Vet visit :S

[kiania]

I was holding Nimh last night for a cuddle and flipped her over to have a look at her scent gland and noticed she had a massive lump on her chest (looked like she'd gone from flat-chested to a DD cup!). It was shiny (hairless) and fluidy, and about the size of a marble. Had a look in the Hamsterlopaedia and the Really Useful Hamster Guide, and decided it was most likely to be an absess.

So I booked her into my vets, and took her along this morning. He had a look, squeezed some puss out, and then poked it with a needle. Lots of blood...poked it with a bigger needle (because "Well, she seems to be being really good, and the bigger gauge means more can be got out"), but decided that it wasn't as liquid-filled as previously thought :(

We had a discussion about what to do, and he went through the problems of her being so small and anesthetic, but that vet has a good reputation with small animals, and he was really optimistic. So now she's booked in to have it removed at 9am on Friday morning. He did say it could be left, but the worry was that it would keep growing and then she'd become a lump with a hamster attached rather than the other way around as it has grown really fast. He said it was hard to tell whether it was an absess or a growth, but that either way, the treatment is very similar.

So, for my little rescue baby (P@H bought for £4), I'm now paying out between £80-£100 in surgery :) My OH was really supportive when I rang him up to check (since it is mostly his money!), she is my hedgehog's little sister and our 2nd 'baby', and therefore part of the family, and therefore worth it, bless him :) I was thinking that people put their kids through expensive surgery, and you can make a baby for free! :D

She is still her normal perky self, eating well, drinking, running on her wheel and dashing around her cage like a loon. She was clambering over my shoulders and around my neck last night while I was looking at the books. Tbh, you can't even see it if she's walking or sitting up, her fluffy dwarf hamster 'podge' hides it really well - it is only when she's pinned upside down that it is noticable.

But yes, my main concern is that because it is a rapid-growth lump, and even with the best intentions, because of her small size, surgery will be fast, so if it is cancer, they won't get all of the cells by a long short. So I'm worried that she'll have another one in two weeks time. Either way, I've found a plastic storage box to move her into for recuperation stages as climbing up and down (and deep tunneling) in her Perfecto will be a no-no. I was also told to prepare her a packed lunch by the vet :) So she has her food, and her favourite treats with her. That'll be mealworms and sesame seeds then!

But, I'm being positive. She is such a little sweetheart for a P@H rescue. Any crossed fingers for Friday would therefore be very gratefully appreciated. Otherwise, who is going to eat the big tub of pinhead crickets that arrived this morning in the post! :sad:

[GemmasMom]

Big hugs for Nimh!!!! xxxxx

[Angelhamster]

Wishing you both all the best.

[kiania]

Feel a bit useless really :) I'm worrying about it, and she's re-dug her cave system, grabbed a snack and gone off to sleep since I got her home.

Still very proud that she didn't bite me, the vet, or his work experience chap! Nor did she flee - although she did de-pouch her breakfast and spit it at the vet with a dirty look after he put her down the first time (to find a needle) before sitting down to groom herself and undo the mess he'd made of her fur-do :)

[Lougarry]

Thinking of you, Kiania, and brave, stoical Nimh xxx

[gutterglitterxx]

I'll be thinking of your little one. Squishes from me, Cheeto, and Roxy. xx

[kiania]

...brave, stoical Nimh xxx

She is a ham with a stiff upper lip. I was seriously amazed that she didn't lose her cool and bite anyone - both me and the vet had our fingers in range a good deal, but once upside down, and firmly pinned (by the vet), she calmed down...and once released, she was her normal curious, bimbling self. If I had just been pinned and had needles stabbed in me, I'd have bitten the next five soft fleshy pink things that came my way! Aside from de-pouching at the beginning, she was so good.

I am a proud (but getting more and more worried as time goes on) hamster mummy :)

Thank you for all your thoughts though...I'll post up what happens, just hopefully it is good news :(

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm really sorry to hear you've got to go through this :(

I'm already crossing my fingers for Nimh, she's a favourite on here and I really hope she gets through her surgery well on Friday. I'll also be looking out for the update on Friday.

