A tumor is not always oncology
The diagnosis must be made by a qualified specialist in a veterinary clinic, but not everyone has the opportunity to get an appointment with a veterinarian. A preliminary conclusion can be made based on the localization of the formation:
- if the hamster has a lump on its neck, it may be an inflammation of the lymph node;
- a tumor on the abdomen in most cases is a neoplasm of the mammary gland;
- swelling of the cheek and swelling of the muzzle suggest a problem with the teeth or cheek pouches;
- swelling on the head, forehead or back may be the result of a hamster fight or other injury.
When examining the animal, you should remember the location of the marker glands in males, which are often mistaken for a sore.
In the Djungarian hamster it is located on the stomach, yellowish and covered with crusts. The Syrian hamster has two of them, symmetrically on the sides, in front of the hind legs. They look like a black oval bald spot. This is a normal anatomical formation, and there is nothing to treat here, but observation will not be superfluous: inflammation or neoplasm of the scent gland is often recorded in hamsters.
Growths in the ear are also not always a malignant tumor. In hamsters, otitis media (inflammation) of the middle ear can be accompanied by cyst-like tissue growth. In this case, the growths are filled with pus, and an unpleasant odor comes from the ears. Treatment is antibiotics locally and systemically, but otitis media often recurs again and again without being completely cured.
Hamsters can suffer from papillomatosis , a viral infection that causes the formation of dense warts of a characteristic appearance on the skin due to the accelerated growth of the epithelium. Papilloma rarely has to be removed surgically: it is a benign formation, and when the body copes with the virus, self-healing may occur.
How to understand that your pet is sick
An attentive owner will definitely notice that the hamster is sick. Due to poor health, the appearance and behavior of the animal changes.
Signs of illness are:
- a sick hamster does not come to the feeder and even refuses his favorite treat;
- the fur becomes unkempt, greasy and disheveled;
- your pet sleeps more than usual; at night, when rodents are active, he does not leave the house, does not want to run in a wheel;
- due to illness, the Djungarian hamster behaves aggressively: it is irritated by sounds, light, and the attention of the owner;
- while awake, the pet looks lethargic and moves slowly;
- a wet face is a sign of respiratory tract disease;
- scratches, bald spots or wounds on the body;
- change in consistency and color of droppings; liquid and foul-smelling feces are a sign of gastrointestinal disease;
- nasal discharge;
- wet or sticky eyelids, cloudy eyes;
- wet fur under the tail indicates diarrhea;
- the naked eye can see that the Djungarian hamster is losing weight; a healthy animal should not weigh less than 30 g;
- while eating, food falls out of the mouth;
- the hamster breathes frequently, shallowly and at the same time wheezes;
- increased belly;
- slight trembling;
- bloody discharge under the tail.
Abscess in a hamster
As a result of fights or other injuries, purulent inflammation may occur, which looks like a limited swelling. The lump on the side may well be an abscess rather than cancer. At first it is hard and painful, and the skin is red and hot to the touch. Then the tumor softens and fluctuation appears. Hair may fall out. At the final stage, the abscess spontaneously opens and a wound appears from which pus flows.
For an abscess in a hamster, treatment involves the use of systemic antibiotics (Baytril 2.5% subcutaneously 10 mg/kg body weight). Surgical treatment of the wound is necessary: opening the abscess, cleaning the cavity and washing with an antiseptic. The wound is washed every day and protected from re-infection.
If the abscess is not treated properly, the process becomes chronic and a fistula appears, which will be difficult to heal.
Tumor on a hamster's cheek
A special case of an abscess is inflammation of the cheek pouch, the most likely reason that a hamster has a swollen cheek. Injury occurs from the inside, with a sharp object or unsuitable food: wood chips, dry pasta, seeds and nuts in shell, hay. The wound gets infected and fester occurs.
When your pet's cheek is swollen, it is better not to hesitate to visit a doctor. Purulent inflammation spreads to the surrounding tissues, and next to the cheek there are the most important structures: the eyes, ears and brain. The pain does not allow the baby to eat, and the animal quickly weakens.
