Very ill hamster

kesaiserris · 02-21-2019, 12:04 PM

My daughter's hamster Stella is very ill. My husband had a bad case of bronchitis and during that time he did not handle her but sadly she still seems to have contracted it. As his condition was caused by a virus and viruses can't be cured we have been nursing her at home. She is obviously ill, she has basically all the symptoms my husband had including sleeping a lot (hubs has never slept so much with an illness as this one). The illness took him 2 weeks to beat and she is approaching 2 weeks now. She is still eating/hoarding and drinking (she drinks if asked maybe it is a coincidence but she is very consistent). She is using her sandbox for her toilet as per her usual custom and I have not detected any strangeness in the smell or amount of urine but I have not seen any poops in her sandbox so I don't know for sure what her pooping habits are. The day before yesterday she was in a bad way still eating but waddling and clearly very weak. I honestly though she would die during the night. Then yesterday she came out for breakfast with big bright eyes and seemed much stronger and I didn't hear any labored breathing or sneezing. Today though my daughter checked her and she has a bloody rump area. So now I think she has some type of infection possibly in addition (her cold symptoms are not all gone) and possibly because she might have went potty in her nest when she was ill so the plan is to call the vet as soon as they open tomorrow morning though we are not sure if they treat hamsters yet. She is not grumpy and so she will allow you to hold and cuddle her. As I said she is absolutely eating because I have seen and heard her munching away. If there is anything that can be done to aid her recovery I will do it but if there isn't is it better to let her die with us in her usual environment or to put her down? Because she is obviously trying so hard to survive I would feel awful about it but I also feel certain that she knows we love her because of the amount of trust she puts in us.

Pebbles82 · 02-21-2019, 12:46 PM

Definitely needs a vet visit if any blood is found. So sorry she is ill. It may not be flu or bronchitis. Could be coincidental and be something else. Female hamsters can get reproductive infections and any infection can cause illness. The vet will probably give antibiotics in case there is a bacterial infection. Fingers crossed. How old is she?

Vectis Hamstery · 02-21-2019, 12:57 PM

I'm glad you're going to call the vet. Female hamsters can get pyometra after a respiratory infection, and bleeding from the vent can be a symptom of this. If it is this, the treatment depends on how old your hamster is and how well she is in herself (and how confident your vet is with procedures on hamsters).

Do keep us updated. I hope all goes well for her.

kesaiserris · 02-21-2019, 01:33 PM

She is 20 months or so. I have not noticed anything unusual about her stomach. With the blood staining her fur I can't investigate her vent that closely so I am not sure about discharge, prior to the blood I did not notice a discharge when holding her. I tried cleaning her some but the blood was mostly dry by that time so I am not even sure how to clean it all off. I don't want to get her too wet or stress her too much because she still has a cold. When I tried cleaning her she tried washing herself at the same time so.

kesaiserris · 02-22-2019, 02:14 AM

So Stella went to the vet today

She was awake and alert and looking around, actively trying to climb out of the box which the vet noted. She bit the vet fairly hard I think so she did fight him a little when he tried to clean her up so he could see what is going on. She is not big on biting and if she bites us it is super gentle, but he is a stranger doing weird stuff to her so I understand. He thinks that it is possibly something with her uterus as the blood seems to be coming from the vagina. At her age they can't do more than give antibiotics and hope that if there is an infection present that it will clear up and help her to heal/recover. So we received antibiotics/vitamins. He said that as she is getting older that we may see other problems down the road. So basically now it is up to her. I do hope she will recover, my daughter and I have both been crying. I have cried so much over little Stella just like a newborn baby where everything worries you to despair.

The 30 minute visit plus the round of antibiotics was a little under 45 USD. I live in Sweden in a village, luckily the neighboring small town had a vet that would see hamsters so we didn't have to drive over an 1 hour with her which would have been stressful as she stayed awake the whole trip.

