Tumor / abcess / mass - poor flash!

[JoLewis]

I'm just looking for a bit of advise really. I recently posted in the introductions section (see introduction to flash) Anyway, once caught up We have been to see the vet tonight and as I thought, flash has a problem. He has either an abcess or tumor on his face. Its outside of the cheek and within the skin. They have said we are best not to just wait and "see what happens" as it will only pop eventually if it's an abcess and be sore...or will continue to grow and cause long term problems! So, flash is having surgery on Thursday next week to remove this. I only adopted flash on Saturday as you know so I have had a discussion with pets at home re costs and they are covering this. This is not the point though, we now have little flash who has to go through turmoil and obviously my son is saddened by the whole prospect. He may not make it through the operation, if he does, there will be recovery to go through....we are obviously trying to invest the right amount of time into flash to work on taking him (he almost ate the vet tonight hahaha!) Do you guys know of any hamsters having surgery and the effects on their character and wellbeing etc?? Recovery....what are the chances he will survive and will this effect his temperament? I know most of these are questions people cant answer but any information you could give if your hamster has been in a similar situation would be appreciated! Thank you ��

[Rsclio197]

I can't help you sadly but I'm so sorry to hear what's happened. I just read your other thread for Flash, poor little guy .

That's quite a wait till the operation like, must be killing you! I guess it's better that the affected area is on the outside of his cheek!?

I wish Flash all the luck in the world and I hope everything goes absolutely fine. Huge credit to you for putting in the effort to make sure he has the best chance.

[Carly]

Hi firstly I would like to say sorry for what flash is going through ( and ur son and urself) secondly I haven't had a hamster that's needed surgery on an abscess or tumor but years ago my hamster broke his leg, and the vets operated on him and he pulled through and he was back to his self in no time! Good luck to flash and I pray that he's ok X

[cypher]

Really sorry to hear about poor Flash but many hamsters do undergo surgery & come through it just fine, on the plus side if Flash is young he has a much better chance of making a good recovery.
It is all very stressful for him & he will need a quiet period after the op but with lots of TLC there's no reason it should change his temperament in the long term, even when it's something as hard as this animals often seem to know when we are doing what's best for them & if anything it can create a stronger bond.
Good luck for the op, keep us posted.

[Pebbles82]

I think it's good that it isn't for a week as it gives him chance to settle in at your home and feel familiar, before any op he might have (hopefully it won't be anything too major). Which means after the op he'll be glad to be back in his familiar smelling cage that he has just got used to

Normally it's suggested not to clean anything in the cage for the first two weeks, while they are settling in and scent-marking - apart from spot cleaning the pee corner (using a potty litter tray can help there . And leaving his nest in tact is a good idea too. If it isn't pee'd in it should be fine.

Although if he does have to have a little operation, rather than say just an abscess drained, he might need a clean cage to go back to in a week's time. In that case you could just change the substrate and sprinkle a bit of his old substrate on top so it still smells familiar - while not cleaning toys and wheel, so it isn't all smelling different at once.

For now I would just let him settle in his cage and carry on as normal. So he settles in and feels familiar before his op.

I don't know how you'd feel about this, but you could also possibly ask for another opinion on the lump (I noticed Souffle mentioned a vet near you). Although it would mean paying for a consultation and possibly treatment, it might give you a firmer answer up front as to what he thinks it could be, or what might need doing if he's a hamster specialist. Also you'll be taking the hamster home with you straight away afterwards.

Are pets at home intending to keep him there after the operation?

We had to take our hammy to the vets a couple of times recently. I was surprised at the cost which was less than I expected. The first consultation was £20, which included a thorough check and some medication. The second one, at a different vet, was less than £17 and included having his teeth clipped and some investigation in his mouth.

The second vet was able to diagnose a small lump as a blocked salivary gland.

If he did need an operation then that could be costly due to the anaesthetic mainly I think. But you would still have the option to go back to pets at home to have the operation with them paying, after having another vet opinion. If he didn't need an operation though, and it just needed lancing or draining and antibiotics, then it might be better to stay with the vet you got the diagnosis from (ie the second opinion vet).

Just a thought.

Do you have a pet carrier by the way? A guinea pig sized one like this one is a good size as you can half fill it with substrate and put a little house in it for them to hide in

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Al...rplast+Aladino

That's the one I have but there's a Trixie one that's very similar and a bit cheaper. Around the same size.

When I take our hammy somewhere in his I take a fleece blanket to put over the top when we're travelling or sitting in the waiting room, and he just goes to sleep in there