The 4-month-old Syrian hamster had a very hard lump on her right hip. It felt like a 5-cent coin had been inserted under the skin of her right hip.

A vet rejected the case outright and that was probably wise of her. This is the type of case which has very poor prognosis and destroys a vet's reputation.

I diagnosed it as an abscess. The young lady owner said it developed quickly to this size. It would be a flesh-eating bacteria.

The hamster looked active but was eating less as judged from the weight loss. I had given the hamster oral baytril for one day. Her weight dropped by 4 gram over 24 hours. So, an operation to open the abscess would be the only hope.

Anaesthesia. Isoflurane gas at 5% in a chamber to effect was used without problems as the hamster survived.

Surgery.
A thick-walled abscess below the skin. This wall was 4 mm thick. As I incised the wall, a foul rotten-egg smell hit my nose. Gangrenous green spots on the skin showed that the bacteria was not the usual type. It was a type which destroyed cells. I saw bluish black granules deep inside, encapsulated partially by a thin white wall of tissue around 2 mm thick. Abundant orange granules oozed from further in. Around 1 ml in amount. I removed as much as I could. Sutured up the wall and the skin. I phoned the owner that the hamster was not going to survive at around 4 hours after the surgery as I noted that the hamster was breathing fast. In hamsters, it is impossible to give IV drips. The owner came later and was understanding of the poor outcome.    
 

This type of large necrotising abscess case has poor surgical outcomes. Although the hamster survived the anaesthesia, she passed away 8 hours after surgery. Fortunately, the young lady was well aware of the poor prognosis and did not make wild allegations of incompetence. Surgery to drain the abscess would be effective if the abscess was detected early. Check your hamster daily.

P.S  Touch and feel them for lumps and abscesses.