Hi guys. We just got back from the vet. Chewy, as ever, seemed to enjoy his adventure, nibbling the stethoscope
. He was such a good boy.
The vet says she thinks it's either a tumour or an enlarged heart. He needs a hamstagram to be sure, which involves a short, but risky none-the-less, general anaesthetic so he can be x-rayed. If it is an enlarged heart then he will need diuretics for the rest of his life (2 months, max, realistically), but he should have some quality of life. He will sooner or later go down hill very suddenly and need to be PTS quite quickly at that point, which means a panicked dash to give him peace. If it is a tumour then I don't think anything can be done and he may well have to be PTS. If I do nothing I doubt he will be here by the end of next week. He will be fine til the morning apparently so I have a little time to mull it over.
I was crying as she explained this to me, luckily my friend who used to be a veterinary nurse was with me for a chat afterwards. It was quite nice to leave the surgery with him as I wasn't optimistic I would, to be honest.
I'm not certain what to do. I am swaying towards the x ray, as my brain really wants to know what is wrong with him. But what I worry about is prolonging his life if it is uncomfortable for him. He has just got back in his cage and had a big coughing fit, but is now dozing quite contentedly, although I can still hear him breathe.
I want to make sure whatever I do is the very best by him, he has been such a wonderful companion, it's the least he deserves. I'm not sure at this moment which is the kindest route.
Money isn't an issue. My friend was shocked I don't mind paying £50 for a hamster x ray, but he is worth his weight in gold to me. Not that that's much gold
.
He'd put on 3g in weight this week, which is faintly amusing
. Porker! xxx