# Pomme is sick and the vet isn't sure what it is



## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Figured I give it a shot with other hedgie owners who may have seen this before.

Pomme was treated for a UTI in August and the blood in her urine went away. I came back from a holiday this week and noticed blood in her cage (my housemate had clear instructions on how to care for her while I was away and I'm sure he did nothing wrong).

I gave her a quick belly-deep water bath, a sure way to cause her to poop and pee. There was blood in her pee again, although not as much as there was when she first had the supposed UTI. I gave her the last dregs of her medicine over her food (the way it had been administered before) and she picked at it, but she went off her food for days and I never saw much poop in her wheel.

Took her to the vets again today and she was weighed, she'd lost 0.5kgs since our first visit. Not good.

She pooped on the way to the vets in her box, 2 sticky, small, dark green poops. Vet didn't seem to think it was a problem, but I know from seeing the posts on here it can be.

When I brought her home all I cared about was fattening her up again, filled up her bowl with fresh Royal Canin kibble and she was wolfing it down. I can only assume the loss of appetite was due to the medicine on her food before which makes me feel really bad...at least she's eating now.

What do you suggest I do? The vet said he'd ask around for advice, the vet at the centre who supposedly has a clue is on maternity leave and he was going to ask her. Sedating and scanning are highly risky and I don't want to do anything drastic incase she dies over something that could be cured with the right medicine. On the other hand if the weight loss was caused by something more serious I'd never forgive myself for not working this out.

Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated. I feel like a bad owner


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It's most likely uterine and she needs to be spayed. Recurring blood in urine and antibiotic not clearing it up is almost always uterine. With her going off her food, this may be a uterine infection which makes getting that uterus out of there asap before she goes toxic. 

I lost a girl in the spring due to a uterine infection. We thought it was urinary and it cleared up with antibiotic and she was fine. It came back a couple weeks later and she went downhill so incredibly fast and died before her vet appointment. She had gone septic.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

She's 1 and 3/4 years old. Is that old enough to need spaying?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes, if she's having uterine issues then it needs to be done at any age.


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## Hazesti (Jan 19, 2010)

It's the same symptoms Quinn had for her uterine tumor. I'm surprised the vet didn't think of it, it's a very common issue with any unspayed female pet?

Quinn handled the operation very well despite being much older than your Pomme, so I'm sure it'll be fine


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

The vet prescribed more antibiotics to see if it cleared up and booked in an appointment for the 11th to get her spayed and have a look around inside to see if there were other issues.

A couple of days ago she started acting funny; tipping her water dish over everytime I refilled it for her to have a drink and then sticking her snout under the wet litter and whistling. I'm not sure if this is just a new toy she's discovered, if she's not thirsty or is being restless. When I saw her do it I tried to hold the water bowl still and she started biting the (ceramic) bowl and then going for my fingers, I didn't give her the opportunity to bite me, she's never nipped before, but I'd imagine she would have bitten me then. I'm going to go back to an attached bottle on the side of the cage just so she can get some fluids.

Her poop is small, dense and dark green, would this be due to the medicine?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would guess that she might be restless from being in pain, especially if she's trying to bite when she never has before. The poop is likely from the antibiotics, but one way you can help with that is by giving her probiotics between med doses. You can use either small animal Benebac, the gel or powder, or you can use acidophilus. I always used acidophilus, not sure where to find Benebac (at least not the powder - my pet stores only ever have the gel). Acidophilus you can find in the pharmacy section of a store, with the vitamins. Just put a good sized pinch on her food for her to eat halfway between doses of antibiotics. If she likes any kind of baby food, it may work better to sprinkle the powder into baby food (maybe mix it up to disguise any taste as well) and feed it to her to make sure she gets it. That'll help restore the good bacteria that's getting killed by the antibiotics, at least for awhile until the next dose.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Update: Pom had her surgery on Wednesday and they noticed some discoloration on her uterus wall, so the bleeding was most likely due to that. She's off the Baytril antibiotics now and just waiting for her wound to heal.

