sick or dying?

Question
Our hamster is between 2 1/2 & 3 years old, and lately she has lost quite a bit of weight, to where now she is basically skin and bones, and she is VERY lethargic, she is haivng labored breathing.  This all started recently, so she is going down hill quickly.  I am having a hard time finding a vet to see her in our area.  I have called around and have been told that the nearest vet that will see hamsters is about 90 minutes away, and that I should expect the bill to be about 150.00.  I have never had a hamster, or anyother small animal, so I do not know if this is just normal.  If it looks like she is just sick, and will get better then I will get her there, but if this is just the natural process, I wonder if I should just let nature take it's course.  We are so confused and upset, any advise that you have would be helpful.

Thanks!

Answer
I'm sorry to hear your hamster isn't well.

Your hamster is very old and is likely to be dying from old age, although of course there could be other things going on too.  The ideal situation would be to get her to a vet who would probably put her to sleep.  It is extremely unlikely at this stage that they would be able to do anything to keep her alive.  However, as this isn't possible, there are a number of things you can do to help her:

Make sure that everything she needs is close by - if there are platforms, wheels, toys etc in her cage - move them out so that all is there is her nest, her water bottle and easy access to food.

In case she is in pain you can give her pain relief in the form of aspirin - the dosage is tiny - if you crumble an aspirin (standard tablets contain 300mg) then divide the powder into 25 - this is the amount you need to give - so you are literally giving a few grains.  You can put this in a couple of drops of water and using a dropper feed her with it.  If she won't take it you can always add a drop of fruit juice - i.e. blackcurrant with it as small animals like this because it is sweet.  The dosage can be repeated every 4 hours.

You can also also get some human oral rehydration powders - the type you take if you have sickness and diarrhoea.  Mix one of these (in the UK we can get them either plain flavoured or blackcurrant) according to the instructions, then, again, using a dropper or syringe (without the needle) try and feed her with this.  If you can get 1ml of this into her that would be good.  You can repeat this every few hours - this will stop her getting deydrated and make her feel a bit better.

Another thing you can do is to get some human baby food - ideally the powdered variety.  I usually use the powdered type as it keeps longer - and find that the creamy porridge oats or similar is the most popular.  Mix a small quantity with water and if you hold her you might be able to get her to take this from a spoon - or you could water it down a bit and use the dropper.

Don't force her to eat if she doesn't want to, but try to keep her hyrdrated.  These little creatures have such a strong will to live it is often very upsetting watching them die as they don't want to let go.  The main thing is to make sure she is comfortable and not in any pain.

I hope this information helps you - please get back to me if I can help any more.

Regards