[kiania]

On a more positive note...if I hadn't of picked her up, she could have gone home with someone else who would have said "£80+? Heck no!".

Been talking to hoggy friends about Nimh's new cage - the perspex levels/lid were due to be bought tomorrow (we've spent the last week and a bit of my OH drawing them while at work, and trying to get costs down - the door was going to be £92! Now it is about £70, phew!), and that just left the mesh, which I've found the one I want, and the place cuts to size. I picked up the two sacks of megazorb last Saturday, the aubiose is here, the desert bedding, houses, wheels, toys, etc.

It is just sitting there, waiting for the perspex before I can pour in the substrate and then it will just require the step 'add hamster'.

So right now, I'm thinking "Thank goodness she's mine, and that my OH completely understands, and feels the same about our pets being family". Makes me think of all the poor hamsters kept in tiny cages for kids, who don't get vet attention because they are 'disposable' pets. Urgh.

[Womblehands]

I will be thinking of you both Friday, keep us updated. I hope it goes as smoothly as can be and in 3-6 mnths time you will look back at this and think Gosh I remember how brave she was, and she is happily munching away next to you..

[riri]

Thoughts are with you both!
I know how scary it can be when your pets have to go it alone and all you can do is watch xx

[kiania]

Just to let folks know, Nimh is fine. Banana flavoured antibiotics (Septrin) twice a day for five days, and she's going back to the vets on monday.

They also let me bring her lump home :) I shall try to get a photo...it has hair on it. It is on the top of my desk, my OH just giggled and said apparently it wobbles when I type :)

Her wound is part sutured, part glued - looks ugly as heck, but that is because it is all raw and bare, poor lamb. She looks thinner too, but that might well be my imagination (combined with lack of food in her pouches).

Just worried that it will grow back really now :(

[souffle]

So glad to hear she came through the op well. Gosh it sounds like a big lump!
Wishing her lots of healing vibes and get well wishes and well done to you too for giving her the chance xx

[Lougarry]

Very glad it went OK for Nimh. Sending her lots of healing vibes xxx

[kiania]

She just lost the log bridge she had as her ceiling because she kept scratching around - and we couldn't see what she was scratching (which is on the vet's list of "DO NOT!"s :) ).

I feel really sorry for her, she must be bored out of her mind. No wheel, nothing that will allow any strenuous exercise. So any suggestions, I would love to hear them :) She already decided she hates living on newspaper, which is not entirely surprising, since she is used to a min of 17cm of megazorb and is a massive tunneler...but no megazorb allowed until monday at best :(

This is her current hospital bin cage set-up:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/eblade/Nim%20Pellet/P1070059.jpg

And this is her lump :) That is the corner of a dvd case next to it for size comparison, but it is about the same size as one of the normal type marbles.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/eblade/Nim%20Pellet/P1070061.jpg

[Lougarry]

Wow, that's a big 'un. (Reminds me of the appendix in Men Behaving Badly.)

[kiania]

It is definitely a chunky one! I'm still absolutely amazed that it wasn't visible when she was moving around. She was sitting, cleaning herself, running on her wheel, etc, and unless you turned her upside down (when it was really noticable), you couldn't tell at all. Dwarfies and their podgyness!

She is being fairly good about her antibiotics. I keep telling her it is the only time she'll ever get to taste banana. She is a bit off her food though, won't take mealworms off me at all, or sesame seeds (her second favourite). But she has dragged her mini markies dog biscuit into her bed with her, so I'm hoping she's okay. She is pooing like a champ though, which was my other thing to worry about according to my vet's instructions.

[gutterglitterxx]

So glad to hear she's doing well. xx

[Angelhamster]

Just to let folks know, Nimh is fine. Banana flavoured antibiotics (Septrin) twice a day for five days, and she's going back to the vets on monday.

Really pleased for you :-)

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm really glad she's ok, and that is one heck of a lump...

Get well soon Nimh!