The last couple of days Pom has been acting weird. She's totally gone off her food and tries to drink. I found a dry green poop smear on her bedding this morning. I think she might have a temperature, she's extremely weak on her legs, I heat her bedding and she's been avoiding sitting on it as though she's too warm and staggers towards a cold corner of her cage. She has almost no energy, I have her on my lap trying to warm her up, she's been struggling to get off and occasionally just gives up trying  I'm going to town to get her some softer foods and hopefully syringe feed to give her some energy. She lost a bit of weight before surgery and it's not going up.

The vet didnt recommend pain killers as they're super bad for hedgehog kidneys, so I'm worried it's because she's in pain. Can anybody shed some light please?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'd call the vet again. I'm not sure why he wouldn't prescribe painkillers, it's important to help manage the pain after surgery and while the pet is sick...I know others on here have gotten Metacam (if I remember correctly) to help with pain and swelling in their hedgies. I haven't read that it's terrible for their kidneys, but I don't have personal experience with it either. Someone else, like Immortalia or LizardGirl, might have more information on that though.

Definitely get some food and start syringe-feeding her. You don't want to let them go without food or with very little food for more than two nights or it can cause their liver to start to shut down. Once they stop eating, they start feeling crappy and it keeps them from wanting to start eating again - a bad cycle. Baby food is good for syringe-feeding, as well as powdering her kibble and mixing it in.

How do you heat her cage/bedding? Is it possible that the bedding really is too warm? If it feels toasty to us, it can cause burns if they are laying on the heat for an extended period of time, which is one concern with using heating mats or pads or anything of that nature. I'm not sure of her behavior past those ideas, so the only other thing I can think of is to get her back into the vet in case there's something going wrong with the incision, like infection or something. Good luck.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Sending thoughts and prayers for Pomme.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Honestly? Just about all drugs under the sun are bad for kidneys and liver. Because that's where most drugs are processed to be eliminated. The key point is proper dosing and management. yes, there are some drugs that are really bad, and some that aren't quite as bad. There are drugs that we absolutely avoid if there's any sort of pre-existing problem. But I'm assuming your girl doesn't have a pre-existing problem, so something like metacam(at proper dosing) should be fine.

You really REALLY need to take her back to a vet(or even a different vet). To have her go through a spay surgery, and not give pain killers is borderline inhumane on the part of the vet. The vet should know better, or have tried something else, found something else. Did they give her pain killers immediately after the surgery? When we do any sort of surgery, we always give an injectable dose of metacam when we're close to finish, and just waiting on the animal to wake up. Then for spays, we give about 3-5 days worth of metacam(oral). For dog neuters, it's 3 days worth after. For cat neuters, it's just the single shot of metacam. 

As for everything else, Lilysmommy already covered it well.

Have you taken a look at the incision? How does it look? Inflammed? Red? clean?


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of Pomme and you. I hope that you can get ahold of some Metacam this weekend. Poor girl. I would think that they also would have prescribed an antibiotic for her after surgery as well to prevent any infection. Did they? I hope that the bleeding resolves and that she is able to get through this. My previous hedgehog Snoball had 2 surgeries for breast cancer and she was such a trooper. She did not experience the things you are describing although spaying is pretty invasive surgery...so maybe it takes longer to recover from that.
Wishing you the best. I hope she gets better soon. She is beautiful and I love that little plastic hedgie toy she has!
Take care,
Susan H.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Thank you all for your thoughts and best wishes, I really appreciate it.

After posting this morning I took her to the vets again as she really wasn't herself. They have taken her in her cage to give her some opiant painkillers and injecting some fluids into her which should help ease the pain, they will do everything they can for her and will be syringe feeding and giving her treats at one of the vet's homes. The vet that has taken her lives near me so will stop by to pick up her kibble and litter. I'm going to pass on the leftover Baytril antibiotics that were given to treat her UTI and my dressing gown that I usually snuggle her in.

