I think Napster’s had a stroke. He’s been very wobbly and uncoordinated (listing, falling over, etc.) and when I hold him, his hind end is noticably weak.

I also think he peed and pooped on himself last night, because his little bottom was wet and had poo caked on it. I know it’s not Wet Tail, because there’s no diarrhea or any of the other symptoms.

I don’t know what to do about him, besides keep him clean and warm. I’m really hoping that when he does go, it’s fast. I just couldn’t bear it to drag on for too long…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

eta:

He’s really gone downhill. Took him out of his cage tonight, cleaned off his bum (again), trimmed some of the fur, and put Neosporin on the areas that were irritated by the urine. He was in obvious discomfort and sqeaked a few times.

I’ve set up a few nests around his cage so he’ll have a place to rest if he can’t make it back to his little Igloo. No sooner did I gently set him down than he started rearranging the toilet paper. It’s nice to know he still has some spunk in him…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A lot of the reading I’ve been doing suggests that most hamster, even elderly ones, will recover from a stroke within a few weeks. So I guess there is a good chance he could return to normal. Or not, but I refuse to lose all hope just yet.

I’m going to pick up some baby food and Pedialyte tomorrow after work, just to make sure he’s eating and stays hydrated.

I love this little guy, I really do…