Hamster allergy medication?

[Rescued One]

Hi All,
Are there any hammie-safe antihistamines? Peanut had an allergic reaction to a new bedding material.

 

[Maz]

Not that I am aware of, but vitamin c is supposed to be a natural antihistamine - however dosage needs to be safe for hamsters. What you could do is get some Pro C probiotic as that has vitamin c in, and as a powder form, it's quickly absorbed. It could be worth asking a vet. How has she reacted?

Main thing would be change the bedding of course and hopefully it will settle. What bedding was it?

 

[Rescued One]

Not that I am aware of, but vitamin c is supposed to be a natural antihistamine - however dosage needs to be safe for hamsters. What you could do is get some Pro C probiotic as that has vitamin c in, and as a powder form, it's quickly absorbed. It could be worth asking a vet. How has she reacted?

Main thing would be change the bedding of course and hopefully it will settle. What bedding was it?

Kaytee no dust bedding. Not sure you have them in the UK. Oral vitamin C is tricky in humans, you have to get to "bowel tolerance" by increasing dose daily by 500 milligrams until the patient gets diarrhea, then back down by 500 milligrams. Not sure I want to try something like that with a new hamster. I changed all the bedding out same day as soon as I realized and went back to the Carefresh. I have him on some anti-itch and allergy homeopathics, and he is not 100% but seems less itchy today. That will have to hold him until his vet appointment next week.

 

[Maz]

It's usually the other way round! Some hamsters have been allergic to Carefresh but I've never heard of one being allergic to Kaytee clean and cozy (if it's the same one you mean). However there is a scented version of Kaytee and that could indeed cause allergy. But assume it wasn't the scented one?

 

[Rescued One]

It's usually the other way round! Some hamsters have been allergic to Carefresh but I've never heard of one being allergic to Kaytee clean and cozy (if it's the same one you mean). However there is a scented version of Kaytee and that could indeed cause allergy. But assume it wasn't the scented one?

No scent that I am aware of. I suspect there may be something in his food mix that is allergic as well. That'll be fun to figure out

 

[Rescued One]

Here is a picture of him sleeping in the cleaned cage. He woke up a few hours later with a red swollen face and itchy all over. The bedding was the only variable. Fortunately the redness and swelling have gone done, and we are seeing the vet in 2 days to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Maz]

I'm so sorry - it does sound like the bedding then - unless he has eaten anything unusual or had a change of diet recently. Have you changed the bedding again now?

 

[Rescued One]

Yes we are back to the Carefresh. Peanut saw the vet and got topical Ivermectin for mites. Seems to have calmed down his itchies, and I'm hopeful that was the root of the evil.

 

[Maz]

Fingers crossed that does the trick.