To answer your questions: the wound did not look swollen or inflamed at all, she was just really really weak and lethargic (which is totally understandable when she's in pain), I'd imagine it's as you guys described that she went off her food because of the pain and then it got worse 

I honestly feel terrible about it all, I just hope they do everything they can to keep her strong so she can get through it.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sending hugs to you and good thoughts to Pomme. <3 I know how much it sucks when your baby doesn't feel good and you can't magically make it better.  That's definitely good that the wound didn't look inflamed or anything, so hopefully she'll just need a little supportive care to get back on her feet. Please keep us updated.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> Sending hugs to you and good thoughts to Pomme. <3 I know how much it sucks when your baby doesn't feel good and you can't magically make it better.  That's definitely good that the wound didn't look inflamed or anything, so hopefully she'll just need a little supportive care to get back on her feet. Please keep us updated.


Thanks so much and I will keep you all updated.

The vet just called and said she's been given lots of fluids, some painkiller which will wear off in about 3 hours, and has been syringe fed some carnivore food and antacids to help calm her stomach. She's had a couple of dark poops so is passing blood and the vet is worried it may be an ulcer of some sort so has been trying to treat that whilst keeping her warm with a heat mat in her cage. She's been kept in a quiet, dark room with her bedding to get comfortable and sleep as the painkillers have made her extra sleepy. The vet doesn't sound very optimistic, but I know Pommey is a little fighter, once she gets some strength I really hope she can beat this.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Wow, well however the vet was acting before it seems like now they are going above and beyond taking Pomme home with her/him, etc.
I hope that you are able to bring her back to your house soon! I hope she recovers from the surgery and like you said, don't underestimate how hearty these little ones are. I'm sure she's a trooper and just may surprise the vet. I certainly hope so!
-Susan H.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Update #2: Been in touch twice a day since Saturday, Pomme will be staying one last night with the vet and I'll be picking her up tomorrow after work. I was asked if I wanted to bring her home today, but it's quite late in the evening and she's only just started to come back from her very weakened state. I figured it'd be best if she had one more night of fluids, meds, luxury care and love from the vets (she turned her nose up at mealworms and watermelon that the vet brought for her specially!!).

Apparently we're not totally out of the woods yet, they think it's some sort of gastric ulcer or possibly an infection that has spread to her kidneys. She had a lot of bloody poop for 2 days, but it cleared up today and is back to being green, her temperature to the touch is also warming up, which sounds a lot more positive. Plus they said she's putting a lot more effort into being grumpy and hissy which I think is a good thing!

Will keep you all posted, thank you for your thoughts


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I've been wondering how you guys are doing. I'm glad she's starting to feel better! It's always good when they start feeling good enough to give you some attitude. :lol: I hope she continues to improve!


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Brought her home today with a ton of meds...she's is so unbelievably wobbly on her feet and squidgy to the touch. Usually she's lively and plods about and has some sort of stockiness to her, but it hurts to see her like this. I honestly don't know if she'll fully recover. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if she improves over the next few days.


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## Sar-uh (Sep 6, 2011)

Poor little dear. Sending warm thoughts and positive vibes your way <3


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Poor girl. Give it some time. She just had a major surgery and she is recovering. What do you mean she is "squidgy"? you mean soft? 
Please keep us updated on her progress...how is she eating, pooping, etc.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

She has been through so much and is so fragile. Healing time for her.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

She's being force fed water and food as she's not eating on her own. I'm not giving up on her until she gives up. She has lots of life in her face although the syringe feeding stresses her out and it is unbelievably hard to out-stubborn her and get the nutrients in her. Monday-Wesnesday she had dark green diarrhea, poops are looking more solid now but she rarely poops or pees (probably lack of food and water in her system).

She didn't bpther to sleep in her beddng last night and got cold, but |I warmed her up really well before heading to work. Just picked up high protein syringable food (AD cat food) and criticl care formula for herbivores. Hopefully I can get her eating and drinking on her own soon


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm really sorry you and Pomme are going through this. I had a similar situation with Clémentine when she had surgery. She too had stopped eating and drinking on her own, she was lethargic and I had to give her food and water with a seringe 3 times a day for over a week but she did eventually get back to her old self. So hang in there, force her to eat and drink and take her meds, you're taking good care of her.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm worried that the anaesthetic may have brought out WHS in her. I've been looking at youtube videos of the symptoms and she moves very much like some of the hedgehogs on there, not very stiffly but loses balance and wobbles on her back legs  

