Vet said my hamster has a hernia

Question
I took my hamster to a vet yesterday after noticing swelling on the right side of her belly. I know she is not pregnant. The swelling is quite large. I noticed this last week. The vet said she has a hernia and he didn't want to operate on her because she's an older hamster (over 1 year old, I am not sure how old as I adopted her last year when she was already full grown) and older hamsters usually don't do well under anesthesia. My hamster seems to eat and exercise on the wheel and be in good spirit generally. She does seem to have difficulty moving at times. Please tell me if there's any cure for this?

Answer
The hernia is a structural problem, and I don't know of any method to repair it other than surgery.  You might want to look for a holistic veterinarian who knows acupuncture - acupuncture sometimes has good results where conventional medicine is helpless.

It will be important to be sure the swelling doesn't drag on the ground.  You might want to use soft material, such as tissues, on the floor of her cage, because wood shavings might irritate her skin over the hernia.

Otherwise, if the hernia isn't bothering her, I wouldn't worry too much about her.

Cordially,

Susan