# Inky's First Health Issue - Infected Leg Lump



## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey everyone, some of you may have already heard through FB or what not, but Inky has come across his first health complication. Two nights ago I noticed he hardly ran at all, and so when I did his nightly weighing I looked him over and found a half-pea sized lump on his right front leg.  I gave him a footbath and observed him moving around, and he was putting weight on the leg fine and seemed normally active and happy, no signs of pain or anything. Pictures from last night:



















This morning when the vet opened I called, and they got him in for an appointment immediately after. Went in, vet took a quick look and we decided to be sure it didn't involve the bone at all, to both do an xray and a needle biopsy. So we sedated him (isoflurane? sp) in a small tank, then transferred to a mask. His vet first took the xray, then went ahead and scraped the top layer of the lump off. It was all just pus in the top part. While she was working on getting a tissue sample I noticed a small spot, about the size of a zit hidden in his armpit hair. (when she looked at the lump sample she also looked at the little armpit lump) We took a look at his mouth while he was out too. His cute little teeth... made me happy to see he has so many left. He's lost a few but still has plenty to chew. Finally she cleaned up the now-open sore on his leg, and took him off the gas. He came around in only a few minutes, and was demanding mealies shortly after. 

Passing out, in the tank first:









Transferred to a mask, this is right before we taped down his paw for the xray:









The xray showing his healthy bone:









Removing pus/infected tissue:









Cleaning his leg up:









Checking out his teeth:









Gas off, checking his heartbeat:









After he came around and ate his "you are such a great boy" mealies, showing off the wound:









I went home with directions to clean the wound 2x a day with a diluted chlorhexidine solution, and he's on Clavamox 2x a day, 0.1cc. When we got home I gave him his first dose and he ate the mealies coated in it without an issue (it's bubblegum flavored).

Final thoughts are that it is either a tumor, or just excessively swollen due to the infection. She's calling back in about 2 days with the results, I'll keep everyone updated. Please keep your fingers crossed that it isn't cancer...

Kimberly & Inky


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh! For others' reference forgot to list the expenses:

physical exam: $69.00
sedation: $65.60
radiograph (xray): $46.20
needle biopsy and lab exam: $137.20
clavamox antibiotics: $45.75

total: $363.75


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Little Inky is such a trooper. I bet he was having technicoloured dreams about mealies the whole time he was out on gas! :lol: 
Poor little guy, that sure looks painful. Pliny and I are keeping our fingers, toes and quills crossed for you.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

Ouch poor baby boy. Hoping for the best and thanks for the prices. Both of my boys go in tomorrow. Jakob for his disfigured finger and Jeremiah for a new lump that has just shown up today under his chin so the prices were nice kinda gives me an idea of what to look forward to (even though all vets and locations vary).


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Oh, poor babe.....I'll be praying for you guys and thinking about you. I'm so glad the bone is okay. Really hoping it's just an infection. Hang in there. Seems like you have a very thorough vet. That must be a relief for you.

HUGS.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Poor Inky!  Praying for a full and fast recovery! You are a great example of how to do things right  Vet and then posting it on the forum.  Very good pics BTW and has Inky gotten even cuter than before!


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## Victoria1985 (Apr 5, 2011)

ohhhh those photos are amazing - Inky is so cute! Have everything crossed that it's just a little infection and nothing more serious


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

What wonderful pictures. I love the leg xray. Mind if I add it to my xray collection. :lol: 

Continued prayers for Inky.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Hang in there, Inky!!!

Sending healing vibes your way <3


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Poor Inky, hopefully its nothing more than a poo covered quill poked his leg and it got infected. No cancer!

Those costs are very reasonable. They certainly do add up quickly and there isn't a single one in that list that I would have removed. 

We are keeping our quills crossed here for a speedy recovery with no more problems!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Awww poor Inky! Even while getting gassed, he's still as photogenic as ever! Wishing him a speedy recovery!!! But you know he'll whine and be a suck so he'll get more mealies


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Thank you everyone, Inky and I really appreciate having so much support. (hugs to everyone)

Inky ate his normal amount last night and actually ran quite a bit (because he's feeling better, or because he's in pain, not sure :\ ). Anyone with hedgie pain experience, does it usually help or hinder activity? Right now I'm taking it as he's feeling a bit better.

Will share daily updated pics on him and his little leg! 

