# hELP nEEDED iMMEDIATELY



## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

GIA, MY HEDGIE IS ABOUT 3 YRS OLD. GOT HER WHEN SHE WAS 1 OR SO i WAS TOLD.
SHE HAS BEEN DOING GREAT UNTIL NOW. fOR THE LAST 2 DAYS SHE HAS NOT EATEN. SHE IS DRINKING WATER. HER BELLY IS COOL, BUT SHE DOES NOT WANT TO SLEEP ON HER HEATING PAD, OR UNDER THE HEAT LAMP. SHE MOVES OVER TO THE LITER BOX OR UNDER HER WHEEL. TODAY SHE IS SLEEP STRETCHED OUT, AND TODAY, SHE SOMETIMES WALKS FINE AND THEN SOMETIMES WOBBLES AND FALLS OVER ON ONE SIDE WHEN SHE WALKS. SHE IS ALERT, NOT LOSING QUILLS

i CAN TELL SHE REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO BE HELD, BUT DOESN'T CURL INTO A BALL AND DOES QUILL UP AS MUCH.

i DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. oNLY CHANGE iCAN THINK OF IS i GAVE HER A LITTLE "HEDGHOG FOOD" IN WITH HER REGULAR FOOD....WELLNESS

PLEASE HELP ME OUT!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Get her to a vet.


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

*Re:HELP NEEDED IMMEDIATELY*

I have called his office and left a message. He is the only Vet in my area that I have found who sees hedgehogs. What can I do until I hear back from him. He is a mobile vet, so there is no office to go to
What if she is constipated.....any suggestions


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

*Re: HELP NEEDED IMMEDIATELY*

How can i tell if she is constipated


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Two days without eating means she needs to start being syringe fed immediately. 

Buy wet cat food, mix it with a little water and give it to her with a syringe. You can use baby food to, like beef or turkey baby food. 

In the meantime keep calling the vet. If you post your location someone might be able to help you find another vet.

What is the exactly temperature of her cage?

If she hasn't been eating then I'd guess she wouldn't be pooping. Is there a reason why you think she might be constipated? Are you sure she has been drinking water?


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

*Re hELP nEEDED iMMEDIATELY*

Yes, she is drinking water, and peeing. I live in Franklin, Tn about 20 minutes south of Nashville. No not pooping...just thought she might be constipated due to adding the hegehog food.
She now backon the heating pad, and sleeping but not in a ball. Of course it is 9:30 am..so she should be sleeping


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Temperture of cage is 74.5


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i second the immediate vet visit.

i think this is much more than simple constipation. however, you will see less poop...smaller poop & if you have the chance to see her, she will be straining to poop when she tries. you can try to get her to eat some unseasoned pumpkin or sweet potato but she may not eat any.

it sounds like something more serious. i hope not for you both. but since she is cooler than normal, not eating, not interested in normal activities...those are big warnings. whatever it is, she does not feel good at all.

it is good she is drinking water. if you can, try to syringe feed her. you can do it with baby food, soft cat food mixed with water (some types will have to be blended), or by softening & blending her normal kibble. if you don't have a syringe, you can easily get them at a pharmacy... 5 ml is easiest but if the only have 10 ml, that is fine.

sending good thoughts your way...i hope she makes a quick recovery.

********WAIT- i just saw where you are....go to Priest Lake Animal Hospital. they are AMAZING. they are near the airport on Murfreesboro Road. go there now. PM me if you need more info.******


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Is there any thing she would really like to eat that I might get her to try? She looks so alert when I pick her up.


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Ok, I am calling them now
Thanks


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

ask for Dr. Ollis if you can get her (though everyone in that practice is a great vet)....she is amazing. tell her Ashley sent you. she takes care of all my hedgies at home.


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

Terry- i called Priest Lake & spoke with Pam to let them know you would be calling. Dr. Ollis is not in today  but Dr. Pennington is & he is really, really good. they are waiting for your call. good luck! 

Priest Lake Vet Hospital
(615) 361-4646


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Ashley,
I had already left for the Vet when you posted the information about Priest Lake vet. I took her to Dr. Corwin at Airport Animal Clinic. Wish I had known about your Vet. 
The news isn't very good. He checked her stool, no parasites. Then she bite him and he almost dropped her. He was checking her bladder to see if he could feel anything, and finally saw that her vulva was very red and swollen.

