How common is pyometra in Syrians?

[goldenage]

Hi! This is my first post here but I've been lurking for a while. My elderly Syrian hamster recently passed away from what we strongly suspect was pyometra. It was really heartbreaking to go through (she went into a rapid decline and it was obvious that she would not survive a surgery) and it's made me think twice about adopting a female hamster in the future, after seeing that it seems to be a relatively common issue in older females. Does anyone know how common pyometra actually is, especially in Syrians? I know males can get plenty of illnesses as well...I just keep feeling as though adopting a female is signing up for a good chance of more heartbreak -- but maybe that's partly just grief talking, not wanting to take the chance of going through this again since it's so fresh. Anyway, thanks for any info you can provide.

[souffle]

I'd say it is fairly common. It's often misdiagnosed by vets as diorrhoea and there is really not much vets can do because the only cure is a spay. Some will not do the op and many owners cannot afford the high cost either. Antibiotics can give some temporary remission but in my experience it always comes back and worse. Older hamsters would not survive an op either. As females get older they are more prone to it as their immune system weakens though it can affect any age.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't let the possibility of pyometra completely discourage you from adopting a female hamster. It is absolutely possible for even the most well bred females to get pyometra though I can't say for sure any exact numbers.

That being said, if you find that you'd rather not have that risk males aren't a bad choice. I think their reproductive related issues tend to be far less common with many species, hamsters included, and while it can still happen(not that I necessarily hear about testicular cancer in hamsters) I'd imagine it would be easier for a vet to neuter a male than spay a female in the event of reproductive cancer specifically.

Surgery for any hamster will always be a big risk though, there's not much we can do about that unfortunately as they are just so small with fairly sensitive systems plus many vets in general just don't tend to have that knowledge and experience to be able to perform surgery on them in general let alone something invasive and complex like spaying.

[goldenage]

Thank you for your responses, it's disheartening to hear it's fairly common. I wouldn't want to totally rule out getting a female hamster ever again because of this, it was just sort of a traumatic experience going through this with my last ham so I guess I might want to adopt a male when I'm ready, just to rule out the possibility of going through this specific issue next time around.

My girl was about two years old when she became ill, and went into such a quick decline that the vet did not think surgery was an appropriate option, so it was management with antibiotics and painkillers until she passed (just before I had finally scheduled her for euthanasia). She was the best hamster in the world, sweet and intelligent and with this sort of kindness in her eyes. It's a shame that surgery is so tough on them and spaying can't just be a regularly performed procedure the way it is with other pets.