Hamsters can be easily startled. When they are surprised, they get shocked and might start to act differently. However, does this indicate that these rodents are already experiencing heart attacks?
Heart attacks are possible in hamsters. This heart condition can be triggered by cardiovascular diseases, genetic conditions, environmental stressors, obesity, and old age. Popular hamster species, such as dwarf and Syrian hamsters, are not exempt from this.
This article will discuss heart attacks in hamsters. I’ll also cover different triggers of this heart condition to give you an in-depth understanding, as well as their common symptoms.
Can a Hamster Have a Heart Attack?
University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College veterinary cardiologist, Lynn O’Sullivan, says that heart attacks in animals rarely happen. This claim is specifically valid for domestic animals such as dogs and cats. The same could be said for hamsters.
A hamster can have a heart attack. Flavio Fenton, a Georgia Institute of Technology professor of physics who analyzes the electrical features of the hearts of humans and other animal species, explained heart attacks as the failure of oxygenated blood from reaching the heart.
A blockage in a blood vessel typically causes this. As a result, a segment of the heart dies. The transmission of an electrical signal that tells the other parts of the heart to contract will then stop.
One must provide immediate medical intervention to prevent this from escalating further. Otherwise, the hamster will experience irregularities as oxygenated blood stop flowing around the body.
Despite this fact, a heart attack in hamsters only happens with less frequency than in humans. Heart attacks are also called myocardial infarctions, and several reasons can explain why hamsters can experience heart attacks.
Cardiovascular Diseases
A research study shows that cardiovascular diseases in hamsters make up 10% of their final disease diagnoses. These heart diseases, when left undetected or untreated, could lead to a heart attack in the future.
There are a couple of heart conditions hamsters commonly suffer from. The common cardiac diseases of the hamster species include:
- Atrial thrombosis. Hamsters with this disease experiences cardiac hypertrophy, or the thickening of the heart. Upon having this disease, blood clots can form; hence the hamster’s heart may find it difficult to pump blood which could eventually trigger a heart attack.
- Calcifying vasculopathy. This heart disease pertains to the most common lesion in the hamster’s cardiovascular system, and it causes an accumulation of mineral deposits in blood vessels and valves of the cardiac muscle. As a result, a heart attack can be triggered once the heart of the hamster cannot pump blood anymore due to the blockage formed by such deposits.
- Cardiomyopathy. This heart disease affects how the hamster’s heart pumps blood, which could also lead to heart failure.
Genetic Conditions
Some hamsters developed genetic conditions. For example, other hamsters can have severe fibrosis in their myocardium due to mutations in their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene.
One research study claims this condition is one of the reasons why some hamsters exhibit severe fibrosis in their myocardium. Such an instance makes a hamster vulnerable to myocardial infarction. Also, scientists believe that this genetic mutation could be the main reason for the death of a hamster.
Stressors
Hamsters are sensitive animals. These rodents can hear sounds that are beyond the human’s hearing capacity. As such, they can easily get alerted, scared, or startled upon hearing any high-frequency or loud sound.
When exposed to stressors, hamsters are more vulnerable to cardiac problems. To avoid this, you must observe the following things:
- Put hamsters away from household appliances, individuals, or animals that create high-frequency sounds.
- Keep the cage of the hamster spacious and not crowded.
- Do not bother hamsters when they are sleeping during daylight hours.
- Act with caution around hamsters to refrain from startling them.
Obesity
Obesity is one of the leading causes of diabetes and heart conditions in hamsters. When these animals are obese, their heart struggles more to pump blood and oxygen to various parts of their body.
A hamster becomes obese when they are overfed. At the same time, they are also at risk of being overweight when they are fed unhealthy, fatty foods. Fatty foods can accumulate in their arteries, which could lead to blood clots.
Old Age
Hamsters typically develop many health problems by the time they reach old age. Among the health conditions they develop are heart diseases.
Old hamsters are more likely to experience cardiac hypertrophy, which makes pumping blood more challenging for their heart. They are also less active in this stage of their life. All these contribute to the likelihood of them developing heart diseases that can also possibly trigger a heart attack.
Hamster Heart Attack Symptoms
A heart attack in hamsters cannot be predicted. However, since heart attacks are often triggered by cardiac diseases, there are some symptoms you can look out for during the early stages of these ailments. Listed below are the signs of congestive heart failure in hamsters in their early stages.
- Respiratory discomfort or difficulty breathing
- Irregular or agitated movements
- Extremely high levels of heart and pulse rate
- Cyanosis or development of blue tinges on skin that indicates poor oxygenation
- Edema and fluid buildup in the hamster’s belly
Upon detecting these symptoms, it is important to seek veterinary help as soon as you can. The veterinarian may not be able to treat the heart disease as is, but treatment may impede the development of the disease.
Furthermore, they can provide medications to improve the heart’s contraction. In effect, the hamster can have better blood circulation and may lessen the chance of triggering a heart attack.
In the instances that a hamster has a heart attack, expect that the pet rodent will be less physically active. At the same time, the hamster is at a higher risk of mortality.
Dwarf Hamster Heart Attack
Dwarf hamsters, from the name itself, are tiny and very energetic species of hamsters. Their length varies from two to four inches (5-10 cm). Some breeds of this hamster are exceptionally popular as house pets which include
- Roborovski dwarf hamster
- Campbell’s dwarf Russian hamster
- Dwarf winter white Russian hamster
When it comes to heart attacks, the dwarf hamster is as susceptible as the other hamster species when they reach old age. This species is susceptible to heart conditions like dilated
cardiomyopathy and atrial thrombosis.
Syrian Hamster Heart Attack
Syrian hamsters are almost twice as long as dwarf hamsters. Their length ranges from five to nine inches (13-23 cm), and they are considered to be the most popular hamster breed for children.
These hamsters also experience cardiac diseases that could trigger heart attacks like those of dwarf hamsters in general. They also tend to inherit cardiomyopathy, which makes it inevitable for them to have cardiac necrosis. Having so will result in premature death due to arrhythmia or congestive heart failure.
Final Thoughts
Hamsters are great house pets. However, they have a relatively shorter lifespan which can get shortened even further if they experience a heart attack.
As hamster owners, it is crucial to get to the cause of heart attacks in hamsters. Additionally, it is as equally important to take note of the symptoms of myocardial infarction in these tiny rodents. Knowing these things will help hamster owners aid their pets once the need arises.