Taking day off to care for ill non-traditional/exotic pet

Every morning, I check on my pets and give breakfast before heading to work. My Syrian hamster is about 19 months old. Their lifespan on average is 2 years. In light of this, he remained active, ate well and even managed 2 escapes about a month ago, somehow kept himself unscathed from the cats until I found him and put him back in his home. He has grown patches of grey fur and sleeps more, but otherwise a pretty tough little dude.

Then this morning, he could not walk straight. His head is slightly tilted, his right side including his paw and back leg were not used, and he had a hard time standing up. After watching many vids and reading articles, it appears he had a stroke, common for older hammies. He can still eat, drink, defecate.. He just a little help so I fed him some baby food mixed with Pedialyte. Many hammie owners who went through this recommend hand feeding, keep him warm and allow him to rest for about a week. Some hammies can recover. However, once a stroke is discovered, many more are expected with each one getting progressively worse. The hammie do not feel pain but become disoriented and confused.

I am a paralegal. We are short staffed as is and the workload tripled after one of the legal assistants left the firm (She made so, so many mistakes that even got the client sanctioned due to her incompetence). So on top of having to untangle the mess she left behind, I am also behind on my own assignments. A part of me feel guilty I took the day off to care for my hamster. Knowing that Momocho probably will have another stroke, and possible a few weeks of good life left, it is just a hamster, right? Maybe if it is a dog or a cat, it would justify taking the day off more? I feel embarrassed having to explain to my boss why I had to take today off. He won't approve any requests without a detailed explanation.

Did you ever take time off to care for or mourn the loss of a non-dog or cat pet? How did other people react when you tell them you have a sick or dying small pet or snake?

I have taken time off to care for my bearded dragon when she had fluid in her lungs from her heart problems. Thankfully where I work nobody asks or cares why you take off work as long as you still have the days available to use. Truth is, most people I work with do not understand anything having value beyong their own brat children, so I'm pretty sure they don't understand my love for my animals.

Wishing your hammie the best. 😊

I get snakes delivered to my office and have pictures or some of my past and present pets as my computer background. My coworkers and bosses are well aware of my love for my pets so if I need to take a day off to go to the vet or something it isn't an issue. I sometimes even bring animals into the office if I have to work on the weekend.

I can't recall ever "officially" taking time off for such issues but I might have exaggerated my own complaints a wee bit to cover for it...where I used to work you
pretty much needed a death certificate -your own :rolleyes:- anyway. Adequate paid sick leave but suspicion & guilt trips for using it...sure don't miss working there. :D

Update: Momocho has passed away this evening. He ate and was sleeping and when I checked on him 2 hours later, he was in the process of dying, and took his last breathe. It was a fast process. Upon further inspection, he had a huge tumor in his leg stretching to the lower abdomen. This tumor was not there when I handled him 2 days ago, so it must have been growing aggressively, possibly contributing to his stroke when the tumor cells broke off and went into the bloodstream. He is buried in the forest where his body will nourish the tree and plants. I am glad I took the day off now. At least I was able to spend the last hours with him.

So sorry for your loss. I will light a candle tonight to guide little momocho to the rainbow bridge. No matter how big or small a loss still hurts. So sorry.

So sorry for the loss of your little buddy Momocho. I'm so glad you took the day off too...it's a pity their lives are so accelerated, they're really cute little pets
and you can at least take some comfort that he achieved pretty much a natural lifespan.

Of course you should not feel guilty! The loss of any animal companion is painful - no matter the species. I missed a day of school when my iguana died when I was a kid, last summer I cried when I had to euthanize my goldfish, I took three days off work last fall when I lost my horse (that was especially painful as he was having some 'good days' at the time, even though I knew it wouldn't last and I had no way of taking him with me when I moved). No one that has pets can judge you for grief, we have all been there - and spending time with a pet that is reaching the end is just as important for you as it is for them.

So sorry for your loss. Glad you were able to spend those last hours together.

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Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

Update: Momocho has passed away this evening. He ate and was sleeping and when I checked on him 2 hours later, he was in the process of dying, and took his last breathe. It was a fast process. Upon further inspection, he had a huge tumor in his leg stretching to the lower abdomen. This tumor was not there when I handled him 2 days ago, so it must have been growing aggressively, possibly contributing to his stroke when the tumor cells broke off and went into the bloodstream. He is buried in the forest where his body will nourish the tree and plants. I am glad I took the day off now. At least I was able to spend the last hours with him.

