# Severe Bladder Infection



## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

I am a relatively new Hedgie owner I have had my guy since December 2009, he was already 8 mths when I got him. His name is Spork.

Well he had not eaten or drank anything for two days so I frantically called my vet, who had said before I adopted Spork they look after hedgies. This morning they changed their minds and said they no longer care for hedgies. I live in a small city and ended up having to leave work at lunch and drive two hours too another city that has an exoctic animal clinic.

Spork was x-rayed, ultrasounded and they had to stick a needle in him and drain his bladder it was so full it did some damage to his Kidneys. No blockage was found but his urine test found extremely high blood count and a few crystals. The whole thing costed $300 thank god for the emergency fund.

He is now on medication and special food. The medication is Enrofloxacin. He gets 0.15cc two times a day. They also gave me some special wet cat food 'Prescription Diet c/d Multicare - Chicken". They think their was too much protein in his diet. I was feeding him a food recommended on this site Core Wellness in an Orange and White Bag.

Since I got him home four hours ago he has drank some water, but has not eaten. I left the house for an hour and it looked like their was spit up in his cage (much like when he annoites). He now only has a blanket, food dishes, and his wheel in his cage. Everything else has been removed since I need to know if he pees and roughly how much. If he does not pee I have to take him back to the clinic. Not sure I can afford more stuff done on him.

Any suggestions on what I can do? I am so sad and frustrated. I thought I was doing everything right and now he is one very sick little guy. 

P.S. I have made my apartment really warm. It feels roughly 25C in here. I also weighed the food and water so I can re-weigh later and see how much he ate and drank.


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## MeAmandaTee (Aug 9, 2010)

When hes eating his normal food i would say adding a food to the mix with less protein or changing the food all together, Im not sure what to do for you know tho. Good luck i hope ur little one gets better soon!


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

LadyAurora said:


> I was feeding him a food recommended on this site Core Wellness in an Orange and White Bag.


Sorry to hear about your hedgie. I was just wondering where you found the recommended food on this site.

http://hedgehogcentral.com/CatFoodChart6.html

This chart lists that food but the food is not listed in green as "recommended"

here's LizardGirls statement about the list I linked above:


> Re: Dry Cat Food List
> by LizardGirl on Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:47 am
> 
> Here is a chart I made over the last week or so of many cat foods available to us hedgie parents. I'm aware that not all cat foods are on here, but I tried to get as many as I could. I'll be updating it as often as needed.* REMEMBER THAT MANY OF THE FOODS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED!* They are just included so you can compare.
> ...


I just wanted to clarify this for other people. If they are looking at Lizard Girl's chart, please note above when you look at it. Wellness Core is on the chart but is not highlighted in green as recommended.

The actual recommended list is: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15#p24 The first posting, Dry Cat Food List by Reaper. I scrolled through it and Wellness Core is not listed. Wellness Healthy Weight Feline Recipe and
Wellness Indoor Health are.

I hope your hedgehog gets well soon, definitely change the food he is on and most people on this site use a mixture of more than one brand.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Wellness Core is way too high in protein and high protein can cause renal failure. 

The food lists need to be redone as Wellness Core should not be anywhere on it.


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

Nancy said:


> Wellness Core is way too high in protein and high protein can cause renal failure.
> 
> The food lists need to be redone as Wellness Core should not be anywhere on it.


It isn't on the list, its just on Lizard's chart of comparisons.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Poor little Spork. C/D will help. It changes the ph of the urine and makes it inhospitable for bacteria to grow. Could he possibly have a bladder or kidney stone? 

Having it warm in the room, don't assume that the water going down his him drinking. At warm temps the water will evaporate faster.


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## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

For a new hedgie owner lots of things can be overwhelming. I did not realize some food on the list was really bad for hedgies. I would love someone to update the food list so the Wellness Core is in red and says known to cause Severe Bladder problems in Hedgehogs. In fact I would like to see all recommended food moved to the top of the list and all the really bad stuff like the core moved to the bottom and highlighted in red (or in a separate table) so no one else has to go through what I am going through right now.

I really though that I was doing the best possible thing for him. I had no clue the food I was giving him was setting him up for extreme illness.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

LadyAurora said:


> For a new hedgie owner lots of things can be overwhelming. I did not realize some food on the list was really bad for hedgies. I would love someone to update the food list so the Wellness Core is in red and says known to cause Severe Bladder problems in Hedgehogs. In fact I would like to see all recommended food moved to the top of the list and all the really bad stuff like the core moved to the bottom and highlighted in red (or in a separate table) so no one else has to go through what I am going through right now.
> 
> I really though that I was doing the best possible thing for him. I had no clue the food I was giving him was setting him up for extreme illness.