If the animal's cheeks are swollen symmetrically, they should be gently massaged towards the muzzle. Then the hamster will reflexively throw out the contents of the cheek pouch, and it will be clear whether there is a problem. If the seal is preserved, the contents are checked by pulling back the edge of the lips with your hand or a stick and at the same time pressing on the cheek under the ear. This must be done while firmly holding the hamster and trying not to damage the mucous membrane.
Sometimes it makes more sense to treat a swollen cheek in a clinic setting under anesthesia. The doctor will be able to completely turn out the cheek pouch, remove foreign objects, rinse with an antiseptic (an aqueous solution of furatsilin, chlorhexidine), open the abscess and empty the cavity of pus.
When a hamster has a bump on its cheek, in addition to the cheek pouches, the doctor must check the animal’s bite.
Rodents' teeth grow throughout their lives and should be worn down normally. If this does not happen, the molars grow excessively - this is called malocclusion.
For dental problems:
- loss of appetite (or complete refusal to eat);
- discharge from the nose or swollen eye;
- abscess on the cheek, swelling.
If the length of the teeth is not adjusted, the hamster will die.
A tumor in a hamster’s neck can also indicate an inflammatory process in the oral cavity - then the nearest, “barrier” lymph node enlarges and looks like a hard lump in the area under the lower jaw. Lymph nodes also enlarge with a systemic infectious disease.
Treatment
Rodents do not tolerate anesthesia well, but if they develop a tumor, they need to be shown to a veterinarian. In any case, surgery increases the chances of a sick pet surviving.
When examining a sick hamster, a veterinarian can make the following decisions:
- If the tumor is small and does not cause concern, do nothing. Advise the animal's owner to adjust the diet in favor of low-calorie food - carrots or cauliflower.
- When an abscess is diagnosed, it is opened, the wound is treated with an antiseptic and treatment is prescribed, mainly with anti-inflammatory ointments, for example, Levomekol.
- If the doctor suspects that a benign tumor has formed, it is removed. Overgrown teeth are filed down.
- In a difficult situation, with a large-scale lesion, the doctor suggests euthanizing the animal.
What to do if your hamster has a swollen paw
If your pet's paw is swollen, then the first thing to suspect is a closed fracture of the hamster's paw.
An accurate diagnosis can be obtained by taking an x-ray using a good quality digital device. True, this is more of a scientific interest - neither surgery nor a cast will be performed in a veterinary clinic, only complete rest is prescribed.
What to do if your paw is swollen and the cause is unknown:
- Place in a small carrying container with solid walls without rods.
- Use paper towels instead of bedding.
- Dosed, complete feeding, monitor the presence of appetite.
- Examine the animal, checking whether a wound has appeared on its paw. Sometimes, even with open fractures, sticky hair makes it difficult to see the wound. If the animal fought with a relative, or was otherwise injured, the lump on the paw may turn out to be an abscess. Then the abscess sooner or later opens up, and it is treated like an open wound, washed daily with an antiseptic.
In the worst case scenario, the tumor on the paw turns out to be osteosarcoma . This is a malignant oncological disease that progresses rapidly and cannot be cured.
Over time, the paw is no longer visible; the entire limb is a tumor mass that spreads to the body of the animal. Osteosarcoma is more common in older animals (1-2 years).
Gastrointestinal diseases
There are various diseases of hamsters that are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Among them, veterinarians identify pathologies of the digestive tract. They cause gastrointestinal disorders, and in severe cases can lead to the death of the animal.
Worms are also common in hamsters, which enter the body along with contaminated food or water. The disease can be determined by the slow growth of young animals, sudden weight loss (with normal nutrition), problems with fur (for example, oily sheen). It is also worth paying attention to the consistency of the stool: it becomes soft, the mass contains blood, mucus or fragments of parasites.
For treatment, antiparasitic drugs are used to destroy helminths.
Colibacillosis
This disease in hamsters is caused by E. coli. Colibacillosis is also called “wet tail”. This is because loose stools cause the fur around the hamster's anus to be wet.
