Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research
Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures
 

The Hamster Has A "Boxing Glove" Wart
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Case written: 15 June 2006
Updated: 15 July, 2009

"No paw amputation," the young lady was adamant during her first consultation with me. Therefore, I deep-froze the wart partially over 3 days so as not to compromise the blood supply. This is where the application of anatomy is practised. Without the knowledge of anatomy, the vet will deep freeze 100% of the wart.

Well, if the wart is small, 100% of deep-freezing is all right. But this hamster's wart grows from both sides of the front paw and even below the paw. There is only 3 mm of dorsal part of the paw that is normal skin. Warts do re-appear and the average Singapore hamster owner is usually reluctant to seek veterinary treatment due to economics and lack of time.

In this case, paw amputation will solve all problems for the owner. No front paw, no wart recurrence. In considering surgery, know the blood supply to the surgical site. Vet students will find that "anatomy becomes alive" if only the Anatomy Professor can illustrate with real  cases instead of droning on with the boring lecture notes on various branches of the blood supply to the paw, making the students sleep. I was one who found it hard to stay awake during my Anatomy lectures at Glasgow University some 40 years ago. There was no internet to view cases. The Glasgow Library had books which were dusty and brown and were probably 100 years old. But now, students are so fortunate to live in the Golden Age of the Internet. 

Back from digression, in my first surgery, I had deep frozen the front paw wart in stages to preserve the blood circulation. The cost to the owner was high due to the need to hospitalise the hamster for more than 14 days to be given nursing and medication. Some pictures of the first surgery are shown below.

So when the wart re-grew, it is understandable that the owner went to the pet shop to buy a bottle of cream. But the wart just exploded and once again, the hamster looked as if he had put on a boxing glove. OK, it was the veterinary cost that was the obstacle for the young lady owner.

For the average owner, $260 paid for the first surgery and hospitalisation would be a princely sum to spend on treatment of a hamster. Why? A new hamster costs $5.00 or is free of charge.

Therefore, in the second surgery, I deep-frozed 100% of the wart. The wart disappeared by Day 3. 100%. The layman would be elated. The paw had shrunk to a smaller size. But the blood supply had been compromised. It had become a black paw with white nails at the end. Soon it would become a stump. There would be no more normal paw. However, the hamster was OK, eating and running around in this case and would be going home soon. There would not be a 3rd time for this hamster to get a "boxing glove" wart as the paw would be shrunk. The hamster went home, active and eating. The owner thought I had cut off part of his paw, but I did not. Blood supply had been compromised due to the 100% deep freezing of the boxing wart. Therefore the paw had shrunk and appeared "excised".  

In my practice, "boxing glove" warts are rare. Therefore, I am writing this report to share my findings with the vet students and hope that when they have to study Anatomy of the Paw, they can relate to this case.

Vet students: Do you know which blood vessels supplying the paw had been "deep frozen" causing gangrene of the paw?  Check out your anatomy book. Your lecturer may just test you on the blood supply to the paw during the examination. Be prepared.