dwarf hamster has tumor

Question
so my dwarf hamster has a tumor on her throat. and i cant tell if its an abscess or a tumor. its not internal. i can see it. its very red. but every time i put my finger on it she makes a weird noise like it hurts her. but it doesn't seem to bother her otherwise. she just acts normal. shes about a year and half or two years old. do you know if this would be an abscess or tumor? since she probably cant bite herself if its directly under her head. and if i got surgery, how much of a risk would it be that she died since its on her throat? sorry for all the questions.

Answer
Hi Laura

Sadly hamsters are very prone to getting tumors.  These tend to be red looking.  They can get abscesses and these need to be drained by a vet and antibiotics given.

The problem with hamsters and surgery is the anaesthetic.  As the hamster gets older the prognosis gets worse unfortunately.  However, this is worth discussing with your vet. If this is superficial, I don't think that the fact it is near her throat is an issue - the issue really is whether or not she would survive surgery.  You really need to find a vet who specializes in small animals and one who might be happy to operate if necessary.  Superficial tumors can be removed, whereas internal ones are unlikely to be removed.  Some tumors grow very slowly and providing the hamster isn't bothered by it and they are carrying on as usual, these can be left.  However, the danger with a tumor is that, firstly, it can be quite aggressive and if a hamster has one tumor they often get others or their immune system can weaken.  The tumor can also grow to a size that puts pressure on other parts of the body which can affect the hamster's quality of lie.  Secondly, the tumor can sometimes rupture and this is quite serious as the area can infect easily.

I would therefore advise that you see if you can find a vet who specializes in small animals and get them to advise you.  

Good luck with this.

Regards

Hi Laura

I do hope you get on OK and find a vet who can advise you.  As you work in a vet and they don't really deal with rodents, I wondered if you would like a copy of my book to give them - I wrote it with my vet and it helps fill in a lot of the missing details about hamsters - we felt there wasn't a lot of helpful information out there.  If you think it might be of help to them for the future, please email me your mailing address to: hamster.lady@virgin.net and I'll be pleased to send you a copy with my compliments.
Regards