# Uti again!!



## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I've got a hedgehog named trilo,she about a year old now and I've had herniated over one month,it's so easy to get attached to a small creature..anyway after about 3 weeks of getting her she started peeing blood I brought her to the vets and the vets told me that she has multiple health issues (not an exotic vet) she told me she's blind and possibly deaf as she had no reaction to the dogs barking also unlike other hedgehogs she's seen she was so easy to examine..so basically she told me to put trilo down which I wouldn't do as she's perfectly fine apart from uti she's been having the first time they put her on antibiotics of 1.5 per day for one week and it seemed to go away until a few nights ago when it returned..I need to know why would it have come back..the first time I noticed it it was pink and then went for one or two days and came back in between her www was yellow.now it's starting to go redder..she's also scratching a lot and losing a lot of quills..the only thing she will eat is chicken and I've tried her with so many other foods ..she loves the chicken tho and drinks a lot too .any suggestions would be greatly appreciated 
Thanks Melissa


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Are you actually sure it's a UTI? Has her urine been drawn from her bladder & tested to see if it's a UTI? With female hedgehogs, blood in the urine could be uterine issues instead, and you can only tell if it's tested. Since the blood came back, I would suspect that it might be uterine blood instead, which likely means she needs to be spayed. You'll probably want to try & find a different vet though, one that at least has experience with small mammals & doing surgery on them, even if not specifically hedgehogs (which would be best, but isn't always possible).

For the scratching & losing quills, she could have mites or a skin infection. Mites should be treated with Revolution. Do NOT use Ivermectin, it can be deadly. If it's a skin infection, it could be bacterial (antibiotics) or fungal (antifungal).

Are you feeding her only cooked chicken? If so, that's not a balanced diet at ALL and you need to get her on a balanced diet ASAP. Ideally she needs to be on cat or dog food that fits the requirements. Check out the stickies in the Nutrition section, they have a lot of information on what to look for and some suggested brands as well. If you continue to feed her only chicken, she will develop serious health issues.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

If the antibiotics did not make the problem go away, then you need to go back to the vet. It might be that a different antibiotic is needed, or it could be that it's not a UTI and other treatments are what's needed.

What health issues did the vet say she has aside from being blind and deaf? Do you agree with that assessment? Does she not react to any sounds or to things coming near face? Why did the vet suggest putting her to sleep?

I don't want to scare you, as there is no way for me to know what is wrong, but my girl has also had blood in her urine for a good month and a half now. We treated for a UTI and the antibiotics didn't work. We did an ultrasound after that to find out what's causing the bleeding. Turns out she has pyometra which will require her to be spayed to fix. I just want to give you an idea of what you may have to do just to find out what's wrong and what the follow up could be like.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

hi she said she could have other problems I don't know wat she means by that she seems perfectly fine to me apart form the blood..I think she is blind because she has a habit of bumping into things and her eyes looks like a white cover over the eyeball ..as for her being deaf she does react to some sounds so she might not be fully deaf.. I had her at the vets today and she said she had put weight on she checked her heart and checked to see if she was anaemic and everything was fine..she gave me more antibiotics and if that doesn't work she said she would do the operation to see what's going on inside her uterus..
What do you guys suggest on feeding her she used to eat cat food but no longer will ..I think she has no teeth on the side of her mouth ..I no where there's an exotic pet vets but it's 3 hours away from me and I'm gonna leave it to the last option..I'm gonna let her eat the chicken until she gets over this hopefully these antibiotics work !


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I also forget to mention where her old quills are falling out I can see a few coming through is this quiling


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

The vet needs to do a fine needle draw directly from the bladder to see if the blood is coming from there. You need to find something for her to eat besides chicken, she is not going to get healthy on just chicken. Try softening some of her cat food with a bit of water. I had a hedgehog that had no teeth at all and that's what she ate.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I will get her to do the needle also the blood has been coming and going like she could wee all night and no blood and then all of a sudden it's just there


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

That doesn't sound like a UTI to me, usually with a UTI the blood is always there when they pee.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

No it doesn't does it


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

How dangerous would a spay be for her?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

There's always a risk with anesthesia, with the possibility that the animal may react badly to it or have a complication with the surgery. But since she's only a year old, she's still relatively young & even if she was older, spaying would be less of a risk than allowing the problem to continue. And getting it resolved sooner rather than later is important too - you don't want her to continue to loose blood as that can cause even more health complications.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Would too much protein make my hedgehog bleed there is a good size blood ring around her privates ..before I want to have to get her spayed as I think it's a big risk ..I want to try her on more foods as she's only eating chicken and I think it's because there's to much protein.. Would this make her bleed ..


