Euthanasia: When is it “time”?

[alexr]

Ha well I thought making Hamish a little nest area was a nice idea but the sight that greeted me this morning made me chuckle. Herbie had decided to get in on the action and has pulled the bed forward, taking up residence and leaving Hamish with a little space at the back.

 

[VickiA]

There’s always an opportunist when it comes to a comfy bed!

 

[alexr]

There’s always an opportunist when it comes to a comfy bed!

Oh yes! I do have two of the beds but one’s in the wash. Anyway, as you can see, Hamish has reclaimed the comfy spot now! X

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw, Hamish, that’s right it’s your bed! get him told x

 

[alexr]

I’m just recovering from quite a shock when I took Hamish to see Simon today. I took him at the same time as Harry who was undergoing investigations for his UTI. Simon saw Hamish first as we thought he’d be the easiest to deal with. Sadly not!

Hamish needed his teeth burring again and I wanted Simon to examine the strange crusty clumps he’d developed on his shoulders and legs. A while ago, Hamish had flaky skin and hair loss on his shoulders. Simon gave him Stronghold last time but Hamish started losing lots of hair until he was almost bald on his shoulders and had very dry skin. This seemed to be improving and hair grew back but then he started to develop clumps of hair stuck to big hard lumps on his legs and shoulders.

Today, Simon said he’d not seen anything like it and was really baffled as to what it was. He didn’t think it looked like mites or fungal. He pulled two clumps off to reveal sore craters underneath. When he pulled the second clump off, Hamish has a massive fit. His head rolled to the side and he keeled over with eyes rolling. I honestly thought he’d passed away! After, what felt like forever, he suddenly came to.

Simon is baffled as to what it is and thought it was must either be mites or even something more sinister.

Once he was happy Hamish could take another intervention, Simon gave him a Panomec injection and said Hamish needs another one next week. We’ll see if that helps.

To be honest, I’m worried about whether he can handle anymore but we’ll see how he goes. We had to keep checking he was still alive in his box while Harry was being examined. I think the poor lad just needs to keep quiet and calm now.

My poor nerves and poor, poor Hamish.

 

[Wiebke]

I’m just recovering from quite a shock when I took Hamish to see Simon today. I took him at the same time as Harry who was undergoing investigations for his UTI. Simon saw Hamish first as we thought he’d be the easiest to deal with. Sadly not!

Hamish needed his teeth burring again and I wanted Simon to examine the strange crusty clumps he’d developed on his shoulders and legs. A while ago, Hamish had flaky skin and hair loss on his shoulders. Simon gave him Stronghold last time but Hamish started losing lots of hair until he was almost bald on his shoulders and had very dry skin. This seemed to be improving and hair grew back but then he started to develop clumps of hair stuck to big hard lumps on his legs and shoulders.

Today, Simon said he’d not seen anything like it and was really baffled as to what it was. He didn’t think it looked like mites or fungal. He pulled two clumps off to reveal sore craters underneath. When he pulled the second clump off, Hamish has a massive fit. His head rolled to the side and he keeled over with eyes rolling. I honestly thought he’d passed away! After, what felt like forever, he suddenly came to.

Simon is baffled as to what it is and thought it was must either be mites or even something more sinister.

Once he was happy Hamish could take another intervention, Simon gave him a Panomec injection and said Hamish needs another one next week. We’ll see if that helps.

To be honest, I’m worried about whether he can handle anymore but we’ll see how he goes. We had to keep checking he was still alive in his box while Harry was being examined. I think the poor lad just needs to keep quiet and calm now.

My poor nerves and poor, poor Hamish.

Poor you and poor Hamish!
I hope that the news about Harry is better?

I have never come across something like this on the forum, either; but I can link in @Abi_nurse for you in case she has seen or heard about something like this at the exotics clinic she works at.

 

[eileen]

I'm sorry Hamish is unwell.sending my support,x

 

[YvonneBlue]

Sorry to read this upsetting news about Hamish. Fingers and paws crossed for him and big hugs for you.

 

[Hholmes]

Poor Hamish. Hope his meds help him. Xx

 

[alexr]

Poor you and poor Hamish!
I hope that the news about Harry is better?

I have never come across something like this on the forum, either; but I can link in @Abi_nurse for you in case she has seen or heard about something like this at the exotics clinic she works at.

Thanks Wiebke, I posted about Harry on his thread to try to keep the issues separate. Simon was 50/50 as to whether it was a UTI/stone. We’re going to try the antibiotics for another 2 days but if no improvement or worsening of symptoms, we’ll X-Ray.

