Bulging eyes in hamster

[Minniemay124]

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting here but I am just looking for some advice and to see if anyone has been through the same thing. I have a 14 month old hamster who is my pride and joy. I realised last week when returning from a short break (where she had been looked after) that her eyes appeared to be bulging out quite noticeably with almost a blue ring rounf them. Monitored her for three days and it got no better so I took her to the vet. He advised it could either be a tumour or an abcess pushing her eyes out by putting pressure on them. He gave her a week of anti biotics and anti inflammatory To see if this would help incase it is an abcess. It has been four days and some points in the day her eye looks completely normal and I get my hopes up and then later on it can go back to bulging/with a blue ring but not as bad as before. She is absolutely fine in her self still her happy chirping self, eating and playing. I am worried sick. I don’t really know what I’m asking, I guess has this happened to anyone else or what step do I take next agtwr her medication ends. Thanks so much xx

 

[Maz]

Hello. I'm sorry to hear you hammy has this. What species of hamster is she please? I think it's notable that this only seems to have appeared since she had been looked after somewhere while you were away. Do you think whoever was looking after her might have held her? If they are held too tight it can make their eyes protrude. Also scruffing them can cause this.

It's good you've seen a vet with her and I hope the meds help. Is it just the one eye and do you have a photo please? Also how long has she been on the medication - it can take at least a week for the antibiotic to show improvement sometimes.

 

[Minniemay124]

Thank you so much for your reply! She is a dwarf. Yes I agree it’s funny she happened when she was looked after and I know she was handled! One eye is a lot worse but the other isn’t normal. You’ve made me feel better sayinf about the meds taking time to work! The other thing is she’s absolutely fine but will sit there moving her mouth as if she’s eating food when she’s not and kind of rocking but my mum thinks maybe all the meds are making her feel so sick? It’s so good getting an opinion from someone else who knows what hamsters are like!

 

[Minniemay124]

First is before and second is now but I still think they look kind of googly?

 

[Maz]

Hi. To be honest it's difficult to tell as some dwarf hamsters look more googly than others, naturally Do you have a comparison photo from before you went away? She is very sweet.

Is it her left eye you think has a "ring" round it? The edge of the eye perhaps does look a bit distended or inflamed.

 

[Minniemay124]

Yes ir is her left eye, thank you so much for looking! This morning her breathing looked very difficult so I took her back to the vet who said luckily her eyes look fine and she is good in herself! He agreed her breathing was laboured but doesn’t seem link the eye! I was 100% sure I was going to have to have her put down so am so relieved. Here is my baby begore I went away

 

[Maz]

It could well be an infection with the inflamed part round the left eye. I would just keep monitoring and hopefully her breathing will improve - some hamsters can seem a bit unwell while they're on the antibiotics until they are finished.

I would also check the dosages for both the antibiotic and the anti inflammatory. Is it baytril and Meloxicam you have? What is the Meloxicam dose? It's usually very tiny - like about 0.02mls or similar. Which is about the size of a large drop.

 

[Minniemay124]

So she’s got 0.01 of baytril a day as well as 0.01 of reumotom twice a day do you know a lot about that? She seems completelt her normal self so hopefully that’s a good thing x

 

[Maz]

So she’s got 0.01 of baytril a day as well as 0.01 of reumotom twice a day do you know a lot about that? She seems completelt her normal self so hopefully that’s a good thing x

That sounds about right