55. Sibling with same tumour

E-mail to Dr Sing dated May 4, 2010

Hi doctor Sing,
This is Ann. i bring my hamster down to surgery this morning. The Hamster who develops a tumuor at armpit. Is it successfull?? Is she ok now? i hope she do.. thanks a lot.

The young lady brought the sibling dwarf hamster with a large armpit tumour. Her other hamster had died on the operating table during the 3rd surgery to remove the recurring tumour and she was very upset some months ago. The armpit tumour was nearly 1 cm x 1 cm in size and the hamster was not eating much.

"Why don't you bring the hamster earlier for operation?" I asked her since she had the experience of belated surgery in her first hamster. "It is so much easier to remove a small tumour."

May 5, 2010
It is best not to operate immediately as the dwarf hamster, l.5 years old was not eating much. There were some stools passed.

May 6, 2010
Hamster was not eating as evidenced by no stools passed. Her two eyelids were closed. This was not a good sign of health. I put antibiotics onto the eye and my vet intern Theresa fed her orally using electrolytes 0.5 ml per time. "Likes the Biolapis electroylte but not the Fibroplex," Theresa said.

Now, should I operate or wait another day for the hamster. The hamster was not eating now and its skin stood up as a fold because it was dehydrated.

I decided on anaesthesia using isoflurane and cut off the armpit tumour. The hamster was very weak and I gave her a few seconds of isolurane gas 5%.

Surprisingly, the hamster survived. Theresa is very good at nursing and I expect the hamster to be able to survive and go home.

P.S. No Zoeletil must be given as the hamster was very weak. Surgery could not be delayed further as the hamster needed his hand to grab seeds to eat and the armpit tumour of his right fore caused pain and affected his eating.