A man was taken to hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction when he was bitten by a hamster.
The 50-year-old was trying to retrieve his pet from under the floorboards of his home near Evesham, Worcestershire, when the rodent attacked.
It had escaped after his seven-year-old daughter had accidentally let it out of its cage on Monday night.
Paramedics said the man survived largely through giving himself anti-allergy drugs before they arrived.
He had suffered severe breathing difficulties and was in a semi-conscious state when the ambulance arrived at his home.
They gave him further medication and took him to Alexandra Hospital, in Redditch.
An ambulance service spokesman said: "If you have been identified as someone who can have severe reactions it is vital that you and your family know what to do.
"The man's actions in administering drugs to himself may well have played an important part in his recovery."