Hamster with Cushing's came down with a cold and isn't recovering - Page 3

WorriedMom · 02-18-2019, 11:02 AM

His name is Rudy and I wasn't expecting him to become my world when I got him. He's fighting so hard and I'm fighting so hard for him. He doesn't want to give up...I don't want all his hard work to go to waste. If he dies from something as stupidly simple as a uri I think it will be very hard for me to accept. I've lost a lot of animals over my life but certain ones are just simply crazy harder to bear even though you love them all and can't choose a favorite. Like, I love all my animals but to be completely honest when my oldest cat dies I hope I have a heart attack and just fall over with him. If I lose Rudy I'm going to feel like my soul is being ripped to shreds which is odd seeing how I was devastated over losing my last hamster but not anywhere near this level.

souffle · 02-18-2019, 12:01 PM

All hams are special but some are extra special. These are the hearthams and they leave bigger holes in our hearts when they leave us however they also grow our hearts that much bigger so that they can fit in there and also make room for a new needy little one. You never replace an animal remember. You just fill the space that creature made within you when they made your heart and love bigger.
You must keep going even when they leave you to honour their memory and let their love go on. Please remember that.

WorriedMom · 02-18-2019, 12:12 PM

My problem is that for the past half year my faith has been heavily wavering. So not knowing what happens to him is a BIG deal to me. I'm not asking to get into something like religion cause that causes problems, but I'm just saying that I'm scared to lose him and that I don't know what happens to him and that makes losing a loved one insanely painful.

I'm learned that oddly when he is moving around such as getting his medication or adjusting his bed he starts sneezing and that clicking sounds but after settling down and getting ready to sleep it stops.
I used a date to date calculator to tell me how long he has been with me. 2 years and 8 months, and if I read this right 13 days added onto that so about half a month.

I'm probably being super annoying but if he has pneumonia which is likely and he has only had two dose of antibiotics how does he get any fluid that may or may not be in his lungs out? And how do I clear his sinuses? Would a humidifier for short periods of time help or make the lungs worse? My cat vet has told us that if we need any help and can't get a hold of the clinic we go to that she will try to do what she can. I'm guessing she can do fluids and oxygen therapy. I wonder if she would come to the house though.... we've known her for like 15-20 yrs.
I know there is a medication that can get excess fluids out of the body, but he has problems with dehydration. Can hamsters take that sort of medication? Giving him that and then administering fluids under the skin after might be my best bet...

Pebbles82 · 02-19-2019, 09:22 AM

I am glad he has rallied a bit. You are doing all you can for him, but nature does take it's course when the body gets old xxxx It is the same with humans - often they don't pass on due to any particular disease, but just everything wearing out and starting to fail.

Hamsters are amazing in that they tend to live life to the very last day and carry on going to the toilet and doing their usual things as long as they can actually move.

He sounds like such a special boy. But it may be an idea to accept that all the medicine in the world can't make him live much longer as he is so very old. He sounds just like my Charlie did at 2 years and 8 months.

It is stressful and worrying - but I would suggest just telling him you love him and talking to him - this will help you as well as him maybe. Because things are changing and it's important to say some things.

All things pass and go to a better place where they are no longer old and in pain - and look down on us. For animals people say it's the rainbow bridge and our pets wait there for us.

Whether you have a religion or not - many people believe that our essence of life is much more than just a body and that there is a soul - the body is just like a form of transport for us during life. And the soul, the real person or pet is what carries on living but we can't see it.

It is such a hard time for you and hard to accept that our beloved pet may be leaving, and even harder when you don't know when or what you should do - but it helps to start accepting that it will soon be their time. That they don't want to leave you but it is their time.

This time now is precious and it can be kinder sometimes just to let them enjoy their cage and food and not have to much interference.

We are here for you every stage of the way xxx I was completely grief stricken when Charlie died - there are pet bereavement services who can help.

WorriedMom · 02-19-2019, 08:19 PM

When people say make sure your hamster isn't cold exactly what does that mean? Very noticeably cold or just not producing warmth? He felt slightly cool to the touch to me or maybe just that I wasn't feeling body heat radiating from him. I got a heating pad and put him on my chest near my neck and he snuggled in and got so quiet and still that I thought he died. The restlessness, sneezing, and clicks just went away. I stayed like that with him for a few minutes until the heating pad didn't feel any heat from it. He was lifting his head off and on and sniffing my jaw. I tried not to move cause he would start sneezing and making these wet(?) sounding noises. After I tool the heating pad away he tried to climb my shoulder. I ended up moving him to another area since I can't turn the heat up any higher than I have due to the chinchillas being in there. How high can the temp get to before it's too hot? He was in a 73 degree room and is now in 76 degrees. After the whole heating pad thing he personally didn't feel any different to me but my dad said he was warm. But then again my internal thermometer is broken. I overheat all the time even in 68 degrees I've over heated. I've over heated till my glasses fogged up from my body heat. Geh it's at 76.6 now...ok this heater is not behaving. Doesn't help that the thermostat is downstairs and it's cold downstairs but warm upstairs cause all the heat is rising. I moved him into a smaller tank and he wouldn't go back to bed. I don't think it was the tank he was checking out but the surroundings since he was somewhere new and he kept standing and putting his hands on the glass. Maybe I'm spending too much time with my ferrets cause they give off plently of warmth.

Also I don't know about you guys but I'm pretty sure the meaning of human life is chocolate cake.

WorriedMom · 02-19-2019, 09:35 PM

I went to give him his medicine and noticed he hadn't peed in a long time. I had a hard time getting his sheath open but when I did his penis was swollen. Took a long time and lots of discomfort on his part but I got what I hope to be it all out and there was a lot. He still hasn't peed and is still swollen. I gave him metacam hoping to bring down the swelling cause this would be a ridiculous way to go. I'm ashamed I didn't keep track of that better. Any other ideas on getting the swelling down or helping him pee?

Update: He unswelled enough to get some urine out. My dad happened to catch him in the act. I know that wasn't as much as he had to have had in his bladder but it's better than a full blockage. I am now keeping a journal of the times he pees or the time I discover he has peed. How many hours should I gibe before checking for a plug? He used to get them when he was young but stopped. Handing his genitals is vsry stressful for both of us, so that's why I don't want to check unless I have to. I know most of you have probably given up on him but I will not give up until I've exhausted every means so long as he enjoys life. And let me tell you, that boy is like his momma. Momma loves her food, yes I do.

Pebbles82 · 02-20-2019, 12:17 PM

I think moving him to a smaller tank will have been quite stressful - any cage change is - and it helps to have their old nest and familiar smelling things if moved without cleaning out at the same time. Room temperature is best at about 20 degrees C which is about 68 fahrenheit. Nice that he snuggled on your neck, but I think I would try and let him have peace and quiet as much as possible as well and not too much upheaval or change.

If there was a urine obstruction I think a vet is the best person to deal with it probably. It may have been related to feeling stressed if he moved to a new cage, or it may be a tumour causing obstruction. Tumours are very common in elderly hamsters.

If he has moved to a new smaller tank it would be best to give him two full weeks without changing or cleaning anything, so he can re-scent makr everything and make it his own, and adjust.

WorriedMom · 02-20-2019, 04:35 PM

He got his whole nest and some items put in there that are from his large cage. He seems to have gotten over moving to a new one and seemed more interested in the new surroundings than anything else. He seems to be over that as well. I'm confused that he has lasted over a week with whatever is going on. I didn't know that a URI could linger this long without killing him.

The vet worked us in because of our long term relationship and he said while his respiratory system is still compromised it's actually better since he started the smz. We have been shown how to give fluids under the skin. T
She said if we are unable to do it ourselves to bring him in every day for fluids and a tech will do it. It didn't look hard and my dad is a pro at giving fluids because he does so daily with his cat. She doesn't think it's time yet, but that it won't be too much longer. She said if he's still alive in a week and hasn't gone to the point that he needs to be put down that he needs to come back for a status check to see where he is and where to go from there.