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Dying hamster |
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#26 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21,375
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Quote:
She's asleep all the time now but still breathing. I'll ring another vet first thing tomorrow if she's still alive and ask another opinion and will maybe take her to be put down.
Taking it to be put down would probably finish her off (and it's highly unlikely she's in any pain now) |
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#27 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 23,649
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Just seen the update. Thanks OP. I hope you are ok.
Thanks. It's my 13 year-old daughter's hamster really but I've grown to love her too as she was so tame and fun to play with. |
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#28 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 23,649
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Probably best just to let her go in her sleep?
Taking it to be put down would probably finish her off (and it's highly unlikely she's in any pain now) Yeah that's what 2 vets at the PDSA have said but some posters here are making me feel guilty that I've not taken her to be put down. Maybe they're right, dunno. ![]()
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#29 |
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Posts: n/a
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Note: the charity's advice is going to be honest because they are running a non profit organisation.
And I apologise that I keep referring her as a him. It's just me not reading properly! |
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#30 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Reserved in Heaven
Posts: 12,890
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When I was a teenager, my neighbour's hamster suddenly started sleeping a lot & she was advised that he was dying, & it would happen within a couple of days. It hung on for almost a week, & it was horrible for her son. He'd be checking on it almost every hour except when he was at school, with the hamster sleeping deeper & deeper. He was only about 6 or 7 at the time, & the little mite would sometimes try to wake it up.
His mum had no way of getting to a vet or the money to pay for one, so once she saw how much it was disturbing her son, she gently asked him to say goodbye to the hamster one morning as she thought it might go that day, then got another neighbour round while she & her son were out to put it to sleep (she didn't ask how, but thought it would be with a cloth over its nose & mouth). She felt it was cruel to let it linger for so long, & it wasn't fair to her son either. It's the memory of that creature dying so slowly that has put me off ever having one. I don't think I could take having to deal with a lingering death after only a couple of years of life, even though they've had their natural lifespan. The OP will have to do what's right for the hamster she's got. Personally, I think that a vet dispatching it to hamster heaven asap is the better way, but their own circumstances may not allow for that to happen. |
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#31 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: The South
Posts: 5,620
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OP I lost my hamster this week and am still grieving for the poor little angel. She had a few days of suffering too, but we did actually take her to a vet who tried to save her, at a cost of £70. Two days later she passed away. In hindsight I wished the vet had just given her the injection, because holding her in my hands while she took her last breath was utterly awful and traumatic.
It's a hard decision to make, I appreciate that. In a way I'm glad that my girl passed away at home, but on the other hand I feel we were prolonging her agony. I'm sending you a hug, whatever you decide. |
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#32 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Liverpool, UK
Posts: 2,194
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Had quite a few small pets over the years, Hamsters & Gerbils.
Once they stop eating/drinking, they don't tend to last very long at all, maybe a day or 2. As for whether the death is peaceful or not, it depends in how bad of a way they're in. One of my last Hamsters was finished off due to an epileptic fit (he'd always suffered them), which must have caused a stroke. He couldn't walk properly, always falling over and lost his appetite. Within 2 days of this happening, he was found dead, comfortably in his bed. |
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#33 |
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I know someone who drowned their rat because it was dying of old age.
This makes me so angry! Why do people want to tamper with nature? Dying of old age must be more peaceful then being placed in a bucket of water or being suffocated!!!
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#34 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,814
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Quote:
Yeah that's what 2 vets at the PDSA have said but some posters here are making me feel guilty that I've not taken her to be put down. Maybe they're right, dunno.
![]() ![]() Either have the guts to put her out of her misery or take her to the vets to be pts. At the moment, she is dying in pain. |
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#35 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Reserved in Heaven
Posts: 12,890
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I know someone who drowned their rat because it was dying of old age.
This makes me so angry! Why do people want to tamper with nature? Dying of old age must be more peaceful then being placed in a bucket of water or being suffocated!!! ![]() |
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#36 |
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That's absolute rubbish!!
Please do NOT put her out of her misery!! I have never heard of anything so cruel in my life! OP, I would take the PDSA's advice. She'll be perfectly peaceful having a nice little sleep and she'll pass peacefully too. Don't disturb her. She'll be traumatised by the bright lights and the jolting around. Sorry for getting a little angry but I can't even believe someone would suggest that! If you can't afford to have an animal put down (of any other reason than old age) then you should not have a pet. |
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#37 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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That's absolute rubbish!!