I have no idea how to test if this is actually what's going on though...and it doesn't really explain the loss of appetite


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

As far as I know, anaesthesia would not bring out or cause WHS. I'm guessing the wobbliness is either from weakness from not eating/drinking much, being too cold, or both. How do you heat her cage? You said before that you heat her bedding - you need to heat the air too. You do NOT want her having hibernation attempts while she's already sick. It'll just lower her immune system further and cause more issues. You want to make sure the entire cage, including air, is being kept warm, 75-78 degrees. Either a CHE system or a space heater is best, whichever you can get a hold of most quickly. 

The Hills A/D is great for syringe-feeding, so I hope you can get more of that into her. Just be patient, give her breaks as often as she needs (especially if she's starting to get stressed out) and do what you can. If she's not eating much, feed her more often - 1 mL per hour. So if you get 2 mL into her, feed her again in 2 hours. I know the schedule is hard to follow with work and other responsibilities, but do as much as you can. If you have work or school, feed her right before you go, and as soon as you get home. Try and get 20-24 mL into her over 24 hours. Remember water's just as important - dehydration is more dangerous than starvation. I'm not 100% sure how much water is necessary, but just keep an eye on her pee for color, and pinch her skin to see how quickly it returns to normal. If it stays in a fold for longer than a second or two, she's dehydrated and needs more water.

Her poop will probably stay weird-looking for as long as she's on antibiotics. They kill the good bacteria in her GI system in addition to bad bacteria in general, so it causes green, horrible-looking poops (that often smell worse too). You can help with that by getting acidophilus or small animal Benebac and giving it to her halfway between antibiotic doses. If you give it with antibiotics, the meds kill the bacteria in the acidophilus/Benebac, making it useless.

Keep offering her food during nights too - a variety of things might entice her to try something. Dry food, crushed dry food, dampened food, some baby food, canned cat food, insects, etc. Just make sure any wet or dampened food or baby food, etc. is removed in the morning.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The wobbliness and loss of appetite and sleeping outside her bed is because she is sick and/or not recovering well from her recent spay. A heating under her cage may make her feel better if she will lay on it. Also, putting some food inside her bed may encourage her to eat on her own. Try numerous foods including both wet and dry. She may also like some Royal Canin Baby cat if you haven't already tried it. You can also give her either puppy milk or preferably goats milk. Usually they like it and although it will give some messy poops, it will get food into her and will also give her fluids at the same time. 

If she is fighting the syringe, instead of putting it in her mouth, try putting some around her lips and with luck she will lick it off. Sometimes they fight the syringe until they get it figured out. Also, when they aren't eating, they feel yucky so have even less desire to eat. Even a few mouthfuls at a time given every hour may get her over the hump until she starts wanting to eat again. Giving a ml of sugar water may stimulate her appetite. Is she on metacam? If so, sometimes it will kill their appetite. Try holding her in different positions and see what works best. Some like to be almost in a standing position and others are fine being held in a ball. 

This will probably sound strange but talk to her while you try syringing her and tell her that if she eats on her own you won't have to do this. When I'm syringing my gang, I tell them just a wee bit more and I'll stop but of course I don't stop as long as they are still swallowing. 

Good luck. Sending prayers and well wishes to your girl.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> As far as I know, anaesthesia would not bring out or cause WHS. I'm guessing the wobbliness is either from weakness from not eating/drinking much, being too cold, or both. How do you heat her cage? You said before that you heat her bedding - you need to heat the air too. You do NOT want her having hibernation attempts while she's already sick. It'll just lower her immune system further and cause more issues. You want to make sure the entire cage, including air, is being kept warm, 75-78 degrees. Either a CHE system or a space heater is best, whichever you can get a hold of most quickly.


The house is generally kept warm. Her cage is next to the radiator which comes on full temperature twice a day, I heat a snugglesafe heat pad twice a day and wrap it in fleece with extra fleece bedding on top that she sleeps in. The vet also said that the anaesthesia can bring out underlying diseases including neurological ones.