[Mona's Humans]

I've only just caught up with this thread, but i'm glad she is doing well :)

[Lougarry]

How is Nimh doing today? X

[kiania]

Her wound looks a lot less red and angry. We were worried she was growing another lump, but had a better look today, and it looks more like her ribcage.

She is eating, she's had a mealworm alien and a butterworm. I think she is mostly just bored out of her mind, poor lamb :( I feel so guilty. I did consider buying one of the mini dunas in P@H, but it was smaller than the plastic box I had at home, and since I hate sawdust, the wheel looked god-awful and small, and the rest of the freebies were things I wouldn't use/already had in bulk, I decided against it. Now I worry about the shelf, and whether it would have at least provided variety. I know it wouldn't, but it is something she hasn't got, and since my pets are treated like spoilt children, they MUST have one of absolutely everything - her not having something is hard, especially when she is ill :)

On the plus side, hopefully the perspex for her detolf will arrive by next weekend :) Then we can move her into a better cage than her Perfecto.

[Flamestriker]

I'm so glad she's doing well. I loved the bit about depouching her breakfast and spitting it at the vet! Hilarious!

Get well soon lil one. Squishes to you and Kiania!

[kiania]

She does keep depouching on me as well - immediately after antibiotics time, so I'm not exactly surprised. She's also stopped being willing to be hand-fed, but she is eating, so I'm not very concerned - she's probably got a bit of an icky tummy, and thinks I'm mean at the moment!

Right now, she's in a kitchen roll tube that I put in this morning. Not sure why, since she has half a bag of j-cloth bedding in there with her, but she may want it so she has a 'roof' over her bed.

[kiania]

Subsequent to my last message, Nimh's now back on hand-feeding. She's had three pinhead crickets, and five baby mealworms, as well as two aliens and a butterworm, and a few fingertip-fulls of sesame seeds (her favourite after mealworms).

She seems far more alert and hungry, and willing to be cuddled (climbing onto my hands and up to my wrist out of her cage). Definitely getting back to her normal self.

[Lougarry]

That's really good to hear. Well done, Nimh, keep up the good work.

[Lynternette]

I'm sorry I've only just caught up with this thread. I'm so glad Nihm is make a good recovery. If its any help one of my dwarfies had surgery like Nihm. She made a full and happy recovery. xxx

[kiania]

Back to the vets for her 3 day check up in half an hour.

My main concern is that the growth was cancerous, and because it was fast growing, she'll have another one by the end of the month.

My OH and I did discuss this Saturday night, on when it becomes a welfare issue - because, as the vet said, the concern is that it becomes a lump attached to a hamster, rather than a hamster attached to a lump. He also said that (and this is a horribly brutal thought!) if it came back, and got big enough to became a welfare issue, then he wouldn't consider not buying another hamster - not as a replacement, but because she is so adorable, that even if she was an 'accident' purchase, she's become a staple, and needs a legacy.

Horrible, horrible thought, but I'm volunteering 5 days a week (and therefore not working) so £110+ each month (not sure what my two aftercare appointments are going to cost), combined with the stress on her - money is less the issue, but anesthetic every month can't do her any good.

For the time being, I've told her in no uncertain terms that she's not allowed to grow a lump, and must live for at LEAST two more years. She seemed to be listening - head cocked, ears towards me - so hopefully she's taken my demand on board :) Not having any back-chat in the ranks :)

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm sorry you're in such a potentially horrible situation :(

I really hope she does manage to not regrow it and last a long, long time yet.

Let us know how the vet visit goes?

[Cathii]

I'm sorry about your hamster, I hope she gets better quickly as possible. Good luck!
Actually, it's a bit of a coincidence that you found a lump on your hammy the same day I found one on my piggie. I was lucky though it was just an abscess.
I'm sorry about your little gal.

[vanilla-yazoo]

Im sorry I havent cought up with this until now, im soo glad to hear she is doing well, eating, being active!