Hamish’s weird skin is very odd. Simon advised not to touch, bathe or put anything on the sores from where he removed the clumps of skin or it might tip Hamish over the edge. He said the only way to find out more would be to send a biopsy to a lab but they’d probably need tissue from the wound site and not just what he pulled off. We agreed prodding and poking wouldn’t be fair to Hamish.

So I guess it’s just a case of making sure he’s comfortable really.

 

[alexr]

Poor Hamish. Hope his meds help him. Xx♥

Thank you. xx

 

[alexr]

Sorry to read this upsetting news about Hamish. Fingers and paws crossed for him and big hugs for you.

Thank you. It was quite an unexpected incident at the vets but he seems quite chilled out now he’s home. X

 

[alexr]

I'm sorry Hamish is unwell.sending my support,x

Thanks Eileen. Much appreciated. X

 

[Abi_nurse]

Hey there. Sorry to hear about this. Sounds like he became quite stressed bless him. Is Hamish itchy at all? do you have any photos? Sounds like a condition other rodents get callEd cutaneous lymphoma but without photos etc I really really wouldn’t want to say it is this. Did Simon take any hair for analysis or testing? This would be the first step to looking it into it. Has he been treated for fungal even if you think not?

x

 

[alexr]

Hey there. Sorry to hear about this. Sounds like he became quite stressed bless him. Is Hamish itchy at all? do you have any photos? Sounds like a condition other rodents get callEd cutaneous lymphoma but without photos etc I really really wouldn’t want to say it is this. Did Simon take any hair for analysis or testing? This would be the first step to looking it into it. Has he been treated for fungal even if you think not?

x

Thank you for getting back to me. He is itching but it’s mostly if he’s touched in the area rather than when he just goes about his day to day life.

I’ll have to take a look at photos of cutaneous lymphoma. Another possibility Simon mentioned was, I believe, something to do with neoplasia. However, he said he wouldn’t be itchy. I will try to get some photos tomorrow but it will be of the sores revealed underneath as the lumps are concealed in his hair but are evident to the touch.

Simon thought the lab would need more tissue from the underlying wound and not just the scab and he didn’t want to stress Hamish anymore and he’s too frail for sedation so we decided against sending it away.

We did speak about Itrafungol but Simon wanted to see if there was any response to Panomec first.

 

[alexr]

@Abi_nurse I managed to take a snap of a couple of the lesions found under the skin clumps but there’s not much to photograph with the other clumps as they’re covered in hair.

 

[alexr]

So Mr Hamish had his review yesterday. His skin hasn’t responded particularly well to the Panamec injection and Simon is still a bit baffled by it. We’re going to try Itrafungol for a fortnight to see if that makes any difference.
Hamish has put on 100g since “supporting” poorly Harry and encouraging him to eat at dinner times. It seems someone else’s food is far more interesting than his own.

 

[piggieminder]

Sorry he still has a skin problem, if anyone can sort it Simon can! It's really good he's putting weight on. Peanut is finally putting some of his weight back after his nasty reaction to abcess surgery, he's not encouraging poorly Spike to eat he'd rather have extra's himself!

 

[alexr]

Sorry he still has a skin problem, if anyone can sort it Simon can! It's really good he's putting weight on. Peanut is finally putting some of his weight back after his nasty reaction to abcess surgery, he's not encouraging poorly Spike to eat he'd rather have extra's himself!

I’m glad to hear Peanut’s doing well. Naughty lad pinching Spike’s food. They are little monkeys! It’s interesting Hamish’s normal cage mate Herbie is also putting on weight while Hamish spends time with Harry. It leads me to believe Hamish is actually more of a food hog than I realised.

 

[alexr]

An update on Hamish’s story for anyone who’s been following it. Sadly, the time came on Saturday when Hamish had to be sent to the bridge. I didn’t feel he was truly enjoying life anymore as he struggled to move and would just sit. It was a very tricky decision to make as he’d developed a ridiculously huge appetite and I thought “ooh at least he enjoys eating!” Sadly, it turned out he had a stomach tumour which was why he was eating massive amounts and not putting on weight.

He went to the bridge at the same time as Harry, another of my boys who hadn’t responded to a fortnight of treatment for a UTI, was suspected to have lymphoma and stopped eating.

It was the most heartbreaking day imaginable but I’m glad they are together at the bridge.

I’m struggling hugely to come to terms with it all but I’ll post a tribute to them both when time allows. X