It's been nearly 2 weeks since the surgery, appart from the refusing to eat by herself and the wobbly walking she is pretty full of energy. I managed to get 2.5mls of AD mixed with warm water into her this morning, 1 ml of water (although she drank on her own last night!) and her meds. The vets told me to stop the Baytril antibiotics today and the Zantac tomorrow, she will cary on with the Antepsin until Wednesday to calm her stomach down and help to line it. She had some critical caer last night but I'll need to make it more dilute as it's super powdery even after following the instuctions.

Luckily we're on the weekend now so I can give her care every couple of hours, but she probably needs to sleep though to help with her recovery. She's all warmed up now and snuggled into bed, I think it's her balance that is causing her to lay out of her bedding, she can't really climb onto her snugglesafe which is about 2cm off the litter height in her cage.

One problem I noticed last night though was that she has a slightly ingrowing nail on her front paw, she wouldn't let me near it to clip it last night so it'll be bath time and a struggle to get it tonight. I asked the vets to clip her nails during her surgery and I thought they'd down them all, but I guess they missed that one...

On the positive side, her poop was looking a lot more solid this morning.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I am glad to hear that she is slowly starting to show signs of improvement! I have been worrying about her. She is just so adorable and she reminds me a bit of Snoball (my first hedgie!). I will continue to keep you both in my thoughts and look forward to hearing your updates! I'm glad you will be able to watch her more closely these next couple of days. Good luck with everything!
Susan H.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

She's still not eating or drinking...today I gave her a bath and notcied she was closing one eye (her left) sort of blinking. Then I checked her over and noticed she has a massive lump inside her right ear. It looks almost like a tick or something, I'm waiting for a call back from the vets and I'll have to take her in tomorrow if they know what it is.


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## SpiritWolves1 (Apr 5, 2012)

Pour girl  hope she gets better! Dallas sends kisses and shade sends a hug, keep us updated ^.^

If she needs more warmth to sleep on try folding a heated blanket under her bed side of the cage and set it to about 2 depending on how your blanket works you may have.to put it a bit higher. It gets a bit cooler at night in my room because the windows aren't covered by plastic yet so I cover 3/4 of the cages with the heat blanket and set it to 4, the wheels have a spot for ventilation and the sides and backs are open so it just warms the air


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Poor baby girl. I wonder what the hedgie experts here will have as their thoughts?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Poor girl. I wonder if it's a cyst? Hopefully not a tumour. I hope you can get her in to the vet quickly because if it is a cyst, the sooner it is drained the better.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

The vet on Sunday didn't seem concerned with the lump in her ear as it wasn't inflamed, but over the last two days Pom's gotten a lot worse. We're back at square one where she's not staying in the warm parts of her cage, she's refusing to eat (keeping her jaws closed and moves her head away). She's on my lap warming up now but just wants to get away and looks really depressed.

She leaks pee still and doesn't show any interest in food or drink. No huffiness at all like her usual self, she's just a dopey hog  Vets on the phone say it's her kidneys probably failing and to consider putting her down. The life isn't really there in her face like it was on Sunday.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Oh, and one more thing I noticed...her tail is looking very pink and sore. I'm not sure if that is due to her leaky bladder and her not lifting her tail when she goes to pee/poop or not.


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## Sar-uh (Sep 6, 2011)

Aw, so sorry to hear this. That's really tough


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

She just threw up  I haven't seen any poop for at least a day now too. She's lost even more weight too...I think it's nearly time to let her go tbh


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## zorropirate (Aug 13, 2010)

Have you tried massaging her tummy at all? That might help. 

Poor little gal... HUGS!


