(no subject)
This morning, Mike saw our hamster, Toki, acting oddly. He took her out of her cage and she lay still in his hands. She never sits still for more than two seconds, so we took her in to Hershel's room to see what he thought. I spent a while calling vets to find an emergency one and the closest was in Acton. Meanwhile, she wouldn't leave Mike. Whenever he'd try and lay her on the bed, she'd climb back into his hand. She lay like this for a long time, breathing with her mouth open. The whole time, she never opened her eyes more than a teeny bit to peek up at us.
We drove out to Acton with her wrapped in one of his shirts. She really doesn't like the sunlight, she'd hide whenever it hit her. She was a little more lively in the car, but by the time we got there, she was almost unmoving. The vet took one look at her and ran with her to the back room to get her on oxygen. She laid there in a little tank while he listened to her breathe, her lungs were full of fluid. She's probably been sick for a long time, but little creatures try their best to hide it. The only signs we had that anything was wrong was excessive drinking and not wanting to run in her wheel or ball in the last couple weeks. So he gave us the option of putting her down or doing xrays and stuff to see exactly what it was. He thought it was pneumonia, and if that was the case, she wasn't going to make it anyway. We both started to cry, they gave us a few to discuss it, and we left her there to be put down and cremated.
A lot of people wonder how one could get so upset over something so tiny. She was a good hamster, though, never bit, always enthusiastic and friendly. She was part of our fucked up little family here.
The vets at Acton Emergency Vet are really nice. It's weird crying in front of people. I bet it's worse having to deal with sick and dying animals on top of their upset owners, though. Seems like a hard job.
We drove out to Acton with her wrapped in one of his shirts. She really doesn't like the sunlight, she'd hide whenever it hit her. She was a little more lively in the car, but by the time we got there, she was almost unmoving. The vet took one look at her and ran with her to the back room to get her on oxygen. She laid there in a little tank while he listened to her breathe, her lungs were full of fluid. She's probably been sick for a long time, but little creatures try their best to hide it. The only signs we had that anything was wrong was excessive drinking and not wanting to run in her wheel or ball in the last couple weeks. So he gave us the option of putting her down or doing xrays and stuff to see exactly what it was. He thought it was pneumonia, and if that was the case, she wasn't going to make it anyway. We both started to cry, they gave us a few to discuss it, and we left her there to be put down and cremated.
A lot of people wonder how one could get so upset over something so tiny. She was a good hamster, though, never bit, always enthusiastic and friendly. She was part of our fucked up little family here.
The vets at Acton Emergency Vet are really nice. It's weird crying in front of people. I bet it's worse having to deal with sick and dying animals on top of their upset owners, though. Seems like a hard job.