Jasper’s owner admitted to impulsively buying him two years ago, but recently, wasn’t able to care for him the way he needed. They had noticed he had developed “inflamed red skin” on his leg and “deserved better” than what they could provide.

We were worried about Jasper’s condition, we had no way to know how badly he was injured. Was the inflamation due to poor quality care, such as mites or urine scald? Could the leg even be broken? Our guts told us that this was a high priority case and we had to get treatment for the little guy.

On collection, we were horrified at the condition Jasper was in. He was clearly in distress, hobbling around his enclosure and barely able to use his hind legs. We could see a horrible open flesh wound covering his leg and reaching up his stomach. We suspected a broken leg or possibly even a broken spine.

We got him to the vet as quick as we could. From the state of his injuries they knew he was in a lot of pain. His leg was burned and ulcerated. They also discovered a tumour had developed in his abdomen, which likely made up the bulk of his 23g weight. Sadly, the vet confirmed what we had feared. The kindest thing to do was have Jasper put to sleep to put an end to his suffering.

It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to Jasper. We wished we could have given him some comfort, love and care, even if only for a few short months. We knew he wouldn’t have recovered from his injuries, and surgery was never an option due to his age and overall condition.

It’s so frustrating to see such suffering all because of an impulsive purchase. The owner was aware the hamster was not receiving the care it needed, and although they did reach out to us for help, we cannot understand why they left it so late. There is no excuse for not bringing your pet to the vet if it becomes injured or unwell. Rescues should not be seen as a place to dump pets when they become an inconvenience. We hope to use Jaspers story to help push for the enforcement of better animal welfare laws in Ireland.