I was holding Nimh last night for a cuddle and flipped her over to have a look at her scent gland and noticed she had a massive lump on her chest (looked like she'd gone from flat-chested to a DD cup!). It was shiny (hairless) and fluidy, and about the size of a marble. Had a look in the Hamsterlopaedia and the Really Useful Hamster Guide, and decided it was most likely to be an absess.
So I booked her into my vets, and took her along this morning. He had a look, squeezed some puss out, and then poked it with a needle. Lots of blood...poked it with a bigger needle (because "Well, she seems to be being really good, and the bigger gauge means more can be got out"), but decided that it wasn't as liquid-filled as previously thought
We had a discussion about what to do, and he went through the problems of her being so small and anesthetic, but that vet has a good reputation with small animals, and he was really optimistic. So now she's booked in to have it removed at 9am on Friday morning. He did say it could be left, but the worry was that it would keep growing and then she'd become a lump with a hamster attached rather than the other way around as it has grown really fast. He said it was hard to tell whether it was an absess or a growth, but that either way, the treatment is very similar.
So, for my little rescue baby (P@H bought for £4), I'm now paying out between £80-£100 in surgery
My OH was really supportive when I rang him up to check (since it is mostly his money!), she is my hedgehog's little sister and our 2nd 'baby', and therefore part of the family, and therefore worth it, bless him
I was thinking that people put their kids through expensive surgery, and you can make a baby for free!
She is still her normal perky self, eating well, drinking, running on her wheel and dashing around her cage like a loon. She was clambering over my shoulders and around my neck last night while I was looking at the books. Tbh, you can't even see it if she's walking or sitting up, her fluffy dwarf hamster 'podge' hides it really well - it is only when she's pinned upside down that it is noticable.
But yes, my main concern is that because it is a rapid-growth lump, and even with the best intentions, because of her small size, surgery will be fast, so if it is cancer, they won't get all of the cells by a long short. So I'm worried that she'll have another one in two weeks time. Either way, I've found a plastic storage box to move her into for recuperation stages as climbing up and down (and deep tunneling) in her Perfecto will be a no-no. I was also told to prepare her a packed lunch by the vet
So she has her food, and her favourite treats with her. That'll be mealworms and sesame seeds then!
But, I'm being positive. She is such a little sweetheart for a P@H rescue. Any crossed fingers for Friday would therefore be very gratefully appreciated. Otherwise, who is going to eat the big tub of pinhead crickets that arrived this morning in the post!
Vet visit :S
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