# My hedghog can't walk



## Wheeler (Mar 10, 2011)

Hey everyone,
We recently had a tumor removed from our hedghog's, Lewie, chest. He was doing good initially after surgery and seemed to be really happy. Now it has been a few weeks and he is unable to use one of his front legs. This is the leg opposite of where the tumor was removed. When he had the surgery they had to remove part of his pectoral muscle due to the growth of the tumor. We brought him home and helped him get around for a week or two. Now its seems like he may have had a stroke or something like that. His other leg stays back by his hind legs and he uses his nose and face to (kind of) drag himself around his cage. He has stopped eating unless we feed him directly. We think it's because he can't eat and support his weight with his nose at the same time. We really don't want him to suffer, but we also don't want to give up on him. 
Has anyone had a similar experiences or does anyone have any ideas on what we might be able to do to make him more comfortable. Before all of this Lewie ran in his wheel all the time and was very loving. Now he doesn't come out of his house unless we take him out. He is still very loving though once we get him out. He is about two and a half years old. We are extremely worried. Any comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you ,
Jason Wheeler


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i have a little guy with a mystery problem similar to yours...don't know if he has had a stroke, has a neuro thing, or what. for now the vet has ruled out WHS but i know it still could be possible. 

he is small...only 260g...& young, just over a year. but the symptoms are worsening. he drags himself around alright though. he has stopped wheeling - he likes to sit on it sometimes but has no interest in trying to move on it. he tips over b/c he cannot balance himself properly...the affected front leg hangs down & back toward the hind legs. the affected hind end is just a little "hoppy."

he does not eat as much some days & is a little more susceptible to infection now, so he gets an extra dose of probiotic. & if he seems to be losing weight, he gets a nutritional suppliment (like NutriCal...only i am a weirdo & use an organic version without preservatives, etc.). this helps a lot. he also gets extra treats like chicken & egg to get some extra protein & sweet potato for fiber. 

i have a video of him...it's not that great but it does show his balance issues. if someone will tell me how the heck i can post it, i will certain do so.


----------



## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm sorry about your hedgie! Hopefully you'll be able to figure out what happened and help him be more comfortable.



rivoli256 said:


> i have a video of him...it's not that great but it does show his balance issues. if someone will tell me how the heck i can post it, i will certain do so.


I think the easiest way is to post the video on youtube or other website and and post the link here.


----------



## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Jason, have you discussed the problem with your veterinarian yet? 

I have one now that had surgery in February that started to stumble and fall over post-surgery. For him we increase his environmental temperature and started to massage & help him exercise to regain strength in his shoulder and leg. So far we have had some improvements, they are small and slow, but its still improvements.


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

ok, we will see if this works...

sorry this isn't that great...i have a nice long video of him but it would not send to the computer or download right, so all i could do was this snippet. still you can see his non-working leg & how he "lists port" (falls over on his left side). i am not sure is you can see well but he knuckles under on his right front paw.

forgive his filthiness...he has Booster on his face, he pooped on his blankie, & yes, his tummy is a mess. *sigh* boys. he may be impaired but he makes sure to have his fun. :roll:

so here is the video: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=206942492655863


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

grrrrr....i have the settings so everyone can see it...so i am not sure why it is requesting people log in to FB. grrrrrrrrrrrr. sorry. i have tried changing my privacy settings. & i put it so everybody could see the video. i am destined never to post anything other than text here, i swear.


----------



## Wheeler (Mar 10, 2011)

That's pretty much what Lewie's is also doing. It is still a fairly recent surgery. For now we will keep hand feeding him and helping him with his excercise. Hopefully he gets better. We have talked with our vet about this problem before and he's not sure exactly what it could be, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. Thank you for all of your advice and for sharing your video.
Jason


----------



## Sunflowerseeds (Mar 3, 2011)

Sadly, I have no advice to offer but I just wanted to say that I hope they both begin getting around better soon. My thoughts are with them, and I'm sure people on here can offer some good advice to make their quality of life better.



rivoli256 said:


> he also gets extra treats like chicken & egg to get some extra protein & sweet potato for fiber.
> 
> i have a video of him...it's not that great but it does show his balance issues. if someone will tell me how the heck i can post it, i will certain do so.


It sure seems as though he enjoys that chicken!


----------



## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Poor little sweetie. It's good he's got you to take such good care of him. 
I wish I could help out with either hedgie, but I don't know anything...


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

Sunflowerseeds said:


> Sadly, I have no advice to offer but I just wanted to say that I hope they both begin getting around better soon. My thoughts are with them....
> 
> It sure seems as though he enjoys that chicken!


...thank you. he's my little guy & fits right in the palm of my hand. he likes to hang out in my hair! he still scrambles everywhere...just looks like a prickly Quasimodo when he does. i try to be funny about it b/c if i am not i get all verklempt. 

& you are right...he LOVES that chicken. i really wish i could post the whole video. it is sad but funny the way he attacks it & chomps & smacks. i don't know if you can hear him smacking when he chews in the vid on FB, but in the original you sure can. i need to teach him some manners. :lol:


----------



## Sunflowerseeds (Mar 3, 2011)

He's absolutly adorable! I know what you mean about having to have a sense of humor about it, and looking at the positives. I'm the same way and if I just focus on what's wrong, I get all upset and that can really pass on to the animal that something is wrong. I would love to see a picture of him curled up in your hair!

Aww, it's okay that he has no manners, he's too cute to be mad at about it!


----------

