The hamster’s belly is swollen: what does it mean and what to do

Every owner understands that if a hamster has a swollen belly, this is an alarming sign. But not everyone has to show a pet to a veterinary specialist – ratologist. To understand what to do and how to help a rodent, a list of diseases accompanied by an increase in the volume of the abdominal cavity will help.

Flatulence

If a hamster’s stomach swells suddenly, in a short time, the most likely cause is increased gas formation in the intestines. Bloating is accompanied by severe pain, impaired motility of the digestive tract and threatens the life of the pet. Flatulence is always caused by improper feeding: eating foods that cause fermentation (cabbage) or poisoning.

With flatulence, the tummy is hard, inflated like a drum. The defecation process is disrupted. The hamster behaves inappropriately because of painful sensations, stops eating.

First aid consists in drinking a decoction of chamomile, dill water (fennel), espumizan 0,2 ml each. Sometimes useful sorbents (smecta, enterosgel). Do a gentle tummy massage.

Pregnancy

If the belly of the female is very swollen, then the first thing to suspect is the pregnancy of the hamster. With multiple pregnancy, the tummy is so large that the dzhungarik becomes pear-shaped. In this case, health and appetite will be good.

In females without contact with a male, the uterus may enlarge due to pyometra (accumulation of pus). Then the condition of the animal worsens, and fetid purulent discharge appears from the loop. There are huge ovarian cysts, such a pathology is often accompanied by symmetrical areas of baldness.

Buildup of fluid (ascites)

If the abdomen is moderately and symmetrically swollen, soft, ascites can be suspected. Abdominal dropsy – not an independent disease, but a symptom. The accumulation of fluid in the abdomen occurs with cirrhosis or liver cancer, heart problems, kidney failure. Ascites is accompanied by severe oppression and shortness of breath. Diagnosis is easily confirmed by abdominal puncture or ultrasound.

Even if it is possible to identify the underlying disease that caused dropsy, there is no longer any treatment at this stage.

Oncology

In older animals, the presence of a tumor inside can be suspected. An increase in the organ affected by oncology causes an increase in the abdomen. A distinctive feature will be asymmetry, local swelling. An accurate diagnosis can be made using ultrasound, although Djungarian and sometimes Syrian hamsters are too small to conduct a study.

Conclusion

A hamster’s tummy can swell with a huge number of diseases, because first of all, digestion is disturbed in a sick rodent. In young animals, the cause is often poisoning or infection, and in older animals, oncology. Regardless of the cause, the prognosis is poor, tiny pets respond poorly to treatment and die very quickly. Therefore, all forces are directed to the prevention of diseases.