Hamsters do not undergo menstruation. A vet’s mediation is needed if your hamster have ANY of the below.
UTI
If you find your hamster passing liquid that are pinkish in colour, it could be UTI or colouring from food such as beetroot. This is not pyometra.
UTI occurs when there are bacterial infection in kidney/bladder and most commonly urethra. This commonly occur when hamsters sleep in their pee, thus it is important to check their burrows from time to time to ensure there is no pee where they are lying in.
UTI may not be immediately life threatening, but prolonging treatment can cause the infection to damage kidney and/or cause sepsis.
Note that sepsis is a life threatening condition.
It is important to visit the vet for antibiotics to resolve the issue.
TUMOUR
Having a hard abdomen typically suggests tumour, which surgery is needed - it can be difficult to determine the type of tumour, be it benign or malignant, so it is most important to remove it.
An ultrasound is usually performed to confirm the tumour, also help to look at surrounding organs to see if they are affected.
At some stages, vet do not perform surgery for tumours and would dispense medication to help but this depends on the decision of your trusted vets which I am not medically trained to comment.
Please bring your hamster to the vet.
PYOMETRA
If your hamster’s either: (1) abdomen suddenly becomes enlarged; (2) discharge from opening (yellow/white/red/pink),
This is life threatening. PLEASE BRING TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY.
There are two types of pyometra, open and closed.
Open pyometra: discharge coming out, may and may not have swelling Closed pyometra: no discharge, just swelling
The only ultimate cure for both types of pyometra is the same - spay treatment, done through surgery by removing of uterus and ovaries.
However, if your hamster is too weak for surgery, medicine tend to be disbursed to help manage the infection. Very rarely does this help, and the hamster tend to pass on a few short days/weeks later.
Pyometra is relatively common in elderly females (18 months above) due to hormonal changes, as well as unsanitary living conditions (especially if they like sleeping in their pee). Having episodes of UTI and diarrhoea increases likelihood for pyometra.
Should pyometra occur < 1 years old, it is likely to be congenital but this can only be hypothesised by your trusted veterinarian if he/she is well informed of your hamster’s lineage.
Regardless of congenital or byproduct of hormones/sanitation, the chances of success in pyometra is highly increased if the hamster is being treated earlier.
So, please bring your hamster to the vet ASAP!
Not all vets are equal, it is important to look for vets specialising in small animals such as hamsters.
Pyometra have the tendency to be misdiagnosed as UTI.
Personal recommendation to spare a few dollars for an ultrasound scan should your hamster have conflicting symptoms for UTI/pyometra.
Hamster Savvy Vets List
Last but not least, RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT. Please bring your hamster to the vet when they are sick, do not look for home remedy or purchase medication off counter to treat them.
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