HAMSTER - MASTCELLS

Question
QUESTION: MY HAMSTER OF 1.5 YRS HAS DEVELOPED A LUMP ON HER FOOT,, IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS MASTCELLS... WE HAVE BEEN TREATING IT FAIRLY SUCCESSFULLY WITH A TOPICAL CORTISONE CREAM.. DO KNOW OF ANY OTHER REMEDIES.

THANKS

ANSWER: First to recap what you were told by your vet, mast cell are apart of skin that causes allergic reaction. When triggered an animal will usually get swelling and redness. Sometimes these mast cell grow out of control causing a lump. Now there is treatment like removing it, but in a small animal this is expensive and sometimes hard. Then there is use of creams that help lower the swelling so there is less "pressure" on the mast cell.

With any type of "inflammation" there is things that you can try as well:

1)Giving more vitamin C because this helps in bacterial inflammation

2)comfrey or fenugreek tea help reduce redness and swelling

3)Garlic Oil rubbed on the area also helps reduce swelling.

Drugs that help are:

2)Steroids

3)Cortizone Cream, Rubesal Cream, and Bengay

***Now any of these would be HIGHLY in need of your vet to approve or and give dosage recommendations****

Here are some sites that give more info on the different medicines that I listed:

fenugreek tea:
http://www.teabenefits.com/herbal-tea-benefits/fenugreek-tea-benefits.html

Garlic Oil:
http://www.soul-guidance.com/health/garlic.htm

Rubesal Cream:
http://www.stjamesfirstaid.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=141


Comfrey tea
http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Comfrey_Tea

I am sorry that I couldn't find more information for you. I hope that this helps and thanks for asking and taking good care of your hamster:)









Here is a site that may give some more detail info:
http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/mastcell.htm

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

QUESTION: Thank you Dawn for your feed back.. I was told that mastcells are cancerous and the first vet that I went to see wanted to amputate the leg.
I am currently using the cortisone cream, but a little concerned with the frequency...once a day.
I will look for the other cream that you mention.
I thought garlic was poisonous to hamsters?
Thank you for you reply... my hamster is very precious to me like all my animals,, one feels so helpless sometimes.. the unknown is scary.

Answer
Garlic isn't poisonous just hard on their kidney's. However you are not talking about them eating eat but rubbing it one them. If they lick a small amount off it shouldn't be anything to worry about. However I definitely would ask your vet to make sure.

Here is a link regarding that:

http://www.hamsterific.com/Nutrition.cfm


I am sorry to hear about it being cancerous. I know how hard it can be to hear that no matter what the circumstances. Maybe you should look into what other options the vet may have and then discuss if the cancer will spread with out the amputation. Then you must consider if she can live a good life with one leg vs not being here at all if the cancer spreads.

Good luck and thanks for following up with me :)