Veterinary Science?: Hamster with Foot Infection

[Snare]

Hey. I was wondering if anyone could help me with this situation.

My boyfriend has two male long-haired hamsters housed together in a cage. One of them, which I'll call "Doc," has a nasty-looking foot infection. I discovered this when I was over at his house and as such I was able to get a good look at Doc.

His foot was inflamed. Literally, it looked as if the foot had been "inflated." There was a small white scab at the bottom of the foot just beneath the digits, and it ended and continued in a small red "line" that split his foot. My boyfriend claimed that the foot had been drained twice to no avail. I forgot to ask him what color the pus/fluid was.

I was wondering if there is anything I could do. He really cares about his "babies," and I don't want Doc to succumb to infection. I was thinking treating the foot with Peroxide, but I didn't want to risk it. I have a feeling that it may end up killing him if nothing is done.

I can get a photograph by Tuesday at the earliest.

[CraigD]

If you’re certain you’re dealing with a infection, an injection of a broad spectrum antibiotic like Cipro or Ampicillin is likely the surest way to fix it (there are veterinary versions of most of these, or which I know little). You can usually dose mouse/rat size animals with IV antibiotics simply by injecting them subcutaneously (the loose layer between skin and muscle). Unless you’re an MD, DVM, pharmacist, or rancher, however, you’ll need to get such stuff from a vet, who will have likely have better judgment on how to treat Doc than anyone could give blind over the internet.

My experience with tiny animals (mice, hamsters, etc) and vets is that most vets don’t see many of them, and will often treat them for cheap to free out of curiosity. A vet visit might be your best option.

A vet’s also good, because their judgment of when a disorder is too advanced to humanely treat is usually better than a pet owner’s, and they have the meds and tools to euthanize an animal if that’s the best option. Small mammals can die in some appallingly nasty ways, so if it’s within your means, I strongly recommend a vet visit.

Best wishes for Doc’s recovery. I’ve had some only slightly bigger pets myself (rats and rescued squirrels), and know how emotionally attached you can get to them, and them to you.

[Snare]

Thank you so much. He works to support his mother, who is currently unemployed and I heard the veterinary fees were around $100 per animal. I know his mother isn't going to contribute, and I doubt he could afford it himself - so I was trying to figure out if there was something I could do on my own, if anything.

I'll check into the vets around here, though.

(Until I can find a vet, I told him to keep Doc separate in a sterile cage lined with paper, changed daily. He's going to drain the wound with a sterile needle as needed and clean it with peroxide.)