Hamster surgery

As pocket pets go, the hamster can be a little demanding.  If not handled regularly, they can become aggressive, and they are great escape artists.  On the other hand, they can be mighty cute.

Little "Reighty" here had two skin tumors.  One looked  like an inflamed wart, and the other looked almost exactly like someone had slipped a Juinor Mint under his skin (which makes me think it may be a melanoma - pathology results will take a few days to get back).  Naturally, with a fragile little guy like this, you worry about anesthesia, but good old Sevoflurane gas worked great. Five minutes after his tumors were removed and his skin sutured, he backed his head and shoulders out of the mask (that accomodates a dog's nose).  In ten minutes he was walking around his cage.

It's really cool to see folks as committed to the health of a pet whose retail value is about one tenth the cost of his care.  Just like with dogs, cats or whatever:  I don't just want a pet, I want this pet.  Maybe someone could even learn to love me...though I have outgrown my cute stage.

Comments

[Stacie]

My hamster is around 2 years old, but I think she has a tumor. Do you recommend getting surgery for her? I'm worried that the anesthesia in itself will be enough to kill her, because she is some what old. The tumor doesn't seem to effect her except that it makes her move more slowly. She still runs in her wheel it goes about her daily activities.

[Diana Jaeger]

I'm wondering how much surgery should cost for a mass to be removed from my hamster's head. It has a tie-in to her blood supply at the bottom.

[Abby]

my hamster turned 1 in the begining of nov. she has a tumor about the size of a dime under her leg. should she have surgery?????

[Doc]

If there is indeed a tumor present, it probably should be removed. Just as in people, the signs of malignancy (cancer that grows and spreads) are a lump that changes in size, shape, color or consistency, a sore that won't heal, a lump that bleeds.

Your veterinarian may be able to make a diagnosis by sticking the lump with a small needle and removing some cells. He/she will look under the microscope to determine the cell types present.

It is also possible that the lump is not a tumor, but an abscess ( a pocket of pus). This should be lanced and drained and treated with antibiotics.

You really should take the hamster in for a check-up.

Thanks for reading and writing.

[Jessica M]

About 5 weeks ago I discovered what was thought to be ab abcess on my hamsters back leg/body... I took her to the vet and he drained the abcess stitched her up, and sent her home with antibiotics... He had made not that some of the tissue looked damaged. She was also put under for this procedure because she had some tissue removed. She was doing great for about a week until she chewed through all of her sutures so back to the vet she went... he decided we should treat it as an open wound and I began washing the wound multiple times a day and she remained on antibiotics. Now it has gotten worse and we took her into the vet yet again and now he decided it is a malignancy... It has gotten worse and I cannot see her suffer ... I am going to have her put to sleep but I cant help but wonder if there is anything else I can do? Do you think she would be able to survive another surgery? Thank you

[Doc]

I wish that you did not have such a difficult situation. Your veterinarian is better able to tell you if your hamster can survive another surgery. If her condition is deteriorating without it, you may be faced with two equally unpleasant choices. If she is losing ground, you may lose her. If you do surgery, she may not make it, or it may not be successful. On the other hand, it may offer the only hope of recovery.

Best wishes and thanks for reading and writing.

[odalys]

my hamster has a large tumor and its bleeding .The vet told me it cannot operate. What other options do I have/

[Doc]

Hello, Odalys,

I wish that I could offer you some help. Your regular doctor has seen the hamster and I haven't. You might ask him/her if there is a referral specialist available who actually specializes in these small pocket pets.

There are some medical conditions that are beyond our powers to help, and some tumors cannot be removed without taking some vital organ at the same time, even if the patient could survive the anesthesia and other factors.

Sometime we must accept the inevitable and take the necessary steps to insure that our pets do not suffer needlessly.

I am sorry that I do not have more information and help for you.

[cosmetic surgery rancho cucamonga]

If the hamster have a kind of this disease i recommend to undergo a surgery treatment for his own good.

sphin

[Zhu Zhu hamster]

it is better to keep your hamster have a daily check up in your near veterinarian, cause somehow after surgery this would would be the toughest situation for your hamster

[steph]

Hello I took my hamsters to the vet and she said he has what appears like a tumor in his right testicles. She did no tests just examined him. I am wondering if it could be an assess not a tumor and if it is worth having surgery. The vet said I cud have surgery to remove the tumor but he might not survive it. At the moment my Sammy is acting as normal eating drinking and playing fine help!

[Doc]

Hello, Steph,
I would think that a testicular abscess would be excruciatingly painful. A tumor is more likely from your description and your veterinarian's assessment. A slowly growing mass might not be painful at all. The tumor might not be malignant, but some benign tumors begin to produce abnormal hormone levels.
If your veterinarian is uncomfortable with anesthesia for such a tiny pet, I can certainly sympathize with that. These guys are pretty delicate.
You might consider monitoring the progress of the mass. If it is not growing (or very slowly) and the hamster continues to feel well, he may live a long time with it.
If it is growing rapidly, then you will have to consider taking the risk.
Best wishes.