Hamster Central - View Single Post - I've been back and forth from the vets for months

Pebbles82 · 04-14-2022, 04:13 PM

How old is your boy sarahhh? It is more about condition than age but you mentioned he was too old for surgery. What is his behaviour like? You say he's eating and drinking - is he still using his wheel - does he enjoy being out of the cage? I tend to go with behaviour because they can still want to eat even when in a bad way sometimes. If they're nearing dying they stop enjoying food sometimes. But we had a robo that was getting in a bad way who seemed to really enjoy his food. The vet said it was the cancer making him want to eat because it was taking all his nutrition. So he wasn't actually enjoying eating, he was driven to eat.

So maybe watch his behaviour and condition. If he seems to struggle doing things and not seem to be enjoying them then it might be time to help him on his way. If he still has hamstery routines, enjoys his wheel and shows interest in coming out and special treats etc then maybe he is still enjoying life.

I have to say though that when their eyes are bulging there will be some pain and discomfort. I found that very upsetting with our last Syrian who had an eye problem. It didn't seem to bother him at all at first but I knew when it was. And that he was suffering with it, and surgery wasn't possible. And he was behaving ok otherwise.

If he's on pain relief (metacam) that may help keep him comfortable. Keep giving him that - I used to give it in baby food - a bit on a teaspoon with the metacam dropped on top - they love the baby food treat and look forward to it. I knew our Syrian had had enough when he rejected the baby food and metacam.

If he's comfortable on the metacam he will let you know when he's had enough.

I think the other thing is - when they get old it gets beyond vet "treatment" other than pain relief and keeping them comfortable. And things will start to go. If he shows signs of lethargy, hunching or ears down all the time then you'll know he is not in a good way and needs help.

If the pain relief is helping he may still be enjoying normal hamster habits - but only you can observe that.

04-14-2022, 04:13 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: I've been back and forth from the vets for months How old is your boy sarahhh? It is more about condition than age but you mentioned he was too old for surgery. What is his behaviour like? You say he's eating and drinking - is he still using his wheel - does he enjoy being out of the cage? I tend to go with behaviour because they can still want to eat even when in a bad way sometimes. If they're nearing dying they stop enjoying food sometimes. But we had a robo that was getting in a bad way who seemed to really enjoy his food. The vet said it was the cancer making him want to eat because it was taking all his nutrition. So he wasn't actually enjoying eating, he was driven to eat. So maybe watch his behaviour and condition. If he seems to struggle doing things and not seem to be enjoying them then it might be time to help him on his way. If he still has hamstery routines, enjoys his wheel and shows interest in coming out and special treats etc then maybe he is still enjoying life. I have to say though that when their eyes are bulging there will be some pain and discomfort. I found that very upsetting with our last Syrian who had an eye problem. It didn't seem to bother him at all at first but I knew when it was. And that he was suffering with it, and surgery wasn't possible. And he was behaving ok otherwise. If he's on pain relief (metacam) that may help keep him comfortable. Keep giving him that - I used to give it in baby food - a bit on a teaspoon with the metacam dropped on top - they love the baby food treat and look forward to it. I knew our Syrian had had enough when he rejected the baby food and metacam. If he's comfortable on the metacam he will let you know when he's had enough. I think the other thing is - when they get old it gets beyond vet "treatment" other than pain relief and keeping them comfortable. And things will start to go. If he shows signs of lethargy, hunching or ears down all the time then you'll know he is not in a good way and needs help. If the pain relief is helping he may still be enjoying normal hamster habits - but only you can observe that.