I need help for my sick hamster........

[TerryB]

We are now on our third hamster. The first one died 2 months after we got him...wet tail. We new nothing of a stressed hamster then.The second lived a happy life of 2 years. The one we have know we bought from a reputable pet store on a Saturday morning. By Saturday night he had a wet bottom..oh no, not Wet Tail again! Well here we are 10 days later. He is still alive, still drinking, still eating, but he is walking poorly and not very active, and his bottom is still wet and he seems to be falling forward onto his head. We really like our hamster but a vet bill in the hundreds of dollars for a $10 hanster is not in our budget. Any advice?? He has been Dri Tail for 5 days now and will start the blue tablet tomorrow. Any help is appreciated.

[Zouave]

I know. :( The cost of medical treatment, for animals, and for humans, is high. But whether or not an animal receives assistance should NOT be dependent on how much you paid for it. You are devaluing life that way; putting a price tag on those that "deserve" veterinary care.

But, I know, the cost is high. Reconsider whether you will get any more animals in the future if money for vets is out of the question. I should say that just ONE animal should not be such a burden.

Of course, actual Wet Tail is a specific - and deadly - disease requiring strong antibiotics from a vet. But not all diarrhea, resulting in a wettish tail, is Wet Tail, which is a notably severe form of diarrhea, etc.

You can only do what you are doing, and ask around to see if any
vets do pro bono work out of their own desire to do good and in hopes of getting a regular future customer.

Best to you.

[Rebel226]

We are now on our third hamster. The first one died 2 months after we got him...wet tail. We new nothing of a stressed hamster then.The second lived a happy life of 2 years. The one we have know we bought from a reputable pet store on a Saturday morning. By Saturday night he had a wet bottom..oh no, not Wet Tail again! Well here we are 10 days later. He is still alive, still drinking, still eating, but he is walking poorly and not very active, and his bottom is still wet and he seems to be falling forward onto his head. We really like our hamster but a vet bill in the hundreds of dollars for a $10 hanster is not in our budget. Any advice?? He has been Dri Tail for 5 days now and will start the blue tablet tomorrow. Any help is appreciated.


Actually hamsters are for the most part typically healthy little dudes who live out a normal life span with little or no health problems providing of course they are well cared for. The downside is the average lifespan is short compared to say a dog or a cat. Anyway sounds like you have had some bad luck in the past and also right now. As far as the current situation goes any hamster who shows symptoms of "wet tail" needs to be evaluated and treated with effective antibiotics that only a Vet can prescribe. "Dri-Tail" only masks/covers up the symptoms. The best shot at survival is an accurate diagnosis by a Vet to be sure it's actually "wet-tail" and the antibiotics the Vet will prescribe.

[Halogengirlie]

Just a thought.., If (God forbid) your little hammy pass away, you will want to you will want to sanitize the cage and toys or you will risk passing the sickness on to any future hammies!

[pumkin11999]

Hello! I am so sorry to hear about your little hamster. I am going through this with a mom and two babies now. I had two babies to die already and it's not easy. You should call a vet and just ask about the cost. My problem was that the vet here didn't really treat hamsters, so I had to call and get one who did to call mine and so on. An office visit should be around $30.00 and they will tell you before they do anything else. Mine was $40.00 for visit and stuff, and $15.00 for some baytril. Your little guy really needs to see someone. It is also cheaper if the vet isn't a specialist in exotics. I know very well how hard it is to pay those costs, but if he doesn't see someone NOW he probably won't make it. Also, that dri tail stuff is really weak and doesn't really work, and it could hurt them in other ways. Also, try to give him some pedilyte and water mixed in a dropper or something. I hope I have helped a little, and please keep us informed.

[pumkin11999]

Oh! Yeah! Try to keep him warm as well. You could put some warm water in a glove and sit him on it and hold him if it doesn't stress him, but other than that he needs to be warm and in a quiet dark place.