Try as best as we could to maintain our pet hamsters condition is our prime duty as the owners. There are many diseases occurred associated with hamsters, from common infection on hamsters such as skin abscesses, lumpy jaw in hamster, pink eyes, and others. Infection occurred mostly caused by open wounds on hamster’ particular areas. Therefore, always monitor your pet hamster every single day; if you ever noticed open wound on the hamster, immediate treatment must be done as prevention of further complication infection.
Furthermore, there are certain serious disease and illness occurred in hamsters that are fatal and threat the sufferers (hamsters), such as bacterial blood-poisoning and tyzzer’s disease. It might sound cruel, but death would be common result of these diseases. Now, my friends, our main topic for today’ article was detecting cancer and tumor on hamster early. This illness name would bring goosebumps to anyone who hear it. Yes, cancer was – unfortunately – untreated illness even in these modern eras.
Both human and animal, the cure isn’t discovered yet. All we can do to face this illness was recognized the first stage if cancer and get help as soon as possible. However, if cancer occurred in hamsters, what we should do? To get the answer of the question, make sure you stay with us until the end in this article: detecting cancer and tumor on hamster early.
Cancer and Tumor in Hamster
A little fact before we’re going to learn how to detecting cancer and tumor in hamster; the black pigment on hamster’ skin is effected the development of melanoma in hamster. Many people still believed that hamsters are starter animal to pet (for beginner owners) due their easy maintenance and care, and free-problems pets. Unfortunately, this is all wrong, people. Hamsters needs certain condition that must be provide to keep the in prime condition – and cleanliness is a must.
Regular cage’ cleaning, food and water containers that must be monitor and ready to remove and refill any time you noticed color changed and dirt, and provided environment enrichment that ready to entertain the hamster for twenty-hours a day. Did you still think that hamsters are starter animal? No, definitely no. In fact, a lot of concern was associated with hamster and cancer. Of course, you need to understand, the first step of cancer was begun from tumor.
So, what is tumor? Basically, tumor was the overgrowth of cells on the sufferers’ bodies. Keep this in mind, not every tumor is dangerous and leads to cancer, no – that is not true. Characteristic of malignant tumor that it could vine to one particular part throughout the body and caused hamster’ lives. So, what should we do? How do we know that our hamsters carried tumor or cancer?
Tumor Diagnosing for Hamster
Observe Hamster’ Lump
As hamsters able to be suspects of cancer and tumor, the first thing to observe on hamster’ body is the lump or belly. One of the most common cancer occurred in hamsters was lymphoma. Lymphoma was a cancer that attacked hamster’ immunity systems; if a hamster was positive with lymphoma, there would be several problems occurred in hamster’ lymph nodes and internal organs which is leads to formation on hamster’ lump or belly. In case your hamster’ lump is large, you could easily see and feel the formations.
Lymph nodes was part of immune systems, it’s located throughout hamster’ body and formed as small nodules. Keep in mind, lymphoma that effected hamster’ belly often occurred to young hamsters which is caused by a virus called Hamster Polyomavirus. Another facts, female hamsters are prone to become barrier of mammary tumor which is effected female hamster’ chest and belly, formed as small nipples that run lengthwise. The tumor would look like large masses on hamster’ body.
The next step you could do is checking out hamster’s armpit and neck. Lymphoma was quite famous as the cause of lymph nodes to swelling around hamster’ neck and armpit. If it was caused by tumor or cancer, you would see the lymph nodes was swollen in hamster’s neck and armpit. Furthermore, the tumor and cancer is also effected victim’s skin. The virus (Hamster Polyomavirus) would exhibit trichoepitheliomas or little wart-like tumors on hamster’s skin.
But, however, the tumor was commonly associated with adult hamsters. The skin condition of the victim would form in different forms such the skin start to developing mange which caused hamster’ skin become itchy and scaly. Another tumor characteristic to search is heat and redness in lump. The skin would start to develop infection lead to abscesses; usually, the vet would determine is the lump is abscess or real tumor.
Note this, a abscess-formed tumor would not feel warm and exhibit redness which is indication of inflammation and infection. But, in rare case – yes, some of tumor resulted in inflammation and infection. This is could only determine by veterinarian. The last, observe the lump on hamster; a tumor or cancer prone to grow rapidly than other problems. If you noticed the lump grow larger in short period, it is potentially a tumor or cancer.
Another Characteristic of Tumor and Cancer
You should be more sensitive of other changed occurred in hamsters. First sign of a problem would always indicate by the decrement of appetite. Common sign of tumor was also the loss of appetite; if at any case you noticed that the hamster won’t finish his meal, refuse any of his favorite treat, and worse – won’t eat at all, it is safe to think there’s problem that’s happening with your pet hamster.
Furthermore, lymphoma often times resulted with digestive upset considered that it effected internal organs (intestines and stomach), one of the common sign was diarrhea. Don’t expect a vomit, because hamster couldn’t vomit, folks. However, hair loss would appear if the hamster was infected with thyroid and adrenal tumor. The tumor disturbed hormones balancing which impacted to hair loss on hamster; not only that, thyroid and adrenal tumor was the main caused of extreme thirst on hamster.
If you have to refill the water container of bottle more often than usually, you must suspicious. The last thing you could do to detect cancer and tumor is hamster’ behavior. The tumor that growth in hamster would trigger uncomfortable feeling for him. He would start to lick the tumor location which often injure the particular part and cause baldness. Furthermore, due the size of the tumor, your hamster would start walk strangely and over the time, he would get weaker and weaker.
My dear friends, if you ever noticed all the symptoms above, there’s no need to delay appointment with the vet – do it as soon as possible. All I could say is good luck, folks!