# Anesthesia?



## sage123 (Apr 9, 2012)

I am taking my 9 week old baby to the vet for the first time next week. It is a vet near my home who is very experienced working with hedgies and ferrets. However, when icalled to make the appt she informed me that the vet usually sedates hedgehogs when performing exams. I have read many websites stating this may be dangerous for hedgies. Should this be cause for concern? What are some other options I could possibly offer her instead?


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2012)

my vet anestitizes hedgehogs if she has to look in there mouth and the hedgehog wont unball or the exam goes on to long and its stressing the hedgehog out

usually i just hold them and she does her thing until she has to look iin the mouth then she has her assistant scruf the hedgehog,


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Personally, I'd rather that anesthesia be the last resort. The hedgie might very well cooperate just fine with the vet without the use of anesthesia, or there's always the option to try putting them in a bowl of warm water to get them to unball. That's always been the second option (after just regular examining) for my vets, rather than going straight to anesthesia. The only time Lily ever had to be anesthesized was when we needed to take a look in her mouth for any possible issues (she wasn't eating well), or when the vet wanted to do a good feel of her belly. She was a pretty easygoing hedgehog though, so it's probably much different for some.


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## Darth Vader (Sep 8, 2008)

I don't see why a vet would need to sedate a hedgehog for just an examination. I personally would not allow them to. From what I understand, its dangerous for any small animal to be kept under anesethia for very long.


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

I was a vet tech for several years and saw lots of routine procedures go awry simply because of sedation. It can be done safely, and there are far more positive outcomes than negative, but because of my experiences the only time I will allow sedation of my animals is for surgery or if a hedgie needs his mouth messed with and isn't cooperative. My dogs don't even go under anesthesia for their dentals, I do the dentals myself and they're totally alert simply because I get so nervous about anesthesia. Not trying to freak you out or anything lol I am just not a fan of drugging an animal unless it is 100% necessary. I know they are animals and not human, but I compare it to how I would feel if someone tried to sedate my baby just because they didn't want to put the time into conducting an exam while she's awake and possibly wiggling or crying. It's a part of the vet's job to work with live animals, just like it's a pediatrician's job to work with conscious children. Gassing is a lazy way out of having to do any extra work, plus they will most likely charge you a lot for the anesthesia (it's expensive!!). If I were in your position, I would either let the vet know I was uncomfortable with that arrangement and he needs to try conducting the exam without anesthesia, or just find another vet altogether. Totally just my personal opinion though, others may have different experiences and opinions than I do!


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Izzy has had anesthesia with no problems, so far. But she had to have x-rays, blood draws, mouth exams, and other more detailed exams. 

For regular exams, she is wiggly, balls, hisses, and clicks. Our vet is still able to give her a wellness exam without anesthesia. 

It's important to have the exam, and if you're keeping detailed records of her weight, eating and behavior, you are able to tell the vet more about your concerns and changes that she's going through. For wellness exams, my vet will use a shallow dish of warm water to get her to open up so he can feel her abdomen, listen to her heart, etc. Her wellness exam takes longer than an exam for my dogs and cats, but my vet takes the extra time to do it because he says that it's safer than anesthesia.


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

@Rainy, I like the sound of your vet... wanna clone him and send copies out to each of us?


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I definitely agree with what's been said. My hog went in for a wellness exam when she was around the same age. She was kind of socialized at that point but she still wanted NOTHING to do with the vet. The last time we went in (after we bonded pretty well and she trusted me more), she was very fidgety with the stethoscope and didn't want the vet to touch her, but he dealt with it without anesthesia or even gloves.

I do think anesthesia is acceptable to use in a situation where there may be a problem and a very thorough exam needs to be done, or obviously bloodwork/x-rays/mouth exams. But using it as a precautionary measure without even getting a sense of how the hedgehog will handle an exam without sedation does sound like part laziness and part monetary interest.

Do you think they will deal with it if you express your concern about the anesthesia? If you get a bad vibe from them in any way, I say you should look for a different vet. I'm a firm believer in being very comfortable with any procedures done on my animals and IMO, a good vet will work with you. You might be able to find other vet listings here at HHC! Nancy has a nice section set up for vet recommendations.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

DasIgelPoggie said:


> @Rainy, I like the sound of your vet... wanna clone him and send copies out to each of us?


I'll get right on it. I've told him before that if he treated people, I'd be here myself. After all, I am a mammal.

A good vet is worth his weight in gold. Kelsey took her Lily here too. Derek is phenomenal at Cedar Creek Vet Clinic in Williamston, MI.  (just a plug for them.  )


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## sage123 (Apr 9, 2012)

Thank you for all of your responses  I think I will talk to the vet about other options instead of anesthesia. I wouldnt want anything bad to happen to her! 

I actually found this vet on the listing from this site.. Hopefully they can work with me. They told me that they usually sedate hedgehogs so they can do thorough examinations.


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