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Old 04-03-2012, 06:05 PM  
Hamtastic
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: U.S.A.
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Default Re: Chronic Kidney Disease / Chronic Renal Failure: diagnosis, "treatment" options

My Experience

Lucy is a hybrid winter white dwarf hamster.



She came to me aged around 5.5 months old and weighed 57 grams in her prime. Within a few months I noticed that she was becoming leaner, and when I measured her again after a long break, she weighed in at shocking 37 grams. Her diet was well-researched, with high protein levels. Her teeth were good. I thought I’d checked for every possibility, before I finally brought her to a vet.

She checked out as healthy in all aspects until we looked her urine test results. Lucy’s specific gravity was 1.002 and she had a significant amount of proteins in her urine—the cause of her weight loss. She was given a few months to live, and I grew quite depressed, as she and I had only recently had a breakthrough with taming and confidence levels.

I changed her diet completely to the soup I discussed above. I do include a tiny dash of kelp flakes with Lucy’s soup. She gets Hills Prescription Diet k/d pellets (available at all times), which she initially disliked, but now crunches on. They help keep her teeth filed to a proper level. I also offer plain puffed grains (rice, millet, and corn). I chose not to offer baby cereals, as the ones I’ve looked at appear to have added phosphorus or contain grains high in phosphorus to start with (wheat and oatmeal). Lucy’s diet since last October has been exclusively the soup (freshly heated daily, freshly made every few days) as prepared above, Hills pellets, puffed grains, and some Timothy hay. Very occasionally I give her treats of walnut bits and such, based on the rough nutritional table I’ve put together. I do mix in a pinch of powdered Famotidine tablet to Lucy's soup daily (1/10th of a 10mg famotidine tablet).

Prior to her diagnosis, Lucy became more reclusive, sleeping in her nests versus being out on her wheel. She also became a nibbler, which I thought was related to her feeling unwell. After I changed her diet, her energy level surprisingly went up tremendously. She is a ball of energy when I take her out of her habitat, dashing around, being her inquisitive self. She's also friendlier and no longer nibbles (unless my hands smell like food!)

In the beginning of January, Lucy started gaining weight. She is currently up to 42 grams and looks a fair amount rounder than she did at 32-33 grams that she was from October to January. This can be a normal weight fluctuation due to any number of reasons, so it is possible for a hamster with CKD to gain some of the weight back.

Here is Lucy’s weight history, for reference (March of 2011 when I got her and going to 2012):



Words of wisdom: If your hamster is diagnosed with CKD—Don’t panic! Focus on making your ham feel better, and you might well have him or her around for a while yet! My Lucy is doing okay so far, 5.5 months since her diagnosis, and she is currently 1.5 years old (though could possibly be as old as a year and 8.5 months, which looking at her I would say is unlikely).
Update: Lucy is now two and a half years old - still going strong!
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Last edited by Hamtastic; 03-23-2013 at 11:33 AM.
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