Please do NOT put her out of her misery!! I have never heard of anything so cruel in my life! OP, I would take the PDSA's advice. She'll be perfectly peaceful having a nice little sleep and she'll pass peacefully too. Don't disturb her. She'll be traumatised by the bright lights and the jolting around. Sorry for getting a little angry but I can't even believe someone would suggest that! If you can't afford to have an animal put down (of any other reason than old age) then you should not have a pet. |
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#38 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,137
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Yeah that's what 2 vets at the PDSA have said but some posters here are making me feel guilty that I've not taken her to be put down. Maybe they're right, dunno.
![]() ![]() Sorry if it's making you feel guilty I'm just trying to help you do the best for your hamster. I run a popular hamster website and many of the members and hamster breeders on there would suggest taking the hamster to the vet to be put down. I know it's sad to have to do it and I feel terrible when I've had to do it too but I know it's best for the hamster and I know it's not had to suffer over a few days.
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#39 |
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That depends on whether they're also suffering from medical conditions that are causing them pain. When my dog was 13, he started to lose his sight & hearing. Even though he started to eat less, he still put on weight because he wasn't able to run about as much - he lost the confidence to run in the park, & went from a dog who'd almost spin himself into the ground with excitement because he was going out for a walk to a dog who'd just lie in the dining room. He also got painful arthritis & heart problems. He started to be in a lot of pain, & my Dad decided to go with the vet's advice to have him put to sleep. If he'd just been old, he would have let him die at home, but he was in a lot of pain as he was finding it very hard to tolerate his medication, & he didn't think it was fair on him.
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#40 |
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Sorry for getting a little angry but I can't even believe someone would suggest that! If you can't afford to have an animal put down (of any other reason than old age) then you should not have a pet.
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#41 |
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To be fair, sometimes people's circumstances change after they've got the pet - they may move home, or lose their job (something they might not have been able to foresee) or may have had another child. In a case where an animal has suddenly become ill & they haven't had time to plan for how to deal with it, the family finances do have to be taken into account. Just because they might not be able to afford to have the animal put to sleep doesn't make them bad pet owners - not every area has a charitable pet service, & not everyone has a car to get themselves there with the pet (you can walk with a gerbil or a kitten, but you might have difficulty with a larger animal).
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#42 |
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,635
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Quote:
She's asleep all the time now but still breathing. I'll ring another vet first thing tomorrow if she's still alive and ask another opinion and will maybe take her to be put down.
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#43 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,477
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Putting your pet to sleep is one of the kindest things you can do. Pity us humans aren't afforded the same rights.
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#44 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Hertfordshire
Posts: 12,998
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I've seen hamsters at the end of their days and feel for you CrazyChris... hope the poor little hammy is at peace soon
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#45 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Sutton Coldfield
Posts: 3,879
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Quote:
Yeah that's what 2 vets at the PDSA have said but some posters here are making me feel guilty that I've not taken her to be put down. Maybe they're right, dunno.
![]() ![]() YES...they ARE right! Why leave this poor animal suffering more than it should do already? Why not listen to your own instincts? surely that cannot be so difficult? Anyone who owns an animal will know of the right thing to do if it is suffering. Asking the OBVIOUS question on DS has now prolonged the agony of this poor animal when it could have been put to sleep peacefully and out of the sheer agony that it is suffering. Why not simply take it to a vet in the first place and do the right thing from the start instead of 'pussy-footing' around? 2 vets cannot be wrong and it's not rocket science to know if an animal is suffering or not. Just do the right thing please instead of putting th animal through agony! |
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#46 |
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Guest
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 23,649
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The 2 vets told me NOT to take it though, and let her die peacefully here at home. You seem to have misunderstood as they didn't say to take her when I rang Thursday and again Friday. She's still hanging on this morning.
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#47 |
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: The South
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The 2 vets told me NOT to take it though, and let her die peacefully here at home. You seem to have misunderstood as they didn't say to take her when I rang Thursday and again Friday. She's still hanging on this morning.
Chris I am thinking of you. It is heart-wrenching to see a little one dying. With my little baby this week, it got to the point where I wished she would hurry up and pass. I couldn't stand seeing her in such obvious distress. I hope your little one's suffering will soon be over. xxx |
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#48 |
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Guest
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 23,649
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I'm disabled and not working so that's why we go to the PDSA and just give a £5 donation. The woman said they're closed all weekend and to let her die in peace here. If she's still alive Monday morning I'll take her.
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His mum had no way of getting to a vet or the money to pay for one, so once she saw how much it was disturbing her son, she gently asked him to say goodbye to the hamster one morning as she thought it might go that day, then got another neighbour round while she & her son were out to put it to sleep (she didn't ask how, but thought it would be with a cloth over its nose & mouth). She felt it was cruel to let it linger for so long, & it wasn't fair to her son either.