(and Nancy, I have no problem with you snagging pics  )


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I hope he recovers well & quickly! And that it's nothing major. Those are some amazing & educating pictures!! I don't think my vet would even let me go to the back, much less watch & document the process.  
Inky is such a little love. He's got nice bones too! :lol:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Awww, poor old man! Got our fingers & quills crossed over here that it's nothing serious and hope his leg feels better soon! The information and pictures are fantastic, and that's awesome that you were able to watch and take pictures of everything. I'm not sure if Lily's vet would allow that, I've only started working with them since I got her, so I've not had occasion to ask. They did let me in the back room to see their set up for the baby bird I had taken them though, so hopefully that means they'd let me watch if Lily ever needed anything.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> Awww, poor old man! Got our fingers & quills crossed over here that it's nothing serious and hope his leg feels better soon! The information and pictures are fantastic, and that's awesome that you were able to watch and take pictures of everything. I'm not sure if Lily's vet would allow that, I've only started working with them since I got her, so I've not had occasion to ask. They did let me in the back room to see their set up for the baby bird I had taken them though, so hopefully that means they'd let me watch if Lily ever needed anything.


I've never thought about taking pictures, but Derek does most things in the patient room and if anything needs to be done in the back I'll go with him. It has never been a problem with him. The only exception is Capn (our dog). They take him in the back to do blood draws without me because he is all over my lap when we're at the vet. He's such a chicken. When I'm out of site, he's as good as gold. :roll:


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

My heart nearly stopped beating when I saw the headline about little Inky. I have adored him for many years. The first picture of him made me smile; sweet little boy. The pictures of him receiving anesthesia were upsetting to me. Take care of yourself and the ever precious, Inky. I will keep our special boy in my prayers.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Just got the call back from the vet and...

NO CANCER!!!!!!!!

  

I am SO relieved to hear that it was only the infection, that armpit lump had me worried it was something spreading, but no, only a yeast + bacterial infection. His antibiotics and leg kept clean should have him healed up in no time. My baby will be okay!!! 

I'll continue to update everyone as he heals. Thank you all so much for hanging in there with me for the (very brief) wait!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

YAAAAAAY, Yipeee, that is wonderful news.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Yay!!!!!! That's awesome news!!!!! So relieved!!! Now you can sleep well tonight!


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

glad to hear, it's such a relief when it's something less serious. hope your little one heals well


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Day 1: Night I noticed the lump
Day 2: Took him to the vet in the morning
Day 3: Today

Official update for day 3. Inky took his meds great this morning, and I posted about the good news from the vet. Here is what his leg looks like today:










Then he managed to scrape the scab off, but it looks healthy underneath: (sorry if anyone finds this gross)










(I cleaned his leg after the pics)


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Yahoo for no cancer 

The pics are not gross...I think medical/health type photos are quite educational since there is not a ton of info out there.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

YAY!!!!  SO glad to hear the good news, that's a huge relief! It already looks so much better under the scab! I fully agree with Hissy-Fit-Hazel, I thought all of the pictures were very interesting and informative for all of us, with as little as we know about hedgehogs medically. Then again, I'm a nerd who's always loved watching vet shows for the surgeries and operations they do, and has gotten to watch several surgeries in person and thought it was the most amazing thing to do. :lol: Takes quite a bit to gross me out in terms of that stuff.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Oh, I'm so happy for you both! I literally clapped when I saw your post about it not being cancer. It's great to hear news like that.


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Yippie!!!! I am so happy to hear that it isn't cancer.
Inky- leave your scabs alone!!!


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I have thanked my Lord. Sleep, rest and get well little Inky.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Woohoo for Inky! The expression on his face in the picture made me lol. :lol: But his leg looks better already. I love good, quick news.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Glad to hear that it wasn't Cancer and that Inky is making a speedy recovery


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

Yay!!! I'm so happy for the two of you! 
Great pics, by the way.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Day 4 update: Inky ran even more last night, back up to his usual amount of half a mile (he's slowed down to a more reasonable elderly pace in the last year), ate fine, has decided he does NOT like his leg cleaned though. I've been putting the solution in a little oral syringe and squirting it on him when he's unsuspecting, and I feel so bad to betray his trust when he's like "oh hey mom, I love you" BAM scare him. :\ only a few days though...

Scab looks a little worse today, but I figure it's gotta look worse before it'll look better.



