I hope the vet visit went well and that she has no future problems, and that she can keep her promise to you :D

[kiania]

Back from the vets now. She didn't do so well. The wound is apparently "more inflamed than (he'd) like". So we discussed her current set up, and I've got another appointment Friday afternoon. As is stands, I'm keeping on going with the antibiotics (banana-y sugary goop - fantastic for hybrids :roll: ), and see what he says Friday. If it is still not to his liking, then we consider reducing the size of her cage. She's using the leg and walking around just fine (it isn't bothering her), but she's a bit active. He asked me to try to stop her being so active, then agreed it'd be hard given that she has nada in her hospital box right now.

I feel it is a bit Catch22, as if she's got nothing to do, she'll run around like a loon trying to get out, combined with boredom making her pick at it.

I already feel horrible for taking her wheel away, her big(ger) cage away, and all her toys, and levels, and climbing things, and her sand bath, her tunneling ability (she's on newspaper).

On the plus side, the perspex for her detolf has now been ordered. So at least once she is completely healed she won't be going back in her Perfecto!

[kyrilliondaemon]

Awww, I hope she does better at her next appointment...

Its a horrible situation to be in but you're doing all you can. Hopefully it heals despite Nimh being too busy to want to stay still and bored.

[vanilla-yazoo]

can I make some suggestions.

if she cant have hemp/aspen right now, could you give her back 2 nature? its recycled newspaper, but as a pellet form, so she could have a few cm deep to push about, its really clean, my allergy prone ww humphreys is on it, and its not set him off at all.

if not maybe carefresh? its anti allergenic, clean and a safe bedding

my vet reccomended sand as a substrate for humph, but it soon smelt of popcorn wee, so I mixed it with my newspaper pellets, i dont know if thats safe?

toilet roll tubes? anything to get her mind off of roaming, if she sits and destroys some tubes, maybe fold them with a treat inside (like some baby food, peanuts, something nice) she will be inclined to work at that rather then run around in circles?

if you have a few spare food boxes, how about giving her a different bedding in each box, like one of the jcloth, one of ripped newspaper or pellets, maybe hide things in there?

is there any after care for the wound you can give? like give it a dab with a cotton wool but with a teeny bit of warm water to soothe it? i would check the vet first tho..

Im just trying to think of things that can help!

[kiania]

I've got all my fingers crossed. Tried her with P@H safe bedding this clean-out rather than j-cloth to see if there is any difference :)

[racinghamster]

Just wanted to say what a star you are Kiania for approaching this with broad shoulders and you and your other half have done Nihm proud. I`ve had one tumour removal done on a female mouse I had but female mice are highly prone to mammary tumours. Her tumour became secondary and returned in another position on her body within a month, so it was unlucky really. My vet charged just £22.00 plus Baytril, so I can never complain about their charges because they are brilliant.

I really, really hope Nihm gets better and stronger because you have been so strong through this. x

[kiania]

Nimh is perky as ever. I think I woke her up yesterday morning, as she was on her back (since she's been in an open nest I've discovered she sleeps on her back - who knew!) under the bedding when I put my hand in to pick some of the flakes away to expose her (hadn't even touched her, or them!), she started shrieking like a banshee and vibrating. Scared me really badly! So I had a screaming hamster that I was trying to pacify with mealworms (who wasn't having any of it, and yelled everytime my hand got within 10cm of her, mealworm or none!), and I'm sitting on the floor beside the bin cage, look over, and my hedgehog has uncurled her head, and is lying with her chin on the ground under her wheel (where she sleeps, minging animal that she is!), looking at me with this sleepy expression of "What have you done! Make it stop, make it stooooop!!!" expression, followed (once Nimh was calm and mealworm-filled) with, "You force me to share my bedroom with her, and now this...I'm going to phone the hedgehog version of childline for abuse to hoggies nap times!"

Such a dirty look she gave me :)

I now know that I should give the box a light nudge before getting in the shower in the morning, so that Nimh knows I'm about - so she wakes up of her own accord and is out, looking at me when I come in to do her meds.

Screaming hamster is the most unpleasant thing - as the big mighty human predator I am, I was petrified - for a defence mechanism, that is fething scarily nasty!

