# Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow - UPDATE



## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

Hello everyone,

Approximately two months ago Wilbur began losing quills at an alarming rate. During play time he would lose up to 60 quills. I would find many more in his cage as well. 

Of course we took him to see the veterinarian and she did a skin scraping and even though she did not see mites we decided to proceed with the revolution treatment. I was not convinced that he had mites and I do not think he ever did but obviously this is the most logical place to start when it comes to quill loss. His skin started getting dryer and dryer, with large flakes falling off like very bad dandruff. He has two very large bald patches on his back. At this point he has had all 3 treatments of Revolution (2 weeks apart) and his skin is still getting worse. 

Also yesterday he did something he has never done before ever. He came out in the middle of the day to have a little wander about his cage and a snack. He proceeded to use his litter box and then went back to bed. This is not normal Wilbur behaviour by any stretch of the imagination. 

Tomorrow he will have a general anesthetic so the the doctor can do a skin biopsy which will be sent to the lab for testing. He will also have some blood work done to see if there is something else going on. The veterinarian is suspecting a possible allergy at this point, but I use fleece bedding and always have. 

Anyways, I hope that she can get to the bottom of this because his skin looks so bad. It is completely white and thick with dry skin. It almost looks moldy. It's not of course... I just feel so bad for him.

The plus side is that the veterinarian is great! She knows her stuff - agrees with a mix of high quality cat foods as a diet etc. 

I drop him off at 9am tomorrow, but I won't have the lab results for a couple of days I suspect.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I will be praying all goes well for you and Wilbur


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I pray you will get a simple cause and easy cure for Wilbur's problems.

Our Emma went almost bald with huge flakes of skin coming off her. She had a couple of skin scraps and tests all that were negative. Her quill loss and skin issue was hormonal caused by a endometrial growth in her uterus. It is good to also do the blood work while he is gassed for the skin scrape.


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## allears.fan (Mar 20, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I will say a prayer for you and wilbur...
Great name for a hedgehog.  My hedgehog's name is Wilbur too.  
I hope nothing tooo serious is wrong with him and that he gets better. 
it's hard when a loved one (human/pet) has something wrong.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Best of luck with Wilbur's biopsy. I'll be thinking of you.

Keep us posted, and remember, we're all here for you.


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Thanks guys :|

I'll keep you posted.


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## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I hope everything goes okay.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I hope everything turns out good, I'll be praying for a good outcome.


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

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

As some have said, prayers are on the way for a good outcome.


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I just dropped him off at the vets. They said they will call me after the procedure.

I was really happy because they had a kennel set up with a CHE and they also have snuggle safe discs if required. He looked so small....


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

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Poor guy, I hope the news will be on the good side when you find out. 
You have a great vet for them to already have a great setup for him prepared.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I hope all goes well with him & he gets better soon.


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

I just picked Wilbur up. He seems to be doing pretty well. He's not even that cranky 

He has four spots with 1 little suture from where they took the skin samples.

I should have the results by Tuesday at the very latest, possibly as early as Friday.

Thanks everyone for all the good wishes. We appreciate it


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Good to hear that he's not angry and that he seems to be doing well. Please let us know what's happening as soon as you know, I'm sure we're all anxious to know what's going on with poor little Wilbur.


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## Sunshiner (May 12, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Oh no! That sounds terrible. How is he doing now? Have you gotten the results yet?


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

No results yet. If I don't hear anything today it means I have to wait until Tuesday.

He's doing really well post surgery. Eating and drinking normally. He gets his wheel back tonight, so he will be even happier.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Aw, I bet he'll be pleased to get his wheel back. Little fella has lots of wheeling to catch up on!


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## Sunshiner (May 12, 2010)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Well that's good he is doing well.


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

No news today 

I am not very good at being patient


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

*Re: Wilbur is having a skin biopsy tomorrow*

Aw, I don't blame you. Fingers crossed!


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

So the vet called me this evening. 

They don't have all of the results back yet, but the blood results have a very slightly elevated liver enzyme which could be from the anesthetic or because he is a bit of a fatty. 

The skin biopsy is not completed but it looks like Wilbur has a yeast infection of the skin. This can be treated with a medicated shampoo, but in order for there to be a yeast infection it means that there is something wrong.

So the next step is trying to figure out what that something wrong is. 
Does anyone have any experience with this?


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## demon4bbl (Jun 28, 2010)

lane_m said:


> The skin biopsy is not completed but it looks like Wilbur has a yeast infection of the skin. This can be treated with a medicated shampoo, but in order for there to be a yeast infection it means that there is something wrong.


not necessarily, I know that in dogs, certain breeds are simply prone to this condition,could be an immune deficiency or seborrhea etc. that leads to this condition.
Once diagnosed most, unless severe ,is simply an ongoing treatment (shampoo or oral) every so often and they are fine.
I've never seen it in a hedgehog, but I'm guessing it's similar and not very serious.

hope that helps,


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

demon4bbl said:


> not necessarily, I know that in dogs, certain breeds are simply prone to this condition,could be an immune deficiency or seborrhea etc. that leads to this condition.
> Once diagnosed most, unless severe ,is simply an ongoing treatment (shampoo or oral) every so often and they are fine.
> I've never seen it in a hedgehog, but I'm guessing it's similar and not very serious.
> 
> hope that helps,


Thanks for your input. That gives me some hope that he may just have this skin issue that needs to be treated regularly as opposed to something more scary.

The vet said that for the yeast to be able to take over like that there is usually an underlying condition or skin infection. But I would have seen a skin infection.

Now it will be a few more days before I hear anything more.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

lane_m said:


> The skin biopsy is not completed but it looks like Wilbur has a yeast infection of the skin. This can be treated with a medicated shampoo, but in order for there to be a yeast infection it means that there is something wrong.
> 
> So the next step is trying to figure out what that something wrong is.
> Does anyone have any experience with this?


Yes. As I was reading the beginnings of your post... where he was losing quills, then the dry skin, then the big flakes, I started thinking of Satin. Similar thing happened with her... there's no way to absolutely pin-point the one thng that caused it for her, but probably a combination of dry skin (forced air heating) and a UTI kicked it off. Tested for mites, it was negative, treated anyway... antibiotics for the UTI... skin scrapings... biopsy... felt all too familiar to me. Long story short: yeast infection.

We treated with a medicated shampoo (she did NOT like that!), an oral antifungal, and some supplements that I'm now forgetting the name of. One of them was orange and she looooved it. The other was a clear liquid that gave her messy poops, so I didn't give her too much of that. Here's the long version: http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1136

Edit to add: Satin is now 3y, 3mos old now and doing wonderfully. She's a beautiful snugglehog who's maintained her quill coat for quite awhile now


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

smhufflepuff, thank you for sharing your experience with this situation. 

I was hoping I could ask you a few more questions? Once you started using the shampoo and treating with the antifungals, did the infection clear up quickly? Did Satin have any relapses? Do you still have to use the shampoo?

Thanks in advance


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi Lane,

I think she experienced the joys of the medicated shampoo a handful of times over the course of a month or so. I'm not recalling 100%, but I think the idea was somethng like 1x/week for a month. Her oral meds went on during that time too. She doesn't need either anymore.

There were no relapses; just what felt like a long time to hit full recovery. It took a couple months for her quill loss to stop - and the improvement was gradual... from losing 30 or 40 a day to 20's, then teens, then single digits. These days, she'll lose a couple a day, but she always has them growing back in. Her skin improved more quickly that the quill loss. It remained fairly dry and flakey, but the flakes were tiny compared to the coin-sized sheets she had been sloughing off earlier. And it took on a more smooth/healthy appearance.


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