My hamster isn't eating almost anything

[cloudy]

It is so good to hear he ate. He must like it.

[ShadowNinjaHamster]

Originally Posted by cloudy

I just watched this video and it seems helpful.
Is Baby Food Safe For Hamsters? - YouTube

I watched the same video before.

[Ria P]

The meds appear to be an antibiotic, painkiller and probiotic. Personally, at this stage in their lives, i try to keep our hamsters as comfortable as possible by giving the painkiller Meloxoral/Metacam/Loxicom first. It tastes sweet so they are more likely to take it then the bitter antibiotic.

When our dwarf Betsy refused to take her painkiller and looked in pain, unhappy but conscious, i had her put to sleep within the hour to stop her suffering.

When our Syrian Henry refused to take anything by mouth, he slept all the time, was probably semi conscious and died naturally. If at any point i would have thought that he's suffering, i would have had him put to sleep.

I'm sorry to talk about this and i'm sure that's not what you want to hear but clinging on to hope that an unwell hamster will make a recovery because the vet will find a cure doesn't always work. Even to survive surgery, a hamster needs to be physically well enough.

Sometimes it is kinder to let go.

[ShadowNinjaHamster]

Originally Posted by Ria P

The meds appear to be an antibiotic, painkiller and probiotic. Personally, at this stage in their lives, i try to keep our hamsters as comfortable as possible by giving the painkiller Meloxoral/Metacam/Loxicom first. It tastes sweet so they are more likely to take it then the bitter antibiotic.

When our dwarf Betsy refused to take her painkiller and looked in pain, unhappy but conscious, i had her put to sleep within the hour to stop her suffering.

When our Syrian Henry refused to take anything by mouth, he slept all the time, was probably semi conscious and died naturally. If at any point i would have thought that he's suffering, i would have had him put to sleep.

I'm sorry to talk about this and i'm sure that's not what you want to hear but clinging on to hope that an unwell hamster will make a recovery because the vet will find a cure doesn't always work. Even to survive surgery, a hamster needs to be physically well enough.

Sometimes it is kinder to let go.

The vet didn't offer that yet, but I've certainly been thinking about it. At least he ate baby food and cucumber today and he even walked a bit. Yesterday he didn't walk at all. I'm not sure what he was looking for though.
If the vet offers an operation I'll accept it. The same goes for putting him to sleep, but I still have a bit of hope and luckily I'll meet the vet tomorrow. I'm still happy he ate a bit baby's food.

[ShadowNinjaHamster]

Should I ask my vet tomorrow about putting him to sleep or what should I do?
Maybe he'll be alright? I can see him fighting. When I was talking to Bogie today I asked him not to give up and said we'll get through this. I know he can't understand me but yeah…

[Ria P]

When my dwarf Romy took ill i discussed surgery with the vet but then a scan showed up a number of internal problems and i had her put to sleep the same day because i didn't want her to face a future of suffering.

It really depends on what the vet says. If she thinks that Bogie is still well enough physically to have a chance of surviving surgery and the mass inside him can be removed then it could be an option.

I opted for surgery with my dwarf Clarissa who had a big lump on her throat and she was fit and lively. The lump turned out to be cancer that had already spread and she died six days later.

I think a lot depends on how Bogie is now. The main thing is to save him from a life of pain and suffering, with whatever it takes. Speak to the vet and ask all the questions you want to ask. About surgery, putting him to sleep, controlling pain and a prognosis.

I think i know what i would do but it is not my place to advise you because i don't know your hamster.

[ShadowNinjaHamster]

Originally Posted by Ria P

When my dwarf Romy took ill i discussed surgery with the vet but then a scan showed up a number of internal problems and i had her put to sleep the same day because i didn't want her to face a future of suffering.

It really depends on what the vet says. If she thinks that Bogie is still well enough physically to have a chance of surviving surgery and the mass inside him can be removed then it could be an option.

I opted for surgery with my dwarf Clarissa who had a big lump on her throat and she was fit and lively. The lump turned out to be cancer that had already spread and she died six days later.

I think a lot depends on how Bogie is now. The main thing is to save him from a life of pain and suffering, with whatever it takes. Speak to the vet and ask all the questions you want to ask. About surgery, putting him to sleep, controlling pain and a prognosis.

I think i know what i would do but it is not my place to advise you because i don't know your hamster.

Stupid question, but does the vet usually say that you should put your pet to sleep if there's no hope or I have to ask for it?
I've only had a cat and the cat is still alive, but not living with me anymore, since I moved abroad. There was never anything even wrong with him, so I've only visited the vet once. I couldn't have even imagined that Bogie would have such problems, such as bugs for example and didn't know it's so difficult to find a vet for rodents either.
I kind of thought that Bogie would die on it's own without me noticing anything or notice any signs.
This is really difficult for me, because I don't know how he's feeling or what he would want.
I'll see what the vet says and I'll ask her as well. She was very friendly. I hope he'll survive till tomorrow.
I don't know why he doesn't eat anything on his own and why I have to hold the cucumber or salad in my hand so he'd eat. I just wish I would've brought him to the vet sooner, but then again, as I've said I thought he was cold. In the future I'll know if I'll ever have another hamster.

[cloudy]

Vets usually suggest it. For me vets have said they are concerned about quality of life which is them suggesting it but not saying it outright.

This is a very difficult situation for you to be in and I totally understand your anxieties. What helped me was asking if they seemed unhappy. Once they seem unhappy then I have made the decision to let them go.

It is natural for animals to struggle to eat when they are feeling unwell. Eating requires energy and if they are tired they will find it difficult.

You are tormenting yourself. If you took Bogie the vets earlier it would not have stopped him having the lump in his stomach. You tried your best and could not even find any appointments.

It is always ideal for our animals to pass peacefully. I have had 9 guinea pigs and only 1 passed at home peacefully. The rest were all very sick.

[Ria P]

I think it depends on the individual situation.
Twice i've made an emergency appointment to have a hamster put to sleep because they had started to show signs of suffering and the other time the vet phoned me discussing the scan result and we agreed that it would be kinder to put the hamster to sleep now before things got worse.

It doesn't really make much difference to know the age of a hamster because they can take ill or die at any age.

[sushi_78]

In my experience about 50% of my small rodents have had to be put to sleep and the other 50% have died at home following illness or some kind of "medical episode" (e.g seizure, stroke, heart attack). Just as with humans, it's actually not very common for them to die in their sleep just from old age. Usually there is some kind of illness beforehand. I say that just because I think with Bogie being your first hamster you might not have known what to expect, which is understandable. If only they could all go to sleep happy and well and just never wake up when it's their time, but sadly that isn't very common.

Some vets are quicker to talk about euthanasia than others but if they think his outlook is very poor tomorrow they will probably broach the subject.

I don't think taking Bogie to the vet sooner would have made any difference really.