Hamster Central - View Single Post - Possible Lymphoma on my 16 month old Syrian

Earthy1 · 04-30-2021, 04:46 AM

Hi all, my first real post and I have questions.

I have been caring for my Syrian "Choo Choo" (in Japanese ﾁｭｳちゃん) and she has been a delightful distraction thru the pandemic. I adopted her from a stranger last August, through an app that connects people looking to adopt pets for free.

Sadly, I did not notice a growth on her neck until I took for her first general checkup last week. I only pick her up to check her nails and teeth occasionally and she had a balding patch of fur on her neck so I thought I would get that checked out. It has been a couple of months perhaps that the patch was there.

Some of her symptoms are a little less energy, patches of hair getting thinner around her rump and stomach. Last week the vet gave her a topical treatment for mites just in case that was the cause, even though she didn't find any mites on her. There are no scabs or scratches on her skin.

I was really surprised when the vet showed me a large lump near her throat between her front legs! I thought that extra stuff hanging down was just her choncky-ness. She's 210g after all.

After taking a sample of liquid from the growth, an exotic vet specialist said that it possibly is a form of "well-differentiated lymphoma" and we have started treating it with a steroid and aramin triple to help boost her immune system.

For those who have experience treating with steroids treatment, I was wondering about the timing of feeding her daily fresh veggies. Should I give her the meds on a relatively empty stomach and then follow with feeding her fresh veggies after that? Or would it be less upsetting for her tummy to feed her veggies first then give the steroids?

Yesterday I administered the meds via the tiny bottles they gave me and she licked it up pretty good as I held her. But it feels a bit stress-inducing if I have to pick her up each time to give her the drops of liquid.

She likes yogurt, so today I mixed the meds in the yogurt and she ate it all up. But again, I do not know what makes the steroids more effective...with or without food?

She's a smart little gal and enjoys her outside playtime every evening. I have her cage set up so she can come and go as she wants when she is out for playtime. A month ago her 3 hr playtime consisted of running in her outside wheel, near the window, running around the perimeter of the room, and sleeping in the dark corners of the room. More recently, she will put herself to bed after about 2 hours and is resting in the dark corners way longer then before. I figured that letting her decide the length of her own playtime is the least stressful thing for her.

But should I be managing that for her more? Will hamsters just wear themselves out or are they smart enough to manage that? For the next week I will keep monitoring her activities and giving her meds everyday.

I plan to keep feeding her the seed and nut & pellet mix, plus the fresh veggies and supplemental sunflower seeds. I am monitoring her water intake and how itchy she seems to be.

Any healthcare tips would be appreciated!

Photos of her posted in the gallery but I have not gotten a good one of the lump on her neck yet.

04-30-2021, 04:46 AM
Earthy1 Newborn Pup Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Japan Posts: 9	Possible Lymphoma on my 16 month old Syrian Hi all, my first real post and I have questions. I have been caring for my Syrian "Choo Choo" (in Japanese ﾁｭｳちゃん) and she has been a delightful distraction thru the pandemic. I adopted her from a stranger last August, through an app that connects people looking to adopt pets for free. Sadly, I did not notice a growth on her neck until I took for her first general checkup last week. I only pick her up to check her nails and teeth occasionally and she had a balding patch of fur on her neck so I thought I would get that checked out. It has been a couple of months perhaps that the patch was there. Some of her symptoms are a little less energy, patches of hair getting thinner around her rump and stomach. Last week the vet gave her a topical treatment for mites just in case that was the cause, even though she didn't find any mites on her. There are no scabs or scratches on her skin. I was really surprised when the vet showed me a large lump near her throat between her front legs! I thought that extra stuff hanging down was just her choncky-ness. She's 210g after all. After taking a sample of liquid from the growth, an exotic vet specialist said that it possibly is a form of "well-differentiated lymphoma" and we have started treating it with a steroid and aramin triple to help boost her immune system. For those who have experience treating with steroids treatment, I was wondering about the timing of feeding her daily fresh veggies. Should I give her the meds on a relatively empty stomach and then follow with feeding her fresh veggies after that? Or would it be less upsetting for her tummy to feed her veggies first then give the steroids? Yesterday I administered the meds via the tiny bottles they gave me and she licked it up pretty good as I held her. But it feels a bit stress-inducing if I have to pick her up each time to give her the drops of liquid. She likes yogurt, so today I mixed the meds in the yogurt and she ate it all up. But again, I do not know what makes the steroids more effective...with or without food? She's a smart little gal and enjoys her outside playtime every evening. I have her cage set up so she can come and go as she wants when she is out for playtime. A month ago her 3 hr playtime consisted of running in her outside wheel, near the window, running around the perimeter of the room, and sleeping in the dark corners of the room. More recently, she will put herself to bed after about 2 hours and is resting in the dark corners way longer then before. I figured that letting her decide the length of her own playtime is the least stressful thing for her. But should I be managing that for her more? Will hamsters just wear themselves out or are they smart enough to manage that? For the next week I will keep monitoring her activities and giving her meds everyday. I plan to keep feeding her the seed and nut & pellet mix, plus the fresh veggies and supplemental sunflower seeds. I am monitoring her water intake and how itchy she seems to be. Any healthcare tips would be appreciated! Photos of her posted in the gallery but I have not gotten a good one of the lump on her neck yet.