He said it was either a bladder infection or problem with her uterus. If it was her uterus she would need surgery...$600. i jsut can't afford that, so he put her on an injectable antibiotic once a day. 

I just fed her some baby food with a syringe, and gve her some water. She is very weak. Any more suggestions?


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

how often are you feeding her & how much? are you making sure to give her water as well?
it's important she get water as well. i would suggest still syringe feeding her some until she feels better & is back to her normal eating habits. how much are you able to get in her? the less she takes, the more frequent feedings need to be. if she's only taking 1cc, you would need to feed her every hour. 2cc = 2hours. 3cc = 3 hours. however, if she takes 10 cc, do not wait 10 hours to feed her. try again in about 4-5. when i was syringe feeding my WHS hedgie, i found he would eat anywhere from 5-15 cc 5 times a day, plus water. & he was a small guy - under 250g.

is she still wobbly/walking oddly? is she any warmer to the touch? are any of her original symptoms better? the same? worse? how is she acting? 

if you are able, get some probiotics in her. add a bit to her food every day. you can get Benebac powder pretty cheaply at PetCo or PetSmart. Priest Lake also sells it (both in a syringe & as powder) but it is a bit more expensive there. you can also use human probiotics/acidophillis...open the capsule & sprinkle some powder into the baby food. do this for a while after her antibiotics as well to help re-establish the gut flora. 

if she does not seem better after 3 days on the antibiotic, please go to Priest Lake or back to Dr. Corwin. there should be some sort of improvement by then.

good luck...i hope she improves very soon...let us know how she is doing


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Gia is only taking about 1-2 cc of water and baby food,sometimes less. I am trying to feed her about every 2 hrs. she is just laying around...still to weak to walk much, and when she sdoes she falls over. I can't beieve how she got so weak so fast.

She does seem warmer to the touch and is lying on her fleece on the heating pad. She had been lying in the liter box or on part of cage with out the heating blanket.
Dr. Corwin said it was probably becuase she had fever... She weighed in at 376g.

They had not told me about feeding her, but you guys did yesterday...thanks goodness. I called them early this morning and they said I couldn't not over feed her or give her too much water. When she stopped eating what I was giving her or stopped trying to drink the water, then wait, lest her rest for about 3 hrs and feed and water her again.

I hope it is a bladder infection, becuase the antibiotics should knock it out. She hasn't peed or pooped today at all.

Thanks so much for helping me out.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Hope she feels better and starts eating and drinking more. Please keep us updated. I'm hoping for the best


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## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

Thats wonderful that you got her to a vet, I'm sure she'll be ok


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Little Gia is still eating from the syringe and drinking water. I really do believe she is starting to feel better. I am so glad she is sleeping in her fleece. She feels so warm now. She has 3 more days of antibiotic shots that I have to give her.

Gia and I are very appreciative of all our hedgie friends that we haven't even met. You all rallied around us and pointed us in the right direction..to the vet. Then told me about syringe feeding her ...which the vet didn't even tell me. The baby food and water is definitely what has kept her going.

Again, thanks so much for your help. I will keep you posted.
Gia and Mommy Terry


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## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

good that is wonderful!!! She will be in motion soon! She will eventually act normal again.


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## kris_jprice (Jun 16, 2010)

There is a veterinarian on Bell Rd just south of Nashville that sees Hedgehogs! I live in Smyrna with a Hedgehog! Maybe one day they can get together, once yours is feeling better. 
here is the info.

Let me know once you get her feeling better!

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safa ... d=0CAQQtgM


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

Thanks for all the Vet info.

Gia still can't walk today...takes a few step, wobblies and falls over. Still taking some water, but no food yet today. She has one more dose of antibiotics.

I plan on taking her back to the Vet on Tuesday. Don't know if I should go bak to Dr Corwin, he practice is small and exotic animals exclusively.