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

This isn't something you can wait on. The longer she's losing blood, the weaker she's going to get and the less chance she has of making it at all.

High protein can be hard on the kidneys, but it's very unlikely that her diet is causing this issue. It sounds like a uterine issue, and she needs to be looked at by the vet again and you need to get her spayed. This has been going on for more than two weeks - this is an emergency issue! Please get her to the vet and get her taken care of. If you keep waiting, you are going to lose her either way. Yes, surgery is always a risk, but you do NOT have another option right now. Please get her in ASAP - as in tomorrow.

As I said earlier, you do need to change her diet, but that's secondary to her current problems. Get her spayed. After she's recovered from the surgery, ask the vet about diets meant for syringing to sick animals - Hills A/D and Carnivore Care are both the usual options if your vet carries them. You should start syringing her one of these things or crush her kibble up into dust & mix it with water to syringe her. She's going to need to be syringe-fed until she's eating a balanced diet on her own - not just chicken.

Seriously, I can't say this enough. Get your hedgehog to the vet. She's been losing blood for more than two weeks. I don't care how scary surgery sounds to you, you need to do what's best for her and either get her treated or have her euthanized. This problem isn't going to resolve itself and the alternative here is that she continues to lose blood and be in pain and dies slowly.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

She hasn't been loosing blood for 2 weeks.tge blood stopped after two days on antibiotics..this time the blood wasn't in her wee it was around her privates ..also there was blood on her foot to so I want to make sure it's coming from her insides


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If it was around her privates, it was likely the same thing as before. You still need to take her back into the vet. If they're still unsure whether it's definitely uterine or not, have them do a fine needle aspiration to check urine directly from the bladder rather than testing it after she's already peed. They may know of other tests to see what's going on in her uterus as well, or they may agree that it's uterine & want to spay her without making you pay for expensive tests. If they recommend spaying, don't refuse just because of the risk - the risk of surgery is less than the risk of letting her go untreated.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I think I'm gonna go ahead with the spay .im only a student so won't have the money until after Christmas if she gets worse before then I'll have to see if the vets can do something..last time I brought her vets she wasn't anemic so I'll ring her tomorrow to see what she says
Thanks for your advice it's so hard seeing my little hedgehog sick


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

So there was a lot of blood last night and today more than I've ever seen ,I think this problem is only getting worse there for i rang the vets to get the cost of the spay and I'm gonna ring the shop I got her from and request they pay the vet bills!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Good luck with getting the shop to pay for it. Most places will fight on that type of thing. 
Hopefully if they won't pay for the surgery, you will still be able to get it done asap.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Either way I'm getting it done my parents will help me get the money just want an end put to her being sick ..the vet said she can have the op done on the 28th or 29th of this month I want it done asap incase she gets too weak ..ill make sure the pet shop do something they said they will contact me tomorrow (which I doubt they will) they said they wanted my hedgehog back and to give me a new one ..I'm so attached to this one there's no way I would give her back..


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

The vets also said it could be pyometra it's sounds a lot like it if I'm completely honest


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I doubt they'll pay or anything - pet stores don't guarantee against health problems like this. This isn't something caused by poor care at the shop or anything. It's just something that happens with hedgehogs, and it's not uncommon. I'm very glad to hear you're getting her in to get spayed soon! Keep us updated on how she's doing and let us know if you have any other questions on caring for her while she's sick. I think I mentioned before, but in case it got lost in the shuffle - make sure you're getting some form of balanced food into her, not just the chicken. You may have to syringe-feed her in order to achieve this. Your vet should be able to give you syringes to use, as well as some good foods meant for syringing to sick pets, such as Hills A/D or Carnivore Care. There's a sticky in the Health FAQs section on syringe-feeding if you need more tips & such!


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Yeah the vets will keep her overnight to ensure everything goes smoothly..I couldn't leave it knowing all the blood I've seen there seems to be a pattern tho..I notice she hisses and is moody when the blood appears and its every three weeks ..I am really worried about her on just chicken but i will definitely try to get her on a balanced diet ..thanks so much for ur help ..I appreciate it a lot


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

:heart:


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Update:got the money back for trilo which I was very surprised about..I'm scheduling the operation for the new year as that's the only time the vets can do it..lets hope trilo will pull through this but I'm confident she will because she's so strong


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Glad to hear that! And I hope she gets through the operation well. Keep us updated on how she's doing & how the surgery goes. I'll keep you guys in my thoughts.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Thanks so much I'll definitely let ye know what happeneds


