Severe skin problem - could be fatal - please help

smigsmag · 08-07-2013, 04:31 PM

My hamster has been ill for about a month now, with it getting much more severe every day. She is now at the point where I'm wondering if it would be more humane to put her down. She started off with dry patches appearing on her skin, with fur loss, under her chin. These got progressively more nasty and red, then became pussy and scabby. We took her to a vet to begin with who didn't really seem to know what it was and just prescribed antibiotics. These did not work. We took her to a specialist hamster vet who gave her some different antibiotics. It continued to get worse. The specialist vet suggested we get a biopsy, so we paid a lot of money to get that done, in the hope that it would tell us once and for all what it was. We waited 11 days for the results - all the time with the infection getting worse. The biopsy was inconclusive. The vet gave us different antibiotics again. I tried to give them to her tonight but she is now barely able to move and she would not take them, even though she has done before with no problem. She cannot even hold her head up to her water bottle to drink. She is still eating but has lost a lot of weight very quickly. Her skin is scabbed over, dark in colour, incredibly sore looking and hanging down from her. It could just be swelling but it looks a lot like there's a huge lump in one place. Whatever it is there is a very deep infection. The biopsy ruled out cancer and polyoma virus. I have no idea what this could be but I am seriously considering having her put to sleep if she continues as she is for a few more days. She looks like she is in a lot of pain and she is disorientated, seemingly unable to see or smell very well. She moves clumsily and slowly around her cage with her eyes half closed. She is only 9 months old. Does anyone have any idea what this could be or what I can do?

CritterKeeper · 08-07-2013, 08:41 PM

I have never experienced anything like this with hamsters. If this were a dog you were describing I would suspect mange of some kind; but in a hamster...?

Try putting water in a jar lid or some other very shallow container she would not need to lift her head for. If she is still eating well I believe there is reason to hope you will see improvement in the coming days.

Right now I have a 15 year old dog and I am at the point where the final vet trip is soon to come. These decisions are never easy for any pet of any age.

Kirsty1987 · 08-07-2013, 11:38 PM

Did they rule out ringworms, scurf and mange I'm pretty sure these are 3 things the vets would have picked up on in a biopsy though.
He does sound really poorly use a syringe to give her water or give her small pieces or cucumber for moisture. For food try some softer food like baby food, porridge and scrambled egg.
I would probably ask the vets for their opinion as to whether any more can be done.

souffle · 08-08-2013, 12:16 AM

Is there any chance she might have Cushing's disease?
Cushings Disease in Syrian Hamsters - Hamster Central WIKI
This article may help but there is no cure.
If you feel in your heart that she has had enough and is telling you she needs help on her next journey then your decision will be the right one. Made from love it is always right so never regret a this choice. She is trusting you to listen to her whisper when she is ready.
I hope you can make a decision that lies easy on your heart.

HollyHamster · 08-08-2013, 12:19 AM

There should be no question. She is suffering and needs to be released to the rainbow bridge. I know its a hard realization, and not easy to let her go, but I believe it needs to be done.

You have my condolences.

csockman · 08-08-2013, 04:24 AM

Did they rule out a fungal infection? Here is what a severe fungal infection looks like (these were my hamsters). Scroll down for the pre-medicine pictures.

http://sites.google.com/site/ourrobohamsters/

smigsmag · 08-09-2013, 01:17 AM

Hi everyone, thanks for the advice. I'm not sure of everything that they ruled out in the biopsy but I'm sure they checked for fungal infections and other common things. There is a chance that they didn't pick up on something from the sample they took but it's not likely. I had a look at cushings disease and it does look similar, but much more aggressive looking. In any case, I'm taking her to the vet today, whatever that might be for. I personally don't think they will be able to do anything more...

Char · 08-09-2013, 02:10 AM

Fingers crossed for you. Let us know what the vets says

smigsmag · 08-09-2013, 05:08 AM

She had deteriorated a lot in just one day and was in an incredibly bad way - eyes now glued together and just sitting still with really laboured breathing. It was obviously extremely painful for her to move and she flinched when I stroked her. I've had her put to sleep. It was upsetting but a massive relief to know that her terrible suffering will end. Thanks for all the advice - the more I think about it and read about it, the more I think maybe it was Cushings disease. The only things that don't add up are the fact that she was a reasonably young hamster and that the fur loss was only on her chin/underside - the rest of her body still had all its fur. The reason I'm saying this is so that other people in the same situation might realise what's going on long before we did - I feel like we prolonged her life more than we should have, and spent a lot more money than we should have, because of the belief that she might get better, when she was never going to get better. I hope that somebody else can benefit in some way from our loss.

Char · 08-09-2013, 05:11 AM

Oh I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you