# Very serious health issues..



## SalvatoreGiuseppe (Oct 28, 2010)

I make my first post on this forum in rather unfortunate circumstances.

My 4 year old hedgehog, Señor Salsa, seems to be stricken rather badly be some disease. My fear is that it is Wobbly Hedgehog.

He has lost pretty much all use of one of his back legs, and his other one moves very awkwardly, causing him to pretty much drag himself forward...This has cause the additional issue of irritating his backside, which has become pretty red and scabby.

He also has started to eat and drink significantly less (although he is still getting some food and water every night).

Lastly, when I hold him upside-down, he no longer seems able to curl up into a ball. He can do so right side up, but if I hold him stomach up, he kind of paws at the air with his front legs, while his back legs lay outstretched and fairly motionless.

I realize my first answer is to get him to a vet, which I will be doing on Monday, assuming I can find a competent one around here, but is there anything else I should be doing for him? I feel so bad for him, he is clearly struggling to walk around in his cage, which he previously would do laps around through all hours of the night...


----------



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Firstly welcome to HHC.

I am so sorry that you are going through this with Señor Salsa. While I have no personal experience yet with WHS (Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome) and nor to I ever hope to have, I would like to offer my opinion.

By your description of Señor Salsa, it would seem that he may indeed have it.

I do have a few questions though.

When did you notice this first starting? 
Did it start like this or did it progress to him having paralysis in his hind end?
If not, how did you first notice a change in his movement? (Did his walking seems wobbly would he fall to one side of his body when trying to walk?)

Do you count his kibble each night to see how much he is eating?
Do you weigh him often, has he lost any weight?

What sort of bedding is he on?
Has there been any other changes in his environment?

Has he ever hibernated?

Hopefully some of the other members/breeders who have personal experience with WHS will chime in soon.


----------



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Also forget to ask, where are you located? Maybe we can help you find a good exotics vet in your area or close too.

Many things can be ruled out on what the problem could be and if everything that it could be is ruled out then most like all that is left is WHS. 

But WHS can't be truly diagnosed until after the hedgehog has passed away and a specialized necropsy is preformed by a lab.


----------



## SalvatoreGiuseppe (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks for your reply.

For maybe about a month I've been noticing that he seemed to be walking strange, but I didn't really think much of it, as it didn't look serious.

Only in the past week or so has it gotten so bad that his movement has been hindered. Thats when I started noticing how bad his back legs were.

I don't count the kibble, but before he was eating basically a mason cap jar full, and now I doubt he's eating half of that. This is probably what I am most worried about. I'm sad that this is happening, but its not the end of the world. What is really sad is if he isn't getting enough food and water to be comfortable. I have seen some things about syringe feeding/watering, I might have to start that

I don't weigh him, so I don't know if he has lost weight, I would say he looks a little thinner in the back. Whereas before he was kind of solid down the sides, his figure seems to dip in around where the paralysis sets in. Not sure if this is due to weight loss, but I would suspect so

His bedding is described on the package as "celulose fiber" basically a kind of clothy chunky looking stuff, which he has had for at least two years now

The only change to his environment is he moved from my house to school with me back in August, but he was acclimated by now (he had slowed down eating then too, but after a bit it got back to normal)

He's never hibernated that I am aware of, and since I have had him since he was barely a month old, I would say no, never.

I'm currently outside of Orlando in the Oviedo/University of Central Florida area, and our house is kept at 75 degrees, and is more likely to be warmer than cooler, even this late into "fall" so I don't think tempurature is an issue.

Thanks for your help. Like I said, I'll get over the disease itself, what worries me most is the quality of life at this point...


----------



## SalvatoreGiuseppe (Oct 28, 2010)

Also, as I'm sure it may come up, he was bought from an individual breeder somewhere in Florida (not exactly sure of the person, he was a birthday present). He came with a document of birth with parents listed, and from what my parents told me, the place seemed to be professional enough (lots of 'hogs, good advice, friendly etc.)


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It does sound like it is possibly WHS but there are so many other things that can cause WHS like symptoms, stroke, tumour, injury etc. Did his symptoms come on suddenly or gradually? 

What type of food are you feeding? At 4 years old, he could be having difficulty eating hard kibble and that is very normal at his age. You can dampen the kibble for him, feed him wet food, or you can start syringe feeding him. If he were mine, I'd syringe feed him and leave dampened kibble or wet food in his cage for him. 

Are you certain he cannot curl up when on his back or he just doesn't want to or doesn't try very hard. 

You can try massaging her legs and doing some physical therapy on them. It may help. 

Although your vet can't say for certain it's WHS, he can rule other things out. 

It would be helpful if you can find the information he came with. If this does turn out to be WHS, the breeder needs to know. 

Poor boy. I'm sorry you are going through this.


----------



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

If you can remember the breeder he came from it would be a good idea to call or email and let them know also of this problem. If they are truly an legitimate breeder then the lines he is from will have to be stop been bred because of the WHS, it been a heredity disease.

If your more concerned of quality of life then syringe feeding/watering him is the way to go to keep his weight healthy. I would say if you notice he looks thinner then he has lost weight. 

Also he may be in a lot of pain and if his poor bottom is red raw and scabbed I would say he is definitely in pain with that.

There is really not a whole lot you can do to treat WHS, once it sets in it is only a matter of time.

You have to way up the pros n cons of substantiating his life and how much you can do to make sure it is quality of life opposed to quantity.

Do take him to a exotics vet, I am looking for one now for you. And get him checked up, rule out everything it could be before leaving it at WHS. You do not want to jump to it straight away and elect to have him put to sleep if everything else isn't ruled out first. 

Even then, if you can provided a quality life for him of what he has left, as long as he is not suffering that is your best option.

*Edited for errors


----------



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Here is one for you:

Alafaya Trail Animal Hospital
2985 Alafaya Trail
Oviedo, FL 32765

T: 407-365-2222

Another one:

Dr. Elexis Comer
Animal Hospital at Vista Lakes
8770 Lee Vista Blvd
Orlando FL 32829 
T: 407-380-3011

And another:

Aloma Jancy Animal Hospital
3370 Pet Country Court 
Oviedo, Florida 32765 
T: 407-671-1183

*Edited to add 2 other vets


----------



## SalvatoreGiuseppe (Oct 28, 2010)

RE: Nancy

I would say he can't ball up, only because he has never let me hold him upside down like that before...it struck me as strange the first time he lay like that, and it eventually hit me that it was because I had never seen him do it before.

I also notice when I was looking at him closer today that when he quills up, his back quills seem to become a lot less spiky than the front, as if he can no longer raise them.

As you said it could be a number of things, although I think I can rule out skeletal injury, only because he does not react at all when I touch his legs, and I can bend them at the joints, and after a little massaging he does seem to get some control of them (as in he can bring them in toward is body or stretch them out, as opposed to being "stuck" one way ore the other as is usually the case when I first pick him up.)

I will definately start to soften kibble and see if that makes a difference in the eating.

Also, to whomever posted it, I had also found that vet on the internet, and as it is right by my house I will be giving them a call to see what they can do for me...

Thanks again to everyone for being so helpful


----------



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Good luck and let us know how you got at the vet, I listed 3 so at least 1 of them should be able to help you.


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

SalvatoreGiuseppe, have you checked your PM's. A fellow Floridian has written you about vets and people in the area that might be able to help.


----------

