The Hamster Has A "Boxing Glove" Wart
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Case written: 15 June 2009
Updated: 30 July, 2020 |

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 this hamster, I used cryosurgery. CRYOSUGERY is the use of extreme cold to destroy abnormal tissues such as tumours. I sprayed liquid Nitrogen onto the tumour to freeze and kill the tumour cells.

I had deep frozen the front paw wart in two sessions so as 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.

So when the wart re-grew in less than 2 months, it was understandable that the owner went to the pet shop to buy a tube of cream. But the wart just exploded and once again, the hamster looked as if he had put on a boxing glove on his right fore paw.

For the average owner, $260 that had been 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 in one session. The wart disappeared by Day 3. 100%. My assistant was impressed. The paw had shrunk by over 80% within 3 days. 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 the cage. It went home soon. There would not be any recurrence as the paw had shrivelled to a gangrenous hook. It would drop off in a few days' time.  The hamster was active and eating and hence fit to go home.

The owner asked: "Did you cut off part of his paw?" I pointed to the black paw with white finger nails, "I did not cut off the paw. Look at the black foot. Its blood supply had been compromised due to the 100% deep freezing of the "boxing glove' wart. Therefore the paw had shrunk and appeared cut away!"  

In my practice, such gigantic "boxing glove" warts are rare in dwarf hamsters. 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.