# I'm pretty sure she has cancer...



## LaurenNicole9618 (Jan 2, 2015)

Hello.. A few weeks ago I had noticed a large open wound on my hedgehogs neck. I had been sick at the time and hadn't handled her for 2 days, but she didn't have it 2 days before I noticed it. The following day after noticing it, I went to the vet and they said it looked like she had somehow lacerated her neck. That seemed strange because I looked for anything sharp in her cage and couldn't find it. It was infected so the vet did give me some Amoxicillin to give her and and also a probiotic. It's been about 2 weeks or so and the wound was healing and it just looked like a large scab rather than an open wound. Yesterday Morning I walked into my room to see her out of her house and just sitting in the middle of her cage. I thought that was really weird because she never comes out during the day. I decided to just give her her morning dose of amoxicillin then, when I noticed the wound was open again. Like she ripped it back open. I immediately called the vet. They have an appointment for tomorrow for a consultation. Meanwhile I've been doing some research and yesterday was not the best day.. From all I've read it seems she must have a tumor, and that would explain why the wound came open again, and why she's been less active and also not really eating. (She will eat crickets though so what's what she's been eating)but with the tumor comes cancer.. This has been so hard for me to deal with. I love her to death, and it kinda seems weird to me that the vet didn't sense that it was more serious. I kind of think they just didn't want to tell me?? I cried for a good majority of the day yesterday which left me with a killer headache that I still have today. I know that if it is a tumor (I'm almost positive it is) that she can have a surgery to get it removed. The only problem is I'm not sure how long she's had it, and it might be too late now. Does anyone know how long it takes for cancer to spread in a hedgehog to where there's nothing you can do about it? Any help is appreciated whether it's about cancer, a tumor, or anything else it could possibly be.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Why do you think it's a tumour? What does the wound look like, is it a regular wound or is there a lump? Wounds in that area are not uncommon and most of the time they are self-inflicted. Some hedgehogs self-harm if they are stressed, bored, ill or in pain... or sometimes the males have the aftermath of boytime stuck to their fur which can become itchy. 
Wounds like that can take a while to heal since the healing process makes it itch which only causes the hedgehog to chew at the scab and reopen the wound. It is however a good idea to have the vet check if it is "just" a wound or something else. And if it is a wound, you might want to think of what could have caused possible selfharming behaviour (any recent changes in food, housing, etc? Does she have enough enrichment in her cage? Can you rule out pain and illnesses? Etc.)


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I agree, a laceration is not how cancer usually presents itself. Her wound most likely became itchy from healing and she scratched or bit at it because of the itching. Also if the vet thought it could be cancer they would have told you at the last appointment, its not something they would keep from an owner.


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## LaurenNicole9618 (Jan 2, 2015)

Draenog said:


> Why do you think it's a tumour? What does the wound look like, is it a regular wound or is there a lump? Wounds in that area are not uncommon and most of the time they are self-inflicted. Some hedgehogs self-harm if they are stressed, bored, ill or in pain... or sometimes the males have the aftermath of boytime stuck to their fur which can become itchy.
> Wounds like that can take a while to heal since the healing process makes it itch which only causes the hedgehog to chew at the scab and reopen the wound. It is however a good idea to have the vet check if it is "just" a wound or something else. And if it is a wound, you might want to think of what could have caused possible selfharming behaviour (any recent changes in food, housing, etc? Does she have enough enrichment in her cage? Can you rule out pain and illnesses? Etc.)


There are many reasons why I think it's a tumor. Let's start from the beginning. 2 days before I first noticed the wound, it wasn't there. I was sick for the 2 days and was too ill to play with her or even get out of bed. The following day when I was feeling better, before I even got her out of her cage I saw it. The wound was deep and gaping open. It's pretty much as big as her neck and the wound smelled absolutely horrible! When we went to the vet the following day after noticing it, they could smell the wound and they said it was infected, but it was weird that it got infected in around a day or two. They couldn't exactly tell us what caused it but they said it looked like a laceration or where something had formed on her skin and then ruptured (I'm sorry I forgot to include that part) I told the vet it seemed weird for it to be a laceration because there is nothing sharp in her cage, and there also was not blood anywhere. I also do not think the wound was self inflicted due to scratching or stress, because I don't see how she could scratch out something that large and that deep in at the most the period of two days. The wound did start to heal like I said, and it looked like a really big scab on her neck. Yesterday morning (around 8 am) when I noticed it was open again, the night before she didn't have it, and once again that seems like a wound that is way too deep to have scratched open in around 12 hours. This now brings me back to the Tumor part, after all of that a tumor is one of the only things I think could be a possibility. I've heard tumors can grow VERY fast. Which can explain the first happening in why her neck was suddenly cut open in at the most a period of 2 days, and also why it started to heal, and then the tumor could've possibly grew too big and the wound came open again. Anyways now jump back to the part about the smell (I'm sorry I should keep the same
Topics with each other rather than all over) the vet and I, myself found it weird it managed to get infected in as much as 2 days or less. It randomly came to mind earlier and it hit me. CANCER SMELLS HORRIBLE! so maybe it wasn't infected and it just is cancer. Also I thought I smelled something earlier coming from her that smelled really bad. From what I've payed attention to and looked at, I'm almost positive it is a tumor. I guess I'll find out for sure tomorrow though. I'm dreading the appointment knowing that there's a high likely hood I could be leaving there without her.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm not talking about scratching, but biting. I've seen first hand how quick this can go. They can chew pretty big wounds in just one night. It's not unlikely for it to get infected esp given the fact hedgehogs are close to the ground and easily get dirt and bacteria in a wound. 

