not adrenal disease, now ovarian cysts

[tonyshuman]

In my previous post I mentioned that my regular vet said Petunia may have a Cushings-like adrenal disease. She's a Russian dwarf hamster, 1.5 yrs old.

A month and a half later (today), I took her to the first vet I could find an opening at (the UW vet school's hospital), and they believe it is instead ovarian cysts. Her ovaries are about dime-sized. I cannot see them, but they could feel them and also put her under GA to get a better look. She also has swollen, red, irritated skin on her chest--first set of teats only, with hair loss, and a bit of hair loss on her nape, also with red, irritated skin underneath.

I took her in for what I thought was a clicking noise while breathing, but just like the car that only makes the noise when it's not at the mechanic's shop, they didn't find that.

She sleeps a lot more than she used to, but still runs on her wheel and hides food with the best of them. She also vigorously attacks any intruding hands in her cage, so grumpiness cannot be used as a determination of how she's feeling, like most dwarfs.

I posted in Mallory's thread (RIP) as well, but I welcome any other advice you might have. I've never had an animal die slowly on me or have a chronic ailment. It may be difficult for me to determine when "it's time".

I worry that the cysts may grow large enough to impede her movement. Removal is not an option because although she did fine under GA today, a more extended period of GA, plus the blood loss that would be expected with removing two large cysts that could actually be highly vascularized ovarian tumors as well would be too much for her.

[tonyshuman]

Well, yesterday we went to the vet for a look at a bump/lesion on her side. It apparently wasn't an infection but just a skin tag/bump thing to not worry about. I was worried that she had bitten herself in pain from her ovaries, as the bump was near where they are.

Her left ovary is taking up most of her body cavity, and the vet is going to look into what treatments can be done to reduce her ovary size short of a spay. I don't really want to risk abdominal surgery on a dwarf hamster that's 1yr 7 mo, so things like needle aspiration and/or meds used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in humans (Are there any?) will be investigated.

I am to watch for difficulty breathing, increased intake/output of water, and diarrhea. As the mass pushes on her tiny kidneys and intestines, they could be damaged and cause pain and these problems.

[Die Fledermaus]

Dime sized ovaries. . . on a dwarf?? Oy.

We send you our best wishes and hopes.

"It is time" when the critter's behavior changes drastically in terms of eating, drinking, and when scabs and such appear, or the critter seems distracted and distressed by them. It is hard to tell. Usually, as is typical, they hide distress - as necessary in the wild - and then just lay down and pass, and that might take 12 hours or 36.

The only HIDEOUS death I had was that of Rainy. See the thread Death Watch for Rainy which would be in the Hamster forum from March 2004. I can't even talk about it. It resulted in an "emergency euthanasia" discussion and thread which you can also find by scanning threads or using a forum Search. It used dry ice. All that happened with Rainy on a Sunday evening. I could not even find an emergency dog vet then. The story is in the thread. I can't talk about it.

[pinky]

Jan 22, 2010 15:32:56 GMT -4 tonyshuman said:

Well, yesterday we went to the vet for a look at a bump/lesion on her side. It apparently wasn't an infection but just a skin tag/bump thing to not worry about. I was worried that she had bitten herself in pain from her ovaries, as the bump was near where they are.

Her left ovary is taking up most of her body cavity, and the vet is going to look into what treatments can be done to reduce her ovary size short of a spay. I don't really want to risk abdominal surgery on a dwarf hamster that's 1yr 7 mo, so things like needle aspiration and/or meds used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in humans (Are there any?) will be investigated.

I am to watch for difficulty breathing, increased intake/output of water, and diarrhea. As the mass pushes on her tiny kidneys and intestines, they could be damaged and cause pain and these problems.

Sorry to hear this, tonyshuman. Certainly, aspiration of any fluid will help, if it can be done. It was a Christmas miracle for Mal--but unfortunately the effects didn't last. I still tear up if I think about it too long.

Will think positive thoughts for Petunia. I really empathize--I'm having my own issues with Jayde (see Jayde vet thread).

[tonyshuman]

Yes, I worry too about how useful any treatment will be, as I can not really expect her to make it to her 2nd birthday this June even if she were totally healthy. I do know of an emergency vet where I have taken a very ill hamster before. At least she is still happy, in her cranky little way. She gets her treats, veggies, scrambled eggs, and cereals; I've really abandoned "the rules" when it comes to feeding her as I know there's no need to worry about her long-term health. She has one of those big treat sticks in there too--like a hamster candy bar. She loves to run and bury herself in the bedding too.

