Gertie's gone

Ria P · 07-18-2022, 02:53 PM

I'm totally stunned and can't take it in.

I found Gertie dead in her sand jar. Took me a while to realize that she was dead because she looked asleep.

No mark, no sign of a struggle, in her usual sleeping position, ears up, eyes and mouth closed but not breathing and no sign of life.

Anaphylactic shock to baytril or a heart attack are my only plausable explainations. It was sudden and she wouldn't have suffered but Gertie was only 13 month old.

I can't even grieve or get emotional because i can't believe it yet. I put her in a carrier on top of the freezer in case she wakes up but the rational side of me tells me that she won't.

LunaTheHamster1 · 07-18-2022, 05:42 PM

Im so sorry Ria. I just caught up on her thread. Maybe she had something else going on. Its so hard to tell sometimes.

PhoenixEcho · 07-18-2022, 10:48 PM

I'm so sorry. It's never easy when it's so sudden.

cloudy · 07-19-2022, 01:03 AM

Oh Ria, I am so so sorry. What a shock for you. You took her to the vet yesterday and nothing was picked up so perhaps it was her heart. I know you got Gertie to ensure she would have better genetics. I am so very sorry. My heart goes out to you.

Pebbles82 · 07-19-2022, 01:18 AM

Ria - I'm so sorry. It must be an awful shock. It could have been anything. She could have had pyometra even - that can put toxins in the blood. Whatever the cause, it seems she wouldn't have known much about it with it being so sudden, which is a blessing for her but very hard for you - and so unfair when she wasn't that old.

I agree dwarf hamsters often do have a very limited lifespan - they can have so many unknown congenital abnormalities due to the hybrid breeding for generations. I think with dwarf hamsters we have to expect anything and appreciate them when they're there. The ones that live longer can get other unpleasant conditions or diabetes. But to be fine one day and gone the next seems cruel and a shock.

Ria P · 07-19-2022, 01:52 AM

Thank you all for your kind words.

I now believe that it could have been a gynea problem like pyometra which wouldn't have surprised me. Gertie was a pedigree hamster who had been used for breeding.

I replaced her Pringle tube only a few days ago and when i removed it this morning i found blood.
I had found discoloured bedding end of last week but not blood so Gertie must have deteriorated over the weekend while i was on a long overnight shift and my OH fed her.

Now of course i'm asking myself if Gertie could have been saved had i been able to get a vet appointment the day i phoned up for one but i doubt it. The course of treatment would have been the same with an initial course of antibiotics.

Pebbles82 · 07-19-2022, 02:06 AM

Exactly - the treatment would have been the same and often doesn't work with pyometra. I didn't realise Gertie was the pedigree. I'm so sorry. Life is very uncertain, both for hamsters and humans. I have a little sign on my wall I found in a junk shop that says "every day is a gift".

Ria P · 07-19-2022, 03:02 AM

I got up a few times during the night to check on Gertie and this morning i told my OH that Gertie was still dead. He knew what i meant.
I buried Gertie inside a small box filled with her sand because Gertie loved her sand so much that she chose to take her last breath in there.

I had to bury her myself because i needed this kind of closure. Gertie is resting next to Romy.

Play well at the bridge girlies.

Ria P · 07-19-2022, 03:09 AM

For me it is also an end to an era. As much as my OH loves to have a dwarf girl, i will not adopt another dwarfie.

To make my intentions clear, i've moved Robo Scottie into the place of the bedroom where the girls used to live.

Now of course i have to wait and see what Scottie has to say about it. I sat by him and explained everything. He sat there looking at me and listening then sniffed for a mealworm.

cloudy · 07-19-2022, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

For me it is also an end to an era. As much as my OH loves to have a dwarf girl, i will not adopt another dwarfie.

To make my intentions clear, i've moved Robo Scottie into the place of the bedroom where the girls used to live.

Now of course i have to wait and see what Scottie has to say about it. I sat by him and explained everything. He sat there looking at me and listening then sniffed for a mealworm.

It is lovely Gertie and Romy are together. My heart really breaks for you, Ria.

Aww, it will be nice to have Scottie in your bedroom and listen to him tapping away on his wheel.