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The sad thing is that all hamsters have that trait where getting a tumor is inevitable. We owned a dwarf hamster (life span is like 2-3 years, he lived up to almost 5). He had 2 or 3 tumors when he started getting older and kept having constant seizures before he passed :(
But factually, it's kind of sad knowing that all hamsters can get tumors pretty easily because it runs in their genes. Some get them quickly, while others get them in a longer span of time. And I'm sorry for your loss; just know that you were there for him and you did what you could.

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Originally Posted by Traceur

The sad thing is that all hamsters have that trait where getting a tumor is inevitable. We owned a dwarf hamster (life span is like 2-3 years, he lived up to almost 5). He had 2 or 3 tumors when he started getting older and kept having constant seizures before he passed :(
But factually, it's kind of sad knowing that all hamsters can get tumors pretty easily because it runs in their genes. Some get them quickly, while others get them in a longer span of time. And I'm sorry for your loss; just know that you were there for him and you did what you could.

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That's news to me...where are you getting this information, that they "all get tumors"? (I used to breed hamsters, but was careful not to inbreed them.)
Now most creatures, including humans, can get tumors "easily" when they get older, but that's not the same thing as an absolute.

Also, don't ever feel guilty over the loss of a pet, regardless of animal or breed. When our dwarf hamster died, I had to take a day off because I was sad as hell. I couldn't face a day after his death. I also took a day off when our Pomeranian died (she was like a sister to me). That's basically you're family and another soul you cared for. Even if it's to care for them, don't feel guilty for taking that day off. It's either being there for them in their last moments or while they're suffering or leaving them alone to handle it by themselves. I bet they appreciate your company; all animals are intelligent enough to know you care for them. I'm sure he died happy knowing you took the time to be there for him.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's news to me...where are you getting this information, that they "all get tumors"? (I used to breed hamsters, but was careful not to inbreed them.)
Now most creatures, including humans, can get tumors "easily" when they get older, but that's not the same thing as an absolute.

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Ah, I both read and heard it somewhere a long damn time ago. Hamsters have strange genes. It just runs in their species, like its part of their DNA. That's why it's common to hear hamsters getting tumors as they grow older. I personally go against breeding, but regardless of inbreeding or not, it's still in their DNA.

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Originally Posted by Traceur

Ah, I both read and heard it somewhere a long damn time ago. Hamsters have strange genes. It just runs in their species, like its part of their DNA. That's why it's common to hear hamsters getting tumors as they grow older. I personally go against breeding, but regardless of inbreeding or not, it's still in their DNA.

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But like I said, i read and heard it somewhere a long time ago. Unless it affects specific breeds, then the only thing I know is it sure as heck happens more often than it should in hamster populations

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Originally Posted by Traceur

Ah, I both read and heard it somewhere a long damn time ago. Hamsters have strange genes. It just runs in their species, like its part of their DNA. That's why it's common to hear hamsters getting tumors as they grow older. I personally go against breeding, but regardless of inbreeding or not, it's still in their DNA.

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I think it's likely due to inbreeding, and there's multiple breeds, they aren't all the same. The original pet hamsters were Syrians, and yes, ALL the captive-bred
Syrian hamsters came from a single pair of them that were originally-captured from the wild...so it's inevitable for genetic problems to become established.
But I still suspect it's an over-statement to say "they all are predisposed to forming tumors" any more than all other aging mammals are. The only hamsters
that I worked with were Russian dwarfs...I really like them because they're more social (with each other).

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I think it's likely due to inbreeding, and there's multiple breeds, they aren't all the same. The original pet hamsters were Syrians, and yes, ALL the captive-bred
Syrian hamsters came from a single pair of them that were originally-captured from the wild...so it's inevitable for genetic problems to become established.
But I still suspect it's an over-statement to say "they all are predisposed to forming tumors" any more than all other aging mammals are. The only hamsters
that I worked with were Russian dwarfs...I really like them because they're more social (with each other).

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I looked into it and here's what I found;

According to PetMD: An abnormal growth of cells in a tissue or organ is referred to as a tumor, of which there are two types: benign and malignant. Benign tumors, which do not spread, are much more common in hamsters. Malignant tumors (or cancers), meanwhile, may develop in one location such as the hormone-producing glands or digestive system organs and spread into other body parts. Only four percent of hamsters suffer from maligma.

Causes: Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a part in the abnormal multiplication of cells, which leads to tumor formation.


I also did see on another forums page that hamsters are prone to tumors (or cancers).

According to PetKeepersGuide: Yes, it is quite common for hamsters to develop tumors, and they are very prone to cancer as they get older. The most common type of cancer is in the thyroid, but it is not uncommon for a hamster to grow a fatal skin tumor.