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Expert: - 9/18/2011


Question
I noticed a week ago that my syrian hamster (9 months) had a swollen eye which was also red. I brought my hamster to the vet straight away and he prescribed n eye drops (fusidic acid). Although he couldnt put the drops in himself I managed to put them in when I got home and have done so twice daily. My hamster is still eating and drinking as normal and running around but his eye is worse. The eye is getting even redder and has a crusty bit of green in it today. I have started using boiled water (cooled) with a bit of salt to try and ease the infection. The vet was absolutely no help last week except for the prescription. He couldnt even handle my hamster and he is not aggressive as we handle him all the time. Can you please advise me if I'm doing anything wrong I dont want my hamster to lose his eye. His cage is always cleaned regularly and I have now removed his wood chippings as they might be making his eye worse and put his blue wool in instead. Please advise if I should do anything else. Thank you

Answer
Well I am not a hamster expert but if his eye is worse then you need a different antibiotic ointment for it. Not all antibiotics do the same thing or work on the same pathogens.

Rinsing his eye out twice daily is a good idea but forgo the salt. At this point it's too irritating for his eye.

Go back to the vet for another type of eye ointment, he owes you that at least.

You also might want to post to the hamster experts who have been through this. They always have some good advice.
Heather is one of them.

http://www.allexperts.com/ep/2005-34607/Gerbils-Hamsters/Heather.htm

There are others I believe.

I do hope you find something fast for his eye.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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