Got my next post op check on Friday evening - I'm hoping her inflamation is gone, and I can pop her back in her own cage. She seems uncomfortable in an open nest, but she's on newspaper for the duration, and we ended up taking away her logs (bent over in an arch-shape over the bedding) as she was scratching out of sight beneath them. She has got half a medium-sized bag of P@H's safe bedding in there with her (you can tell my guilt at her not getting to dig :) ), and before that, had half a bag of Wilkinson's j-cloth bedding.

Still trying to think of things to keep her occupied, but still. The vet is worried about her moving too much, so climbing and wheeling are out. I feel guilty as sin :( But she, as of 5 minutes ago, seems happy - but that may be the mealworm bribes I've been plying her with :)

[Cathii]

I'm glad she's perking up now. I really do hope that her next appointment goes better than the last one did.

Wow, that sounds a little worrying. You or Nimh shouldn't have to go through that, I hope you both pull through okay!

[kiania]

On the plus side, since yesterday, Nimh has finally got the idea that the syringe is a nice, tasty thing, so when I pick her up and hold her to give her her antibiotics, she sits still and opens her mouth, rather than wriggling around desperately trying to avoid it! Which is a big relief as it means I don't have to try to hold her so tightly, which can only be a good thing, wound wise.

I don't think the wound looks too bad, but with nothing to compare it to, it is hard to say. Looks pink with redder bits - will have to see what the vet says this evening.

Fingers crossed, otherwise the next step is putting her in a smaller cage to restrict her movement :(

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm glad she's behaving with the syringe now :)

I hope the vet says good things this evening

[kiania]

Last day of antibiotics today, horray! Monday morning she gets her cage back, her wheel back, and her megazorb back. She'll quite literally, faint with the excitement!

Hoping to even get her into her new cage - many fingers crossed. We haven't got the mesh in yet, but the lid is off-set, so she shouldn't be able to escape (we'll be watching her like a hawk all monday!).

[kyrilliondaemon]

Awesome :D
I'm glad she's nearly back to normal and may even have her new cage tomorrow! (I may be excited about seeing it in use after all the weeks of waiting lol)

[kiania]

Nimh is good - we gave in and popped her in her detolf, even though it isn't finished at all. We used her megazorb from her Perfecto (since it is only for a week, and we wanted it to smell good (to a hamster!)). As I was transfering it I was thinking "Woah, this is a lot of bedding...there is more?!", but then, my deepest bit was only 12cm in the deepest bit, and 4cm throughout the rest, so not exactly 'much', but I was amazed by now much I'd actually packed into the perfecto in the end :D

One of the shelves is temporary (woo, cardboard!) for her wodent wheel (finally, she has an upright wheel! Only the karlie to squeeze in once plastikoted). Then her little wooden house (thank you Sam :) ), and...well, I'll post photos in the detolf thread :)

The point being, I popped her in Monday, and she looked around with this, "...for me...?" expression before turning around...and then she was off! She explored a bit, then dug for a bit (squeezing against the glass), then popped out, cleaned herself, turned around and dove (as if into water) back into the slope of the megazorb. She went for a run on her upright wheel, found a piece of pecan (that I'd hidden a week before she saw the vet - I'm good at hiding things!) in a frond - and pulled it down with her off the shelf backwards, tripping over a gnaw twig on the way down...got back up, grabbed the friendship catcher next to it, tried to climb up that, and fell backwards tumbling down the slope again...shook herself, clambered back up, had a climb around, and then went back to digging. She was in and out of digging and exploring - really good to see her so obviously happy.

It was the first time since the vet visit that she hasn't had her ears plastered back against the side of her head - they were completely up. She looked much less 'small' and fragile, and far more happy, bless her.

And when I looked this morning, she had her nose pressed against the glass watching me.

My OH is happy too - when she was upstairs in my hog room (for warmth), he was chuffed that if he went in there, she came out to say hi to him (conversely, my hog hides).

But yes - my vet (initial, surgery, and 2nd post op vet - I had another for the 1st post op consult) said that either her lump will come back soon, or won't return for 12 months+, or may never return. Fingers crossed on that last one!

