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FINAL VIDEO: A dwarf hamster keeps licking his elbow - electro-surgery is useful in wart removal

1,219 views · Published 2 January 2015 · 2:43 · Indexed 19 October 2026

Channel: Dr David Sing · 2015 · Pets & Animals

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Jan 3, 2015. 
Sometimes, a doctor may make a diagnosis without a physical examination. For example, I hear of a story about a specialist who prescribe repeat high blood pressure medication without examining the patient. 

For this case, the first vet did not see the elbow wart as he or she did not lift up the hamster to examine the lower side and diagnosed the itchy hamster as suffering from environmental causes.

I noted a right sided scratching, a circular right- sided flank wound and right-sided ear area inflammation. When I examined the dwarf hamster upside down, there was a large hidden wart just in front of the lower side of the right elbow. Inflamed and bitten. This would be the cause of the itchiness. Electro-excision of the wart should resolve the problem. 

I advised no more sand bath or deep food bowls to irritate the elbow after surgery for the next two weeks.  

It is best to examine every part of the itchy dwarf hamster as the cause may likely be just an irritating lower elbow wart.  

Every hamster owner expects no anaesthetic death on the operating table. In this case, isoflurane gas is given in just sufficient amount with the hamster in a container. The wart was 
excised in a split second. The hamster went home the next day. No bleeding because I used electro-surgery.

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