Injured Hamster UPDATE and photo- page 4 (amputation)

[wildernesslodgelover]

how do I change the thread title to say "Update page 3???""

also, I forgot to mention I paid $127 for the vet visit, which was fine with me!

 

[Ohiodislover]

how do I change the thread title to say "Update page 3???""

also, I forgot to mention I paid $127 for the vet visit, which was fine with me!

If you click on Edit and then Advanced you can change the title.

$127--Not as bad as I would have thought. I must say, I would have had a difficult time spending that much, but a more difficult time NOT spending it.

 

[JESW]

Glad to hear that everything worked out!

*************************************************
Here is our hamster story...it gets a little bad and sad..

Dd10 had a hamster who had the name Dale (since our first was Chip) but we called him Hammy. She loved the little guy and he was part of our family for just over a year and a half. When we were down in Disney for my birthday in September my neighbor & friends dd17 was watching the house and our pets. Sadly, one morning when she went over she found Hammy dead. So my neighbor called me down in Florida to tell me the news and we happened to be in our room.

At the same time my dd was in the bathroom shaving her legs for the first time. So I was sad about that (she was growing up) and sad that now I knew her beloved Hammy was dead.

We never told the kids that week and I was hoping to be able to wait a day or two after we got home. Nope, first thing dd did when we got home was run up to see him - when she saw the cage was empty she knew. But what she didn't know was that my neighbor had put him in the freezer per my request as we have a ritual we do with our deceased pets. I buy a plain box at AC Moore and we draw and write on it the memory of our pet - we have buried birds, another hamster and a lizard and we have our own pet cemetery in the woods.

Unfortunately, dd did not know that Hammy was in the freezer (in a box and wrapped up) and when she went in there she thought it was a special treat as my neighbor had put him in a nice box. It was NOT good. Poor dd She didn't actually see him, but she knew what it was.

Sooo...enjoy your little guy when you have him - I was surprised to hear that they didn't live that long..

Jill

 

[Breezy_Carol]

also, I forgot to mention I paid $127 for the vet visit, which was fine with me!

That seems surprisingly reasonable. Glad the hamster is on the mend.

 

[mfd25wife]

UPDATE!

First, I want to say, I knew this thread would just HAVE to take an ugly turn. It is a little alarming at how judgemental people on the DIS can be. I figured I would be scolded for NOT taking the hamster to the vet, then scolded for spending money on the hamster!

Still does not eclipse all the nice things people posted, tho. I appreciate all the caring posts, and the nicely worded opinions, even if I did not agree with them. I also enjoyed all the hamster stories!

Ok, as I looked at the leg last night, I could see a bone kind of popping out. It distressed my daughter to see it, so we decided to look for a vet online. I found one, and I went this morning. Fergie was put under anesthesia, her bone was popped back into place, and now she is wearing a splint for 3 weeks! I also have to give her a pain reliever/anti inflammatory with a little dropper once a day. I am going to TRY to post a picture of her with her cute little bandage!

jlewis-I agree with you, and it is one of the reasons we don't have a zillion pets. I commit to whatever I have. Now, look, if this hamster was going to cost me 1k...well, no, I don't think i could do it. Then again, i have friends who easily drop 1k on a purse, so if I want to drop that on a pet rather than donate to a charity, why should I feel bad about that? So I do agree with you. I also wanted to say that I really wanted a rat, they are SOOO smart...almost dog like! I actually DID NOT get rats because I knew they were a little more maintenance than I wanted. My hamster likes to be left alone, so if no one plays with her for a few days, she is fine. Plus, she likes living alone, and I did not want two of anything right now. But honestly, I probably will get rats one day! I am sorry yours are not doing well, but you gave them a great life, way better than most rats have!

hellokitty-thanks for the heads up! I found my vet by googling...she is in Coral Springs, and I really liked her!

funky-I will look at that link now, thank you!

THANK YOU JESW!

Ohio-yeah, my poor hamster...i wondered if this might cure her of wanting to escape from her cage...I just don't think they are that smart!

YAY Pea N Me! How cute! Poor little thing was probably FREAKING OUT!

Ok, going to TRY to post a pic!

I'm glad your hamster is better. We had one that got her foot caught that way and it broke. None of the vets here would look at her. Within a few hours she had it drawn up next to her chest. Then it looked like she must have chewed her leg off because she was missing that one. She lived another year that way with the new nickname, Tripod. It never seemed to slow her down.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Would anyone care to hear how the first 24hrs with our new hamster has been?

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

Would anyone care to hear how the first 24hrs with our new hamster has been?

How did your family adjust to your new pet?

 

[lukenick1]

found a great forum....may be worth taking a look there. Good luck!
http://www.hamsterhouse.com/forum/index.php?board=4.40

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How did your family adjust to your new pet?

Pretty well. The dog was fascinated with him. Last night she sat next to the cage sniffing him and wagging her tail. She likes him, and he's not bothered by her at all. Tonight we had him in his ball and she herded him all around the kitchen and living room, lol.

He's quite a mild mannered little fellow. He let us pick him up tonight and seemed pretty happy to hang out. My two 12 yr olds have been doing a nice job taking turns and doing what needs to be done for him (we read up on hamster care today).

My son wanted him to sleep in his room so he did and no surprise, the sound of the wheel woke him up pretty early this morning. I took a few pictures but I don't think they came out too well. I'll try again tomorrow.

We named him after Cinderella's mouse, Gus.

