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Dwarf hamster tumour

  • 11-09-2007 1:41pm
    #1
    genegenie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 149 ✭✭


    Hi guys,

    My 23 month old Campbells dwarf hamster, Bawny, has a hard swollen abdomen. He's been on oral Baytril for the past few weeks due to an ongoing respiratory infection which rules out a bacterial infection. He's not constipated either. Unfortunately, the vet thinks it's most likely a tumour. He thinks the best thing to do is to let nature take its course and put him to sleep when he starts to suffer. The other option is to undergo surgery to remove the tumour which is very risky. It's possible that he might not make it through the surgery and even if he does, his life might only be extended by a few months.

    I'd just like to know if anyone has been through this with a hamster or other small furry and can give me any advice. Part of me wants to go for the treatment option in the hopes that he will survive and have a few more months with me. The other part of me knows that he's elderly and it'd be selfish to put him through the trauma of surgery if the prognosis is poor. Quality of life is more important than quantity. I'm so torn.

    Whatever decision I make it has to be quick as the treatment needs to begin asap to have a chance of success. Any help or advice is really appreciated, thanks a mil guys.


Comments

  • #2
    dudara
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    I've kept many dwarves over the years and they can be prone to developing tumors and cysts, especially as they get older. Your hamster is quite old ( in hamster terms). When I first observed tumours on my hamsters, I did take them to the vet, who advised me of the options. I decided not to go the surgery route due to the expense and the difficulty of putting an animal that small through surgery. I did keep a close eye on them and watched them for signs of discomfort. They mainly ignored the tumour until it got to a certain size. After that, one hamster started biting the other on the tumor. At that stage, it was obvious that it couldn't continue, so I got the hamster put down.


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