I also took the time to tell him about her new cage - he was dutifully impressed, and said detolfs were a wonderful idea and wrote it down in case he gets asked by other hamster owners. Huzzah for Nimh, and huzzah for big cages for hamsters in Kent :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

Awesome :D
I'm really glad to hear she's doing well and is so happy in her detolf after the nasty vet visit and op and stuff :)
I really, really hope it stays gone now.


Our vet today just wondered how many hamsters we had since we had four with us... (Only one needed to be seen but we figured she could take her cagemates with her for company.) To be fair to him he reacted pretty well lol

[kiania]

Making me sad that Nimh didn't have any company now :)

I still occasionally wonder if she'd do well with company. Unfortunately, while I'm sure she'd cope and enjoy it, being the well behaved, sociable little nutter she is...I wouldn't like to think about what another hybrid might be like. Still makes me sad in case she does miss company, even if she really doesn't seem to be - combined with my OH enjoying her human-orientatedness :)

[kyrilliondaemon]

If she's happy she's not missing the company :)
Skip is just like her - lives alone and is really happy, Nimh proved it when she even grew a matching lump for a bit :P

[kiania]

My issue is the back of my mind is going, "Ahh, she's happy...but you don't know if she'd be -happier- if she had a friend". I squash it every time it tries to pull that one :) But it does keep saying it occasionally - I'll have to break out the mallet eventually :D

Although you saying that, now I think, "Nimh was so lonely, she had to grow a lump to keep herself company". Hehe!!

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol I was just thinking its more proof she wants to be just like Skip - absurdly happy living alone :D (And needing absurd amounts of space for something so small)

Skip was special though - he got to keep his lump :p

[kiania]

Well...technically Nimh got to keep her lump too. It is sitting on the shelf above my desk :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol good point :D

[kiania]

Not entirely sure what I'm going to do with the lump. So far the plan is to just keep it, and show it to guests as required :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

Awesome plan :D

[kiania]

By the time I die, I could have an entire shelf dedicated to "Things I have had taken out of my pets", what with neutering, health problems, and accidents where they swallow something they shouldn't have done. Not that I want a shelf (as it'd mean my pets were rather unlucky!), but it'd be a nice thing to freak guests out with!

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol do it! And take photos :D
My parents still have the pin from my brothers reconstructive finger surgery a few years ago as far as I know

[kiania]

I'll try to remember to keep you updated about the things-in-jars collection I'm forming :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol thanks :)

[Cathii]

Haha, that would be one creepy but funny shelf xD

[kiania]

It'd be hilarious...not sure my future MIL will approve...my future DIL would totally think it was fab though :D My parents would just sigh, they know me too well to think I'd toss such a valuable conversation starter away :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol at least your parents won't be surprised then :)

[kiania]

Except for the fact that we have Nimh...still holding off on telling them :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

Well yeah but that part doesn't count. I do the same with mine :p

[kiania]

She's a secret squirrel hamster :)

[kiania]

Bit of sadness here, noticed earlier this week that Nimh appears to be re-growing her lump. It isn't nearly as bad, but I'm hoping to get a vet appointment this week. Since we've moved, this may be somewhat problematic - if the new vet says "It is a hamster, put it down", then I'm phoning up the vet that saw her last (in Kent!), and seeing if they'll see her. A 4 hour round trip for a competent vet that thinks she is worth de-lumping is worth it. Naturally, fingers crossed the vet I'm hoping to see here (who is a small animal specialist) won't say anything so mean.

That said, she still seems entirely un-fazed by lumps - she's running on her wheel like a loon, and has been digging out a new tunnel for a while before that (and was out for cuddles and coconut curls before that!). So that is a good thing, but I shall have to have strict words with her about not growing more of them, tsh! :(

[GemmasMom]

Verry sorry to hear it! Hopefully it can be easily fixed :) squishes to Nimh!!! xxxxxxx

[kyrilliondaemon]

Oh no! I'm really sorry to hear its back again :(

Let us know how the vet visit goes?

