Well, as my previous post reflected, Teppy had her first vet appointment today. She weighs a whopping 51 grams! However, a lot of that may not even be her own weight... it turns out she may not be as fat as Kara and I thought because the vet has determined the red, swollen bulge near her left shoulder is a mammary tumor, the only kind of tumor that would also affect her hormones to cause the patchy hairloss... Fortunately, we did not have to euthenize her today, but unfortunately, her cancer is terminal, and there is no way of knowing how long she has without having a very expensive biopsy done. Surgery is not a likely option because she is so small that the surgery alone could kill her, and it would cost about 12 times what she cost when we adopted her. We couldn't do that to her. There is also the option of giving her some prescribed drops that could temporarily keep the tumor from growing, but hamsters do not like the medicine, and it would only prolong the inevitable... eventually the medicine would stop working.
The doctor said that she is about 40 years old in hamster years, so she is basically middle-aged, and we would likely only have her for another two years if she were healthy. He did say that she doesn't appear to be in any severe pain right now... she's not limping and she's still eating regularly and running on her wheel, so all we can really do is keep an eye on her. There is a chance that we could wake up tomorrow to find a dead hamster in her cage, or she could live another year, simply adapting to the mass growing out of her side. We did purchase some vitamin drops for her water, and added a more antioxidant-rich mix to her food to attempt to slow the tumor's growth, but if she ever looks like she is having trouble moving, breathing, or she stops eating, we will have to have her euthenized... it's quite a sad thought :(
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Providence > Temperance...
In the grand scheme of things, I know that this is completely trivial, but that doesn't make it any easier... our (Kara's and my) precious pet hamster, Dr. Temperance (Teppy) Brennan-Booth Jaeger (named after the title character from "Bones") has fallen ill with a mysterious ailment, and I am taking her to her very first veterinarian appointment tomorrow not knowing what to expect...
She has been slightly irritable, and biting lately, but we figured it was because we'd given her too many treats, so when we'd put our hands in the cage to pet her, she was probably conditioned to expect a treat, so she'd bite at our hands expecting it to be food. Then, a little over a week ago, we noticed small bald spots on her right cheek and left thigh. She's always been a scratcher, so we couldn't really tell if that was a cause, so I researched hairloss in hamsters on the internet. The most common cause is mites, but she didn't have any of the other symtoms (yellowish skin, scaliness, etc...), so the most likely possibility seemed like it might be a protein deficiency. This seemed feasible since she has reached her maturity and has been eating less of her cereal, yet drinking more of her water. We decided we'd get her some vitamin drops for her water to ensure that she was getting enough protein, but before we had a chance to get to the pet store I was changing her food dish and noticed that she her front left leg was completely bald, revealing a red, swollen bulge near her shoulder, and she was biting at herself :(
Needless to say, we've determined that the hairloss is likely the result of something more serious than a simple protein deficiency, so I resumed my research to see what could cause both the hairloss and the red, swollen mass... The two most likely causes are an abscess (likely caused by a scratch that became infected) or a tumor. If it is an abscess, the vet will simply drain it and prescribe an antibiotic. If it is a tumor, we will have to euthenize her :(
It was hard enough finding a vet in the area that will see hamsters (most are "dogs and cats only"), but I found two, and only one was able to fit dear Teppy in this week. Although she isn't acting as if she's in pain, the thought that she might be made us want to get her in as soon as possible, unfortunately, Kara works all day every day this week. So I will be taking Teppy to the vet by myself at 9am tomorrow, knowing I may have to drive home with an empty cage :(
Teppy was just a tiny baby when we got her... too small to even run on her wheel. We just celebrated her one-year adoption anniversary on May 26, and surprised her with a treat ball. Kara and I have been giving her lots of attention and treats this whole week, and Kara even let her try her first cupcake sprinkle this afternoon... we took pictures, and a cute little video, but tonight is harder than I expected because I know there is a possibility tonight will be our last night with her. If I have to euthenize her tomorrow, I will know it's what's best to end any potential pain she might be in, but it will be so hard... I just know I will bawl, which seems silly, because I know that losing a pet hamster is nothing compared to the struggles others face on a daily basis...
