Carmelo update. (this time it's not as bright. =[ )

[hammiesarelovex3]

So Saturday Morning, I am watching TV and my mom asks me,"Do you have Carmelo with you?" I said,"No, why?" she said,"the lid is off and he escaped." I was worried and came downstairs. I was the idiot who forgot to put the top back on the cage the night before!! Carmelo's cage is located downstairs and it's an underground downstairs. It is a big space with a bathroom, laundry, storage and two areas of living rooms. So my family and I start searching and i am crying my eyes out feeling so panicked and anxious. My poor baby was missing! :( So after 20 minutes, my dad is looking for him underneath those heater units. (Don't worry they weren't on that night or that morning) he looked in the last one in the bathroom and that's where he was! He was trying to sleep and I was SO happy to see him! he had just a tiny bit of insulation near him so I hope that didn't harm him or he ingested it hopefully not. Then I brought him upstairs and gave him some water and green beans. we then noticed he was limping. :( My mom called the vet and we got an appointment in that next hour. I put bedding in his carrier and brought him there. after 40 minutes of waiting, we went into the examination room. The vet was surprised to see a hamster. she gave him a tiny shot of sedation where his scruff is. He got sleepy and finally she examined him. She said his foot was broken. So even though he was under sedation, he still squirmed when we put the gauze and tape on his thigh and foot. She said to keep the gauze and tape on for a week and he may try to chew it off. If he is not healed, he may get his foot taken off. :( After that, we left, free of charge. :) so then I brought him home and he sat in my lap. (see picture below) he peed on me. (I deserved it!) he was so relaxed he was just a lump of fur. So he slept the rest of the day and into the night when I awoke him and feed him and gave him more water. He walked around a little better with his cast. I just feel so terrible and guilty. I am angry at myself. I feel like such a horrible mother and I am still upset. I'm sure he is traumatized, but he seems to be doing fine. He doesn't seem to be in pain. Today though, I got him up and his bandage was on his foot instead of foot and thigh/ so he was chewing on it. I picked him up carefully, and put him on a pillow. he limped alot and I tried to get the bandage off. Finally, after awhile, he sat down and started chewing it off. I took it off of him and his thigh was red from picking at it himself and some irritation. He cleaned himself and he limped but he seemed like he was a painless happy hammie. It's looking optimistic for his healing. He doesn't seem to be bothered or limited by it. He is sleeping fine and he still eats and is alert. he sleeps on his right side. (his left back foot is the one that is broken) So I hope he will heal, but i still feel bad. It's hard to see him like this.

Do you guys have any advice? Have you ever been through this? Is there any food or anything I should do to help him heal?

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/x3Rissax3/Carmelo/Carmelofoot.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/x3Rissax3/Carmelo/Carmelotired.jpg

I will post a video later on! :)

Thank you!

[Spuds Mum]

oh poor you and poor Carmelo! I hope the wee guy is soon running around like normal.
I would just remove all 'climbing' objects from his cage and also his wheel to give his leg chance to heal.
These things happen, don't blame yourself. I think I heard that hamster bones will heal quickly. Let's hope so
:)

[suga]

Oh poor Carmelo and poor you. That must have been very scary. I hope he gets better quickly and that he isn't too upset from the little adventure. I think removing the climbing objects and wheel is a good idea from Spud's mum so he doesn't over do it.

[Basia]

I've had rabbits break their legs and I have never found the vets bandaging to work, they always get it off. I usually confined them to a small travel cage for a few days so they couldn't move about much and their legs always healed up, sometimes the foot stuck out a little bit more than it had before but they could run and move about just fine.
Good Luck and don't feel bad, these things happen and little bones heal quickly.

[Holly]

Poor Carmelo, but don't blame yourself, accidents happen and I don't think there are many of us here who have never had an escape. Hamster legs are easily broken due to their comparative small size and weight against the rest of the body. Most apparently heal really well and in a short time as the others have said. Get well soon little Carmelo.

[souffle]

Poor wee man and what a shock for you and him. So glad he was found quickly and the vet acted quickly too.
The leg should mend well with a simple break. You should keep him calm and warm in a small restricted space with nothing to climb on to rest the leg.
Feed him calcium enriched dog biscuits and some vitamin drops in his water with vitamin D to help absorb the calcium and heal the break. You can also make porridge with kitten milk for extra calcium and feed him some protein such as a little egg or chicken to boost him up. Also his normal food of course. You may need to dry his botty when he wees as he may have trouble standing to groom and also up to a bottle so offer it to his mouth.
Get well soon carmelo and keep us posted.

[Spuds Mum]

Poor wee man and what a shock for you and him. So glad he was found quickly and the vet acted quickly too.
The lef should med well with a simple break. You should keep him calm and warm in a small restricted space with nothing to climb on to reat the leg.
Feed him calcium enriched dog biscuits and some vitamin drops in his water with vitamin D to help absorb the calcium and heal the break. You can also make porridge with kitten milk for extra calcium and feed him some protein such as a little egg or chicken to boost him up. Also his normal food of course. You may need to dry his botty when he wees as he may have trouble standing to groom and also up to a bottle so offer it to his mouth.
Get well soon carmelo and keep us posted.

Oh Souffle, if I ever break my leg, I want you to look after me! :x (apart from the botty wiping - I'll let you off that), I bet you would bring cups of tea, magazines and chicken soup, and make sure the TV remote control was always in reach.

Sorry, only joking, but I have saved your post on my hard drive as you never know when something might happen and there was some really good advice in there! :D

[souffle]

How did you guess I make chicken soup for sicklings! Actually I have pulled a couple of hamsters through severe diarrhoea with chicken and rice soup. Many people would flame me for suggesting it but I think if an animal is very ill anything it will eat must be fed and a good thing. They always eat chicken soup!

[Spuds Mum]

I'm sure no one would flame you! (at least on this forum) and there is always an exception to every general rule! :D

[hammiesarelovex3]

Thank you all for responding! :) Two days after, I woke him up and he was chewing on his gauze and so I took it off. he does not seem to be in pain and I am letting him rest alot and I am feeding him. I bought vita drops and some dog bones for him. (I couldn't find the milk ones, but I made sure the ones I got were healthy! They are mostly for protein and veggie types). I may have my mom get some when she goes to the store. Any other suggestions for calcium or vitamin D? how about cheese? I heard its not good for hammies. is it true?

[Bailey-Benji]

My friend looked after Bailey (R.I.P xx) when I went away for a weekend in May- when I got back, she was limping. We phoned the vets (to make an appointment) but they said there was nothing they could really do - just make sure she's still eating and drinking, but if she stopped then to take her in. I removed wheels and toys too. I don't think it was broken, just bruised, it healed on it's own pretty quickly.

I hope Carmelo makes a speedy recovery!


Cheese in moderation is fine.