An infected wound doesn't equal cancer... I really think cancer is a pretty far reach here. Do you have pictures of the wound?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Sounds to me like you need to go back to the veterinarian and have it reexamined. You can ask to have a sample from the wound site taken and tests run to see what it really is. A culture and sensitivity test can be done to see if it is a bacterial/fungal infection causing the wound. A fine needle aspirate if there is a mass. Or even a small biopsy sent off for pathology.

From what you are describing I'm wondering if she had an abscess rupture. Abscesses can absolutely reak when the fluid/pus/infection/etc comes out.

I've also seen a hedgehog chew a large quarter size hole in their chest overnight. The hole was infected as well. Cause of the hole? A skin infection. Original wound site was treated, and fully healed. The hedgehog then chewed the hole again. Tests were done and different antibiotics were prescribed and the hedgehog was given them for a very extended time. After that, the underlying cause was cured and no new holes.

Seek a vet to re-examine the wound and express your concerns that it may be cancer. To answer your question about is it too late, that completely depends on the cancer. Some spread rapidly, others do not. I have had a couple who lived nearly a year with their cancer and others just a couple of days after the first symptom appeared. It all just depends on the type of cancer and even the hedgehog. No two ever seem to behave the same way.


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## LaurenNicole9618 (Jan 2, 2015)

Draenog said:


> I'm not talking about scratching, but biting. I've seen first hand how quick this can go. They can chew pretty big wounds in just one night. It's not unlikely for it to get infected esp given the fact hedgehogs are close to the ground and easily get dirt and bacteria in a wound.
> 
> An infected wound doesn't equal cancer... I really think cancer is a pretty far reach here. Do you have pictures of the wound?


I sort of do. It's kind of hard to see. I can't hold her and get and pictures one, because she won't be still, two, I'm also trying not to mess with her as much right now while it's open again before the vet, because I know she has to be in a lot of pain and stressed out, and I don't want to make it any worse than it has to be on her.

I was going to link some pictures of the wound with photo bucket to this reply, but my photos are taking a while to upload. Once they do upload I will link it.  by the way,
I am going
To include a picture of the wound when I first noticed it was open (it's about 2 weeks old) and one as of yesterday. I couldn't get that great of a picture of the wound in its current state, but you can see how big it is an all.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

That does sound much more like an abscess than cancer. I work in the medical field and I have seen a lot of tumours in hedgehogs and in humans and none have ever presented as a large open wound. An abscess can form over night just from a quill poke and rupture within a day or two. Abscesses smell horrible, like rotting flesh. If I had to put money on it I would bet it was an abscess and not cancer.


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## OliviaIveyNessus (Jan 12, 2019)

Did you ever find out what was wrong with her because this is actually the ONLY thing I have seen that is even close to what is wrong with my hedgehog! I was giving my hedgehog a bath tonight and it’s been a week since his last bath. This time I noticed a blob on his neck and I tried to wash it off (I thought it was poop, he poops on his wheel and runs through it) it was NOT poop at alllll. It was a scab like thing covering what I can only describe as a puss pocket from **** and it smells sooo bad. I flushed it with a spray bottle and water and I have some antibacterial spray for pets I got called vetricin it was highly rated but I didn’t think that would cut it this was really bad so I covered his face and sprayed it out with peroxide and then rinsed it is a HOLE. Like a marble could fit in this thing and I am so scared. I can’t seem to find anything even close to relating to this. No explanation of where it came from or how the heck it got so bad so fast! I’m baffled and I am of course taking him to the vet ASAP but I am freaking out I’m going to flush it every hour tonight and tomorrow until I get him to the vet. Is there anything anyone knows of that would help him even if it’s as simple as something I could give him for pain? I know it’s got to be uncomfortable and I don’t know how to handle this. 😫


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

This post is 4 years old and the OP isn't on the forum anymore.


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