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I went to trilos cage today to give her antibiotics and I picked her up and she never responded I rubbed her belly still no response the only way I got her to wake was by blowing on her ..she has been a bit cold lately as I have puppie pads in the ground in her cage she keeps digging down to the heat pad and lying on it..I'm gonna buy her a heat lamp but why would she unresponsive when I picked her up


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

What is the temperature in the cage? 
What heating set up are you using? 
What's the light schedule?
It sounds like she is trying to hibernate. Health problems are already taxing her body, so she might require the heat to be increased.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

The temperature is 78 ...she gets atleast 12 hours light a day even tho she's blind would this be a problem


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I use a heat pad


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

A heat pad isn't a good set up. 
You are trying to heat the air in the cage, and universally across the whole cage. You also need for the same temperature 24 hours a day. A heating pad doesn't do any of that and puts your hedgehog at risk for burns. 
Lighting... For this purpose, go with the assumption that if she has eyeballs she can see. You don't know what she can see because she isn't telling you. So she needs 12-14 hours every day. Lighting is just as important when it comes to avoiding hibernation.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I'm going to get the heat lamp what voltage or watt should I get..


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Quick question I took trilo out and she couldn't walk she was crawling it look like she had no feeling on one side of her body why would this be please help


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

There's really no way for us to know. Was the blood in the urine issue resolved? Did she get spayed? Or is that still the plan at current? Did you get the heating issue resolved? Has she been eating, drinking and exercising normally? Normal bowel movements? Honestly, you're going to have to contact your vet with this update.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

The vets want to monitor the blood situation because it's seems to come every 3 weeks so they think it's pythegra or something,if that's the case they will spay her..the heating is sorted ..I'm just waiting for it to come in the mail..I noticed her poo is very runny ..I'm getting her back on a proper diet too..also she doesn't know or won't use the wheel she seems to be ok now..would this have been a hibernation attempt


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Pyometra sorry about the spelling


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

It could be anything from a hibernation attempt, a tumour, a stroke, an inner ear infection or a dozen other things. You need to get her back to the vet asap.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

How long are they wanting to monitor it? If it's pyometra it needs to be taken care of and the only way to handle it is a spay. My girl was diagnosed with pyometra, got a spay and she wound up having a tumor in her uterus. When do they want to do the spay? How did the come to diagnosis of pyometra?


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Well it's been about a week now do if the blood comes back again they will do it then..they said its just one of a number of things and because it seems to come around the same time they said it could be pyometra


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I got the heat lamp and she seems cold or is it just me she's curled up in a ball with all her quills out and her nose is quite cold


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Do you have a thermometer in the cage?


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Yeah It's about 24 degrees


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Her stomach feels quite cold should I ad the heat mat for extra heat the cage is heated at 24.7 degrees but she feels quite cold


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

This is her


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## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

I don't think you need a heat mat. Their bellies don't always feel "hot". Is that what you mean? It should feel like a normal living creature but not super warm on her belly. 24-25 degrees should be fine for a hedgehog.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would bump it up to 26-27C. Some hedgies need it warmer than others and it sounds like she really needs it warmer. Don't use a heating pad though - it's not going to help things. She needs the whole cage to be a warmer temperature, not just one place. Between yesterday & today, she's definitely not warm enough, even though the temperature is within the recommended range. It just varies by hedgie. Lily needed it to be 78-81F or she'd be cold.

Another thought - hedgies can be more susceptible to attempting hibernation when they're already sick. So there's the possibility that the uterine bleeding is taking a toll on her overall health & causing this. I would really recommend talking to the vet again after you get the heat up.

Edit: No, hedgie bellies should be warm. Not necessarily hot, but they should still be warm. Even if they're not necessarily cold, but feel a bit cool, that's still a hibernation sign. And I already mentioned the bits about temperature variance by hedgehog above.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Is the bulb giving off a red light?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

And your "dome" doesn't direct the heat in any direction. Those fixtures let the heat go in every direction.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

As soon as I see the blood again she's having the op I would have rather her have it the last time..how can I hear it up more tho ..the pet shop gave me a 75 w bulb should I get a bigger w one


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Proper equipment will help. 
You have 3 options available to you for this. 
1) turn up the heat in the house
2) use a space heater
3) a Che set up
-a thermostat
-a dome rated for ceramic heat elements (CHE)
- a CHE

A CHE won't produce light, only heat. This will allow you to maintain proper heating and lighting 24 hours a day.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Update:There is no blood so far in her wee,don't think I've seen the last of it but when it comes back I'm bracing myself for the op
Got her on some good quality hills food even tho I have to mix it with chicken but it's a start right?!..I also got the heating sorted for her and she's actually starting to look better..
Let's hope things stay as good in the coming weeks!


