Hamster Hairloss

Poppa lost most of his hair and became very lethargic, soiling his bedding and only coming out of his house for food and water. The veterinarian determined only that he did not have mites. After a few visits the vet finally said "Well... hopefully he pulls through."


But, suddenly I developed a rash on my face that looked all too familiar. The dermatologist determined that I had "something similar to ringworm" and I took Itraconazole (200mg/day) for a week. I saw an improvement right away and called the vet to suggest a comparable medicine for Poppa. He agreed and Poppa finally cleared up after two weeks of treatment (Ketoconazole in a banana flavored suspension).

Poppa was doing a lot better (and still is, compared to that photo), but he started losing some of his hair again. We are currently administering a second treatment and have a few ideas about how he may have reinfected himself. Hopefully this time around it will be a permanent solution.