Ovarian Cysts in Gigabyte

Noticing Gigabyte’s rapid breathing, I took her to the vet on Thursday, April 28, 2011.  The possibilities were pneumonia or other lung problems, such as abscess and tumors, so the vet prescribed antibiotics, and asked me to bring the Syrian hamster back two weeks later.

After a few days, her abdomen felt swollen, which could be one of the reasons she had been having problems standing on two legs  When I took Gigabyte in for her follow-up on May 13, the vet found ovarian cysts giving off fluids.  He asked me to keep an eye on her and bring her back when she stopped eating or had any other behavioral changes.

The following week, Gigabyte seemed to have trouble sleeping and moving, which kept her from reaching the water bottle and good.  When I tried to touch her, she darted away, so it was another trip to the vet on May 19 where they found increased abdominal swelling causing her pain.  All treatment options were expensive and painful without guarantee of improvement, and she didn’t have much time either.  The vet suggested euthanasia as the best way, and I agreed.  Gigabyte is the first female hamster I had for over two years.

The next day, I bought two new female hamsters, a short-haired cream and a long-haired dove.  They are still tiny, and made me realize how big Tortion has grown over the last two and half months.