Miss Z
01-27-2006, 03:16 PM
Some of you may know that my hamster Foxy has been losing weight for a while. Well, now she's dropped the grams dramatically. Last week, she weighed 92 grams. On Tuesday, she was down to 86. Today she only weighs 82. I'm so worried about her, especially seeing as she's only a little hamster and there's not an awful lot that can be done to help hamsters as they're so fragile:( . But having said that, she's pretty normal in herself, she still eats, drinks and passes faeces normally, and she still loves attention and runs around like a lunatic at night:p but she's frightfully thin, when you hold her there's just no weight to her. I will post some pictures of her soon, i've just got a new digital camera and we have to install the new software, but we're having a few problems with removing the old stuff. I'll post a before and now pic, so you can see just how much weight she's lost.
Well anyway, my mum took her to the vet with me today after school. It was her first time. In the car journey she kept popping up her head and looking enquiringly at me from her fluffy bed, she's such a sweetheart:) . Well, we got her registered at the vets (the receptionist loved her name, and thought it suited her;) ) and didn't have to wait too long before the vet could she her. She examined her very carefully, and said that she was worried about a tumour, but she couldn't seem to feel and lumps. She did say though that she could possibly have an internal tumour. It is very unlikely, but if she did, then she would probably have to be PTS because an operation would be very stressful on her little heart and the chances are that she wouldn't survive it. I really hope that it doesn't come to that, i feel very empty inside at the moment because i am not sure what lies ahead for her:( :( . But back to what i was saying before. The vet administered a shot of steroids. Now, imagine trying to insert a needle into the paper thin skin of a little wriggly hamster. Not easy. But little Foxy was perfect, she stayed absolutely still as the needle went in, she didn't wriggle, complain or bite, but she did wince a little, poor girl. It turned out that the vet had put the needle right through the scruff of her neck and the steroids just squirted out the other side, so poor little Foxy had to have it done again, but she was very brave. We've got some vitamin supplements to put in her water too to try and make her eat. But please spare a thought for her, she's now truly underweight and i'm worried sick:( :( i don't know what i'd do if i lost her.....
Well anyway, my mum took her to the vet with me today after school. It was her first time. In the car journey she kept popping up her head and looking enquiringly at me from her fluffy bed, she's such a sweetheart:) . Well, we got her registered at the vets (the receptionist loved her name, and thought it suited her;) ) and didn't have to wait too long before the vet could she her. She examined her very carefully, and said that she was worried about a tumour, but she couldn't seem to feel and lumps. She did say though that she could possibly have an internal tumour. It is very unlikely, but if she did, then she would probably have to be PTS because an operation would be very stressful on her little heart and the chances are that she wouldn't survive it. I really hope that it doesn't come to that, i feel very empty inside at the moment because i am not sure what lies ahead for her:( :( . But back to what i was saying before. The vet administered a shot of steroids. Now, imagine trying to insert a needle into the paper thin skin of a little wriggly hamster. Not easy. But little Foxy was perfect, she stayed absolutely still as the needle went in, she didn't wriggle, complain or bite, but she did wince a little, poor girl. It turned out that the vet had put the needle right through the scruff of her neck and the steroids just squirted out the other side, so poor little Foxy had to have it done again, but she was very brave. We've got some vitamin supplements to put in her water too to try and make her eat. But please spare a thought for her, she's now truly underweight and i'm worried sick:( :( i don't know what i'd do if i lost her.....