Pyometra Questionnaire

[kesaiserris]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

After our last Syrian Charlie, was diagnosed with Cushings disease towards the end of his life (still not sure if the diagnosis was correct but he did end up having to be helped on his way), I wanted to see if diet could be a factor there as I was aware most hamster mixes are hugely soya based, for the protein, and thought maybe too much of that may be a factor. Our current hamsters have had completely non soya based diets, but I really don't think it makes a lot of difference. Diet and protein levels can affect general condition and fur condition but that's about it I think. Cushings isn't supposed to be that common in hamsters either.

Having said all that, there was some suggestion (but you can't believe everything you read on the internet) that soya could cause infertility in rodents. Now if that was true hamsters wouldn't be breeding like they are! But it could be one factor that affects the reproductive organs - but it wouldn't cause infection.

It is just nature I think. And a female thing. Thousands or millions of women have reproductive organ complications -ectopic pregnancies, eclampsia, etc - some from birth defects, some from just unknown reasons.

Don't let it put you off. There are many female hamsters who have never had pyometra. SKB has had many female syrian hamsters, and so have others on here. It is one factor in female hamsters, but not in all female hamsters. With boys it can be other things - and both sexes can get prolapses or impacted pouches and other things.

We just do our best to care for them and treat them in sickness and in health xxx

I am sorry to hear about Charlie. I realize that animals and humans to get sick and grow old. I realize that some conditions can't be prevented or cured. However, there is much that can be prevented and cured. We know for example that diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances, and yes even cancer can be related to diet and in some cases diet can be used to treat or alleviate some of the symptoms. Of course some people have high blood pressure even with a proper diet and exercise but there is no reason that people who can prevent high blood pressure should not put in some effort. I have always been unhappy with pet food they are often loaded with sugar, addictive substances, and carcinogens. So I am thinking of making my own food mixes in the future. I myself have used diet myself to keep my thyroid functioning (I have a failing thyroid and a HUGE genetic predisposition to the illness, on both sides, both parents and several close relatives).

[Pebbles82]

I completely agree that diet is important, particularly for avoiding certain diseases like diabetes. And all the chemicals and processed stuff in food is a health issue. We're virtually all organic in our house - with veg and flour anyway as I try and do what I can on that front.

It is not always completely the same with hamsters as humans - there is a lot I don't understand but I know they have a very fast metabolism. And they can suffer from stress and high cortisol levels which can lower their immune system and cause other issues as well.

Yes a lot of hamster mixes are awful I agree. Rodipet actually make organic hamster food now As in all ingredients are organically grown etc. You have to order it from Germany - I get two tubs at a time to save on postage costs. The protein is a bit low in it though so protein levels need supplementing.

Some people on here use Mixerama as well- they have specific mixes, or you can make your own from their ingredients. I did look into making my own mix but it is really very complex to get the balance of nutrients right, so at least with a proprietary mix you know the levels of fats, proteins etc are right.

I currently use the Rodipet ORganic mix 50/50 with the Bunny Dream mix. I used to use the Standard Rodipet mix because it was soya free (as is the Bunny Dream mix) which is why they are a bit lower in protein. The new organic mix does have soya but it is organic soya. And our Syrian is nearly 2 now so I am relaxing a bit about what I give him. I also give him the odd science selective pellet mix scattered which is not great food - an all in one pellet, but just to ensure he gets enough of everything. He also gets fresh veg every day, half a brazil nut once a week (protein and immune boosting apparently), half a walnut once a week, a few linseeds on a separate dish and a few hemp seeds on a separate dish. He loves those and licks them up and it's made his coat lovely and thick and soft

This is the Rodipet organic mix and also the standard mix that's soya free, and the Bunny mix. The Bunny one is quite good too but has tiny itty bits in and not enough big pieces on its own.

Rodipet have junior and senior hamster mixes, for under 1 year and over 1 year. But I've gone back to the junior mix with our syrian - he didn't like the senior one and it seemed to have far too many herbs in for him.

https://www.rodipet.co.uk/pet-foods/...nior-500g.html

Actually it looks like they are only doing the organic one for Syrians now and the old soya free one has been discontinued. Probably for the best, as the protein in it relied on dried crickets and other dried insects so if the hamsters didn't eat those they wouldn't be getting the proteing.

This is the Bunny Dream one from Zooplus - the syrian version

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...er_food/280188

So my current mix is 50/50 of those two plus a bit of science selective pellets mixed in. Science selective isn't the greatest - it's an all in one pellet, but now he's older I want to make sure he's getting the whole balance - didn't use it before he got older, I just suppemented protein with fresh food. The odd bit of chicken or scrambled egg etc.

Lots of people on here give porridge or scrambled egg on a teaspoon. Our Syrian would eat my dinner off my plate if I let him! He's had the odd bit of potato etc while we've been eating our dinner - but only plain cooked things.

[kesaiserris]

Thanks for the recommendations I will see if they ship to Sweden for future reference. Stella looks at me like I am absolutely crazy whenever I've tried meat of any sort. She will eat egg I found out recently but she is a vegetarian for whatever reason (I know hamsters are omnivorous but I never could convince her of that). She is pretty open-minded about fruits and veg. She is dying though and will only eat fresh things nowadays

[Pebbles82]

They do vary in their tastes Charlie was very picky but like all kinds of meat.

[alpacassei]

My Mishka angel had pyometra

1. What breed was your hamster? Hybrid Russian Dwarf
2. What type of nesting material/substrate did you use and how often did you clean her cage? carefresh/fitch/safe woodshavings. weekly spot cleans and full clean-outs every 6-8 weeks.
3. Did you use a water bottle or a water bowl? water bottle

5. What brand of food did you use? Burgess Dwarf hamster Harvest (seed mix) supplemented with fresh veggies, herb/flower mixes, mealworms, and chicken.

7. Did you feed your hamster grains or Timothy hay in addition to their pellet diet? She had hay in her cage for foraging but she rarely ate any.

8. What were your hamsters favorite foods? Cauliflower

9. Was your hamster a healthy weight prior to developing pyometra? her weight fluctuated a lot due to her diabetes.

10. Did you ever feed your hamster dairy? Meat? Sugary substances? White bread? Soy products? Corn? Mishka had dried insects and chicken for protein, the only soya and corn was the flakes in her mix.

11. When your hamster was in their prime how active were they? How did your hamster get her daily exercise? Very very active! She got her exercise by running in her wheels and free roaming

13. What was your hamster's personal hygiene like even before becoming ill? Did she keep up her grooming? Keep her teeth and nails trimmed? Did she keep her toilet away from her food and sleeping place? Did she use her sandbox as a potty and a bath? Did she sometimes have accidents in her bed? Good hygiene, used her sand as a potty. Though hamsters don't generally toilet in their beds and food stores out of poor hygiene or incontinence, it's a way of scenting their territory/food and many hamsters will also store poops as emergency food rations.

14. Aside from pyometra was your hamster ever sick? If so describe. She developed diabetes a few month before but was doing well under a controlled diet.

15. In regards to your hamster's heat cycle do you feel that it was more or less frequent than the average 4 days? her heat cycle was normal

17. Describe your hamster's personality. Was she prone to stress? Mishka was extremely confident, loved human interaction, and exploring. I only ever saw her stressed twice: once in the pet shop before I bought her, and again when she had to be downsized to a smaller cage for a few days over christmas

18. How old was your hamster when she developed pyometra? Did the pyometra ever return? a little over one year, it did not return but she passed away from diabetes not long after so it's impossible to know whether she was cured or just went into remission. She was treated with antibiotics as she wasn't strong enough to survive the operation.