New Member feeling sad

[Littlephodopusmom]

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I have a little 1yr and 5 month old Russian Dwarf called Buddy. He had surgery 2 days ago to remove a growth on his front leg and another under the skin of his tummy near his back leg. We are both having a hard time right now as he chewed out all his stitches his first night home. I am just feeling really sad and worried and not sure really where to post
I have tried other forums but have no one really to talk to about it

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to HC.
I'm sorry to hear Buddy has had to undergo surgery, stitches can be a problem with hams, did you talk to the vet about him chewing them? How are the wounds, are they healing or not, if not you may need to take him back to the vet.
Did the vet give him any metacam for pain relief?
I'm not sure what to suggest other than speaking to the vet, some other members may have experience with post op care that could help, wishing Buddy all the best & hope he soon makes a full recovery.

[Vierville]

Hello and welcome. I'm so sorry to hear about Buddy.

I definitely agree that speaking to the vet again is the best thing to do and metacam/petcam will certainly help as it is an anti inflammatory and gives pain relief which would help with his urge to chew or scratch at his stitches.

I have seen mention of a head cone for post-operative hamsters too which prevents them from chewing themselves but I'm not sure how this would add to the hamster's stress. I would definitely suggest contacting the vet.

Best of luck and lots of love to little Buddy.

[Petite]

So sorry to hear that you and Buddy are going through a tough time. It's always worrying when our furry friends are unwell (I have just been through this!) so please do unburden here, and if we can help, we will. In this instance, it does sound the best thing to speak to your vet. There may be other ideas you can try with Buddy to protect the wounds. In the meantime, just try to keep the operation sites as clean as possible and give Buddy lots of love. I hope he's soon returned to full health and that you are feeling happier and more relaxed.

[Littlephodopusmom]

Thank you everyone. I'm sorry to be so long responding, I was shopping for supplies for him this afternoon / evening and am still learning how to use the forum. It's only been a few days since he had surgery and already it seems like a long story. I'll try to make it not too long. I took him to the vet first time on Jan 16 (Feb 2 here today) because I saw a growth on his front leg. The Dr said I could do surgery or first try an antibiotic to see if it calms down. So I went with the antibiotic / Baytril for him first for the 10 days. In the end it got more sore looking and ulcerated. Buddy was still playing, eating, and acting happy, everything as usual all that time but I decided to do the surgery because I felt it would only get worse. During surgery the Dr found a subcutaneous lump on his chest near his back leg also, so he removed it as well. He gave me another 5 days of Baytril and this time metacam too for 5 days. Bud's first night home he chewed through the surgical glue and down to the stitches underneath. So back to the Dr we went. He said..he could anesthetize him again and glue the wounds again but he would likely chew them out again. He didn't think a cone would stay on because his shoulders are so small, and if he wrapped the wounds then Bud might ingest a piece of that if he chewed it. So he said we could try to let them heal on their own. Home he came. That night he was chewing non stop, I stayed up for hours constantly blowing on him to stop and called emerg to ask if he could have his next dose of metacam early. Answer yes..and after he got his metacam his chewing calmed down. When the metacam wears down he is hobbling and wants to chew again..same thing tonight. The wound on his chest looks like it's healing ok. But the one on his leg I think is getting some pus and looks sore The Dr is closed tomorrow so I'm sure we'll be back to see him Monday. Thankfully Buddy is still eating and drinking and I let him come out for a little each night for his therapy and cuddles. I'm a mess..sometimes ok and others really stressed and upset. I bought some vet approved manuka honey and it should be delivered in about 4 days so hope it will help with the healing. I am sure my next posts won't be so long! Thank you very much for listening! He means the world to me.

[Ria P]

First of all, don't worry about long posts. You are amongst likeminded people here who fully understand what you are going through and want to share your worries and concerns so post as much as you like. Hamsters become a very important part of our lives, they are our babies, small and vulnerable and we want the very best for them.
You are taking very good care of Buddy and he is lucky to have you.
How is Buddy today?
I have no advice but wish him a speedy recovery and hugs to you.

[Littlephodopusmom]

Thank you for the kind welcome and thoughts, it helps me to talk about it and with everyone that understands how much they mean to us. I haven't slept yet tonight and am just going to let him out for some light exercise and cuddletime before we retire. He seems to like being fawned over and I think it makes him feel better. It certainly makes me feel better I've got a lovely little cashew to give him and his whimzee toothbrush treat to chew on.

[Pebbles82]

That is very difficult. It sounds as if the Metacam helps so it could be pain that's making him chew at it. Check the dosage and how often with the vet. It might not be lasting 24 hours and I have heard of people giving a half dose twice a day (tricky as it's such a tiny amount but can be prepared in something). But check with the vet.

Thyme tea is an antiseptic and people have used that for bathing wounds and it helps with healing. You just make up some "tea" with thyme. Fresh is best but dried is ok as well - in boiled water, steep it, strain it and let it go cold. You can then keep it in the fridge in a bottle and use it to dab on the wounds.

Is he in a hospital cage? It can help when they're recovering from surgery. Rather than being in their main cage where there are lots of activities and things they can catch the wounds on, you just set up a smaller cosy cage with paper bedding and plenty of nesting material. Maybe a little cardboard house. Probably not a wheel but it depends. It'll also make it easier to get him out each time for wound bathing or to check on him and general handling.

I had this as a hospital cage - it's quite small but has a front opening door (although it opens up so you have to be careful it doesn't fall down when open. But with the tubes removed (it comes with blocker pieces if the tubes are removed).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savic-Spelo...0643548&sr=8-1

If the wound has got infected though he should be on antibiotics again really. They hate baytril as well as it tastes foul. I took a very good tip to put it in a tiny bit of beefy dog food - and the hamster loved the dog food and ate it up every day. Just a pee sized amount.

You don't need to do that with Metacam - they usually like the taste but I did used to give it with food as ours didn't like the syringe. For that I'd put it on a pee sized amount of baby food. The baby food lids are quite useful for these small amounts to go on, or a teaspoon.

[Pebbles82]

Vectis has a very good article on post-op care of hamsters here

https://vectishams.com/blog/caring-f...after-surgery/

[Vierville]

I hope Buddy is doing ok this evening and that you are managing ok?