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Pebbles82 · 08-15-2021, 11:13 AM

That is where Moo had a lump and it grew very quickly. My vet said they are mammary tumours and both male and female hamsters get these - with the mammary glands running the full length of their body to their neck. With Moo's it was a bit too big to operate at his age.

Sometimes it comes down to the confidence of the vet as well. My vet has no bedside manner but is very good at surgery and confident about it! She tends to leave it up to you but advises well.

I think your gut has probably told you the right decision to have it removed. It can be awful when they get worse. With our robo he could hardly walk for the size of the lumps and started chewing at them and in the end had to be pts. I kept wishing I had had them removed before they got bigger (not knowing) but too late by then. I still probably wouldn't have had them removed at the time as he was so tiny and they covered a large area of his body.

I think you're right it will make her more comfortable and could extend her life as well. It may not be malignant but they usually turn malignant if left.

Fingers crossed it's "enclosed" like Pickle's was (ie so not got into the bloodstream).

How old is she?

08-15-2021, 11:13 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Preparing for surgery That is where Moo had a lump and it grew very quickly. My vet said they are mammary tumours and both male and female hamsters get these - with the mammary glands running the full length of their body to their neck. With Moo's it was a bit too big to operate at his age. Sometimes it comes down to the confidence of the vet as well. My vet has no bedside manner but is very good at surgery and confident about it! She tends to leave it up to you but advises well. I think your gut has probably told you the right decision to have it removed. It can be awful when they get worse. With our robo he could hardly walk for the size of the lumps and started chewing at them and in the end had to be pts. I kept wishing I had had them removed before they got bigger (not knowing) but too late by then. I still probably wouldn't have had them removed at the time as he was so tiny and they covered a large area of his body. I think you're right it will make her more comfortable and could extend her life as well. It may not be malignant but they usually turn malignant if left. Fingers crossed it's "enclosed" like Pickle's was (ie so not got into the bloodstream). How old is she?