# Wont eat at all after medicine



## PabloYdAl (Oct 14, 2016)

Ok, this is a really long story.

I got my hedgie Violet two months ago, she was really active, always running, eating and pooping, a happy hedgehog. But a month ago I noticed some blood in her poop, so I took her to the best hedgegoh vet in my area (not a specialist, but knows something about hedgies) and he told me that probably it would be just parasites, so we started a treatment of a medicine that includes Fenbendazole, Pyrantel, Praziquantel and Ivermectin, once every 15 days
Seh got a little better (no blood in poop) but blood started to appear again, randomly, and her poop turned green, but besides that, she was doing ok.
On Wednesday 12 after I got back from work, I noticed that she had problems with one of her legs (http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/69-feet-legs/148378-leg-slide.html), so I took her as soon as I could (the next morning) to the vet, he checked her leg and told me that it wasnt broker nor luxated, that i should give her time and remove her running wheel while she recovers. While we were at the vet, she took a big poop right in the vet hands oops and he asked me how was she doing with the antibiotic, told him that she randomly pooped blood and green color, so he took a sample for Fecal Analysis and Fecal Culture.
The next day I took her again to the vet for her second doze of the treatment.
On Monday he sent me the Fecal Analysis and it was negative 
On Thursday he called me, the fecal culture resulted with high levels of E.coli (Escherichia coli). I got home and while I was preparing everything to take her to the vet, she started eating. When we got to the vet he said that we had to start a new treatment of Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (Oral Route) 1.1ml every 12 hrs and that I should give it to her with a 1ml syringe.
The first time I gave her the medicine (7:30 PM) it was am exhausting battle for both of us, Im not sure if I gave her the right amount of medicine since some of it didnt make it to her mouth, after that I got her in her habitat and she just stood there, not moving at all for like 3 minutes. I got worried so I called the vet and he told me that it was normal, that she was stressed and I should let her rest. After the call she just laid on her bedding (Carefresh Complete) and some time later she got into her hiding place to rest.
I made sure that she had enough food and water for the night in case that she wanted some. The next doze (7:30 AM) it was a lot easier for both of us (thanks QuinntonsMom) and after that I noticed that her food bowl was pretty much exactly as I left it last night, so I took some kitty kibbles and offered her with my hand right in front of her face (her favourite way of eating) and she just walked around my hand into her hiding place.
I got a bit worried about her not eating, so I got her fresh food and water in her bowls, took a picture of them and went to work, when I got back (6:00 PM) she hadn't touch her food at all and I remembered that the last time I watched her eating was last day around 5:00 PM, so more than 24 hrs without eating, pooping or driking, so once again I called the vet and he told me to take her immediately. At the vet we tried to give her kibbles but she refused them every time, the vet put her on the scale and she was 275gr, the last day she weighted 290gr, so I got worried that she lost 5% of her weight in one day. The vet gave me development kitty can food and told me that I should stop the previus treatment for at least 24 hrs, and now force feed her with a syringe so she could gain some weight...

Since that she pooped like 3 times (not much poop every time and always green) and this morning I saw her drink water on her own (thought it was a good sign)

Now my little Violet refuses to eat her kibbles, has an infection and hates to be force fed

Should I keep force feeding her? or let her eat on her own when she feels like it?


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

You need to syringe feed her, the more time they go without eating the harder it is to get them to eat and they can get fatty liver disease. And never allow them to give her Ivermectin, ever, it can kill her.


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## PabloYdAl (Oct 14, 2016)

Quick update...

Just got told by previous owner that the person that gave Violet to her just told her that she was almos 6 years old... :shock:  :sad:


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## PabloYdAl (Oct 14, 2016)

Quick update.

I got told by her breeder that she is just 3 years old, almost 4 (nov 23)
She still refuses to eat on her own, well, she does but just rarely... Its been almost two weeks of force feeding, none of us really likes it yet.

She is still on Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim treatment, .2ml every 12 hrs and thats what I think causes the loss of appetite. The treatmen ends on Monday and I really hope to se her eating well soon


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Please don't let the vet give her any more Ivermectin. Many hedgehogs have died from it and Revolution is a much safer and just as effective treatment.


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## PabloYdAl (Oct 14, 2016)

Dont worry, now that I know she is not getting Ivermectin as long as she lives.


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