I agree with you. Looking at that list, I didn't realize the ones in green were the recommended ones either but then I haven't looked at it in a long time and didn't realize Wellness Core was even on any of the lists.


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

Did your vet give you the lab results? My hedgehog has dealt with liver then kidney issues and I would love to know your lab results. Herisson was fed Royal Canin-indoor which led to a high calcium result. It also has a higher level than anything I have fed.


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## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

I got a copy of Sporks X-Rays and Ultra sound that show his bladder filled with fluids. Thankfully they could not see any kidney stones or blockages. She did admit since Hedgehogs are so small they may miss the blockage.

Besides that all I know is the testing on the urine they emptied from his bladder showed a very high white blood cell count and a few crystals. She thinks that the infection caused the crystals and that the infection came from the food as the only other things he gets is fresh veggies and the occasional berry (nothing citrus of course).

The kidney damage is a result of his bladder being so full and the urine running back to the kidneys. She said the kidney damage is most likely reversible. For now we are working on getting the infection cleared and get him to start eating again. 

There is a vet closer to me 45 min drive as appose to the 2 hrs who has some experience treating hedgehogs and also owns her own. Tomorrow I am going to call her and give all the information and see if she can take over from where the more experienced clinic left off.

I am hoping he pees tonight, as that is the biggest concern getting him to pee. I am really concerned as it looked like he was trying to a little while but couldnt.


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## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

Just thought I would give an update.

Spork spent the day at the vets and he can still not urintate on his own. They had to gas him and empty his bladder again. They gave him some sort of solution to give him some hydration and nutrients. They also cleaned out some sludge (crystals) from his penis, but could not get it all.

The problem is there is no Catheter small enough to put in him.

The truth is that $560 later I am running out of money and I am so upset that there is nothing I can do but wait to see if he goes pee. If he does not I may have to put him down tomorrow, unless the vet can find some way to clear him up.

I am so upset I don't think I will adopt another hedgehog I can't stand people telling me they are unwilling to treat him or that they just do not know what to do. If he were a cat they would have been able to fix him right up.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I've never heard of a food causing infection, unless the food was contaminated somehow. Like us or any other species of animal, hedgehogs do randomly get bladder infections. Like humans too, female hedgehogs are more prone to them but males get them too. 

I would try a urinary health diet. Hills C/D is a urinary health diet that changes the ph of the urine to make it inhospitable for bacteria to grow. Since he has crystals, Hills S/D will help get rid of crystals and stones. My Kenya had crystals and stones and crystals show up in a urinalysis but stones don't always show up on xray. Kenya's didn't but we actually found one of her stones on the paper towel in her litter pan. 

The C/D diet is not going to hurt him. S/D should only be used short term so talk to your vet about that but if nothing else works. There is also a Medical diet available called Dissolution which will also help with crystals and stones and is basically the same as S/D. That is the one Kenya was on. 

Sending him prayers.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Another thought. Does he usually pee in the bath? If so, try giving him a warm bath and see if it will help.


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## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

Unfortunately I had to make the decision to put Spork down this afternoon.

I woke up this morning and could tell he had gotten worst overnight. So I called the specialist in the other city and drove 2hrs to see her.

The specialist re-examined him and tried to flush him out, unfortunately he had a blockage so far up that the catheter could not reach it. As it had been four days it was not likely that he would be able to clear it himself. Although surgery might have been an option. Having to cut him open and stitch him closed on his belly, there was a high probability that he would have ripped his stitches open, or that the scarring would cause him pain every time he tried to curl up. The vet also believed his kidneys and other organs had already been irreversibly affected by infection he had and the pressure his bladder had but on them when it became extended.

He was not eating or drinking and was clearly in a lot pain. I just could not stand to see him in pain anymore, even though I loved him sooo much and he was only a year and half old.

He is now buried in a fancy wooden box in my moms garden under a large shrub.

Rest in peace little guy.


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## MeAmandaTee (Aug 9, 2010)

im so sorry to hear about poor Spork


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

I feel for you.. sad to loose a hedgie..


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I'm so, so sorry to hear about Spork. I'm sorry you had to go through this. My thoughts are with you.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

RIP little guy  You did what you had to do.
Hugs Larry


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. It was a hard decision for you but you did what you had to to make sure he wasn't in pain and suffering. Hugs


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

So, very sorry to hear about your little guy.
Rest in Peace Spork.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

How awful! I'm so sorry to hear about your little guy.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I am so sorry you lost your beautiful little guy. RIP Spork. 

Hugs


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I am so sorry for your loss of little Spork.


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## LadyAurora (Aug 26, 2010)

Thank you all for your kind words. I will definitely return to these forums when I adopt my next little Hedgehog. Where I live they are hard to come by, but are more easily found in the Spring.

Until then thanks for all your help.


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