Stages of Cushings Disease with illustrated pics (inc. treatment)

[musicgirlr1996]

My hamster has been diagnosed with cushings desease at the beginning of july but her symptoms started showing in january. What are some signs that she may be nearing the end/needing to be euthenised?

[SnickersTheFirst]

Originally Posted by Pearl Hamletry

Hello there awesome community!

I have had never seen anything like this in 15 years of owning hamsters until I went to a friend of mine's house. After reading the symptoms and seeing pictures I suspect that this poor little Chocolate Pearl Tort may be afflicted with this horrible disease! My friend is taking her to the vet tomorrow and I told her to get some tea tree cream. Please let me know what you all think.

One thing I would like to note that looks like a symptom that she exhibits and the pics of this hamster exhibit, that has not been previously mentioned is squinty or slanted eyes. This lil girl was even named Tsunami because she almost looks Asian. Is this a common trend or am I just connecting to many dots?

I tried Tea Tree Cream but it didn't seem to work? I tried a thin layer of Sudocrem and it worked wonders.

And tbh Snickers always had really wide, bright eyes even towards the end as far as I remember?

Originally Posted by musicgirlr1996

My hamster has been diagnosed with cushings desease at the beginning of july but her symptoms started showing in january. What are some signs that she may be nearing the end/needing to be euthenised?

I noticed that Snickers' joints were stiff and she had trouble moving about, also you're looking out for infected wounds. Any sign of severe discomfort would lead me to believe that your hamster needs to be helped to pass.

[Moo2012]

Originally Posted by SnickersTheFirst

I've noticed quite a few cases of Cushing's pop up recently, one of them being my hamster Snickers. I found that there wasn't much information or many pictures around. To solve this I've taken many pictures of Snickers at different stages of the illness to show you.

I don't think it's scientifically proven but most cases I've seen have been in Sable coloured Syrians.


This is a photo before she began showing any signs of Cushings.


This is in January when I noticed the first signs. Her fur began to lighten on her lower back. However, this is a normal aging process which is why it is hard to diagnose early signs of Cushings. Snickers is aged 16 months in the photo.


One month later in February, her fur began to fall out in small patches and her skin changed to a darker pigment (black).



2 months into the illness, all of the fur on her stomach and legs fell out. She also developed flaky, red skin which caused scabbing to occur. At this point all sharp toys should be removed. You can see her mouth drops open alot, this is due to the muscle wasting which is a side affect of Cushings.



This is her now, 3 months into the illness. She's lost the fur in a line all the way down her back and the hairloss has began in small patches on her face. Her joints are beggining to stiffen a little so she was moved to a one level cage with less toys and more digging material. She also now drinks and pees alot more than usual so her cage needs to be cleaned more regularly.


This is her, 4 months into the illness, in mid-April. She began to get lumps and cuts where her skin was so delicate. She had a large one on her leg (in pic), 2 on her back and 2 on her front legs. They didn't affect her mobility at all and she was still happy. She was loosing fur and body condition rapidly too.


This is her a couple of hours before she was put to sleep in late-April. Her eyes were half closed, she was disorientated and couldn't do her famous meerkat pose, only able to just about lift up her front paws. At this point she had been eating only babyfood for a couple of days as I thought that was better than nothing. She just wasn't herself and looked so ill, she battled Cushings for 4 months which I think was very brave of her.

There is no current cure for Cushings but your hamster can still live a happy life. There are a few treatments you can try:

In some of the pictures, you'll notice her fur looks a little greasy. This is due to the Sudocrem used to soothe her skin. It helps to hydrate the skin and stop dryness. Since using the cream she's only had a few scabs too. I apply it twice a day to all of the dry, hairless areas.
Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream - 125g - Boots

Some people recommend Tea Tree Cream, made for pets. However, I found this had no effect on Snickers.
Johnsons Small Pet Tea Tree Cream 50g | Net Pet Shop

__________________________________________________ _____________
WOW! After looking at Snickers and reading her symptoms I am almost positive that is just what my daughter's hamster, MOO, went through and died of. She just all the sudden one day started losing her hair, it would come back a little and then go away (in the beginning) after a while it started coming out and staying out- the skin getting really dry and her body was wasting away-it was so sad to watch happen- I feel terrible that I didn't take her to the vet- it all happened so fast and we kept thinking if we nursed her that she would get better-
The info was very informative and I thank you so much for sharing-

[Pearl Hamletry]

Originally Posted by SnickersTheFirst

I tried Tea Tree Cream but it didn't seem to work? I tried a thin layer of Sudocrem and it worked wonders.

And tbh Snickers always had really wide, bright eyes even towards the end as far as I remember?



I noticed that Snickers' joints were stiff and she had trouble moving about, also you're looking out for infected wounds. Any sign of severe discomfort would lead me to believe that your hamster needs to be helped to pass.

Hi Snickers thanks for responding!
Even though my friend took her to the vet they weren't able to give her an conclusive diagnosis. Its not mites or ringworm, but they said it may be a hormonal reaction to being pregnant which is rare but happens. Since her pups were weened her hair has been growing back so hopefully it was a hormonal imbalance. She is in good spirits and seems happy. So cross your fingers for her and her pups that it is not cushings!

[Arraminta]

Having this thread is really useful and with Smudge possibly having cushings it's invaluable to me to keep referring to this thread.

Thanks and hugs

Arraminta x

[DwarfHam]

It's so sad to see a pet so ill.. I wish i never opened this thread..

[HammieandMerlin]

Honestly cannot thank you enough for this thread. It's heartbreaking to see and read, but I think it's so necessary, thanks x

[hammy_mumma]

Thank you for this post.

My Hampsey has this, I first suspected this when she started balding on her tummy at 15 months, she is tri-coloured (don't know if there is any sable in there). Her progression seems slower than Snicker's thankfully. 3 months on she is now balding on her bottom and back legs but her skin is still fine. Her little mouth does drop open now, and she's certainly drinking more but she's full of beans and still dashes round the bedroom in the evening. She even climbs my son's playmobile castle and ship. This is especially amazing considering she broke a vertebrae in her back when she was just a year old which resulted in a less co-ordinated use of her back legs. I am worried if she develops further muscle weakness as a result of Cushing's this will be more debilitating to her than you're average hamster but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[silverliner]

I cried; the pictures conveyed so much of what she went through, and she was so strong and brave til the end. I just got my 2 darling winter pearl and gold for about a week now, and i'm on the computer 24/7 looking up on everything there is to know about hammies; the more i know, the more worried i get.

[LoveThoseNoses]

I'm probably going to hurt and/or alienate you for saying this, but why did you let your hamster suffer so long before euthanizing her?