Oaky's Diary

Socks' Mum said:

Good that she is stable. I hope the meds keep Oaky stable and that she doesn't need an op

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me, too!

That all sounds good Would it be possible to give her the meds in food? I know it’s tricky when it’s twice a day.

Maz said:

That all sounds good Would it be possible to give her the meds in food? I know it’s tricky when it’s twice a day.

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Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Would I layer it over seed mix? Luckily, in recent days, she's taken to sleeping in her 6-chamber hideout but up high, so I just have to take the lid off. She doesn't like that I'm waking her, but when she realizes it's the syringe, she'll take it and then go back to bed. I'm hoping this easiness will lead to her not moving her sleeping spot- when she burrows down deep, that has sometimes led to me having to disturb her space to give her medication.

That’s really good if she’ll just take it from the syringe. It’s usually the antibiotic they don’t do that with as it tastes nasty.

Maz said:

That’s really good if she’ll just take it from the syringe. It’s usually the antibiotic they don’t do that with as it tastes nasty.

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I do try to keep the Meloxicam for 2nd! Maybe the changed the flavoring on the Enro-(whatever it's called). I feel like the doctor told me it was something funky like chicken and marshmallow- but maybe good for hamsters!

That would be good if they’ve added flavouring to it.

Oaky's results from the culture test came back and she does still have some type of urinary tract infection, so we'll continue with the antibiotic treatment for at least 2 weeks, check her again, and possibly keep her on antibiotics indefinitely to "manage" her condition. That still sounds odd to me (indefinite antibiotics?), but if it's a reasonable alternative to spaying, maybe. I'll certainly ask more questions about it at our next visit. I haven't seen her much in the past few days, but I know she is coming out to get food a few times a day, and she is still looking better and taking her medicine when I have to wake her for it.

I have heard of that before for some conditions - keeping them on antibiotics.

Maz said:

I have heard of that before for some conditions - keeping them on antibiotics.

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Oh good! It does seem preferable to an expensive and invasive surgery if it works; although I'll still probably inquire about their opinion on both options once I go in again. Aside from the cost of spaying though, it also sounds like those types of surgeries are rather risky for hamsters because of their size, so that's a concern, too, especially if we can just manage.

Hopefully this will work and she may never need surgery.

Oaky continues to be stable. She comes out a few times each night to forage, but she hasn't resumed any activities like digging or her wheel. She does sometimes dig new paths or move bedding- just no sandbox digging. It makes me a little sad, but I'm glad she's stable. She does not seem to like the taste of the antibiotic as much, as she's fairly resistant to it in the morning, but I catch her sleeping so she doesn't fight it too much. She likes the metacam, so at least at night I can chase the antibiotic with the metacam. Here is a pic I got the other night.

Aw she looks good I know it is sad when they're not wheeling any more. I find the same. Tino is pottering about happily on his meds but his wheeling days are over. How old is Oaky now? It might be something else - they all seem to get weaker back legs (arthritis maybe) as they get older. Even on the metacam, Tino still clearly finds it uncomfortable trying to run on a wheel - but he can zoom around on the flat/floor ok. Must be the angle.

Maz said:

Aw she looks good I know it is sad when they're not wheeling any more. I find the same. Tino is pottering about happily on his meds but his wheeling days are over. How old is Oaky now? It might be something else - they all seem to get weaker back legs (arthritis maybe) as they get older. Even on the metacam, Tino still clearly finds it uncomfortable trying to run on a wheel - but he can zoom around on the flat/floor ok. Must be the angle.

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Well, she's not old (based on my estimate when I adopted her, only about 1 year 4 months... (though I suppose that IS middle-aged?), but that age combined with her pyometra, even with it being treated, has perhaps aged her faster in the physical mobility sense. I still have a wheel in her cage- I've been reluctant to move it out in case she starts feeling more energetic, but I have started shifting things in her enclosure to give her more lateral options, and I think I'm going to keep working on that.

Last night she was out and so I decided to just quick spot clean her toilet area, and she immediately came back into the hideout (the top was off for me to remove the bedding) and started trying to figure out what I was doing! I was like, "Oaky! I'm trying to clean when you're out so I don't disturb you, and now you're getting in the way! I just want to clean your wet bedding!" But we got it done

It's not fair is it. But she could carry on as a slightly disabled hamster and still live her life out happily