Poor Daisy's Lump

Hetty · 12-23-2015, 10:09 AM

Okay folks, it's been 6 days since last posted on Miss Daisy baldness and her limping gait. And I believe her baldness was a pre-cursor to something much more serious.....
I'm afraid my little bear has now got a sizable lump

It is under and over her hip and running into her pelvic area. Last friday I noted her limping (18th) and my parents said that she only had a small bump by her hip on the 20th. Now, in just 3 days it is grown quite big.
But : apart from this, she seems to be in no sign of discomfort or distress. She's bright and alert, eating and drinking. She wants to come out and play, sniff and wander. Pooping and urinating too.
The rest of her fur and body is in perfectly groomed condition, no mats or soiling.
She wobbles when she tries to sit up, but is very active too.
I know from previous experience with Lola (who also had a lump at the 1.9 years old mark), that this stage of a lumpy illness can last quite a while before the little one goes down hill rapidly.
Can any one give me a bit of advice as to what this might be? Or is a genetic/age related disease? And what can I do to help Daisy?

cypher · 12-23-2015, 11:58 PM

Sorry to hear Daisy isn't well, there really isn't much that you can do other than what you are already, just monitor her very carefully for any more changes or signs that she may be in pain or discomfort, the limping & lump may really begin to impact of her movement so if she begins to have more trouble getting around you may need to rearrange her cage so everything is easy for her to get to without struggling.
It's hard to say what it is, hamsters are prone to various growths tumours & other illnesses that could cause these symptoms, has she been to a vet yet? They may be able to give you a better idea of what exactly is going on.
I hope she will manage ok for a while to come yet, good luck with her & let us know how she goes.

Hetty · 12-27-2015, 03:30 AM

Hi folks,
Ok I rang the vet during the holidays and he can't see Daisy til the 28th. When I described the lump over the phone, he said it is more then likely benign, but won't know until he see's her.
Miss Daisy shows no signs of pain or discomfort, and she is pretty much doing normal hammy things. She has full function of the leg and paw on the effected hip, but because of the lump she is stretching to scratch her right ear/side of face when she grooms. So, I've started to gently brush that area with a baby brush whenever she comes out to play.
I've modified her cage: deeper substrate (in case she falls over), everything on the lower floor. She still loves her wheel, but can't quite get up a gallop. So she contents her self with a waddling trundle on it for about 20 minutes at a time.
Right, I'll update you all further the vet visit!

racinghamster · 12-27-2015, 04:14 AM

Hi Hetty, hope the vet you see gives you some positive re-assurance. Hamsters can be prone to lumps and growths but while some can be benign/fatty lumps, others can be malignancies but the vet might be able to say which just by look and feel. Failing that, a biopsy would give you the answer, but overall, you would need to decide if it`s worth it if she`s coping well enough and her age. What age is Daisy?

Female rodents have mammary tissue under the belly leading all the way along the body up into the shoulder blade area. So mammary tumours are not uncommon in female rodents. Female mice are very prone to them.

If a hamster is over say, 15 months of age and still enjoying life and a lump is still small and the vet thinks surgery could be worthwhile, then it`s worth thinking about. But as you know, surgery will come with risks. I`m a bit open minded with tumours really but removing them doesn`t usually prolong the hamsters life by a wide margin. A lot depends on the hamsters general health, age and whether the vet does these small surgeries or feels it`s not worth the risk. Lumps between limbs usually isn`t great because the skin in that area tends to stretch and there needs to be enough skin left after surgery to stitch together without being tight and coming undone. x

Hetty · 12-27-2015, 06:11 PM

Hi Racing Hamster, Miss Daisy is just 22 months ( 1 year and 10 months). She is slowing down a bit, but shes still as bright eyed as a pup. She does cope well: she can move about well and trundle in her wheel. Grooms and cleans her self perfectly. My main worry is that she could wobble over or tumble off things, so I have removed her ladders and ''shelf'' and made a ramp for her to access her bottle (It was on a platform). Lots of more substrate for digging and ploughing. Plenty of soft, wide opening toys and chewies for her too. Tonight she was in much better form then previous 3 nights, flew around and pouched herself right down to her hips, twice!

racinghamster · 12-28-2015, 01:18 AM

She`s not letting it slow her down, that`s for sure! She`s a good age now. I hate that some hamsters get these lumps and can`t just grow old gracefully while others can. It`s so unfair. x

Hetty · 12-28-2015, 05:50 AM

It is, isn't it Racing Hamster. By gosh, Miss Determined Daisy is not letting anything slow her down, oh no sirree! Lump or no lump! She manged an assault on the Christmas Tree again this year......

racinghamster · 12-28-2015, 08:28 AM

It`s better to be positive about these things than negative since there isn`t any realistic magic wand we can wave, but give them all the support we can under the circumstances. I have a Russian hybrid male who is now two years old and he`s darting about as though he`s oblivious to his age, which is good to see as many hamsters never reach his age. Once they reach a certain age it`s a bonus if they don`t get ill or slow down, although it`s inevitable that it will happen one day. x

Hetty · 12-29-2015, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racinghamster

It`s better to be positive about these things than negative

It most definitely is, Racinghamster! I went to the vets with her. It was good and bad, but I'm going to take it as a positive (???) visit. He had a good look over her: a healthy elderly hamster....with a lump.

He poked and prodded Daisy....who took it well. And got a peanut crunch nibble for her good behavior.
Her little baldy chicken leg and paw still have full function, therefore no major neural/nervous tissues involved.
He believes it's a benign growth, stemming either from her mammary tissue or, due to the fur lose, her ovary. It has more then likely reached the size it's ''mature'' size, therefore unlikely to grow any further (fingers crossed).
It is far too involved and running too close to her hip joint, to operated safely on Daisy, plus given her age, it would not be advantageous.
We did discuss ''options'' if the time comes when Miss Daisy starts to be in discomfort. So, at least I know I can depend on him when or if this time comes.
All and all, Miss Daisy appears to back to her good old self: sniffing, wheeling and trying to clamber up everything thing!
I think trying to adapt to new lump does put you in an odd humour!

racinghamster · 12-29-2015, 11:25 AM

It`s amazing how well they just carry on regardless! My last little robo was three years old and had a spinning disorder and balding hair. Bless him, he was so strong. Such a character too. Miss Daisy certainly won`t let a lump sow her down! I`ve seen some mice with tumours the size of a golf ball, yet they still lively and have a lust for life until such a time, the tumour affects their ability to mobilise well or acutely slows them down. They are such resilient little animals. x