Now that we know it's just an infection, and really all I'm doing is giving updates on a little scab healing, hope no one thinks I'm being excessive/boring. I think it's more for my own sanity to be sure I'm monitoring him carefully even in things that seem trivial like this.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Definitely not boring! I completely understand that it helps to type it all out someplace to make sure you're not forgetting anything, I'm the same way. Plus, this means we get more pictures of the always-handsome Inky!  Hang in there, both of you, just a few more days and snuggles will be ambush-free!


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Looking good Inky!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Actually it's looking really good. Looks like some good healthy tissues to me!
And you know all these pics are always appreciated, especially how educational they are too!
Plus, the more shetland knows, the easier it is for her to find you and kidnap Inky


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Tsk Tsk A nice person like me? Suspicions of hedgienapping? Oh, so I may have mentioned it once or twice. Inky would be happy with me. Wouldn't you little Inky. Come for a visit. A long visit. We can call your MaMa; someday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I LOVE INKY!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Day 5 update: Everything going well and normal. Not cleaning his leg anymore, as it seems to not need it and it's just extra stress for him. He's working his cute face on me:










oh yeah, right talking about his leg:









Enjoy the cute pic.  Hedgie daddy and I awwwed about 5 minutes straight over it.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Awe. That cute little face is working on me too. I think he's a master of hypnosis because I almost went to the fridge and got some mealies to hold up to the screen for him.  :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hahaha, exactly, Rainy! He looks like such a baby for being 4.5...

So in an attempt to not post a million times, I'm gonna give a general update in a couple days / week when I take Inky off the meds (he's supposed to be on them 7-10 days, probably will go the full 10 to be safe. His leg is still just a bright red scab, looking no worse but not really better either. Hopefully next post will show improvement.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I'm so glad to see he is doing well and that last picture is too adorable  I love hearing updates and think it's great you shared the medical information/pics with everyone.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm very happy to announce that as of today, Inky's leg is entirely healed! 

I've been lazy and don't have day-by-day pictures ready, but promise I'll get them up soon. A few days ago the big scab came off, then there was just a small infected spot left that scabbed up and the rest came off today. His leg is pink and the fur needs to grow back in, but overall he looks LOTS better.  

Inky and his daddy and I appreciate all for putting up with our worried panics over him. We are thankful it was nothing worse!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

YAY!!!!! That is wonderful news.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Such wonderful news about our precious little boy! Can't wait for more pictures of Inky!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Woohoo, glad our handsome man is back to normal!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Not sure where my pics from day 6 are... but,

Day 7: still a huge scab









Day 8: took him off the meds this day, he had developed a violent hatred for them. The scab came off the night before, with just a small little "zit" left.









Day 9:









Day 10:









Day 11:









Day 12:









Day 13: the night before I had been getting all worried that the scab wasn't a scab, but then checked on him the next morning and it was all gone! all healed up:









He's gotten to the point where he doesn't run, just walks, every night. He still dirties up his wheel plenty though and has a great appetite so I'm just assuming it's old age.

and last, cause I know everyone's expecting a cute pic... him busy eating his nightly mealies, with a crumb on his nose. :lol:


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

What an adorable face. His leg looks great.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Inky is too adorable  I'm glad that his leg healed up so well.


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## Emaline (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't know why it's taken me forever to read this, but I'm so glad Inky turned out to be okay! Such a precious little face. I hope he continues to be well and healthy.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I swoon over Inky. (Please don't tell Cholla!)

I for one am so glad you posted all the pictures. It really makes it so much easier to understand & remember. I'm sure that this thread will be one that we can refer back to in the future. Very educational. And very, very cute.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Heeeee, Inky seriously has the most adorable little face!! 



PJM said:


> I for one am so glad you posted all the pictures. It really makes it so much easier to understand & remember. I'm sure that this thread will be one that we can refer back to in the future. Very educational. And very, very cute.


I agree, it's interesting to watch the progression from what you first saw, to the treatment of it, and watch the healing process. The pictures are great!


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Glad to hear the good news.

Good job Inky. Good job to your Mama too, for taking such good care of you.  Kisses to you, you adorable little guy.

Donna


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

As soon as I saw the picture, I had to smile!


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## TeddysMommy (Apr 24, 2011)

I followed this post since you first posted this, but I never posted, but YAY! Inky is all better  the picture of Inky should be on a calender! Now THAT would be an idea :lol:


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Yay Inky! Way to heal that scab like a superstar!


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