Sick pet dumped in Motherwell park - and had to be put to sleep

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted to the incident after a member of the public handed the rodent in to the local vets. Sadly, the hamster was diagnosed with end stage skin disease and the condition was so bad the vet made the decision to put the animal to sleep and end its suffering.

The Motherwell Times was provided with a photograph of the stricken animal which was golden in colour but ultimately made the decision not to print it as we thought it might cause upset to some readers, given the sheer scale of its illness.

Scottish SPCA inspector Jack Marshall said, “The condition this hamster was found in is absolutely appalling.

“This skin disease would not have developed overnight and would have caused the animal a considerable amount of pain and discomfort.

“It’s entirely possible that if appropriate veterinary treatment had been sought earlier then the hamster would still be alive now.

“We appreciate that the person who left the hamster in the car park may have intended for the animal to be found but this is not the right way to give up an animal if you can no longer care for them.

“We would like to find out what happened to this hamster. If anyone has any information on how the hamster came to be in this situation they can contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”