The disease occurs as a result of the penetration of E. coli into the body. The source of infection is contaminated food or water.
You can tell that your hamster has colibacillosis by the following symptoms:
- watery diarrhea with a pungent odor;
- decrease or disappearance of appetite;
- weight loss;
- anxiety;
- depression, lethargy, apathetic state;
- exhaustion of the body;
- sometimes high temperature;
- uncertain movements;
- increased heart rate and breathing.
Specific signs of colibacellosis are loose stools and wet fur around the anus. The hamster is constantly trying to find a secluded place and curl up into a ball. He looks sloppy, his fur is disheveled, his ears are flattened, he doesn't move much.
The disease develops quickly, so treatment must be started in the early stages. Therapy is carried out under the supervision of the attending physician. The infection should be treated with electrolyte solutions and antibiotics (tetracyclines are often used). The former improve the hydration process, while the latter destroy bacteria in the intestines.
Therapy is carried out at home. During the treatment period, you must follow the diet prescribed by the ratologist.
Important! Colibacillosis is highly contagious, so if infection is suspected, it is necessary to isolate the hamster from other domestic animals. You should also keep the cage clean.
Escherichia coli
Hamster diseases caused by E. coli can lead to the death of the pet. The infection begins to develop after a pathogenic microorganism enters the animal’s body, which begins to multiply rapidly. Because of this, the natural intestinal microflora changes, and the hamster’s condition deteriorates sharply.
Signs of an illness caused by E. coli:
- high body temperature;
- diarrhea with blood streaks;
- weakness, apathy;
- the animal does not eat anything;
- weight loss;
- blanching of the mucous membranes.
The infection progresses quickly and often ends in the death of the animal. To prevent this from happening, when the first symptoms of the disease appear, you need to contact a ratologist. The doctor will prescribe a bacteriological analysis to identify the pathogen and develop treatment tactics. Intestinal antiseptics and antibiotics will help destroy the source of infection.
You can get E. coli from a sick hamster. To avoid this, a person should thoroughly wash their hands with soap after contact with the animal. To prevent illness, you should keep your home clean.
Enteritis
This is a disease in which the inflammatory process affects the small intestine (some parts or all of it). As a result, its functionality is impaired, and dystrophic changes appear on the mucous membrane. Then various digestive disorders arise.
The main reason for the development of enteritis in a hamster is considered to be the lack of hay in its diet. The disease is manifested by increased gas formation in the intestines and diarrhea.
Enteritis is treated by introducing high quality hay into the hamster's diet. Specific therapy is also carried out: the feces of a healthy animal are diluted with water, and then administered through an enema into the patient’s intestines.
Why does a hamster have big testicles?
After the male reaches puberty, inexperienced owners begin to sound the alarm, figuring out what to do if the hamster’s testicles are too large. But large testes relative to body size in rodents are a common occurrence. In a Syrian hamster, they become noticeable (a pair of tubercles in the lower abdomen) at the age of 2 months, and after another month the hair on them thins out and you can notice that the testicles have greatly enlarged. Hamsters can have unilateral cryptorchidism - when one testis descends into the scrotum, and the second remains in the abdominal cavity. Then the swelling in the tail area will be one-sided.
Consider the possible reasons why your hamster's testicles are swollen.
Puberty
When the animal is ready to reproduce, seminal fluid accumulates in the testes. Often, a “tumor on the butt” of a young Dzungarian male turns out to be a man’s penis of normal size.
Hormonal disbalance
Most often, when keeping males and females in the same room (but in different cages).
Inflammatory process
Red and hot skin on the testes, signs of pain are signs of infection, orchitis. Treatment is carried out with antibiotics, but not always successfully.
Oncology
There are both benign and malignant testicular tumors (seminoma). Regardless of the type of formation, the only treatment is removal of the affected organ (castration) under general anesthesia. Oncology is characterized by a one-sided lesion, in contrast to orchitis.