Pebbles82 · 02-22-2019, 03:16 AM

Glad you have some antibiotics for her. The vet does sound not to know that much about pyometra though. I would suggest seeking an exotic vet for another opinion. Exotic vets are much more experienced in hamsters and their particular illnesses. What kind of vitamins were given? It's not advised to put drops in their water or it can put them off drinking the water.

If it is pyometra it may need quite urgent treatment - it can be very nasty.

kesaiserris · 02-22-2019, 06:23 AM

They are with the antibiotics, b vitamins I believe. She has been drinking vitamins in her water for her whole life so I don't think she much minds the taste. I once gave her Thyme tea to make sure she wouldn't get an infection when she had knocked out teeth and she drunk it which I could hardly believe because it smells quite strongly. She is very open-minded in regards to foods and has always had a good appetite. She is absolutely drinking I have made it a point to keep a close eye on that while she has been ill.

I remember seeing that there was a post on Pyometra here so I know it is fresh on people's minds and I have considered it though I have not been able to confirm all the symptoms. I can only say that if she does have that condition (and I hope that she does not) the only treatment is to spay her but no vet would spay a hamster at her age and especially not one who has recently had a respiratory infection. I know from experience that people and animals don't wake from anesthesia when their lungs are compromised. Even hamsters who are young and generally healthy rarely survive the operation. I know that we would have to travel with her several hours to Stockholm if we wanted to find the best exotic vet in the area and can you imagine the stress of such a car ride? The operation then would be more for my peace of mind (knowing that I had exhausted every possibility) then hers I feel. I believe she found the trip to the vet stressful as is (just because she has never left home since we bought her and it was terribly cold this morning not that we exposed her but still that sort of cold you can't totally block out) so I think sadly if I do take her to the vet again it will be to euthanize her (which was not mentioned by the vet at this time) but again it is not such an easy choice because I simply can't ask her if she wants to die at home or if she would rather be put to sleep. In my experiences with dying humans I have seen people in both camps some that are in tremendous pain but still want to die at home surrounded by loved ones and others in tremendous pain that just want a quick out. I can only say that she seems to enjoy being at home and that she seems to genuinely take comfort in our company/companionship. At the moment though she continues to eat, drink, express interest/curiosity. This morning when putting her food bowl in she was trying to climb into it before I had even sat it down so she was enthusiastic about breakfast. I do not know how much pain she is experiencing only that hamsters are by nature optimists and she, in particular, seems to be a very positive little creature.

Pebbles82 · 02-22-2019, 10:50 AM

Yes it is difficult, I see. Hopefully the antibiotics will help. The decision to help them on the way is also a difficult one. The guidance I was given was - if they seem to be suffering or in pain then it is the kindest thing to do. But when is the difficult bit. I think basically if they stop eating or drinking or are obviously in pain, or sit hunched up a lot (a sign of severe pain and suffering) then it is time. However hamsters are very good at hiding pain, being prey animals so it isn't always easy to tell.

Best to just go with your instincts. You will know if she needs helping on her way. I think we all would prefer them to go in their sleep peacefully in familiar surroundings, but sometimes it isn't possible and they do need to be helped/euthanized to prevent suffering - if the suffering becomes clear.

kesaiserris · 02-22-2019, 11:59 AM

I did check the diagnosis in Swedish and had it translated and it is Pyometra sadly that she is diagnosed with. We saw the blood for the first time last night and went to the vet at the earliest possible time in the morning. I can only hope that we caught it early enough and that it is the type that can be treated that way (there does seem to be some instances, albeit not many, where antibiotics alone can work not just delay the inevitable). I will keep an eye on her eating because that is something that has always been very consistent in her behavior, even when sick she has always maintained her weight and eaten her food. I feel like if she doesn't eat then that is equivalent of her saying she is suffering. Not that long ago I had a hysterectomy due to years of excessive, prolonged bleeding, pain, cancer scares, excessive scarring, and anemia ironically.

Pebbles82 · 02-22-2019, 01:45 PM

I am sorry. The prognosis isn't good with pyometra and it tends not to get better completely. Even after surgery there can still be complications. However, if it is open pyometra (assume that's what you've googled) she may improve with the antibiotics.