since she would need it within 4-6 hours I might not be able to get one during the time they are open and I am home. I can for sure get a sample around 11pm-1am so I am waiting to see if she says that is too far outside of the time window since they open at 10am.

Edited by anjuhluh, 10 August 2022 - 08:08 AM.

[anjuhluh]

I ended up taking Miso to the vet today because there were a couple of dots of blood in his pee again last night. Originally they said my vet was double booked until next Tuesday but they called an hour or so later and said she wanted me to come today if I could. We couldn't do a urinalysis because he wouldnt pee for us, I even tried at home before we left to get one. I opted for an x-ray which backed up what the vet believed. His urethra was slightly swollen, no stones, bladder looked normal so she believes he held his pee for too long and when it thickened the minerals in the pee were able to scratch his urethra which is why I seen just the small dots. She gave him sulfatrim as a precaution for the scratched urethra and just in case there was a minor infection, Meloxicam for the swelling and an herbal mixture to promote healthy healing. I also opted for probiotics from them since they are much more potent and there is no need to offset the probiotics from the antibiotics with them.

Does anyone have any tips for giving meds? I've tried scruffing him before and wasn't successful. He does not like the taste of the meds so it was a bit of a fight to get them down.

I also want to include his x-ray because he turned and looked right at the camera so it's pretty adorable.

https://ibb.co/3TbwkTP

Edited by anjuhluh, 11 August 2022 - 05:31 AM.

[Kikya]

I ended up taking Miso to the vet today because there were a couple of dots of blood in his pee again last night. Originally they said my vet was double booked until next Tuesday but they called an hour or so later and said she wanted me to come today if I could. We couldn't do a urinalysis because he wouldnt pee for us, I even tried at home before we left to get one. I opted for an x-ray which backed up what the vet believed. His urethra was slightly swollen, no stones, bladder looked normal so she believes he held his pee for too long and when it thickened the minerals in the pee were able to scratch his urethra which is why I seen just the small dots. She gave him sulfatrim as a precaution for the scratched urethra and just in case there was a minor infection, Meloxicam for the swelling and an herbal mixture to promote healthy healing. I also opted for probiotics from them since they are much more potent and there is no need to offset the probiotics from the antibiotics with them.

Does anyone have any tips for giving meds? I've tried scruffing him before and wasn't successful. He does not like the taste of the meds so it was a bit of a fight to get them down.

I also want to include his x-ray because he turned and looked right at the camera so it's pretty adorable.

https://ibb.co/3TbwkTP

Can you mix with a dot of baby food he likes? Or some oatmeal (oats and water)

 

To save yourself some trouble, find a baby food he really likes and mix the medicine with a dot of it. My hammies lick it up. But I wasted a bit of medicine trying to find a baby food flavor he liked, so don't be like me. Figure what he likes first then mix medicine lol

[Kikya]

I
https://ibb.co/3TbwkTP

Ok I laughed out loud when I saw that xray XD

[anjuhluh]

Can you mix with a dot of baby food he likes? Or some oatmeal (oats and water)

To save yourself some trouble, find a baby food he really likes and mix the medicine with a dot of it. My hammies lick it up. But I wasted a bit of medicine trying to find a baby food flavor he liked, so don't be like me. Figure what he likes first then mix medicine lol

I've never actually tried baby food with him but he really loves dried oats so I think he might like an oatmeal. He almost always eats baby puffs instead of pouching them but I'm not sure if something like that would be ok to give twice a day since I usually limit that to once a week. Maybe if I broke into tiny pieces. I'll see how it goes tonight and if it's still a fight I'll try to find a baby food he likes or try the oatmeal. He was really over the vets office so that might be why it was difficult there. At one point I needed to get him back out of the carrier and he rolled over and swatted me with his little hands lol.

[Kikya]

he rolled over and swatted me with his little hands lol.

Antibiotics taste terrible. Lol no one wants to take them.