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Your little girl will tell you when. You alone will know and it will be the right thing to do for her.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Oh my gosh, I am so sad to hear this. I was anxiously awaiting an update about her. Can you take her in to the vet so they can run some tests to see what the heck is going on? Can they do an ultrasound to make sure everything is healing OK from the surgery? Why do they assume her kidneys are failing. 1 3/4 years old is not very old. If she has something seriously wrong with her I would at least demand they try to figure out what it is before putting her down. If she does not make it I would have them do a necropsy to determine what was really going on - although that decision is up to you.
I hope that you can find some answers and that you don't give up hope too soon.
My thoughts are with you both,
Susan H.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Poor beautiful Pomme. It sounds like she is tired of trying. When the life leaves their face and eyes, it's usually time. Hold her, tell her you love her and it's okay to let herself go. Sometimes that's all they need to let go. Some want to be with us as they pass, others struggle to get away and want to be left alone. If she doesn't want to be held, you can sit by her cage and talk or sing to her and tell her how much she is loved and will be missed. It's not easy saying goodbye. Sending hugs to you both.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

She just died  ...she was in my hands and she went limp and was gasping for air. I told her it was okay and that I loved her and kissed her face and eventually she just stopped breathing.

I'm sorry guys, the ending wasn't a happy one :'( I'm just glad that I didn't have to make that decision for her and that I was there for her when she really needed me.


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Thank you everyone for all your supposrt throughout this, and hopefully the symptoms posted will help other hedgie owners who may be in the same boat some day. I'm sorry I couldn't save you Pomme


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I am so sorry but I'm glad she passed at home in the comfort of your arms. You did everything you could for her to try and get her better but sometimes it's just not meant to be. She was a beautiful girl. Hugs


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm so sorry.  RIP little Pomme. Keep watch over your mommy while you chase mealies over the Rainbow Bridge.


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

Oh! I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Little Pomme got to go in the safest and most loved place she knew, laying in your hands. You both were very lucky to have each other, even for a relatively short time. Thistle and I send our love.


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm so sorry. You tried so hard and she passed knowing she was loved.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I am so, so sorry. I am very glad that you were home and had her out of the cage when this happened. I think I told you before that my first hedgie (I have only had two) looked a lot like Pomme. She developed breast cancer (2 surgeries) and eventually she began getting blood in her pee also. She was put on antibiotics which did not help. I then took her back to the vet and they told me that she did not look good and that she probably would not last long. One day my friend noticed that she was out of her bed in the middle of the day, which she often did to get a drink, but he had a 6th sense and told me to take her out, which I did. She died shortly after that, she was trying to breathe just as you describe but I probably did not handle it as well as you did. I was devastated, but at least I was there for her, which gave me a lot of comfort.
I was later told (because I had a necropsy done) that her cancer had spread to her kidney and the tumor "threw a clot", she died of a pulmonary embolism. I think it sounds very similar to what happened to Pomme. You may never know the answers to what happened to Pomme, but you did everything that you could for her and I guess it was sadly her time to go. I know exactly how you feel and I am so sorry because I know how much it hurts! I hope that you can find some peace in the coming days/weeks/months....and one day you will find it in your heart to take care of another little hedgie.
-Susan H. :|


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## Raven (Jan 30, 2011)

Post-mortem results just came through for anyone interested/worried for their hoglets:

Likely cause was sceptisemia, which led to secondary issues with her liver (fatty build-ups from loss of appetite). They are not positive whether this was from the spay surgery or from her original uterine issues/possible infection, but they know it was blood-borne. There were signs of infection around the surgery wound, which is worrying...the vets didn't seem to think it was the primary cause though.

He said she was on strong antibiotics before and after the surgery so he's not sure what they could have done differently, but at least they know what to look for if they get in a poorly hedgie like her again.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Thank you very much for the update!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Thank you for letting us know. Unfortunately, uterine issues are often accompanied by a uterine infection and it would certainly be possible for the infection to have started to spread before or during her spay. Poor girl.

How are you doing?


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I have no words. I know it is cold comfort finding out the cause of your hedgies death, but at least now you won't be wondering about it anymore. I think it was a brave thing you did having the necropsy because it will help your vets better treat other hedgies in the future.
I guess there are still some unanswered questions though. I guess going forward my question is, can an ultrasound be done on a hedgehog? would that show if there was a uterine related problem?

I am just wondering because someone suggested that I have my hedgie spayed as a preemptive measure. I don't think I would want her to go through a surgery if it was unnecessary though....how do you "experts" feel about this? It seems like a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
RIP beautiful Pomme, and once again Raven, I am so sorry that you had to go through this!
Susan H. :|


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