Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Thought there was no point in asking but why not? My hamster is sick... please diagnose...?

He's been sick for a few weeks. It started when i fed him some asparagus, and he got a lump on his behind. It went away. Then it came back. Then it went away again. After a week or so of coming and going, the lump stayed and did not disappear. It seemed stable for about 5 weeks. Quite recently, I found he had what looked like blood all over (sorry there's no polite way of saying this) his butt, but not so much on the lump. Despite him constantly cleaning himself, a week later and it's still there. I DO NOT believe this lump is a tumor. Please tell me what's wrong with him. I cannot afford to take him to the vet. If it helps, he is a longhaired teddybear hamster. ALL IDEAS ARE APPRECIATED. Is he a biohazard?
Answers:
It sounds like your little guy got an abcess. This can happen because he had an allergy to a flea bite or just a clogged up pore. They eventually rupture, and all the infected goo comes out. Sometimes they need an antibiotic if it doesn't heal up, but you can try putting some topical antibiotic cream on him. I haven't had hamsters, so I don't know if they lick stuff like this off, but I imagine he would try. You might also need to make a little halo to put around his neck and keep him from licking at this area until it heals up.
I've had this happen with a couple of dogs and a kitty, and it healed up on its own. But hamsters are very small, so if your little guy starts losing his appetite or getting lethargic, you may lose him if you don't get him to the vet quickly.
Hope this helps some!
Oh, and no, I don't think he's a biohazard :)
Hamsters are very sensitive pets and should not be fed what is not recommended by the vet or pet store you bought him at. If you can't afford to take him to the vet, you need to monitor him 24 hours a day and make sure he is drinking enough water, and eating his seeds and nuts mixture. clean his wound with warm water on a rag and don't use any human medications as thay may be too strong for him. If you can, go to a pet store and buy an animal med in a tube called Animax. This may help. His lump may be an abcess or an allergic reaction to the asparagus. Good luck.
Stop asking unqualified strangers on the internet for medical advice!
Get off the computer and take your hamster to the VET! It is his RIGHT BY LAW to receive proper medical care and to deny it is abuse. And don't whine and say you "can't afford it." If you can't afford to properly care for a pet then you have no right to have one. Animal Controls agrees also; they are empowered by law to take animals away from owners who refuse to properly care for them - and that includes medical care. This is all part of responsible pet ownership.
www.carecredit.com and www.imom.org
There! Now you have no further excuses. Your hamster will get the care he legally is entitled to, your vet will get paid, and you can make monthly payments.
Now get going! You've already waited too long and it may be worse because of it. Remember, the sooner you get him in the smaller the bill will be. Otherwise if you wait too long, it may be too late.
Diagnoses cannot be made over the internet, without exception. Anyone trying to do so is demonstrating that they don't know what they're talking about - any vet will tell you so.
Why don't you think it's a tumour? Tumours are not at all uncommon in rodents, and certain types of tumour can bleed out, or become abscessed and bleed.
I think you probably can afford to take him to the vet - you probably don't realise how cheap little rodents are to treat! Even if you ended up having the lump removed I'd be surprised if it cost over $100 (a few months internet payment?. I also doubt this has anything to do with the feeding of asparagus, just a coincidence I think.
I suggest you take him to the vet - a small animal consult fee is not going to be much money at all - if the vet is asking over $35 just to check a hamster over, find another vet I say! Then you can get an idea what the lump is and how/if it can be treated and how much this will cost - there is no other way of getting a diagnosis.
If diagnoses could be made over the internet, vets would cease to exist!
Chalice
Okay your hamster could have a tumor but I also doubt it. It could have cancer, but that seems unlogical, saying theres blood. Before you fed him asparagus, was he okay? If not it had nothing to do with that. But if he was okay, I think your hamster might have some kind of allergy. I dont know, but it almosts sounds like internal bleeding..I'm not quite sure. Try going to a vet and explain the symptoms to the vet and ask if he/she knows whats wrong.

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