Advice please - old age or illness

Heather · 03-29-2019, 04:22 AM

My hamster is 2 years old now, she’s always been very active and comes out whenever she hears my voice. I have noticed over the past few months she’s become less active, but over the last two weeks she is sleeping all of the time. She comes out only to go to the toilet or have some water.

She is still eating and I’ve seen her cleaning her face, but she doesn’t look as neat as she used to.

I’m quite worried about her because her eyes aren’t wide open and bright, she seems to be moving slowly when she does leave her nest and she has dried urine around her bum. I was initially worried this was wet tail, but I’ve found solid poo and she doesn’t smell bad so I’m hoping that’s it’s not. I’m not sure if I should take her to the vets or try to keep her comfortable at home.

I’ve taken a hamster to the vets in the past and she was put to sleep and I still feel terrible about it because I remember how scared she looked to be in an unfamiliar place, I really don’t want to take Nina to the vets and cause her stress unless she’s suffering and it really is the kinder option. I’m really struggling to make a call on what to do, I would really appreciate any advice.

Pebbles82 · 03-29-2019, 04:45 AM

Totally understand - I also found it very hard to take our last hamster to be pts.

It does sound like she is in her twilight time - keep her comfortable at home. If she is coming out of her nest and eating and drinking and continuing with normal behaviours, albeit slowly, then she is still living her life.

Having said that, if you think she is suffering or in pain she may need help - even if it is to have daily Metacam to relieve any pain. That is tricky as it does mean a vet visit which is stressful for them, but on the other hand, if she is suffering and in pain she does need something to help relieve that.

You will need to decide if she is in pain at all by the way she is. Hamsters are very hard at hiding that. It is always better if they pass peacefully in their nest or cage, in comfortable familiar surroundings. But sometimes things aren't peaceful and we have to make difficult decisions to help them.

I would suggest she needs to be on Metacam to keep her comfortable, and to be sure she isn't suffering or in pain. Observe her over this next day and night - it may be she is actually very close to her time. But if she is the same in 24 hours then think about taking her to the vet and asking for some Metacam.

If she has been to the vet before you could try ringing them and see if they will prescribe it without you needing to bring her in. But they will probably need to see her in case it is an infection that needs treating etc.

It could be an infection - possibly a urine infection. But the fact she is having difficulty cleaning herself suggests she is fading a bit.

Heather · 03-29-2019, 05:00 AM

Thank you for your reply.

That’s my main concern, it feels a lot of responsibility to try and judge what is best for her and what would make her feel most comfortable. I’ve been watching her all day for the past week and trying to figure out if she’s in pain or not. I think if she is close and not in pain then she would want to be in her own nest and I hate the thought of waking her up, taking her on a stressful trip to the vets and her final moments being horrible and stressful. But the thought of her sat in her nest in pain breaks my heart. I feel it’s the worst decision to make, I don’t want to let her down in her final moments and I feel that whatever decision I make I’ll never know if it was the best one.

I have also noticed her breathing seems heavy, I’m not sure if this is a sign of her fading or possibly an infection.

Do you know any signs I can look for to judge if she’s in discomfort?

I do have some metacam here that was prescribed for my dog, donyou know if it’s the same? I’m not sure if I should ring the vets to see if they can offer any advice over the phone.

Pebbles82 · 03-29-2019, 08:00 AM

It might be an idea - if you explain you think she is nearing her time and you don't want to bring her in for that reason, and ask if it would be ok to give her some of the dog Metacam.

I was given the dog Metacam for our Robo. The vet would need to work out the dose based on her weight. The main thing though is that the dog Metacam shouldn't be used if it has opened more than six months ago. That is the safe shelf life after opening I was told - that it should be discarded six months after opening.

If it is any consolation I couldn't give Metacam to our last hamster when he was at a similar sounding stage - because I'd been told he may have Cushings and it was contraindicated. I did try buying some white willow bark for him to nibble at (supposed to be a pain reliever as it's what aspirin is made from) - but I am not sure whether he ate any of it or not.

