Animal lover suffers life-threatening allergic reaction after being bitten by a hamster

Nathan Halliday went into a deadly anaphylactic shock after Mochi, his Syrian hamster, had a seizure and clamped down on his hand

A dad was almost killed by his pet hamster when its bite triggered a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Nathan Halliday, 34, went into a deadly anaphylactic shock after Mochi, his Syrian hamster, had a seizure and clamped down on his hand.

Minutes after the bite, Nathan found he was unable to breathe as his whole body became swollen and covered in hives. His oxygen levels plummeted and his partner dialled 999.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance where he was given two shots of adrenaline, an antihistamine and put on oxygen.

Nathan, from Kirkby, Merseyside, said: “It was absolutely horrendous especially as I had no idea a hamster bite could cause something like this. My whole body felt swollen and my throat hurt - I couldn't even speak and it was like breathing through a straw. I was covered in hives.

“Nobody had ever heard of what had happened before. It amused the doctors but they were very professional about it. They gave me epi pens for the next time a hamster wants to take me on. All jokes aside, the experience was really very scary.”

Anaphylactic shock from hamster bites is very rare but in 2007, a man from Redditch, Worcs, died after being bitten.

Nathan had just finished his tea with partner Rebecca Kidd when they noticed Mochi, who was a year and eight months old, was looking frail.

Nathan's daughter Evelyn, three, had already said her goodbyes to the family pet earlier that evening.

Nathan, a deputy manager of a children's home, said: “I sat with Mochi in my arms for an hour and a half while she slept. She rested her hands on my thumb and suddenly she bit right through my hand.

“She clamped down and wouldn't let go, I think from having a seizure, and my partner Rebecca had to pry her off me.

“Once we'd got her off, she took a couple of breaths and died. Just a couple of minutes afterwards, I started to get a bit itchy.”

Nathan is asthmatic and took a couple of puffs of his inhaler before he realised something was seriously wrong.

He said: “We’ve got an oxygen meter and the levels had dropped to 84 per cent. It was like my whole body had swollen and was all tight so we dialled 999.

“I couldn’t breathe. My throat had swollen and I was covered in hives on my back, chest and arms.

“I’ve been bitten by hamsters in the past and nothing like this has ever happened. It was quite scary.”

The ambulance arrived within four minutes and Nathan was rushed to Aintree University Hospital where he was put on oxygen and had two shots of adrenaline.

He was also given an antihistamine and a tetanus jab - and gave the doctors a good laugh.

Nathan said one of the paramedics who treated him dubbed him ‘Freddie Starr’ - after the comedian who was famously accused of eating a hamster.

Nathan, who is allergic to horses and suffers from hay fever, said: “I was exhausted for the next two days and my right arm couldn’t stop shaking.

“I was definitely the dullest guy in major trauma. I did try to change the story to a scorpion but I think the paramedics preferred hamster.

“One of the paramedics asked me if I was Freddie Starr.

“Mochi is now in a fancy cracker box in the garden - I don't blame her.

“We rescue hamsters from people who otherwise wouldn’t want them and I'd never say no to another one.”

Nathan is now warning others to be aware of the symptoms of anaphylactic shock and to know when to dial 999.

The symptoms include: Swelling of your throat and tongue; Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast; Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice; Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing.