# Ivomec/anesthesia reaction



## EmilyNic (Jun 14, 2012)

I'm hoping that someone on here can help me with my current hedgie problem.
Almost two weeks ago, I adopted a hedgehog, her owners couldn't/wouldn't care for her. I named her Olive and I think she's about a year old. I noticed that her toenails were severly overgrown, curling up almost into the bottoms of her little feet. I could tell they were making it difficult for her to walk and she wouldn't even go near her wheel. After letting her settle in to the house for a few days, my mom and I decided to clip her nails. Olive absolutely refused. When I lifted her up off of me, I noticed a lot of dandruff which I automatically assumed was a sign of mites. I have another hedgehog named Leonard and I didn't want them both to be fighting mites.
This is what prompted my decision to take Olive to the vet. 
The vet that usually cares for my dogs works with exotics so I didn't think a thing of taking Olive to see him. This was a huge mistake. The vet trip was awful. They had to sedate Olive to get a skin scraping and when they brought her back to me, she was stumbling everywhere and popping at nothing. They told me this was just the anesthesia wearing off. They then took her back again and gave her an injection of Ivomec. When they brought her back to me, they informed me of this injection and said she would need another one every two weeks for eight weeks. When I was getting Olive back in her carrier, she was crying almost like a puppy. Chewing at her chest and running around like crazy. I confronted the vet on this and he told me "Oh that's normal, she's just coming down off the anesthesia."
I took Olive home and she continued to behave erratically. She didn't sleep for almost 24 hours after our trip to the vet. She continued to chew at her chest and cry. She ran around her cage endlessly. Finally she calmed down and I thought things were going to be ok.
Olive's next appointment isn't until the 25th, but she is still not herself. She refuses to sleep in her igloo or sleeper sack. She's pushed all of her eco bedding to one side of the cage and prefers to sleep on the bare floor of the cage, sprawled out on her stomach. She seems to be eating and drinking normally. But she seems lethargic and in pain.
I've researched this Ivomec but there isn't much about it's use in hedgehogs. I called my vet and told them how Olive was behaving and they told me to bring her in later today. They told me she made need another medication to counteract the Ivomec. I'm nervous to allow them to give Olive any more medications or anesthesia. I would really prefer the just get a prescription for Revolution, but my vet is hesitant about this.
Does anyone know if this strange behavior is a result of anesthesia or the Ivomec? Or perhaps a horrible combination of both? And if anyone from the West Texas area happens to see this, do you have any recommendations for a hedgie vet?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Do NOT let your vet touch your hedgie with ivomec again!!!! It's ivermectin and it's very easy to overdose a hedgie and cause adverse reactions, including death. The safest mite treatment is kitten revolution. 

I don't know what can be done at this point, maybe someone else might pipe up. But if you want to know more about the various other cases, just do a search of the forum(upper right corer) for ivermectin. I'd post links for you but I'm on my phone right now posting.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I've had many hedgehogs put under for examinations and procedures and they do stumble around and appear drunk when coming out of it, but I've never had one popping.

Ivermectin can cause adverse reactions even when the dosage given is correct. As Immortalia mentioned, it is very easy to overdose. I would say her reaction is mostly from the ivermectin rather than the anesthesia. I have no experience with Ivermectin and have no clue about a shot to counteract it but certainly would be good to get a second opinion. Poor little Olive. 

Here are the vet lists from both HHC and Hedgehog Welfare.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=15183 
http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/vets_by_state.asp?s=TX

Also, I've written to someone who used to live in Texas and might have a recommendation.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I pm'd you with some information.


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

The reaction you described is exactly what happens to my Clémentine when she gets anesthesia and she never had an Invermectin shot so I'm hoping what your hedgie is going through is just the anesthesia. It takes Clémentine about a week to get back to her normal self and I was told by my vet this is a really unusual reaction so we use it on her only when it's absolutely necessary. 

Like the others said, Invermectin can be dangerous and you have every right to insist that your vet stop that treatment and give you some Revolution. 

I hope all will be well with your Olive.


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## EmilyNic (Jun 14, 2012)

Thank you so much for this information! I called my vet today and was promptly blown off. I called around for a second opinion and was told that Revolution won't kill mites, it's only a preventative measure? This seems to contradict pretty much everything I've read on Revolution. A few vets told me that they use an oral miticide in hedgehogs. Does anyone know if the oral is as dangerous as an injection?
Again, I am so grateful for your responses! This whole situation with poor Olive has been a nightmare


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The injected Ivermectin is the most dangerous with oral next and topical being the least. Regardless of which is used, they can still have an adverse and possibly severe, fatal reaction. Because she has already had a reaction, the chances of the next reaction being worse is very high. It's not worth the risk.

Revolution will kill mites. They need 3 applications, 2 or 3 weeks apart. Vets seem to differ on the frequency but both seem to work. The worst reaction ever noted with Revolution is possibly some irritated skin at the application site. Also, Revolution is just about impossible to overdose and there have been people who have mistakenly used a whole vial on the hedgehog with no adverse reaction. The prevention application is once per month, same as cats and dogs.


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