HELP! Final vet visit???

[Ezio]

Okay, so as some of you know I have a 4 year old Syrian hamster, named Bilbo. I'm really lost on what I should do at this stage. Bilbo has lost a lot of weight, his once long fur is now thin, he drinks tons each day, and still is eating enough (less then usual, but he still eats. Especially treats) he sleeps all day and night, except from the 20 minutes at about 1am where he comes out of his nest and eats, drinks, and the for the rest of the time he sits there tiredly and grooms himself. Last night I noticed when he was grooming himself he kept falling asleep and he seemed really tired out. I've also noticed when ever he is in his nest I can herar him grinding his teeth together, and ocassionsly a small squeak or a little wheezy whimper. But then on the flip side he still eats any treats I give him, and if I ever carefully take him out of his cage he livens up and seems like his old self, except from his weakness where he can no longer push himself around in his ball, or climb around on my bed. The noises he makes, make me think he might be in pain. My room is also warm so i don't think he's hibernating. I was wondering if his final vet visit is in line, or not yet. Also if he dosnt go to the vet how long do they usually have to live at this stage? I honestly thought he would have crossed the rainbow bridge before thanksgiving but he seems to still be somewhat going on.

[cypher]

It's never easy to know for sure when it's time to help an elderly ham to the bridge, if you think he's in pain then the vet may give metacam to help with that but only you can judge his quality of life & whether that would be a good idea or whether it may be better to help him on his way before he begins to suffer.
I always think it's better to help them on their way a little sooner rather than wait too long, it's a hard thing to do but if it is time it's done out of love & can be the last gift we can give them.

[InkyPen]

The question that I have always asked myself in this situation is - is this animal still enjoying life?

Have you tried giving him some softened porridge oats? I gather they can be helpful for elderly hams

[MeganAndMisty]

The fact the he's 4 years old is amazing - I know that they very rarely get to live that long so you can tell that he's been well taken care of and had an amazing life.

I think personally if it was me, I'd take him to the vets to get checked out and see what he / thinks. It's good to ask for advice and hear what other people think and I think that people here are always so helpful and supportive - But you know him better than anyone and I think that if you more than anyone know how he's feeling.

It's such a hard decision to make I've had to pt pets down in the past and it's so hard - but I think that you just know when it's time. I know that's not very helpful but I'm terrible at this sort of thing. From what you said he doesn't seem unhappy but if you think that he's in pain then I think the best thing to do would to take him to the vets and see if they could give him some mediation?

I think that whatever you decide to do will be whats right for Bilbo, I'm sure he fully trusts you to make the right decision for him too.
I'm sorry for rambling hopefully this helped. x

[Pebbles82]

I think from what you've said I'd be tempted to ask the vet for some Metacam but not take Bilbo to the vets just yet. As you say he is eating and drinking and enjoying treats etc. He is clearly frail as he is very old. If you think he might be in pain then giving something for pain relief would help him be more comfortable. I don't think I'd be ready for a final visit as he is still living life, but pain relief would be good for him and see how that goes. If you have a vet you know they may be happy to give you some for him without bringing him in. It would be quite stressful for him to have a vet visit if it isn't a final one. The Metacam is an anti-inflammatory - works as pain relief but also helps with anything inflamed - maybe arthritis or toothache etc.

[Ezio]

Thank you so much everyone for all the help! I'll defiantly look into getting Bilbo some Metacam. I don't think I can take him in quite yet, I've had to take many pets in to be put down in the past due to sickness and just painful old age. There's something about him that seems to be pleading me for more time, I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's just that I love him so much and can't bare the thought of losing my best friend. I think for now I'm just going to make sure he's comfortable and getting lots of his favirote treats. Also this morning I took the advice and gave him some softened porridge oats for breakafast which he loved, so thank you. I think his condition is getting worse because each day he's drinking WAY more water then usual and seems to have a bit of diarrhea, I'm just hoping he doesn't have wet tail. Once again, thank you so much for all the help. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

[Thin Lizzy]

You really need to get him to the vet asap. I know you've had pets put to sleep before but, the longer you leave it the harder it'll get.