Ruth Edwards · 03-29-2019, 01:37 PM

I thought Cotton was on the way out when he got very thin and moved very slowly. my vet found that his teeth were wobbly and he was having trouble eating seeds and nuts. he was pouching food normally but hiding it away and not eating it. she said give him porridge or baby food and other soft foods and a drop of Metacam mixed in it for his painful joints. that was three months ago and the little guy is back to running on his wheel and has put on weight.

Pebbles82 · 03-29-2019, 02:33 PM

That is also a good point. Our last Syrian Charlie started going thin and failing a bit around two and his teeth had got too long - he had them trimmed and also came round and lived another 8 months. Have you checked her teeth?

Heather · 04-04-2019, 12:04 AM

Thank you for your replies, I’m sorry for not replying sooner. Nina passed away and I’m having a really hard time handling it. I really wanted what was best for her and to protect her and keep her safe but I can’t help feeling that I let her down. I can’t stop thinking about her and wondering if she suffered. It’s always been difficult to lose them but only two have left me in a way that I feel they may have suffered and it breaks my heart. Mary had a strike and I took her to the vets to be put to sleep and I’ll never forget how terrified she looked and I always regretted not letting her die peacefully at home. So I let Nina die in the nest she built herself and I tried to make her as comfortable as possible and she contributed to est until the day before she died. But now I feel like I got it wrong again and I think back to all the final times she looked at me and I wonder was she telling me she needed help to go. I know I made all my decisions with love and trying to think what would be best for her as I know that it’s never going to be nice, but I can’t handle the feelings just now that I let her down. It’s diffulct because people in my life just don’t understand the bind you can have with a hamster. ‘why are you so upset?’ When honestly I loved her more than most people in my life and I feel really heart broken to have lost her. It hasn’t been an easy few years for me but she’s always been there and she helped me so much when I’ve needed a friend and I hate that I couldn’t help her the way she needed me to.

Pebbles82 · 04-04-2019, 08:46 AM

I am sorry. She died peacefully in her nest by the sound of it, when she had reached her time. If you had asked a vet they may well have said she was close to her time and not to disturb her.

The end is always very hard, however it ends up being. I think you did the right thing, and I am sure you would have known if taking her to the vets to be helped on her way was the right thing to do - because it would have been a case of absolutely knowing she was in pain or in a very bad way.

I also had a bad experience having our last hamster pts - but I know I may need to do it again - but will be careful which vet I go to next time. It shouldn't be frightening for a hamster if you ask the vet to give them gas first - that is just like having an anaesthetic and then they don't know much about it. I found that not all vets do this automatically so it is a good idea to ask if they do this for hamsters and if not think about using a different vet.

It sounds like she deteriorated very quickly as she was eating and drinking when you first posted and it was her time - she passed in her own home with your love and care.

Pebbles82 · 04-04-2019, 08:48 AM

These are very hard decisions. Even now I don't know if I should have left our last hamster longer. Whatever decision we make we have doubts afterwards - that is a normal part of the grieving process where we feel guilt - but there is no guilt - old hamsters come to the end of their time and it is rarely an easy time, whatever the circumstances.

Heather · 04-04-2019, 09:03 AM

I really hope I made the right decision. I know that if I had taken her to be put to sleep I would feel the same as I did with Mary, I always wondered if she may have recovered from her stroke and I gave up on her too soon. But I worry now if I let my own trauma with Mary cloud my judgment in Nina’s case. Nina seemed to me that she had made herself a new nest in a differnt part of her cage, she’d taken a little stash of food in with her and although she wasn’t moving much she was taking food and I thought this is where she wants to be. But now that she’s gone I wonder if she was feeling pain and I didn’t want to see it. I hope not.

I’m sorry that you had a bad experience as well, I wish that there were more vets specialising in small animals. When I took Mary she was taken to another room and I could never get the last image of her looking so lost and afraid from my mind. It is also making me realise how right you are, whatever decision I made there would be doubts.