Hamster diseases - diseases of the nervous system
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis in hamsters
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis in hamsters is a very serious disease that is infectious in nature. Affects all organs.
- reasons - an animal can become infected through contact with a sick individual. The main carriers of this disease are mice;
- symptoms - appear almost immediately and are expressed in general weakness, difficulty breathing, body temperature increases;
- treatment is a disease, unfortunately incurable. If your pet has become a victim of lymphocytic choriomeningitis, measures should be taken to euthanize the hamster. This is the only way to put him out of his misery.
Important! All hygiene rules must be followed; this disease can be transmitted to humans.
Aujeszky's disease - what is important to know about this disease of hamsters
Aujeszky's disease - this disease is often called “false rabies”, since they have similar symptoms.
- reasons - the causative agent of this disease is a virus that affects the entire nervous system of the hamster;
- symptoms - signs of the disease do not appear immediately, but only after two to three weeks after infection. The disease manifests itself in increased excitability of the animal and the presence of itching;
- treatment - it is possible to cure Aujeszky's disease only in the early stages, if the disease is advanced, the virus covers the hamster's vocal cords, provokes the development of laryngeal paralysis, as a result of which the animal dies.
Surgical intervention
If a tumor is detected in your pet, you must take a risk and agree to surgical removal. The formations in rodents grow rapidly, the skin cannot withstand it and bursts, forming a fetid, non-healing ulcer. The tumor mass prevents the animal from moving; sometimes the hamsters themselves try to chew off the foreign tissue and die from blood loss. If a limb is affected by cancer, amputation is the best option. If the tumor is on the body, it must be removed while it is still small, otherwise it will be difficult for the surgeon to close the skin defect after removal.
The use of inhalation anesthesia in recent years has increased the survival rate of rodents after surgery. The doctor must have experience working with rodents and ensure that the tiny organism does not become hypothermic during anesthesia. A starvation diet before surgery is not prescribed, and is even harmful.
Removing the tumor itself will not cure the hamster; it will remain sick and may die from tumor metastases to other organs (lungs, liver). But it can improve the quality of life.
If internal organs are affected by cancer, one can only guess about this by the symptoms or asymmetry of the abdomen. In this case, the operation does not make sense and the operation comes down to euthanasia on the surgical table.
Causes
The causes of tumors can be different. These include bites received during fights, various scratches received when the pet collided with sharp corners of furniture, and other wounds. The cause of the tumor may be poor quality food, improperly removed bedding in the cage, draft or stress. It is necessary to protect them in every possible way from too much noise, from hypothermia, and from aggressive environmental influences.
What to do if you find a tumor in your hamster?
TAKE YOUR HAMSTER TO THE DOCTOR AND DO NOT READ ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET. IT IS IMPORTANT!
If a benign tumor is discovered in a pet, then you can resort to preventive measures; if a malignant tumor is discovered, then you need to resort to measures to remove it. The growth can only be removed through surgery. Professional clinics will create all the conditions for comfortable rehabilitation of your pet, as well as to prevent the recurrence of inflammation.
The sooner the owner contacts the veterinarian, the faster the doctors will remove the tumor, and the pet will suffer less. Painful sensations in hamsters are due to the fact that the wound grows, the skin bursts, and pus cells form ulcers on the body. Very often, the animal, unable to bear the pain, tries to chew off the wound. But such an “operation” will only lead to unnecessary blood loss and, as a result, death.
If a pet develops cancer, then the only measure that should be used in such a situation is amputation. Of course, when it comes to soft tissue tumors, the best outcome is euthanasia.
For the operation, inhalation anesthesia is used, which helps reduce pain during the post-rehabilitation period. It is important to ensure that the rodent does not get hypothermia, otherwise re-infection of the tissues cannot be avoided. During the post-rehabilitation period, you cannot keep your pet on a hungry diet. Otherwise, the wound will heal longer than usual.
It is important to know that after removal of the cancer, the hamster can also die due to the spread of metastases. They can damage internal organs, such as the lungs and liver. Cancer can damage your pet's internal organs. This is evidenced by the curvature of the body.