Ashley will you ask your vets at Percy Prist about him. Keep us in your prayers. I want to see some marked improvements. She is urinateing and poopin in her bedding. Some poop look greenish. Tried to give her some meal worms...she ate part of each but never finished them She ususally devours them. 
What is wobbly leg syndrone?
Thanks,
Gia and worried Mom


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## Terry (Jul 2, 2010)

*Re:*

WHAT IS WOBBLY LEG SYNDRONE? 
GIA MADE IT THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT IS STILL VERY WAEK AND CAN'T WALK WITHOUT FALLING OVER HAS A HARD TIME GETTING INTO HER LITER BOX. STILL FFEDING HER BABY FOOD AND WATER WITH A SYRINGE. HER POOP IS NOT SOLID. 
ASHLEY HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO CALL YOU R VETR AND ASK THEM ABOUT DR. CORWIN. I AM GOING TO TAKE HER BACK TO A VIET TODAY...NOT SURE WHO TO TAKE HER TO. IF YOU GET A CHANCE WILL YOU CALL ME ***************
ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET HER STRENGTH BACK UP.


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## mizgoldstein (Feb 12, 2011)

Terry, I am so glad to hear that little Gia is improving! Everybody here at HHC is so great and so knowledgeable, and always willing to help a hedgie / hedgie-mom in need!

Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome is...
In short, WHS (wobbly hedgehog syndrome) is a progressive, degenerative, neurological disease, the cause of which is still uncertain. There are no known cures, but there are treatments and supportive care you can give that may extend their life and certainly add quality to it. This disease acts much like Multiple Sclerosis does in humans, and may have a rapid onset, though more often the onset is gradual. The hind legs are often affected first, and then the paralysis spreads to the front legs and other parts of the body. Sometimes the paralysis affects one side of the body, and your hedgehog will begin tipping over and unable to stay upright. A series of case studies was done and they revealed that the onset of symptoms in most cases occurs between the ages of 18 and 24 months, although this disease has also been known to strike both younger and older hedgehogs. Hedgehogs with WHS will often experience weight loss, due in part to their inability to get to their food dishes (much can be done to help this) and in the advance stages of this disease, they become completely immobilized. In the cases that were studied, death occurred between 6 weeks and 19 months after the onset of symptoms. The following article is dedicated to the care of your WHS hedgehog.

This excerpt is from HHC's Hedgehog Wiki. You can read more about the disease at http://wiki.hedgehogcentral.com/tiki-index.php?page=WHS


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

sent you an email via HHC email option. get her to the vet immediately. the number for Priest Lake again is (615) 361-4646...Dr. Ollis is the vet i use.


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## HedgeQuarters (Jul 3, 2011)

I had a hedgehog that got constipated. What kind of bedding do you use? Have you seen her smelling it funny or chewing on it? When rex my hedgehog got constipated he didnt poop and he seemed very lethargic. He seemed like his stomache hurt him and he had a tummy ache. When I talked to my vet about it she said to feed him apple juice and prune juice from a needless suringe. Try it, it works. However do use a towel because its kinda messy. Also change your bedding if that turns out to be why she got constipated. 
How to tell if she is constipated? feel around her bladder and if it feels hard then start the suringe and prune juice thing immediatly and feed her that 3-4 times a day. She will be loosened up by the next day or the day after that. Constipation is a pretty easy thing to clear. Just feed her prune juice from a needless suringe. Good Luck.  anymore questions feel free to email me at [email protected].


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## HedgeQuarters (Jul 3, 2011)

I had a hedgehog that got constipated. He was showing all the symptoms your hedgehog is. He wasnt pooping or eating for 2 days and my vet said to feed him apple juice and prune juice froma needless syringe. Idid that 3-4 times a day and it worked great. he wa loosened up the next night. Also if you can try to feed him Nutri cal. Its a dietary suppliment for cats but its like liquid for hedgehogs. My hedgehog ate that out of a needless syringe too and he loved it. Nutri cal should be at a pet store or maybe even walmart. 
How do you tell if she's constipated? Push on her stomache lightly and around her bladder. Does it feel hard? If so she is deffinatly constipated. Try feeding her a syringe of prune juice. 
If you take her to the vet and they thinkshe's constipated this is what they'll do: They might put her under anestesia and then feel around her stomache and bladder. Then they will probably give her a shot of Saline to rehydrate her evenif she has been drinking. Then theywill give you a needless syringe and tell you to feed her applejuice and prune juice. This is what my vet told me todo. My vet bred hedgehogs for many years.


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