Approaches to common conditions of the gastrointestinal tract in pet hamsters

Abstract

Hamsters are popular pets in the UK. The Syrian or Golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is the best known species in the pet trade, with a variety of dwarf species also encountered. Gastrointestinal disease occurs frequently, and diarrhoea is a common presenting complaint. This is most often associated with bacterial or parasitic infection, but can also be related to neoplasia or the use of certain antibiotics. Initial stabilisation of the hamster with diarrhoea should include provision of a warm stress-free environment, fluid therapy, nutritional support with an appropriate critical care diet and analgesia. Following a full history and clinical examination, further diagnostic steps include faecal parasitology and microbiology, routine biochemistry and haematology, radiography with or without positive contrast, and abdominal ultrasound. Indications for surgery include evidence of intestinal obstruction or prolapsed intussusception. This article gives an overview of the most common gastrointestinal diseases encountered in hamster species and provides a guide of how to logically approach the investigation and treatment of these cases, achievable in general practice.

Demography, disorders and mortality of pet hamsters under primary veterinary care in the United Kingdom in 2016

“…Wet tail was the most common precise-level disorder reported and this was also the most common cause of death. It is important to note that 'wet tail' technically refers to proliferative ileitis, caused by L. intracellularis (Baldrey 2021). However, 'wet tail' is frequently used in primary-care veterinary practice as a syndromic term to more generally describe any form of diarrhoea in hamsters, regardless of cause (Pellett & Mancinelli 2017b) and is even sometimes extended to describe any perineal soiling by urinary tract or reproductive tract discharges.…”

“…In some cases, the clinical presentations ascribed to certain diagnostic terms in primary-care practice may differ from the meaning given to that same term in pathology or specialist literature. For example, the term 'wet tail' is frequently used as a syndromic term in primary-care practice describing perineal soiling in hamsters from multiple sources including diarrhoea or discharges from the urinary tract or reproductive tract whereas the specialist literature generally retains the term 'wet tail' to refer to proliferative ileitis, caused by Lawsonia intracellularis (Turner et al 2017, Pellett & Mancinelli 2017b, Baldrey 2021.…”