Just this week, one of my former co-worker's lost her husband unexpectedly... another co-worker's wife has an inoperable tumor the size of a football on her spine, and yet another is dealing with the frustration of his sister's recurring cancer... my sick hamster is nothing compared to what they are going through, but I am still sad... at 24.5 years old, I have never actually experienced the death of a pet, other than a fish or a zebra finch, which don't count because you can't play with fish or finches. They are not social pets... both cats and the dog we've had during my life never died while we had them, we had to give them away to better homes when our circumstances change, so even though I know it's unlikely any of them are still alive, and I know for a fact that one of the cats isn't, I never had to "say good-bye"... which is something you'd think I'd be used to by now, considering the number of people in my life who I've lost without warning.
Of course I would love the chance to see them once more and tell them what they mean to me, and say good-bye, but would knowing it was the last time make things even harder? I don't know, but it's pretty hard not knowing the fate of my hamster, and she is only a pet... not an aunt and uncle, or a grandparent, or a best friend... they have souls... animals don't, and sadly, I doubt that all hamsters go to heaven...
She has been slightly irritable, and biting lately, but we figured it was because we'd given her too many treats, so when we'd put our hands in the cage to pet her, she was probably conditioned to expect a treat, so she'd bite at our hands expecting it to be food. Then, a little over a week ago, we noticed small bald spots on her right cheek and left thigh. She's always been a scratcher, so we couldn't really tell if that was a cause, so I researched hairloss in hamsters on the internet. The most common cause is mites, but she didn't have any of the other symtoms (yellowish skin, scaliness, etc...), so the most likely possibility seemed like it might be a protein deficiency. This seemed feasible since she has reached her maturity and has been eating less of her cereal, yet drinking more of her water. We decided we'd get her some vitamin drops for her water to ensure that she was getting enough protein, but before we had a chance to get to the pet store I was changing her food dish and noticed that she her front left leg was completely bald, revealing a red, swollen bulge near her shoulder, and she was biting at herself :(
Needless to say, we've determined that the hairloss is likely the result of something more serious than a simple protein deficiency, so I resumed my research to see what could cause both the hairloss and the red, swollen mass... The two most likely causes are an abscess (likely caused by a scratch that became infected) or a tumor. If it is an abscess, the vet will simply drain it and prescribe an antibiotic. If it is a tumor, we will have to euthenize her :(
It was hard enough finding a vet in the area that will see hamsters (most are "dogs and cats only"), but I found two, and only one was able to fit dear Teppy in this week. Although she isn't acting as if she's in pain, the thought that she might be made us want to get her in as soon as possible, unfortunately, Kara works all day every day this week. So I will be taking Teppy to the vet by myself at 9am tomorrow, knowing I may have to drive home with an empty cage :(
Teppy was just a tiny baby when we got her... too small to even run on her wheel. We just celebrated her one-year adoption anniversary on May 26, and surprised her with a treat ball. Kara and I have been giving her lots of attention and treats this whole week, and Kara even let her try her first cupcake sprinkle this afternoon... we took pictures, and a cute little video, but tonight is harder than I expected because I know there is a possibility tonight will be our last night with her. If I have to euthenize her tomorrow, I will know it's what's best to end any potential pain she might be in, but it will be so hard... I just know I will bawl, which seems silly, because I know that losing a pet hamster is nothing compared to the struggles others face on a daily basis...
Just this week, one of my former co-worker's lost her husband unexpectedly... another co-worker's wife has an inoperable tumor the size of a football on her spine, and yet another is dealing with the frustration of his sister's recurring cancer... my sick hamster is nothing compared to what they are going through, but I am still sad... at 24.5 years old, I have never actually experienced the death of a pet, other than a fish or a zebra finch, which don't count because you can't play with fish or finches. They are not social pets... both cats and the dog we've had during my life never died while we had them, we had to give them away to better homes when our circumstances change, so even though I know it's unlikely any of them are still alive, and I know for a fact that one of the cats isn't, I never had to "say good-bye"... which is something you'd think I'd be used to by now, considering the number of people in my life who I've lost without warning.
Of course I would love the chance to see them once more and tell them what they mean to me, and say good-bye, but would knowing it was the last time make things even harder? I don't know, but it's pretty hard not knowing the fate of my hamster, and she is only a pet... not an aunt and uncle, or a grandparent, or a best friend... they have souls... animals don't, and sadly, I doubt that all hamsters go to heaven...
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