Old age, or ill?

tiny88 · 05-30-2018, 08:02 PM

Hi everyone. My kids have a Syrian hamster named Valerie. I’m not entirely sure how old she is but she seemed to be fully grown when we bought her so I would guess she is around two.

A few days ago I noticed she hadn’t been using her wheel at night and wasn’t drinking much water. I also noticed that when she was still her breathing seemed quite rapid and she also doesn’t seem to have much control of her back legs and they are just dragging behind her. My issue is that I’m not sure if this is her just getting older or if this is more serious. The small animal vet clinic I spoke with today told me there isn’t really a whole lot they’d do for a hamster with these symptoms and would recommend just euthanizing her if I feel she is suffering. But that’s the thing, I really don’t know if she is. I cleaned her cage tonight and gave her a new little wooden house to hide away in along with some torn toilet paper and some veggie treats and she was thrilled. So she is still eating, and although not drinking on her own she will happily drink if I syringe feed it to her. Her eyes look bright and I see no issues with her fur, although she has never liked being handled so I haven’t taken a really good look. Not sure what we should do. Any input?

cypher · 05-31-2018, 03:03 AM

It sounds as though she may possibly have had a stroke which isn't that uncommon in older hamsters, it's hard to tell if they're in pain sometimes as they are really good at hiding it, if she is she may need help with that, most vets prescribe metacam (pain relief & anti-inflammatory) when necessary.
Other than that if she's eating & drinking (try offering a small bowl in case she's struggling with a bottle) then just keep an eye on things & if need be rearrange her cage so that she can get to everything easily with any struggling.

tiny88 · 05-31-2018, 03:11 AM

Thanks for the reply. I wondered if it could have been a stroke too but then I read it usually only affects one side so I wasn’t sure. Is there anything I can look for to see if she is in pain? I know that hamsters tend to hide it like you said so I just feel really clueless. Really don’t want her to suffer, but also don’t want her to end up being put down if she’s content enough to live out the rest of her life snoozing and being spoiled.

dreamtree1234 · 05-31-2018, 03:35 AM

Hi and welcome to HC! I am so sorry that Valerie isn't doing well. I totally agree with everything that Cypher said. So long as she is eating and drinking, you may want to ask your vet to prescribe metacam. My heart goes out to you, your children, and Valery. I will be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers and hoping for the very best. Hugs.

tiny88 · 06-01-2018, 06:59 PM

Thanks dreamtree. I had booked an appointment to have her put down but ended up canceling it at the last minute because I wasn’t certain she was actually suffering, and for my kids’ sake I’m glad I did (and for the hamster’s sake as well, obviously). She has been okay these last couple of days. Not her old self but still eating and drinking (still just from a syringe) and up and moving around. Her legs are still dragging but maybe not quite as much, and her breathing is still rapid, but I’m not sure I ever really paid close attention to her breathing rate before so maybe it’s more normal than I realize? I’m not sure. But for now we will just take it one day at a time and my kids are spoiling the heck outta her.