[Pebbles82]

Strangely I had no issues with scratching the wound at all and it’s why they give Metacam post op. Relieves the pain so I guess makes them not want to scratch it. Also our hamster seemed to have some kind of “invisible skin” dressing sprayed over the top which presumably protects the wound. His wound healed amazingly quickly.

In terms of the lump I think it makes a big difference if it is in a kind of enclosed sac- where it can be removed so there is no leakage from the lump into the blood stream. If the lump is attached to an organ then removing it without damaging the organ may well lead to leakage into the system. I am also going with minor surgical knowledge as a former nurse and after my Mother had cancer. She had a pancreatic tumour that was like an enclosed cyst so removable without it bursting or leaking.

If the lump feels mobile (to be graphic our other Syrian’s chest lump felt a bit like a testicle on his chest! Ie like a firm but not hard lump inside a sac of skin that moved/mobile. A harder lump it would be unknown how deep it goes or what it’s attached to.

If she is fit and healthy otherwise and the lump is sort of in the skin at the front then operating may be an option. They can seem to grown quickly amd at a certain point it seems too major maybe.

In terms of making the cage easier, I ended up using hemp mat on top of the usual layer of substrate - so it was like a level surface but still soft ish.

Yes maybe see if a scan might help show if the lump is attached to anything. I didn’t find the Metacam shrank the lump at all (but there are various different kinds of tumours).