URGENT: Broken leg?

[Becca27]

I just don't want to cause as fuss since its their job and all im really conflicted il see how he is tomorrow morning...

[souffle]

Having read my veterinary manual on this here is what it says:
The commonest bone to be broken is the lower part of the tibia in the hind leg. The leg may be bent at an odd angle at `the point of the fracture and will be floppy and useless beyond this point. Whereas other small animals would limp on 3 legs following a fracture, hamsters continue their normal activity on 4 legs. This often leads to bone fragments penetrating the skin.
Suspected fractures are an emergency and vet help should be sought immediately. Handle the animal as little as possible to prevent bone ends penetrating the skin resulting in further pain and infection.
Unfortunately due to their large body size in relation to their small legs and feet plus their high activity levels surgical repair of fractures is less successful than other species. Fractured long bones may be repaired using a bone pin if the break is near the centre of the bone. Should a cast be necessary the upper and lower incisors will need to be trimmed short every 3-4 days to prevent the hamster chewing it off. Fluids, painkillers and antibiotics may be needed to prevent shock.
It goes on to state as I said that amputation should be considered. If reapair is not possible you can try total cage rest and there may be some repair with scar tissue but you must be careful as these breaks can be painful and hamsters hide their pain well.
Pinned bones usually heal within 3 weeks. As said before some bones will heal to an acceptable level with careful nursing and no action but you must take care there is no pain and no bone peretrating through the skin.
Hope that helps x

[Gillzy]

Oh dear, what a difficult choice for you Becca. The only thing I can say is remember that no individual can be an expert on everything. A vet will usually specialise in an area (cats and dogs most likely) and hamsters are usually lower on the speciality scale. This means they may not know the information that Souffle has offered, and it might be worth printing off the quote from the book, and letting him know you've done some research (he needn't know it's from forum - just a website).

Better safe than sorry, don't be afraid to speak up for a loved one. The worst they can do is say "Yes, I've thought about that and I'm advising a different route" at which you can either agree or disagree. If you disagree, you may wish to choose a different vet (which is probably not possible as you're in a small town). Just remember, EVERYONE's human! Noone is a walking thesaurus, and sometimes vets can use extra help.

[fluffymunchkins]

I'm sorry to hear about poor Harley
My vets have always told that the owner knows whats best for their hamste and their always willing to listen.
I think a second opinion from another vet would be best if your current vet isn't prepared to look at different options.
All the best x

[redd1800]

Protein rich foods will help the healing process - chicken, red meat, eggs. Teeny bits of whatever you are having for dinner will be fine, you don't need to buy anything special.

Obviously stick to plain meat/egg sources, bacon and sausages have too much salt, a plain boring bland cooked egg, piece of beef or chicken with nothing added is perfect.

I give my ill rodents manuka honey with a high UMF. It has anti-bacterial properties which help the body heal. Its also a great energy boost.

My russian hamster, Dash, had a bad leg break when he was about a year old. It was a clean break of the back leg - the main bone in his thigh snapped completely, but neatly in half. His skin remained intact. The vet took an x-ray, but said there wasn't they could do. Cone would be of no benefit to the hamster, any splints would be chewed off, and an operation to amputate would be too risky. He did admit to being unfamiliar with treating hamsters, I do wonder sometimes if my present vet (who has lots experience with rodents) would have considered an amputation.

Dash was treated purely with cage rest - I kept him in a much smaller cage with no wheel for about 3 or 4 weeks. His toys and hides were changed daily and he was handled daily to make sure he was well stimulated. His leg healed up, although always looked a bit wonky - the bones overlapped during the healing process, giving him a very thick thigh. He had a habitat ovo set up, and for the rest of his life it was set up to he couldn't climb - we didn't want him to stress out the weak leg. He had loads of floor space. He lived to be three and a half - good going for a russian hamster

[SnickersTheFirst]

How is he doing?