4151. A dwarf hamster keeps pawing his left swollen cheek. What to do?

A dwarf hamster keeps pawing his left swollen cheek. What to do?

Veterinary Stories by Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow)

A Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Educational Video sponsored by Toa Payoh Vets.

Singapore's younger generations of hamster owners are very well informed as they do internet research and are connected by the hamster forum whenever their hamster is sick. Sometimes, they make the correct diagnosis as in this case of a left swollen cheek in a 1.5-year-old male dwarf hamster.

On 6 Jul 2022, the lady owner WhatsApp me for appointment the next day. She had diagnosed IMPACTION of the cheek pouch. 

On Thursday 7 Jul 2022, her mother brought the hamster to Toa Payoh Vets as she was working.
"How long has the impaction been present?" I told her that the lower left cheek had become hairless and inflamed. 

"I don't know, maybe one week or more," she replied via her smartphone. "He always store his seed and pellets inside his left cheek pouch. He would take out the food inside the pouch later. But this time, he could not do it for the past week. So he needs veterinary attention quite urgently!"

Why was there an urgency? If you view the video of the hamster at the clinic, before treatment, you can see that he was pawing his left chin and licking his two paws with lots of energy. As if he was trying to get rid of the swollen mass inside his left cheek. 

  

With a bit of gas anaesthesia, I could extract the front portion of the big vegetable mass. The smell of stale vegetables wafted out from this mass in the treatment room. The hamster disgorged the remaining mass. He was an inpatient for 3 days for medication and observation.

As at 9 Jul 2022, the 3-day inpatient hamster is much happier with no swollen left cheek pouch now. He does not paw the skin of the left cheek area and will go home tomorrow after a course of medication and painkillers. 

Phone Toa Payoh Vets +65 6254-3326, 9668-6468, 9664-0404 for prompt veterinary treatment of impacted cheek pouch in your dwarf hamster.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2022/07/treatment-of-impacted-cheek-pouch-in.html

VIDEOS OF HAMSTER PAWING HIMSELF - BEFORE TREATMENT TO RELIEVE THE IMPACTION OF THE CHEEK POUCH

SEARCH "CHEEK POUCH" AT YOUTUBE OF TOA PAYOH VETS:  
https://www.youtube.com/user/99pups

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Early treatment prevents more severe ulceration and necrosis of the impacted left cheek pouch. The hamster's lower neck and chin were hairless, inflamed and itchy. The hamster just could not help pawing the irritating left cheek pouch, injuring her right front paws via frequent smacking at the left cheek pouch. Hoping to get rid of the dry lump about 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.9 inches. 

As at 9 Jul 2022, the 3-day inpatient hamster is much happier with no swollen left cheek pouch now. He does not paw the skin of the left cheek area and will go home tomorrow after a course of medication and painkillers. 

Phone Toa Payoh Vets +65 6254-3326, 9668-6468, 9664-0404 for prompt veterinary treatment of impacted cheek pouch in your dwarf hamster.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2022/07/treatment-of-impacted-cheek-pouch-in.html

VIDEOS OF HAMSTER PAWING HIMSELF - BEFORE TREATMENT TO RELIEVE THE IMPACTION OF THE CHEEK POUCH

SEARCH "CHEEK POUCH" AT YOUTUBE OF TOA PAYOH VETS:  
https://www.youtube.com/user/99pups or below:

Swollen left cheek, hair loss lower body

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The hamster paws and paws his left swollen cheek pouch. What to do?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow)>

COMPILED VIDEO

People who have never suffered the unbearable itchiness of the body will find it hard to understand the need to scratch and scratch to find relief from the irritable skin sensation. In this hamster, the left cheek pouch which stores seeds and pellets got into a sticky mass. The hamster could not dislodge it using his paws. He kept pawing his left cheek with his front paws for many days.  He scratched his lower neck, lower side of the cheek pouch and lower chest and belly as evident from the 3-minute video taken at Toa Payoh Vets. 

After the hamster had breathed in a bit of the anaesthetic gas, I could extract the front portion of the big vegetable mass. The smell of stale vegetables wafted out from this mass in the treatment room. The hamster then disgorged the remaining mass. He was an inpatient for 3 days for medication and observation.

Early treatment prevents more severe ulceration and necrosis of the impacted left cheek pouch. The hamster's lower neck and chin were hairless, inflamed and itchy. The hamster just could not help pawing the irritating left cheek pouch, injuring her right front paws via frequent smacking at the left cheek pouch. Hoping to get rid of the dry lump about 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.9 inches.

After the treatment, the hamster no longer feels itchy, bite his front legs and scratch his ears with his back legs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2022/07/treatment-of-impacted-cheek-pouch-in.html