Urgently need help for my old hamster, what is wrong with her!!??

my hamster is nearly 2 years old in April and i have noticed that she is getting old and weak. she has lost a lot of weight and she stumbles a bit and we dont see her much anymore but today i noticed that her eye was open but one was closed, which has happened before and that was ok, but on her other it was open but it was covered in a thick yellowy puss like she was crying. i wiped it and put her back but then noticed that it was starting again. what could this be, is it a sign that she is close to dying or that its an infection? thanks

From the topic:

02. Vet Chat

Report

Comments

Post a comment in this discussion:

22 Mar 2010 15:24

Mary * End B.S.L *

Ditto Sarah´s advice below to the tee........please seek veterinary advice and treatment as soon as.

I hope all goes well with her......good luck!.

Report

22 Mar 2010 15:11

Sarah Spencer

Hi Lauren, sorry to hear that your hammie is not so well.did you take her to the vet? we lost our hamster about 2 months ago now. he was over 2 and was very much like yours in that he had lost a lot of weight and was very doddery on his feet. his fur was thinning too. he also would regularly have one eye closed up. there was never any weeping or pus though. we took him to the vet and she said that it was generally a sign of "illness" in hamsters but that as he was showing no other symptoms it was hard to say what could be wrong, and at his age it could have just been that he was generally run down and just showing his age. we tried him on anti-biotics but it didn´t make any difference and in the end we just bathed the eye when it was closed and let him live out his days. he showed proper signs of age, ie the un-stableness on his feet etc for about 2 - 3 months before he passed away. we checked him closely every day and kept an eye on his quality of life, deciding that if he could no longer get about, clean himself or eat then we would have him pts, however, right up to the end he still came out of his house of an evening to use the loo and eat, bless him. he did get a little slack with his toilet training towards the end but he was no trouble and seemed as content in himself as he could be.
get your girl checked out for peace of mind and just to ensure that there is no infection etc and then just keep an eye on her. you have done well to get her to 2 years old and must be looking after her well.

Report

20 Mar 2010 17:49

Cat the Vet

Hi Lauren,

Two years is quite old for a hamster and I think you are right to be vigilant about any changes or problems you see in them. The thick, yellow discharge does sound like pus and so this may be only an eye infection but if you have noticed she is hiding more, losing weight and becoming wobbly, then she could well be poorly as well.

Keep bathing the eye over the weekend, you can use just ordinary tap water and cotton wool. You may need to do it several times a day to keep it clean. On Monday arrange an appointment for her to see your vet. Hopefully all she will need is anti-biotic drops for her eyes but it will be important to get her checked over with the other symptoms she is showing (and her eye is likely to be sore)

Let me know how you get on

Cat

Report