# Foot/Leg problem? What to do?



## ReggietheHedgie (Sep 12, 2009)

I just got Reggie 2 days ago and last night we noticed that he seems to walk on the top part of his back foot. It doesn't seem to bother him, and if I set it upright, he will put weight on it and he appears to get around fine.

I love him and wouldn't give him back to the breeder regardless. But is there such thing as a little Hedgie splint or is there something I should do about this?

Here's a link to a pic (if I manage to post it correctly):
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ksa0HAryJhs/Sq6QITbICWI/AAAAAAAACiA/NO9Ujl2CqYM/s1600-h/DSC_0109.jpg


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## ReggietheHedgie (Sep 12, 2009)

Sorry the pic is so big!


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

I suggest keep a close eye on him, it could be just a slight abnormality. My older dog whom we had to put him down cause he couldn't walk straight (14years we had him), he had his front right paw that would always point outward like somebody twisted it, but the vet says he was in no pain what so ever, and he never had the paw twisted it was just an abnormality that happened during the birth.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

It's definitely not normal. It could be a deformity or some sort of minor injury. If it is an injury it could get worse if left untreated so it might be a good idea to get it checked out. I would inform the breeder regardless, if it turns to be a deformity the breeder will want to keep an eye on litters from those parents to see if there is something in the line and if it is an injury the breeder will be able to help you with advise if you need it.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Bring him to a vet so you can get x-rays & check for a break or any other factors that could be contributing to the behavior. 

Do not try to splint it yourself. I say this because my own hedgie managed to sprain her leg somehow and her vet said that if she were a bigger animal, she'd splint it. But small animals have a way of tugging at their bandages and it's likely that she'd tug so much that she'd lose circulation in her leg... and then you have to worry about amputation.


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## Annabelle Lee (Dec 6, 2009)

Hello everyone! I'm new here and didn't want to create another similar thread, so I'm writing in an existing one instead with my 2 questions. Hope it is ok...
I'm taking care of 2 hedgies of my friends who's gone abroad. One hedgehog is about 1.5 years old and I've noticed that sometimes she has a problem with one of her back legs - it seems that it's not bending and it makes the hog fall down. I was afraid this could be the infamous WHS, but after doing some reading and watching the videos it doesn't seem to be the case. I have seen it happen only a few times, and always after she has just woken up. It never lasts longer than a minute and after that she's fine again. Normally she's running very fast, eats well and even put on some weight recently. She doesn't have any history of neurological diseases in the family, and her mother, who's now about 5 years old, is as active as a hedgehog can be. To me it looks like a human having cramps, but I wanted to ask around the "hedgehog gurus" if someone could share any thoughts on this. 
The other question is about the 5-year-old mother. As I mentioned already, the "grandma" is very active despite her age, but she's quite often dragging her back legs. Her owners told me that it's normal because she's getting old and she's been doing this for a while. The legs aren't paralyzed because she can use them when she wants to climb somewhere, and she's anything but wobbly. Besides, it looks like she doesn't care. But I'm still wondering if there's anything that can be done to improve this condition.
I would gladly take them to the vet, but I live in Sweden where these pets are very rare, thus no doctors know anything about how to treat them. (


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The symptoms could be beginning WHS, arthritis, injury or something neurological. 

In the daughter, perhaps her leg gets stiff while sleeping and she needs to move a bit to get it moving again. You could try giving her (both actually) a pinch of glucosamine on their food daily. It will help with any arthritis they might have. 

The stiff leg could also be the beginnings of WHS. My Cinder had similiar symptoms for months. In September when she would first get up her back legs would be ever so slightly stiff for the first few steps she took. Had we not been watching her very closely due to an unrelated health issue, we would not have even noticed the slight siffness. Once she'd walked 4-6" it was gone. Initially we put it down to her weakness and recent life threatening illness and surgery. To make a long storey short, it wasn't until the April and May that it was becoming obvious that this was more than just a bit of arthritis. 

Hard to say what the mom is doing. Some hedgehogs will just randomly drag their back legs. Often it is part of stretching but some do it just randomly for reasons only they know. 

If it is arthritis in either of the girls, the glucosamine might help and also some added heat to their bed might help with any joint stiffness.


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## Annabelle Lee (Dec 6, 2009)

Hi Nancy!
Thank you so much for your fast reply! I will try giving some glucosamine to the little girl (the mother is already getting it daily for at least half a year). I have heat pads under their box which are switching on and off on timer. The room they are in is also quite warm. Apart from cat food, they are getting live food every day and the vitamins every third day. I really hope that the little one doesn't have WHS!... She's such a nice kid, though rather shy comparing to her mother.
The other idea I have (which you might find stupid) is that she could be still growing. Is that possible at this age? She is quite small, almost half the size of her mother. But during the past 2 months she gained about 10% of her body weight, but doesn't seem to be getting fat. The comparison is probably not a very good one, but the rapid growth in human teenagers can cause cramps... I really don't know what to think, but will try to do my best and hope for the best.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I hope the best for all the hedgies. A prayer for each of them.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Sound like you have everything covered. At 1.5 years old, she is done any joint and bone growth. The only thing now would be if gaining weight as in getting fat. Weight gain could have an impact on joints as it does in humans. How much exactly has she gained? 

It could be a soft tissue injury that just needs time to heal. If you are concerned, a vet visit wouldn't hurt and might give some insight into what is wrong if anything. 

When she falls, how easily does she get back up?


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## Annabelle Lee (Dec 6, 2009)

She gained about 30 grams in total, going from 290 to 320 grams. (The mother is 550 gramms, being both significantly longer and fatter).
When she falls, she can't get up on her own easily 'coz her leg is totally straight and stretched out and looks like having some sort of spasm (or maybe she's just moving it frantically while fighting to get up). Though during the 2 months I've kept her I haven't seen this happening too often to understand what is exactly happening.
As for the vets: most of Swedish vets refuse to see a hedgehog. Those that agree want to heavily sedate it during the observation despite our claims that the hedgies are tame and don't roll up. I don't see this procedure being very healthy and don't want to do it unless there's an emergency.


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