[kiania]

Got back from the vets, they seem positive. The vet said very nice things about Nimh (her rolly-polly dwarf hamster shape, good clean fur, alertness, etc) and had a look at the new lump - I took the last lump in and she duely inspected that. Then popped a stethoscope beneath Nimh to have a look at her heart - Nimh sat there, good as gold, looking up at the vet, then at me, then having a wash, then back at me. So she took her out back to weigh her, finally came back (was a while), apparently Nimh is one of the most placid and willing dwarf hamsters she or the vet she spoke to about her while she was out back, have ever seen (win!).

She's due for surgery on Tuesday (I've got to take her in between 8am and 9am). The lump has been designated 'small pea-sized', and in 'good shape' (apparently makes it easier to "scoop it all out", vet's words, not mine!).

Either way, seems positive. And on the plus side, they were £25.20 for the consult (my last vet was £30), and the surgery she said would cost £50 + antibiotics (about £10) (compared to my last vet which was just under £80), which I said was good, and she laughed and said they'd undersold themselves, but they don't have a standard fee for taking lumps out of small animals because they don't usually get hamster-sized critters in for such things (sad that more people don't get their pets de-lumped and put them down instead :( ), but was really positive that it would go well (risks of being a small animal are there still, obviously, but she seemed upbeat).

Nimh is now looking forward to some tasty sugary banana-flavoured antibiotics again. If she keeps growing lumps, she'll get sugar-fueled diabetes from the antibiotics, hehe! :D

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm glad it went relatively well, best of luck with the surgery on Tuesday!

[kiania]

Appreciated. I will keep my fingers crossed :)

[jesselle]

how is nimh?

[kiania]

She came through her surgery fine, but died to an unrelated incident just afterwards. She is now a planter in the garden, and one of those plants became the name of our rescue hamster, for continuity.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/eblade/20120728_210105.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e223/eblade/20120728_210116.jpg

[jesselle]

oh :( i'm sorry. but i am glad she is in peace and has a lovely remembrance planter. how lovely x

[kiania]

Unfortunately it was an act-of-god style thing. But she had a good life while she was with us, thankfully.

[laurajaey]

I'm so sorry for your loss :(

xo

[kiania]

Ummm...going to assume that you haven't read the rest of the thread.

On the plus side...no, it definitely won't be growing back :-k

[Flamestriker]

I'll try to remember to keep you updated about the things-in-jars collection I'm forming :D


Oooooo can we have pics? Is it going to be a pet related thing like the Vrolik Museum is dedicated to mostly humans (do not google unless you are not squeamish).

I'd invite you to my parties just to talk about it, but I have an interest in parasitology, so I'm odd myself :)

Oh, I am sorry to hear about your lil hammy, but she has a lovely memorial plant:)

[kiania]

Unfortunately the vets didn't give me the last lump :( Most disappointing! So I'm still only at one dwarf hamster lump in a tube.

If I ever get more than a couple of pets with cancerous lumps, I'll be sure to make my 'collection' available for tours and talks, heh!

[PezPus]

how sad :( i am so sorry for you loss!

[kiania]

I miss having a clever pet - she was trusted to climb all over both me and my partner without us worrying about her suiciding off our shoulders - combined with the fact that I used to say "Goodnight girls" (as my hog is also female). But Thunder is a charecter, and so completely different to Nimh in colour and personality, it makes life a bit easier. It makes it feel like she's not replaced, and instead is the spark that got me and my partner into realising how much we needed a dwarf hamster in our life, which can only be marked as a good memory :)

[Flamestriker]

I miss having a clever pet - she was trusted to climb all over both me and my partner without us worrying about her suiciding off our shoulders - combined with the fact that I used to say "Goodnight girls" (as my hog is also female). But Thunder is a charecter, and so completely different to Nimh in colour and personality, it makes life a bit easier. It makes it feel like she's not replaced, and instead is the spark that got me and my partner into realising how much we needed a dwarf hamster in our life, which can only be marked as a good memory :)

Awwww thats so sweet. *sniff*

*wipes away a tear from eye*