A problem with my hamster

[Colin Fisher]

Hello,

I've had a rough week with my female Syrian hamster. On Thursday, Jan
13th, I realized something was wrong with my hammy. Her droppings were
soft, the area around her tail wet, she refused both food and drink, and
she suffered from severe lethargy. Naturally, I became very concerned.
I believed Susie was suffering from Wet Tail so I called up a few vets
and finally saw one.
He also believed it was Wet Tail(he says he's treated
hamsters/exotics before) and he gave her a shot of antibiotics and a
shot of fluids so she don't dehydrate. He also has given me an
antibiotic which I have to give to Susie twice a day.
For the last two days, I've gotten mixed results. On one hand, she
seems to eat and drink water(whereas she wasn't) and she's also more
active, but on the other she's become *very* clumsy, falling down
several times and shaking back and forth. The room is warmer than it
has been and I've given her tons of tissue paper to make nests.
Is the un-coordinated actions of my hamster the normal way for her to
react to antibiotics? The vet who treated her is off for the weekend
and I can't talk to him until Monday. Either way, I've got to keep a
good eye on her.

[Colin Fisher]

Well, I'm sad to say that Susie died last night. What killed her, I
don't know. After about an hour of stumbling around her hamster cage,
she settled down into a corner and barely moved. I moved her to her
nest(and she didn't move in my hands at all, but her eyes were open and
she was breathing.) I called an emergency animal hospital and they told
me they couldn't do anything for a hamster in her condition. She wasn't
old(she was only a few months old.)
Anyways, at about 4 AM she started to go into convulsions where she
wouldn't breath, but her body would "shake" as she gulped a breath of
air. I tried frantically to revive her, but she wouldn't respond. She
wouldn't even close her eyes. At six AM, she was dead. She died all
too soon.
It's been a hard day for I've spent a lot of time this week giving
her antibiotics and water by hand(forcing it into the side of her mouth
by eye dropper.) It feels as though all the effort was all for naught.
My parents say I did all I could, but something inside of me says I
should have done something more. I don't know what I could have done.
The vet tried his best.
The worst thing of all is that my stomach has been in knots for the
last week because of my worrying for her. I watched as she slowly
degenerated into a helpless creature lying in death spasms. That's the
worst thing. Watching a beloved pet die slowly and not being able to
stop it. I don't know how to kill a hamster without pain(and even if I
did, I'd find it hard to kill my baby) so I couldn't stop her suffering.
Sorry to cross post this to alt.support.grief.pet-loss, but I needed
to get this off my chest. My parents have helped me cope and I bought a
new hamster in memory of Susie. I just can't forget my darling.

R.I.P. Susie.

[Phil]

I am sorry to hear about your hammy! You did everything you could for
her, so do not feel bad about it!

Phil

Peace, Bread, Land

[cimerene]

You did the best you could. Your little Susie will always be in your heart.

Colin Fisher wrote:

--
176/150/125, but in a size 10!!!!
Atkins since June 13, 1999(boring old webpage at)
Visit me http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/3939
reply to.. cime...@SPAMBLOCKgci.net

[Danielle]

You did what you could. I had the same problem but my hammy didn't live more
than 2 days and died at the vet's house who was taking care of her. Sometimes
it's hard to understand why they get so sick, but I think she's in a better
place now.

In article <3882B3AE...@gci.net>, cime...@gci.net says...

[Angie & Dave]

I grieve for your loss too. When I was in my first apartment, I wasn't allowed to have pets (yeah, right...), so I was
limited to having small pets. I had a hamster, and I used to love playing with it in the evenings. Even the smallest
of our friends can eke out a huge place in our hearts.

I would encourage you to change her food - I had one little friend die, and when I brought home another it also became
ill right away. I changed food, and #2 got better right away. I don't know why, but I can only guess that the first
batch of food was moldy or something.

Angie

cimerene wrote in message <3882B3AE...@gci.net>...

[ho...@postoffice2.bellatlantic.net]

So sorry for you little hamster. You were loving and caring for her till
the end. How wonderful. I and my children have loved many hamsters and
each of them left a wonderful little memory in our hearts for them. They
all had different personalities and different life spans, just as we all
do. Tell your new little hamster about Susie and how you will take care
of and love just as well. My thoughts are with you

Joan

owner and