Hello there,

our beloved Ivan has left us this morning as it was unbearable to let him suffer a painful slow death as his liver and kidneys seemed to have failed completely yesterday evening.

I fought a hopeless battle for the last weeks, but I am content for having made his last days easier and for giving him a few days more on earth. If a hamster shows impaired moving and starts to eat less and less you have to make the decision ... an I did, as painful as it was. Ivan was the first hamster ever (and I had about 25 hamsters in the last years) I had to have euthanized. This was a line I never wanted to cross but I had to and I did.

Now I have to live with this decision but also with many warm memories and the certainty I found the right time. Even the vet always showed respect for me observing Ivan's development very carefully and for being very reactive in care. There seem not many pet owners like me. At least today I feel like the one with the heart torn into the most pieces.

For my friends here this may be also sad since Ivan was my last hamster and will be for a while. That means: no new pics. But maybe new deviations, I have a lot of pics that are not published yet, so stay tuned.

Daniele