98. The big-eared dwarf hamster

"The hamster is sleepy now," my assistant said as the owner and myself were observing the hamster inside a transparent anaesthetic container in the surgery room. This was part two of the procedure. In part one, the owner was absent and the large lump beside the hamster's left ear had been removed. Now, the owner was present for the stitching of the wound as he was interested in seeing it.




This container had a hole through which a breathing tube carrying anaesthetic gas was pumped in. The hamster breathed the gas and would fall asleep, permitting me to operate. The problem with anaesthesia of the dwarf hamster is that the vet needs to be very careful. A bit too much or a few seconds more of the anaesthetic gas means that the hamster dies.

No second chance. No cardiac massage or emergency resuscitation unlike the dog or cat.

The hamster closed his eyes. I picked him up to stitch the wound of his left ear area. A big fat tumour, globular in shape and 5mm in diameter had been removed some time ago. There was now a big gaping hole of around 8 mm exposing the pink flesh. Bleeding was profuse but had stopped.

The young entrepreneur in his thirties was in the operating room as he wanted to watch the surgery after I had removed the tumour.

His wife waited outside as she could bear to see blood spurting over the hamster's head. She would not want to see the hamster bathed in red blood covering his whole head and neck.

I picked up the hamster and put him on a face towel held by the owner. This 'portly' hamster was tame and did not bite me. As I put in the first stitch, the hamster squeaked and moved. The pain of the needle had wakened him from his drowsiness.

How could that be? The hamster had been in the gas container and should be anaesthesized. I ran through my check. My assistant James had switched off the oxygen which would have mixed with the anaesthetic gas to make the hamster sleep. He was 71 years old but had not done this before. The presence of the owner had distracted him and me.

"Damn it, the gas was not given," I said. I apologised to the owner. It is important that the owner not be present during surgery as he could be distracting as in this case. It could be humiliating and humbling too.

The hamster was put back into the container to breathe the gas. Then as his eyelids closed, I took him out, placed him on the towel held by the palm of the owner and stitched him. 3 fine stitches of 5/0 absorbable. He squeaked at the prick of the needle uniting his torn skin. He was fine and alive.



I taught the owner how to wipe off the blood from the hamster's body. "Use a cotton bud and do it slowly so as not to stress the hamster."
"What about the ear lump?" the owner asked.

"If it grows so big and so fast in the last 5 days," I said, "It would be cancerous and would re-grow." I did not suggest sending the lump for histopathology to confirm whether it was malignant or not as total costs would add up and the results would not help the hamster to survive longer. Cancer treatment for a dwarf hamster is out of question.

The histopathology analysis of a tumour would cost over $200. The hamster's operation and anaesthesia was kept as low as possible at $75.00. Now, the cost of a new hamster would be around $10.00.

The owner and his wife appeared satisfied as they packed the hamster in his cage to bring home to their daughter. From this experience, it is best not to permit owners to observe surgery as they can be distracting to the assistant.