"Just two more 5/0 absorbable interrupted stitches to close the gap near the arm-pit." I said to Nurse Ann. "Hold the fingers of the hamster and abduct the hand. I mean pull the hand away from the body so that I can see clearly the bloodied skin and stitch up the gap near the arm pit."

This would take less than 60 seconds. The dwarf hamster moved her hand and wriggled as the fine needle penetrated her skin. She was feeling the pain as the effect of the gas anaesthesia had worn off.



"Let her sniff more of the gas," I stopped stitching. Nurse Ann put the cotton-soaked anaesthetic close to the hamster's nose for a 
few seconds.  It would be difficult to stitch a moving dwarf hamster which was already half the size of an adult palm.

The hamster stopped breathing. There was no movement of the chest.  Careful scrutiny of the hamster is important as it is not practical to use the ECG equipment to monitor the heart beat as in human anaesthesia.

This hamster had just died under anaesthesia from cardiovascular failure. It needed oxygen and cardiac massage immediately. There were none of the electric machines to stimulate the heart to beat again - those you would see in the televison series ER or 'Emergency Room'.  Even if there were, it was not practical to apply them on such a small creature.

The first few seconds were critical. The hamster would be brain dead soon.  I pried open its mouth and blow in air as I massaged its chest to stimulate the heart. The lungs made a crispy sound as they got inflated. I blew in air again. It seemed a long time, but it was probably five seconds.  The hamster looked dead in this suspended time.

Then it started to move as it opened its mouth. I quickly stitched up the gap in the arm pit. The big wart on its right ear pinnae was cut off. It was weak and I gave it the electroylte injection.

Would it live? The next 3 days would be critical. It was not in a good condition to operate but there was no option. The breast lump had become discoloured. The lower part had become bluish black as it had been injured when the hamster rubbed against the wood shavings during movement.

The next stage would be an open wound. Bacteria would multiply on this wound and the hamster would lick it more as the skin became itchy and reddish. Soon, the hamster would stop eating and die.  I could see that it was dehydrated as I pulled up the skin fold which stood up high above its neck.

It was already one and a half years old. "It has approximately  6 months more of life," I said to the twin girls who had just completed their Primary Six School Leaving Examinations. They had pestered their parents to bring in the hamster for consultation.

"The chances of it surviving anaesthesia are 50:50," I assessed. If only the lump had been removed earlier when the hamster was stronger and younger. As hamsters live for around two years, it ages fast as each month goes by, unlike people who is expected to live past seventy years.

Well, the girls had their important examination which would qualify them to a good secondary school. The mother was concerned that it would be too upsetting to them if the hamster had been operated and had died under anaesthesia. The lump would not shrink and so it was not an abscess. It was likely a breast tumour. Was it risky to operate?  Yes.

"How much it would cost?" the father asked.

"Seventy dollars," I said. The cost was a hundred dollars but then the hamster would be denied the operation needed. It was irritated by the large mass as I observed the bluish skin on the lower part of the rounded tumour. This meant that the hamster had been licking it and possibly biting the lump to get rid of it. It must feel clumsy and uncomfortable with a big mass.  

How much would a baby hamster cost?  Around ten dollars. It sure did not make economic sense for most Singaporean fathers to spend money to get the hamster operated. Many did it for the love of their children.

To me, it was a risky operation and I would rather not do it. Death of a creature under anaesthesia is more traumatic to a veterinarian. A living creature comes to the clinic and it dies on the operating table.        

This hamster was revived. It ate a bit five minutes later and then it went to sleep after a slight half hearted attempt at cleaning itself.  The other hamsters would be alert and busy grooming themselves after surgery. This one looked very tired. Well, it is a nocturnal creature and sleeps during the day.
Would it die in the next few days? 

The twins, bespectacled and rather tall loved this hamster very much and would take good care of it and I hope it would survive for to live out its normal life span. 

ANOTHER HAMSTER WITH BREAST TUMOUR

Dwarf hamster with left breast tumour	Gas anaesthesia given prior to surgery
Recovering from anaesthesia 5 minutes after the end of surgery	Busy grooming itself 10 minutes after surgery	The sibling has right breast tumour too.

Using fine 5/0 absorbale stitches to close up wound	Hamster under anaesthesia will not feel the needle pulled through the skin.

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