I'm enjoying having a hamster again. (But still can't get that white rat in the snake cage out of my head. )

 

[RainbowBrite]

I just don't understand some of these comments. Yes, it's "just" a hamster. But, it feels pain. It's a living, breathing thing. When you make the choice to bring one into your home and care for it, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. How is it any less cruel to let a hamster suffer than it would be if it was a cat or dog? So a hamster doesn't sleep beside you at night or lick your face. It doesn't come running when you call it or wait at the front door for you to come home from work. But it is still a living pet and should be treated as such.

OP...

 

[Tuffcookie]

I'm glad your little guy is on the mend now. Long after the sting of spending $127 on a hamster is over, you will feel good for doing the right thing!

TC

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Thanks everyone for all the comments and stories!

As to the money spent...look, if it was my dog, I would pretty much pay whatever it cost. My hamster? Yeah, there would be a limit...not sure what that limit would be and I am glad I did not have to think about it too much, I was relieved with the $127. I totally "get" not wanting to spend $$$ on a hamster, and if that is how you feel then do not GET a hamster, ya know? Once you bring a pet into your life, I just feel you make a commitment. Again, that is why I do not adopt every dog I would like to or add to my pet family right now. I know what I can handle for the long haul. On a side note, it is partly the reason I have only one child! I wanted to make sure she had private school, health insurance, etc, so I stopped with one. These things were important to me and to my husband, and we would never ask anyone to help us out with anything, not the government, not a charity, so we made a conscious decision.

It is so ridiculous to even bring Haiti up in this situation. Should I cancel my daughter's birthday party today and donate the money to Haiti? Should I subsist on bread and water for the week and donate the money I saved on groceries to Haiti? Or should I do that for the month? I donate money every year to a particlar dog rescue ranch...maybe I should save that and send it to Haiti instead?

Again, I "get" that some people think it is crazy to spend $$ on a hamster...but to throw the Haiti issue in there as a reason (if I would have posted this last week, then what would you have said? Would you have been all for my spending $127 on a hamster, or would you have brought up another disaster/charity/whatever?) kind of weakens your argument.

I *think* I am teaching my daughter to be a caring, responsible pet owner and person. You just don't have a living creature that you are responsible for, living in pain. You just don't do that.

Pea-You should post a picture of your new hammy, Gus!!

BTW-Fergie is not too happy with her splint and keeps gnawing on it. I have a follow up visit scheduled on Tuesday to have it looked at.

 

[MushyMushy]

I *think* I am teaching my daughter to be a caring, responsible pet owner and person. You just don't have a living creature that you are responsible for, living in pain. You just don't do that.

That right there sums it up quite nicely for me.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks everyone for all the comments and stories!

As to the money spent...look, if it was my dog, I would pretty much pay whatever it cost. My hamster? Yeah, there would be a limit...not sure what that limit would be and I am glad I did not have to think about it too much, I was relieved with the $127. I totally "get" not wanting to spend $$$ on a hamster, and if that is how you feel then do not GET a hamster, ya know? Once you bring a pet into your life, I just feel you make a commitment. Again, that is why I do not adopt every dog I would like to or add to my pet family right now. I know what I can handle for the long haul. On a side note, it is partly the reason I have only one child! I wanted to make sure she had private school, health insurance, etc, so I stopped with one. These things were important to me and to my husband, and we would never ask anyone to help us out with anything, not the government, not a charity, so we made a conscious decision.

It is so ridiculous to even bring Haiti up in this situation. Should I cancel my daughter's birthday party today and donate the money to Haiti? Should I subsist on bread and water for the week and donate the money I saved on groceries to Haiti? Or should I do that for the month? I donate money every year to a particlar dog rescue ranch...maybe I should save that and send it to Haiti instead?

Again, I "get" that some people think it is crazy to spend $$ on a hamster...but to throw the Haiti issue in there as a reason (if I would have posted this last week, then what would you have said? Would you have been all for my spending $127 on a hamster, or would you have brought up another disaster/charity/whatever?) kind of weakens your argument.

I *think* I am teaching my daughter to be a caring, responsible pet owner and person. You just don't have a living creature that you are responsible for, living in pain. You just don't do that.

Pea-You should post a picture of your new hammy, Gus!!

BTW-Fergie is not too happy with her splint and keeps gnawing on it. I have a follow up visit scheduled on Tuesday to have it looked at.

You don't need to justify anything to anyone... but...

it sounds like you're a perfectly responsible pet owner.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Meet Gus:

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Ohhh, he is sooo handsome! Would your GSD gobble him up if he had the chance?

 

[MushyMushy]

You guys are making me want one! But my dogs would be on constant alert and I'd feel sorry for any little critter that got loose in our house.

 

[DizBelle]

Why do people post replies when they don't help but only criticize the original poster? Geez....

Because some people are just heartless and without compassion. It's just sad and I feel sorry for anyone who lives life like that. It must be a miserable existence.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I just got angel last night. So far this hammy has been spoiled rotten. I added new shelves and toys to his cage. Hes not much for being held anywere near where the cats have been. The cats have been good for the most part, just laying on the back of the couch watching but I found one of them on the table (where the hammys live) today! ICK!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

another update!

Fergie gnawed her splint off, and the vet checked her yesterday, said that the bones are not joined together.

Option #1 surgery to put a pin in her leg, that may or may not work...$300

Option #2 amputation for $120

I chose option #2.

She has 3 meds that I must give her twice daily for a week. She is perky, happy, and I think I made the right choice. I kind of wish I would have went w/this option originally, but hindsight is always 20/20, I know!

the little stump is where her leg used to be...her hind, right leg...