I will at least be prepared to lose her, unlike my other two dwarves who died unexpectedly.

[tonyshuman]

Vet has recommended a drug given to cows with cystic ovary disease that causes the cysts to break open in a normal (ie non-painful manner). It's a hormone, also given to women with PCOS. We're ordering it and will at least give it a try. If you look at her closely, you can kind of see the outline of the tumor on her left side, which is scary. I hope that this treatment will help so that she can die of old age, not suffocation or organ failure brought on by her enlarged ovaries pressing on them. It's all about giving her a comfortable last few months and a non-scary way to pass. She's still feisty and runs in her wheel daily.

Here are some recent pics:

[Die Fledermaus]

I never heard of such a medication. If it is efficacious please start a thread about it and I will make it a Sticky.

I will check the pix when my new PC is going - see other thread today.

[pinky]

Feb 5, 2010 16:55:38 GMT -4 tonyshuman said:

Vet has recommended a drug given to cows with cystic ovary disease that causes the cysts to break open in a normal (ie non-painful manner). It's a hormone, also given to women with PCOS. We're ordering it and will at least give it a try. If you look at her closely, you can kind of see the outline of the tumor on her left side, which is scary. I hope that this treatment will help so that she can die of old age, not suffocation or organ failure brought on by her enlarged ovaries pressing on them. It's all about giving her a comfortable last few months and a non-scary way to pass. She's still feisty and runs in her wheel daily.

Sounds like Petunia and my Jayde are on a similar trajectory, with us owners knowing that the end is in sight but hoping that it's as painless as possible for our little girls. Hope the medication extends her life and gives it better quality.

(Jade is bleeding in spite of the Baytril now.)

The photos make me smile--she's a pretty girl!

Keep us posted, tonyshuman.

[tonyshuman]

After trying very hard to make life easier for Ms. Petunia with her ovarian cysts, we lost the fight. She received the injection of the hormone drug that is used to help other species with this problem on Wednesday. I took her to work with me and watched her all day to make sure she was ok, with all of her favorite treats to eat. Yesterday, after coming home very late from work, she wasn't acting normally. I picked her up and noticed she was bleeding from her genital area. We took her to the emergency vet where she continued to have trouble breathing and showed signs of pain (shaking). We asked the vet what our options were, and they said if we could stabilize her, they could spay her. I did not think she could make it through a spay surgery and heal properly, so I asked them to put her to sleep instead.

The drug was called gonadorelin, I think, and it's gonadotropin releasing hormone. This hormone causes the body to release the hormones involved in ovulation in females. Cystic ovary disease is thought to be a dysfunction where the ova in the ovaries get almost to the point of maturation but are not ultimately released. The maturation of an ovum is regulated by one hormone, and the release is regulated by another one. The hormone involved in ovum release is found to be low in animals with this condition. A short, intense peak of gonadotropin releasing hormone in the body causes this hormone to be released, so injection of a single dose of the drug can cause the body to produce this hormone and have the mature ova be released.

Naturally I was worried about the potential of having multiple mature ova released at one time. Perhaps this was what caused her bleeding. The vet had used this drug on cows and ferrets before, without them showing bleeding or pain, so I do not think this is what happened. The addition of the hormones should cause normal ovum maturation, which should not be painful or cause bleeding.

It is more likely that her enlarged ovaries were not cystic but instead cancerous. Thus, giving the hormone did nothing to help, and a blood vessel related to the cancerous ovaries burst causing her bleeding. They also could have been infected and caused her to go septic. I don't know what happened, but I know having her euthanized was the right thing to do.

I will post a memorial for her.

Thanks for all your advice, guys.

[pinky]

Oh, I'm sooooo sorry to read this, tonyshuman. I felt as though I knew Petunia because you provided so many details, and because Jayde and she were in similar situations and were the same age.

You did what you could for her, but it was her time to cross the bridge.

Rest peacefully, cute little girl.

*tries not to cry but can't help herself*

[Die Fledermaus]

Yea. Me too.

Whenever I see a post such as this I think back to so many of mine gone. I still have to break the habit of feeding Graham, the spiny mouse, who used to be behind me but died recently.

I did see your photos now that my new PC and DSL are up, and they are lovely.

So sorry.

[tonyshuman]

Thank you all for your kind comments.