Custard has a swollen belly :(

[Hammy992]

Thank you for your kind thoughts Dreamtree.
Unfortunately Custard's cyst has been progressing steadily over the past few weeks and is starting to affect his mobility somewhat. This hot weather has not been helping and I do believe the vet said something about heat causing cystic fluid to build up in the body more quickly. Last night he was up on his level waiting for his dinner; he seemed to be in fairly good spirits and was very quick to pouch his piece of green bean when I offered it to him. However when I saw him get up for a drink this morning his left side seemed a lot more bloated, as if it was bulging outwards. This has got me worried, but for this to happen in the space of about 12 hours I'm thinking maybe because the cyst is so large it is displacing within the abdominal area and was sitting more on the left side today? Or perhaps he is constipated as well? (I have been giving him oats and lentils sprinkled on his mix every now and again for the protein). I am going to give the vet a call tomorrow and see if I can have a word with her about bringing him in to have the cyst drained. If this timeline is anything to go by he would need to have the procedure done every month.

From an ethical point of view, is it cruel to put him through such frequent treatments? It seemed to help him last time and he definitely looked more comfortable afterwards. He settles down fairly well after a vet visit and allows the vet to handle him without any issues. Also the draining would be done non-surgically from now on but still with a short anaesthetic so it doesn't cause him any pain. I don't feel like euthanasia is the right path if he is still enjoying his food, grooming and using his favourite tunnel. Because of the heat it is hard to gauge his activity level as like most hams he just wants to chill out in bed to try and stay cool but he is up and out as soon as he hears his food bowl being filled.
He is very loved and I know it will be truly devastating when his time comes to go to the bridge, but as long as these treatments can help him and are not prolonging suffering I want to make sure he has everything he needs.

[dreamtree1234]

I'm so sorry that Custard's left side is more bloated again due to his cyst. My heart breaks that he is having this trouble again so soon. I'm glad that he is still managing to eat well and enjoy doing hamster things though. I am so sorry that I can't give you an answer as to what the right or wrong thing to do concerning whether to let him continue to have frequent treatments or whether it is kinder to have him pts. I think that whatever choice you make, it will be the right one since you know him the very best and will always make every decision based on what is absolutely best for him because you will make it with unconditional love. I personally feel that so long as he is handling the treatments well, they are making improvements in his condition after they occur, and he is still determined to live and enjoy his life to the fullest under these circumstances, I would try to continue to make his life as comfortable and wonderful as possible and pray that when his time comes to pass to the bridge, it will be as painless as possible. My heart goes out to you both, and I will be wishing you and your dearest Custard the very best no matter which choice you make for him. Hugs to you, and cuddles to Custard.

[Hammy992]

I ended up leaving it a little and didn't call the vet until last Thursday as Custard seemed to be doing ok and I think it really is just that the cyst moves around day to day and looks more pronounced at certain times. The reason I called her is because when Custard first started having these health issues his chest and upper body became very very thin while his bottom half ballooned right out (apparently this happens when the cyst compresses the stomach and makes it hard for them to digest more than a bit of food at a time so they lose a lot of muscle mass). This was starting to happen again and I was worried he might be starving and not able to eat much even if he wanted to.
Because of his age the vet wasn't keen to rush him straight back into the clinic until his condition is more serious, as he was still around 30g under his pre-op weight. She told us to increase proteins and reduce fat and sugars from his diet to help his liver cope, she also mentioned we could start giving him some critical care formula to add extra calories and encourage him to eat.
For the last 3 days he has been having critical care formula 4 times a day mixed into a 1/3 tsp of baby food - as he would not eat it otherwise! We worked out that for his weight he needed around 5g of powder a day, but since we were only supplementing with it and still providing his normal food we decided on 3g daily instead. Last night Custard came out of his cage for a bit of a wander and snooze on our bed so I weighed him and he has put on 10g, his chest feels like it has filled out quite a bit too which is great. His tummy is feeling more round but some of it might be bloating as I know CC is very high in fibre. We were thinking maybe he can have one more day at this dose and then halve it to 1.5g a day to maintain and just monitor to make sure he doesn't start losing weight again. Apart from his museli we haven't given much else in this time so from tomorrow he can have a bit of tofu, beans or other protein rich food on the side again.
While he was out of his cage I took the chance to clean up his nest a bit and put some extra bedding for him to snuggle up in since he spends so much time sleeping now. He takes everything in his stride these days and doesn't seem to mind very much when we move things around. I think he's appreciating the comfy bed and room service several times a day!

[dreamtree1234]

I'm sorry that your darling Custard had lost so much weight, but I'm so relieved that he is managing to gain some of it back with the help of the critical care formula and baby food. I'm sure he totally appreciates being so pampered by you with the room service and extra cozy bed. He is really very lucky to have you and all of your TLC. I will be praying with all of my heart that continues to gain weight and enjoy his life as much as possible. Best of luck to you both. Hugs to you and healing cuddles to your little cutie.

[Scarlett Empress]

That's good news that he has put some weight on, he's a little soldier isn't he!

[Hammy992]

dreamtree - Custard says thank you for all the well-wishes... he doesnt know what all the fuss is about! I am glad that he is gaining weight but I'm not really sure how long I should be encouraging him to do so, especially considering that his cyst is growing in size as well. I don't want him to be painfully uncomfortable. I wonder if there is a way to tell when he has gained enough muscle to be able to cut down on his food intake a little bit? He is around 200g now which is heavier than his healthy pre-cyst weight of 185-190.

Scarlett Empress - thank you, he is a tough little cookie that's for sure. I'm hoping he won't need to go to the vets for another checkup at least until the end of the month but it's hard to keep track of how quickly the fluid builds up. The vet said we can use a string to keep track of his belly circumference but that's harder than it sounds!

[Hammy992]

So a bit of an update:
Custard has a vet's appointment in the morning to see if they can aspirate his liver cyst as it has gotten quite large again. The vet wants to examine him first to determine what the best course of action is but has also booked in a procedure slot for him just in case. I am pretty sure he will need to have this done because when the cyst gets large it makes him lose weight and become less active, as it takes up a lot of room in his abdominal cavity and makes it harder for him to eat and digest his food. Even though the treatment doesn't involve surgery he will still need to be put under a short anaesthetic throughout which is of course quite stressful as he is almost 2 years 8 months old. He has managed very well in the past but I'm a bit of a worry wart at the best of times so am not particularly looking forward to it.
Hopefully everything will go well and he will be back to his usual self by tomorrow night.

[Sefka]

Good luck to you and Custard for tomorrow. He's such a little trooper.

[livedinhogwarts]

Good luck to you and Custard for the procedure tomorrow. I hope he makes a speedy recovery xx

[flowerfairy]

Very best of luck for Custard tomorrow. It is truely incredible how well he has done with all his health issues and surgery. The power of love (from you) and living in the moment (from him).