# Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Experience



## GIJosie (Feb 24, 2013)

Disclaimer: This is no longer an issue for Hodge (happened in the Spring) and I am not a doctor. Just would like to inform others so they don't panic like I did. Oh yea, forgive the dramatics too.

Act 1: Panic! & Symptoms
Hodge was happily eating and running on his wheel one moment, but returning to his cage a half hour later, it appeared as though he was murdered. The blood spread from his wheel, and with his scampering, all over his cage, and finally to his bed. I found him inside the back of his bed shaking. He appeared to have thrown up a bluish green mucus (bile, I'm assuming). There was no evidence of a cut from the wheel on his feet. When I picked him up he acted normal. When I put him down on the bedroom floor, a bloody red spot appeared again while he shook. "He is bleeding from his penis!" I yelled to my friend over the phone in panic.

Act 2: ER
After a few calls, we travelled to a local ER clinic who would look at a hedgehog at 9pm. At the ER, he hacked a few times with the bluish bile. Then, the doctor took him in and did the following:

0.01 Torbugesic 10mg/ml
Ultrasound Guided Cystocentesis
Urinalysis
0.01 Metacam 5mg/ml
Subcutaneous Gluids
0.02 Baytril 100 mg/ml IM (compounded)
All that means is that they sedated him, did an ultrasound to find his bladder to extract a urine sample, tested it, gave him an IV of sorts, pain killer, and antibiotic.

Act 3: Aftercare
$325 later, Hodge came home with me just to head out on a road trip the following day. I was sent home with about a week's worth of liquid antibiotics, and 3 days worth of liquid pain killers so he could enjoy the wheel without worrying. They would be administered with a syringe. After the night of the UTI attack, he rested well and continued his exercises and eating the following evening (although without his usual rigor).

Epilogue
I don't know if it could have been avoided. My friend as well as the doctor assured me that it likely couldn't be. His cage was and is kept clean. However, he does run on his wheel/bathroom every night and then go to bed with his poopy paws as many hedgies do. Thus far, he is still okay and his mommy and daddy are happy for it.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad Hodge is feeling better now.  It's always nice to get posts like this to explain how a vet treated something, it can be so helpful for others when their hedgie goes through the same thing.


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