Hedwig Had Two Benign Masses Removed
Hello again, readers,
Today, we wanted to discuss one of the most risky surgeries we've probably ever had carried out on any of our residents - Hedwig having two masses removed.
There are a multitude of reasons as to why the surgery was unbelievably risky; Hedwig is a senior Roborovski Dwarf Hamster, weighing in at only 25g, with a history of seizures.
One of the first questions people understandably ask is; "why risk it?".
Sometimes, cons do outweigh the pros, and in those cases, it's probably not sensible to risk it - especially when there is no prizes at the end.
In this case, we had two options:
Option 1) High Risk Surgery
Pros: Hedwig could go on to live another 2 years
Pros: No masses
Pros: Improves quality of life
Cons: Potential death
Cons: Major surgery
Cons: Long recovery
Cons: Potential secondary bacterial infection
Option 2) Euthanasia
Pros: No risk
Pros: Ends suffering
Cons: Eliminates chance of potential improvement
In our opinion, doing nothing simply wasn't an option - it would've only ended one way - death. Eventually, the masses would've grown so big that Hedwig would've been immobilized. We simply cannot put a living being through that.
The main persuading factor behind our final decision, was because only one of our options presented a chance for Hedwig for to go on and live a full and happy life. In all the other options, Hedwig had the same fate.
Apart from the masses and history of seizures (which seem somewhat stable at the moment), Hedwig was a happy and healthy hamster, it just didn't seem fair to take that away from him.
We believed that Hedwig deserved the chance to fight for the life he so deeply loved. So, we gave our consent for Hedwig to have the surgery.
Our phenomenal veterinarians managed to do their thing (as they always do) and successfully remove both masses - even through one hole! It was touch and go at first, Hedwig was very dopey when he first came round from the anesthetic. Thankfully, a vet was looking over him the entire time.
Hedwig came home, and was placed on Enrofloxacin/Baytril (antibiotic) and Meloxicam/Metacam (NSAIDS). He was supported with the use of ProBiotics (though evidence to support their usage is limited - it certainly wasn't going to do him harm), normal Saline (0.9% Sodium Chloride) washes, and eventually Flamazine cream too - apparently, Hedwig enjoys the taste of glue.
When he got home, was put into hospital accommodation which included a fleece sheet and safe toys. Hedwig's accommodation had no saucer, bedding, or sand bath in order to minimize the chances of injury and secondary infections.
Though Hedwig's chewing habbits delayed the healing process a little, and admittedly his coat has seen better days - we are able to say that Hedwig made a full recovery. We couldn't be anymore pleased for him!
THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SOME GRAPHIC POST-SURGICAL CONTENT WHICH MAY BE DISTRESSING TO SOME READERS.
Today, we wanted to discuss one of the most risky surgeries we've probably ever had carried out on any of our residents - Hedwig having two masses removed.
There are a multitude of reasons as to why the surgery was unbelievably risky; Hedwig is a senior Roborovski Dwarf Hamster, weighing in at only 25g, with a history of seizures.
One of the first questions people understandably ask is; "why risk it?".
Sometimes, cons do outweigh the pros, and in those cases, it's probably not sensible to risk it - especially when there is no prizes at the end.
In this case, we had two options:
Option 1) High Risk Surgery
Pros: Hedwig could go on to live another 2 years
Pros: No masses
Pros: Improves quality of life
Cons: Potential death
Cons: Major surgery
Cons: Long recovery
Cons: Potential secondary bacterial infection
Option 2) Euthanasia
Pros: No risk
Pros: Ends suffering
Cons: Eliminates chance of potential improvement
In our opinion, doing nothing simply wasn't an option - it would've only ended one way - death. Eventually, the masses would've grown so big that Hedwig would've been immobilized. We simply cannot put a living being through that.
The main persuading factor behind our final decision, was because only one of our options presented a chance for Hedwig for to go on and live a full and happy life. In all the other options, Hedwig had the same fate.
Apart from the masses and history of seizures (which seem somewhat stable at the moment), Hedwig was a happy and healthy hamster, it just didn't seem fair to take that away from him.
We believed that Hedwig deserved the chance to fight for the life he so deeply loved. So, we gave our consent for Hedwig to have the surgery.
Our phenomenal veterinarians managed to do their thing (as they always do) and successfully remove both masses - even through one hole! It was touch and go at first, Hedwig was very dopey when he first came round from the anesthetic. Thankfully, a vet was looking over him the entire time.
Hedwig came home, and was placed on Enrofloxacin/Baytril (antibiotic) and Meloxicam/Metacam (NSAIDS). He was supported with the use of ProBiotics (though evidence to support their usage is limited - it certainly wasn't going to do him harm), normal Saline (0.9% Sodium Chloride) washes, and eventually Flamazine cream too - apparently, Hedwig enjoys the taste of glue.
When he got home, was put into hospital accommodation which included a fleece sheet and safe toys. Hedwig's accommodation had no saucer, bedding, or sand bath in order to minimize the chances of injury and secondary infections.
The healing process:
You can keep up with Hedwig on our Instagram.
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