WW might be dying, no reputable vet open. Help please!

Nightman · 10-27-2019, 09:10 AM

I have a 2.5yo russian dwarf called indra. Hes been getting older, slower, lighter etc. but has still been runnning around with little issue.

Yesterday he fell off of sth 2cm high, which he could climb with no prob.
Then he was crawling very disoriented and suddenly just laid down and couldnt get back up. This was in his food/running cage.

He kept his eyes closed, gave little response when we moved him to a woolen sweater in another cage. He has been sleeping since then, with his head tucked under his body. Yesterday he didnt want to eat, nor could he move. He turned around a few times to get comfey and opened his eyes/gave a little head nudge when we checked on him, but not much more.

Around 2AM we finally got him to eat some cucumber and drink from a spoon. Then he spent the night in the sweater.

This morning he was very unresponsive, had 2 bites of egg and about an hour later he crawled to his house! After that he had some more egg and started crawling all over the cage for about 10mins, looking for food and crawling under the sweater. He is back in his house fast asleep.

There is only one emergency vet open, that is very incompetent, unpleasant, didnt want to listen to the simptoms and kept on insisting 'hybernation' even though its been 20°C inside with plenty of light. They have terrible revieuws and people have had to ''steal'' their pet and run away, after being called animal abusers, only for their pet to completely recover and narrowly avoid euthanasia.

does this seem familiar to anyone?

PurpleKat · 10-27-2019, 11:50 AM

He does sounds like he's getting a bit old.
They start to loose their balance, strength and sleep more.
They can also struggle with chewing hard seeds, maybe baby food might help him have bit of food and fluids. Your hamster has done really well living past 2 years old and you should cherish all the time you have got left, just do what you can for them.

As for your vet that sounds like something that should be reported to your local authorities or the RSPCA if you are in the UK.

Pebbles82 · 10-27-2019, 12:13 PM

It is possible he has had a stroke, hence falling that short distance. He is very elderly for a hamster and it sounds as if nature is taking its course. I would just keep him comfortable and to be honest probably the only reason to the visit the vet now would be if you feel he is really suffering and you want to help him on his way. He may recover a bit again if he's had a stroke. If the bad vet is the only one available then just keep your hammy comfortable until other vets are open tomorrow.

Nightman · 10-30-2019, 02:59 AM

So I went to the vet on Monday afternoon and turns out he did have a stroke. By then he had become a lot more active. On sunday he managed to eat some and crawl to his house. Later that evening he even went digging for food for 10mins.
By the time we came back from the vet he was digging all over and we connected him back to 2 other cages.
He's been eating drinking and digging just fine.
When we let him run around the apartment he seems faster than ever, despite his back legs having lost some mobility.
I am so glad we didn't give up hope, every day feels like a miracle.

Vierville · 11-01-2019, 12:03 PM

I am so glad your little hammy is much better!

Dessi · 11-01-2019, 01:56 PM

I’m glad your little one is doing better ! Was the vet able to help him in any way with some treatment or medication ? Are you feeding him anything special or just his regular diet ?

Pebbles82 · 11-02-2019, 06:52 AM

So pleased to hear he has recovered well and is still enjoying life. When they are this age we have to start preparing ourselves that they are very old and will not always be here. We can only hope it is peaceful and not protracted. It is possible he may have another stroke, but not necessarily. And not such a bad way to go if it happens. Our robo had cancer which wasn't nice and he had to be helped on his way. You will know when the time comes, whether if he needs help or not xxx Meanwhile it sounds like he is living life to the full.

Josie · 11-04-2019, 04:24 PM

Pleased to hear indra has recovered

Nightman · 11-05-2019, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dessi

I’m glad your little one is doing better ! Was the vet able to help him in any way with some treatment or medication ? Are you feeding him anything special or just his regular diet ?

No he just gave a general checkup. Felt for lumps and bumps, looked how he was moving and listened to the symptoms' evolution throughout the days.

We are def giving him more high fat high protein food, even some sweet fruit. Like avocado, boiled egg, etc.
At this point he is very old and thin so we want to give him as much joy and energy as possible.
Also looking for a shop with live mealworms, as he goes absolutely crazy for them.
He wasn't even as happy to see his sister, and he was obsessed with her

Vierville · 11-09-2019, 06:25 AM

I'm not sure that avocado is ok for hamsters... Please double check this because I know that avocado contains some chemicals that are very toxic to many small animals and can cause heart failure.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.