2+ year old winter white hamster has a lump on face

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

My winter white dwarf hamster is now over 2 years. In the past year and half, he's been growing lumps near his ears every once a while. Every time I took him to the vet, and had the pus drained. Since now he is very old, I'm worried that he might not be able to survive through the surgery. Should I just leave him like this? From my experience, he was doing normally even with the lump. Is there anythng I can do to make him better?

Please advise! Thanks a lot!

Milly

ANSWER: Hi Milly

Thanks for your question.

It is sometimes a difficult decision to make whether to intervene or not.  If your vet has needed to sedate him in the past, then I would not risk this as he is over 2.  I wonder if he could be given antibiotics instead as a more gentle way of treating him.  

The problem with leaving the lump and not getting treatment is that any infection could spread and he could start to be very ill from it.  I suspect you would need an antibiotic ointment/cream, however, you can get a natural antiseptic from pet shops called teatree cream.  This should be safe and it might be worth applying it.  If the lump looks sore/bloody etc. then you could always wipe it with a damp cloth soaked in warm salt water.  Again, this is a natural antiseptic.

However, if the lump looks like it is getting bigger/spreading or he starts to behave differently from usual, then I would definitely get a vet to have another look.  As mentioned above, if he can't have it drained easily without stressing him or putting him at risk, then there might be alternative treatment that your vet can advise.

I hope you get on OK.

regards
Sheila

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sheila,

I took my hamster to the vet today. The doc said he could drain the abscess under sedation. But I'm very concerned about my hamster's age, though the doc said the anesthesia should be very safe. I asked for some antibiotic, and if the abscess doesn't get bigger, I will just leave him like this.

Do you think it's safe to drain an abscess on a hamster over 2 years old?

Thank you very much,

Milly

Answer
Hi Milly

I think you have a difficult decision to make.

All anaesthesia carries a certain level of danger, and the older the hamster, the more the risk.  However, it is important to consider other factors - how the hamster is in himself - is he fit and healthy apart from this, what is his body weight like, fur condition etc. in order to be able to survive the anaesthetic, and why they need the anaesthesia - i.e will he benefit from having the procedure.

The antibiotics might help but may not cure the problem.  Some antibiotics work better than others when treating abscesses.  With abscesses, they need draining - this can either be done by syringe, or sometimes you can squeeze out the pus.  The difficulty is really whereabouts the abscess is, if it is growing inside, if there is a 'head' that you can see.  If it comes to a head, then you might be able to give it a squeeze and get some of the pus out, but if it doesn't then syringe is the best way.

If left untreated, an abscess can get poison into the blood stream and make the hamster very sick.  If you are going to get the vet to drain it under anaesthesia, then this needs to be done while your hamster is relatively fit and healthy, rather than waiting until he deteriorates.

I would be tempted to monitor him, try the antibiotics for a few days or so and see if there is any improvement in which case just continue with them.  If the abscess comes to a head you might be able to carefully squeeze it to try and get some of the pus out.  If you do, make sure you bathe the area in salt water afterwards to clean it thoroughly.  If there is no improvement after a given period of time and the abscess gets bigger with no head on it, or there is a slight sign that your hamster is unwell, I would be advise getting him to the vet as soon as possible and see if they can drain it.  If you are really worried about your hamster having anaesthesia, perhaps your vet would agree to letting someone hold your hamster tightly while he inserts the syringe, thereby meaning he won't need anaesthesia.  Your vet may not be able to do this, or may not want to but it is worth asking. The only problem with doing it this way is that your hamster might get very stressed and this might have a negative effect on him.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila