This thread has been very long in the making. I have done a fair amount of research and got in touch with a good number of very experienced hamster caretakers, ration planner, and my very good vet. None of the parties expressed interest in being referenced in this summary, so I will not list any names, but to everyone who has helped: Huge Thank You!
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If you have already had the unfortunate experience of being a parent to a hamster with kidney failure, you might have quickly found the dearth of information on how to feed and treat your ham. I personally was overwhelmed with the news of my Lucy being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and seeing "don't feed high proteins, don't feed anything with moderate to high phosphorus content, don't feed salt, etc." but no actual examples of what I
could feed. It meant excluding all commercial hamster mixes AND lots of commonly offered hamster ingredients, such as mealworms, sunflower seeds, oats, wheat, and lots lots more!
In any case, the goal of this thread is to provide information about dietary changes, including a sample menu, and going beyond the diet, as well as general information on symptoms and diagnosis of impaired kidney functions.
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Table of Contents:
Chronic Kidney Disease / Chronic Renal Failure: diagnosis, "treatment" options
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