Tino's thread

[Hamster Haven]

and veg dish down to the low platform I also put out a small water bowl. He sniffed that a couple of times but decided to climb on his house roof and use his bottle instead. He’s only ever had a bottle. However I noticed he is quite wobbly at the back end - staggering a bit - and lost his footing a couple of times so I do think

Wishing the best for Tino

 

[Maz]

Wishing the best for Tino

Thank you.

 

[Magpie]

Oh Maz! I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through with Tino. He’s certainly in capable and truly loving hands and I’m keeping everything crossed for you both.

 

[Maz]

Oh Maz! I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through with Tino. He’s certainly in capable and truly loving hands and I’m keeping everything crossed for you both.

Thank you. Anticipatory grief is not a pleasant thing. I'm thinking about him and I'm sure he's feeling the love. Remembering all his antics. Two years is a long time for a hamster and he has grown older ............. But he has always been a gentle joy. He didn't come out at all again during the night last night, as expected.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Saying goodbye is very difficult. Wishing you comfort

 

[Maz]

I’ll see what the vet says tomorrow. It seems he must have come out again at some point last night as I had left some soaked science selective out and it has gone. Just in case he was having difficulty eating hard food. Also when I spot cleaned his house when he was out the other night, I cleared the room with pee and hoard in and put new bedding in and forgot to replace the hoard with some food. I was sure he was sleeping in the other room as it looked cosy and had a hamster shaped hole in it. Only to find last night he was sleeping in the new bedding in the room I had cleared out.

 

[Socks' Mum]

That's good. He's eating and active

 

[Hank]

Sorry to hear Tino isn't well, I hope the vet goes well. It is good that he is eating.

 

[Maz]

Fed a bit earlier tonight again and he’s been out of the cage and running around. Think the Metacam might be helping. He still looks a bit ropey - definitely has some kind of lump on his head and his eyes look strained. But he was really quite active out of the cage. In fact he was being very naughty. I found him trying to dig a hole in the wall next to the bottom of an old filing cabinet, to make the gap bigger. So quickly had to block that off. All I could find that was heavy enough and wouldn’t fall on him was his Bucatstate teracotta hide which I had taken out of the cage last night. So he went and sat in that when he realised he couldn’t get past it, I think that might have confused him as it was from his cage.

Also my attempt to make that back corner in his cage easier confused him a bit too. The cork log was further away so when he went to use it between the platforms it means reaching across to it (which he did) and then it didn’t go anywhere. Hopefully he’ll get used to that tweak. I could move the cork log a bit closer to the platform though.

So despite sleeping a lot, he is eating and drinking and reasonably active. Which is when it gets difficult. How long will Metacam last for. So still hoping the vet will say try antibiotics and Metacam and see if it’s infection or a tumour. Although I do suspect it’s a tumour.

 

[Maz]

Active out of the cage but not in it. He went straight back to bed.

I’m not actually sure he was happy when running around the floor either - he seemed more frantically active in a way. Not like him to try escaping behind a filing cabinet. I know when Pickle had the head tumour it started to affect him psychologically a bit.

Now he’s had Metacam for two or three nights and had it at 6pm tonight - I’ll see if he comes out more later or just stays sleeping in bed.

 

[Magpie]

Aw Tino. Sounds like he’s picked up a bit tonight even if just for a little while.

 

[Maz]

I know it’s ups and downs. He does behave differently out of the cage. I had him on the sofa at first but he clearly wanted to go on the floor - looked like he was going to jump off. It was also much earlier than he would normally be out.

 

[Socks' Mum]

It is worrying and sad. I think sometimes Metacam, which is a very good medicine, can make them a bit hyper. Still, it alleviates pain, which is the most important thing. Tino, still rebellious. He must look at the sofa and think, I spent two days under that sofa as a runaway pup ❤

 

[Maz]

I don't know he'll be thinking that at the moment - he probably thought that when he first started free roaming Edit (because that sofa isn't there any more!) I think it's more frantic/agitated escapist behaviour at the moment - he doesn't look relaxed and happy when out as before. Part of that may have been that it was quite early for him to be out (6pm) rather than late at night. And he's all out of routine obviously. I haven't found meloxicam makes them hyper before though. He was very groggy when he first woke up. And didn't have tonight's dose until just before he went back in the cage.

In hindsight I think the chewing at the wall was escapist rather than just being naughty. Poor little thing probably doesn't know if he's coming or going.

 

[Maz]

Bit of an update on Tino. The Metacam seemed to be helping by last night. The nightcam showed he came out 3 or 4 times. The odd minor bit of foraging, sat in the coconut for a while, presumably grooming. He investigated his wheel - got in it for a few seconds and got out again without running. He wasn’t very active and quite slow and went back to bed in between. When he came out again later he actually ran in the wheel for about 2 seconds then got out again. So presumably it’s either painful or too exhausting to continue but he showed interest in it. A big change from not coming out at all. He even spent about a minute foraging his sunflower head.

So clearly pain relief was helping him even though he was hardly being super active.

He saw the vet this morning and was completely catatonic. He was very good - he was picked up, weighed prodded in various places and he didn’t bat an eyelid. He did look at me a bit surprised at one point but didn’t seem upset. He was probably half asleep.

Anyway the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with him. No lumps - even in his nose area. I said it was a different shape and she said it seems to be his fur line not sitting right and maybe it’s folliculitis. He does have a sticky eye as well. However she decided not to give antibiotics and has given him an increased dose of Metacam.

She said recent thoughts are now that hamsters need dosing twice a day not once a day now and there is a bigger leeway in dosing. So he’s on 0.03ml twice a day as a minimum dose (he’s a big hamster). And maybe he has some inflammation somewhere.

So while it’s good news there is no obvious cyst or tumour, it doesn’t explain why he was in so much pain. I literally thought he was dying two days ago.

His teeth are all fine as well. Bit maybe he does have really bad toothache or something.

He’s getting soaked science selective now as well as his mix.

 

[Coco61]

Glad that the vet was able to give Tino such a thorough examination. He was a good boy even if too sleepy to complain.
No antibiotics means no sign of an infection which is good so just metacam for pain relief. Twice a day is new thinking. The metacam you gave him must have been having some effect before the visit. Let’s hope that is all he needs.
Do keep us updated.

I have always liked soaked selective science to help an elderly diet.

 

[Maz]

I have seen a few people recently say they had been prescribed meds twice a day. To be honest I always found once a day worked fine.

 

[Hank]

Glad to hear Tino is okay, good news that there is no infection.

 

[Maz]

Thank you. I’m not sure how they can tell there’s no infection to be honest when he’s been unwell - but maybe it’s because he responded to pain medication yesterday.

 

[Magpie]

Sometimes it’s more frustrating if there’s not much of an answer.

Glad it’s nothing sinister at least. Hopefully it’s just old age catching up with him and the pain meds are enough to keep him comfortably ticking along for a while yet.

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