To wait till morning to get hamster seen at vets

[ChitterChatter1987]

I found our little hamster seriously unwell in her cage this evening....she is only 9mths old and belongs to my daughter.
I think she has 'wet tail' as that area is wet, her chest is wet, she is hunched over, lethargic, making sort of coughing
/raspy noises and her eyes are all puffy.

My gut feeling is it's not looking good.
I worry we have found her too late.

I don't want her to suffer but the out of hours vets want £270 just for consultation, not alone any treatment or dare I say it euthanasia if it came to it.
We really don't have that sort of money lying about .I could borrow it from my mum if needed, but (and I don't want to sound cruel here) would it actually be worth it or is the likelihood of her being saved very minimal at this stage?

I spoke to my friend who is a vet nurse and said it doesn't sound good..
The out of hours vets said often small animals don't come through things like this....but if I wait til the morning to go to our own vets and she dies I'm worried I'll feel so guilty that maybe she could have been saved, and it's my youngest daughters birthday tomorrow.....really don't want my oldest having her hamster (who she only got on her last birthday) dying on her sisters :(

Oh please help me know what to do....

I think I’d have to take it to the vets - I couldn’t watch it suffer/slowly die 😩 I get the expense thing though. I just think you may feel so guilty watching/hearing it suffer.

I'd keep her warm and in her familiar home overnight, she may pass peacefully in her nest. See the vet tomorrow if necessary. Sorry 😞

She is suffering now. You shouldn’t have pets if you can’t afford their care or don’t want to spend money on them.

Hi, sorry to hear about your hamster. It definitely doesn't sound good, and even treatment now may not save it sorry. If cost is the biggest problem, you could try phoning the after hours vets to see if they would do a euthanasia cheaper for you? Or there maybe an after hours vets nearby that would see you for less money?

a quick Google says they may just need antibiotics? It also says they may die within 48-72 hours if untreated. That’s a long time to let it suffer. It’s only a baby - please get help. They will probably let you pay in instalments.

My hamster had that, vet gave an injection and we put him on a hot water bottle and I sat with him and he passed. Very sad. I don’t think I could sit and watch it suffer so i’d have to pay the out of hrs fee

Small pet does not mean smaller vet bills. I was quoted £600 just to admit my poorly budgie for further tests.

The little mite is suffering. Please get her some help, either to get better to to be let go peacefully.
It is really not fair on her to be left like this.

Would you ring the out of hours vet for advice? I have done that before and they were very helpful.

Take her to the vet, she doesn’t deserve to suffer like this.

If i had the money i would go to out of hours. But I also dont think i would borrow £270 to go.

I'm sorry but you can't leave her suffering. I know it's expensive but I think all pets, even 'just' a hamster should have pet insurance or a vet fund.

Phone a different vet. I've taken rats in as emergency cases and they charged about £60 consultation.

I keep hamsters. I really hate when people get them because they think they're a "cheap" option and their suffering is less important than larger pets like dogs or cats.

Get her seen to and then think next time before you get one, if you can't afford unexpected vet bills don't get pets.

You wouldn’t leave a dog in that state so it’s disgusting that it’s even a consideration because it’s ‘just’ a hamster.

Yeah, you've got to take her to the vets. She's suffering badly and needs help.

would it actually be worth it or is the likelihood of her being saved very minimal at this stage?

Of course it is worth it, the poor animal is suffering. It's not about whether she dies anyway, it's about getting her out of any pain. You need to take her to the vet now. Animals are expensive, even the small ones.

I would take the hamster too (and have done). I really hope you can find a way to get it seen. Wet tail is not good.

Please take her to the vet , I’m sure they can come up with a repayment plan. The poor little thing might be in a lot of pain .

She's suffering and painfully, and you're letting that happen. Think about that.

It won’t be peaceful 🤨
The animal is already suffering.
You can’t leave her, op. That would be shameful.

Get the poor wee thing seen to ffs, how are you willing to let it suffer like that. Yes it's a lot of money but you chose to have a pet. If the wee soul passes don't get another pet, clearly don't have the funds or empathy.

Absolutely appalling

You need to take her to the vets tonight , unfortunately these small animals can be very costly .

We ran our hamster to my vets on Saturday around 9.30pm. It was £81 to have her pts and cremated. She was over 18 months old and it was old age. The vet unexpectedly gave us paw prints. As said, don't get any pet because you think it's a cheap option.

if I wait til the morning to go to our own vets and she dies I'm worried I'll feel so guilty that maybe she could have been saved, and it's my youngest daughters birthday tomorrow

No concern for the animal at all.

This is one of the most selfish and disgusting posts I have seen on here yet

I once phoned the emergency/out of hours vet about a pet rat that was struggling to breathe and they refused to see me, the vet sounded genuinely annoyed I'd called? (And it was only 5.30pm not the early hours) Anyway I felt absolutely awful for having no choice but to make it as comfy as possible until the next day 😢 sorry your hamster isn't well