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Also I looked at her this morning and there was a clear discharge around her private area ..any ideas what it could be


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Still no blood so far,touch wood
My question is I'm getting a friend for trilo on Sunday do ye think they will fight,trilo had been raised around other hedgehogs and apparently so has the hedgehog I'm getting has been too


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

The thing is, hedgehogs don't need or even want friends. They are solitary animals and prefer it that way. Odds are very high that they'll fight, and when they do there's a real risk of serious injury or even death. 

What gender is the new hedgehog? If they are opposite genders, then you can't ever let them meet. If they're both girls, then after the initial quarantine (they should be kept completely apart for 30 days so you know they new hog isn't bringing any illness in to the home) you may introduce them and see how it goes. However, there is zero benefit to letting them meet. It would be purely for your own satisfaction. And you'll have to watch them like a hawk. It wouldn't take long for one of them to hurt the other.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

One additional thought regarding quarantine. I'd keep the new one away from your current one for longer. No mingling of even bedding or your clothing. Quarantine works in both directions. It prevents the new one from getting your current one sick, but also goes in reverse when your current hedgehog has been sick. And the quarantine clock only starts from when both hedgehogs are have shown no symptoms. 

If your current hedgehog has been sick. Whether its from a uterine tumor or infection, her immune system has been fighting something and may still be a bit compromised and she may be more likely to get sick from something the other may carry and not exhibit. Or if she have had an infection, I'd be careful in case its something that may get your new one sick.

I tend to err on the side of longer quarantines, I do 6 week minimums here now, and at least 8 weeks if anyone has been ill or may have a compromised immune system. I had a rescue once that had mites, was treated, my vet diagnosed clear and wanted at a minimum an 8 week quarantine implemented. 7 weeks later, he was being syringe fed, and we were preparing to say good bye due to a nasty bacterial infection that popped up. He survived, but it reinforced the need for quarantines.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Ugh I don't know what to do now I told the woman with the hedgehog I would meet her tomorrow but I'm put off now!what should I do


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

What do you want to do? There is nothing wrong with having 2 hogs so long as you can meet the needs of both. Do you have the time to care for and interact with them both daily? Do you have the budget? Do you have the necessary space? Do you have the energy for it?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Why are you put off?


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

I'm put off by putting my other hedgehog at risk of getting sick after I literally just nursed her back to life,I have the budget and time of getting another one but it's just if the new hedgehog had something and gave it to trilo,

I have another question the pet shop I bought trilo in had another hedgehog in with her and he said they were never together before would he have have her something to make her sick?
Also I had puppie pads in her cage for a while that were scented would this have made her sick and also she used to lie on a heat pad that was really hot would these have anything to do with her getting sick ?trilo is fine now tho and the blood hasn't been back in 6 weeks!i think it could have something to do with the other hedgehog the pet shop had her with.what do u guys think


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

If you have the space and time, and practice good quarantine, you can do it fairly safely. I didn't post the above to drive you away from the new one, just to be careful since Trilo has been sick.

I have taken in new hedgehogs when I had cancer patients. I have taken in hedgehogs where they were reportedly sick. I've yet to have a problem of cross-contamination. But I have quarantine procedures in place. No bedding, blankets, even my clothing goes between animals. I change and wash between them. They are in separate sides of the house, etc. 

If you have the time, and the space to do the quarantine, figure out how you will quarantine and go for it. Otherwise, having one hedgehog isn't that bad. All that time you would have spent with a second one, spend it snuggling with Trilo.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Thanks guys I think I made my decision and I won't go ahead with buy another hedgehog as I don't want to jeopardise trilos health I'll just focus on trilo from now on.


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Guys just a quick question my sisters are getting Guinea pigs i was wondering if trilo could be affected by this ?


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Hi guys I noticed a few weeks ago trilos poo was going back to normal but now its gone soft again
I'm trying to get her just to eat biscuits or cat food but she just won't have the biscuits without chicken 
Any ideas what I should do?


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## Melissaginty13 (Dec 8, 2015)

Guys I need abit of advice,
Trilos started bleeding again Friday night so I bought her to the vets first thing Saturday morning and she gave her more antibiotics and treated her for mites and fleas and said she had a ear infection 
Today I noticed trilo was stretching a lot and then tonight she had what looked to be a seizure 
Would a ear infection cause this she's always so itchy 
Please any advice would be appreciated


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You posted the same thing in a new thread so I'm going to lock this one. Please only post your question once. Thanks


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