# Purple-red mass on chest beside the arm



## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

(yes I've posted on CnH, but I want the more awnser to act fast)
It's not about Litchi or Tangelo rest assured. 

Friend that has taken an hedgehog from her co-worker. I went to see her tonight and told me thta Capri (the hedgie) was kinda fat and needed a wheel. I came to check her an realised she has a big purple-red mass on her chest right beside her arms, like under a "breast" (sorry I don't know the apropriate word it's late). It's about the size of a quarter and it's not hard but soft. Obviously, Capri is bottered when I touch her there. I have no pic (she doesn't have a camera). What could that be, a tumor? 

I've told her (and her vet tech friend too) to go to the vet, I suggested mine since she wasn't happy with hers. But she's not too keen on putting money for the hedgehog that isn't "hers" (she kinda regret taking it, and thrus me, I'm happy Nancy talked me intoo taking a rescue instead of this girl). So, what kind of procedure would they do? Blood test, biopsy? Thanks for your help and I'll root for her, but let me tell you there's no way I take her in, hedgie bugget is streched and I don't even have a place for quarentaine.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

It could be a bruise, but hard to say. Is she in a cage that has a loft? Could she have fallen onto something outside of the cage. Maybe a spider bite? Yes, I would say go to the vet to have it check.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

No she's on a sterlite bin. She does have an igloo but my friend didn't said if she was a climber. I doesn't sound like a "buise", usually brusses doesn't that big of a bump. Anyway I just sent the vet info and offered her to drive her there.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Is it a lump? Will it wiggle around? Is it scabbed or is the purple colour under the skin. Could it be a mammary tumour?


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

It's exactly like the picture you showed me Nancy

The lump is not really wigelly as far as I recall.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Looks like a tumor.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Looks like a tumor to me as well. Time to go to the vet and talk to doc about options to remove it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The hedgehog pictured is one of mine that I posted on CnH just to show what a tumour looked like. It's not the hedgehog in question.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Ha! Guess our tumour radar's are functioning normally then .


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Nancy said:


> The hedgehog pictured is one of mine that I posted on CnH just to show what a tumour looked like. It's not the hedgehog in question.


Yes I guess I wasn't clear it was your picture, but it's exatcly the same, so I'm like 90 sure it's a tumor. How costly it is to remove, usually, and is the pronostic good in general?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Cost can vary greatly. Depending on the vet, how invasive the tumor is and how long it takes the vet to remove it. I think I paid around $300 for Bianca's mammary tumor, and it wrapped itself around her back leg. What we saw was just a small piece of the actual tumor. But doc said it was easy to remove.

Prognosis can be very good if they get all of the tumor. When you have a tumor removed you want to have a pathology done on it. You are looking to hear the words "clean margins," meaning they got all of the tumor. The one mammary cancer we had here, the hedgehog lived for a year and developed a different type of cancer. I know of others that have lived long lives afterwards. It all depends on if you catch the cancer early, if it hasn't metastasised, and if they get all of it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

When Peaches had her mammary tumour all the research I did said that average recurrence is within 8 months and death by a year. Peaches tumour was removed at 18 months and she died just before her 5th birthday of a totally unrelated cause. Her tumour did not have clean margins yet, she was a survivor.

When deciding on whether to do surgery or not, I go by the age of the hedgehog, health, speed of growth, and yes, sad as it is, I do have to factor in the cost. I didn't do surgery on Muffin because she was a rescue of unknown age who had been through multiple owners. It was thought she was 4 but without a doubt she was an elder hedgehog.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks for all those valubale info. I'm gonna pass it on to my friend. But is that possible that the tumor poped overnight, because she swore she didn't see anything wrong the day before and I think it's strange cause I would believe it grow a little more slowly.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Jaw tumors pop out over night. Many others will also, which means they are fast growing.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I've had 3 mammary tumours here and Peaches was the only one that seemed to appear suddenly. Looking at pictures of her right before it was discovered, I'm sure it was there before I realized it. I think I just hadn't put my fingers in the right place. Snow and Jube I knew about from very early on and theirs were both slow growing.

Oral tumour can appear seemingly overnight and I've had some get pretty severe before any outward signs or swelling was visible. Oral tumours are HORRIBLE!

Of the mammary tumours I've dealt with, Peaches was probably the fastest growing and hers hung down from her body much like a marble. Snow and Jubes were attached. Snow's in particular grew very slowly and at the time of death hers was still very small but I think was secondary to other tumours in her body. Snow was also almost 5 and Jube over 5.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Nancy said:


> Oral tumour can appear seemingly overnight and I've had some get pretty severe before any outward signs or swelling was visible. Oral tumours are HORRIBLE!.


That I knew about. The girl I bought Tangelo's cage from used to have a hedgie too. Sadly she died a year ago from an oral tumor that went downhill in the matter of days. She said she regreted not taking action sooner and was stressing me that if I ever saw trouble in eating I shouldn't wait.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

While not mammary tumors, I have had several hedgehogs that had a tumor pop up over night or even within hours of my last handling them. I was checking Riley daily, often morning and night, watching for a reoccurance of his spindle cell sarcoma. What wasn't there at the AM check, by PM there was a large lump in his neck. By the next day, it was massive.

Some cancers can grow rapidly. It all depends on the type of cancer. They all behave differently and react to different things.

My opinion is that tumors in hedgehogs are not a wait and see matter. I've seen way too many people who waited to see what would happen, however cancer in hedgehogs is very common. If you have hedgehogs you will deal with cancer. I tend to approach any lump as if it is cancer. If it turns out to be something else, well I celebrate.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Now she doesn't want to got to the vet because it's not "hers" even if she decided (even if it was too fast and she regrets) to take her. I'm mad. I hope I can find someone to rescue her, see my post in the rescue section.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Hmm, I saw the post in the rescue, though I'll say it here.

To me, personally...Considering that the hedgie is a bit older...If you can't find someone to take her before the tumor grows bigger, I would suggest pooling together some $ between you and your friend, and just give the girl a peaceful end. You can't save them all, and many would be hesitant to take on something as long to take care of as a tumor. 

So if you can't find someone in a reasonable amount of time, it would be better to take away her pain and let her rest. Please don't think bad of me, but it's just I'd rather give them a peaceful and painless end, than to make them suffer for longer than they need to, especially when she is currently homeless. 

Although, I'm sure people here would be willing to help in some way or another, whether by donations or taking her in. I know that a lot of people pulled together for Cloud, when his owner was asking for donations so he could have his surgery. So that's something to think about as well.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

The thing is, I really don't have any money for this. I can't even chip in for the "funeral" of our chinchilla that is now in the care of my ex boyfriend (it was our chinchilla and we "split" them when we broke up). He has non-curable tooth issue and will need to be put to rest soon. My ex doesn't have much money and I told him I couldn't help him for the chinchilla, I won't go out and help another hedgie that isn't in my care (and never was). 

I know I can't save them all, but I can say I tried my best.


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