# do i put her to sleep?



## Meeka (Mar 27, 2012)

hi i havent visited the forum in a while but im having trouble with one of my hamsters (i have 2). 2 weeks ago she started refusing food and thinned out very seriously within a week after previously being very healthy and happy, there was always food topped up in her bowl every time i checked on her, none hidden or stored and none of the tempting foods i left in there for her were touched. ive tried scrambled eggs, plain noodles, various fresh veg, porridge and yoghurts.

i took her to the vet last friday morning as i was very worried for her going downhill in such a short time and shed started shaking and falling over sideways. the vet said that shed had a stroke and there was nothing to really be done except hand feed her for the next few weeks and see if she improves. ive been doing this religiously every few hours since as i work from home and have the time. shes gained a little weight back which im ecstatic about but all she does is curl up and sleep or take 2 or 3 steps whilst shaking and her head shakes like she can barely hold it up fall over and then sleeps. she cant make it to her bowl or hold her head straight or manage to eat from it when ive gently propped her against it. she drops the food or her head turns sideways and shakes.

ive moved her from her huge cage into a small 10 inch squared box filled with unscented paper towels and her food bowl in the hopes that less exercise will fatten her up and i wont have to worry about her hurting herself as she can barely walk a few steps anyway. ive been holding her in my hands feeding her water with the bottle and holding her food for her which she will lean forwards to eat very tiny amounts of then she will weakly refuse it and will fall asleep sometimes with food still in her mouth which i have to ease out incase she chokes.

should i just have her put to sleep? im not sure if she is suffering too much. im happy to continue this for the next few weeks but if she wont improve (shes actually worsened apart from the slight weight gain) ill feel guilty about making her suffer


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

personally I would rather not see my pets deteriorate to a mere shell and feel that time has to be called before this happens..

Ive recently had Ralph the Rat PTS due to him being blind and having 2 large cysts/growth on him.. and 3 weeks later My Beloved Rhoddi Rat.. he was deteriorating and his legs weren't working properly so with the vet decided the kindest action to take was to have him PTS.. 

Its is such a heart ache to let a beloved pet go but sometimes I feel it is for the best.. 

Best of Luck xxx


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## elmthesofties (Aug 8, 2011)

Have you thought about getting a second opinion? Maybe someone will correct me but from what I've heard, if a hamster has a stroke, it tends to tilt it's head and I'm not sure it's connected with sudden weight loss. I'm not a professional, though, so you might want to wait for the experts to reply.

I think it's difficult to say anything without knowing your hamster. People who know their pets should be able to see beneath the exterior. When some people told me I was cruel by keeping my rat alive, I knew otherwise. He was an elderly rex rat, and like many old rex rats, his fur was falling out. His scarred lungs meant he sometimes got a bit sniffly and sneezy. Despite that he was a very happy boy who still played with his cage mates like a little puppy. With a hamster I had, it was the opposite. I thought it was cruel to keep her alive when other people thought she was fine. She was 6 months old, a good weight, ate well, from a very responsible breeder, and had great coordination, but something about her just wasn't 'right'. The vet congratulated me on having such a healthy looking hamster and told me not to worry. About a week or two later I took her back to be pts because she was as light as a feather, could barely walk, and her eyes had fallen out.

From what you've said, your hamster doesn't sound like she has the best quality life, and if she's continuing to get worse then it doesn't sound too good to me. But, as I've said, you're the one who knows her best.

Sorry to hear you're in this situation.


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## Meeka (Mar 27, 2012)

thanks both for the replies; i do honestly feel like she needs to be pts but the vet was adamant most recover with some intensive care. she sleeps all the time except when i wake her to feed her and then she ill attempt to wander round a bit.

here are her complete symptoms:
-weight loss within 1 week from healthy, chubby and pinging around to very thin and frail feeling
-tilts her head to the left side and shakes when her head is held straight
-general shaking especially in her limbs 
-rocking forwards and backwards slightly when trying to clean herself or sit upright at her bowl
-her left side seems stiff to move compared to her right side and this is the side she falls over onto every few steps
-crusted eyes but the vet said this is from sleeping curled over on her face(which she does do)
-walks very slowly in circles and falling over but will change from clockwise to anti clockwise

i read up about it on the net and got some of the symptoms that she might have an inner ear infection or a tumor but the vet said the symptoms relate more to a stroke than anything else and she wouldnt walk in both directions when circling


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

I'm very sorry. I think she has definitely lost her sense of balance-most likely from a stroke. That's what happened to my Georgi.  

If she can barely move to even get her own food or water, I'd say in my opinion that's not the best quality of life.  May be continue treatment for a week and if their is no improvement, may be consider pts. 

How old is she? Hamsters are very prone to cancer in their old age.


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## Meeka (Mar 27, 2012)

sorry to hear its happened to Georgi  it must have been awful for you!

shes improved slightly - fatter and can move more than a few steps but still rolling over a lot and circling whilst shaking, can hamsters have any real quality of life if they permanently circle?

im not sure on her exact age as she was given to me by my daughters friend who got bored of her a month ago. i was told she was a christmas present as a baby hamster from the pet shop though so im guessing around 8 or 9 months old. i do think shes inbred or badly bred though as her head has always been abnormally huge compared to her body and dome shaped from skull to nose like those bull terrier dogs


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