# Not eating, vomitting, green stool. Expert advice needed



## tinaraia (Dec 19, 2009)

This post is very long and sort of a last plea for help. I'm hoping someone else has had a similar experience in the past and can offer some advice. 

My little girl PuffPuff is just over 3 years old. I have had her since she was a baby.
Last month, I went on holidays for 2 weeks. During this time, my mom took care of her as she had done in the past (I live with my mom, so there were no environmental changes). One day after I left, PuffPuff stopped eating her kibble (Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul-adult lite). My mom started feeding her cooked egg, corn, and chicken. She ate all three foods for a few days, and one day, after eating the chicken, she threw up. Since then, she's been refusing to eat chicken or egg. While I was away, my mom took PuffPuff to a backup vet who suspected fatty liver disease and switched her to A/D (her regular vet was not available that day). 

After I returned, we took PuffPuff to her regular vet who did an x-ray and fecal test, gave her an injection for vomitting, more A/D, and prescribed Amoxicillin. She was also given some barium for the x-ray. The x-ray and fecal test came back normal. She was not given a blood test for fatty liver because she was not strong enough to be sedated.
Since returning from that vet visit, PuffPuff started having slimy green stool. She still refuses to eat on her own except for 1 or 2 bites (A/D, critical care, baby food, anything) but is still active and will drink on her own and come out at night to go to the bathroom.

On Monday, we went back for a followup visit and she was switched to a different antibiotic (Baytril). She's been on it for almost a week now, and her appetite has still not improved. She still has green stool and has lost some more weight. This week I also bought her some wax worms, which she ate on her own, but then threw up (due to the Baytril)? 
Now, we are force feeding her a liquid mix of A/D, cooked chicken, and cooked liver every day. She will eat a maximum of about 10ml a day (3ml a meal, before refusing to chew).

Except for refusing to eat, PuffPuff is her normal self--just a little less energetic. She struggles really hard every time we feed her, and lies down flat on her tummy with her chin on the floor after each meal. 
It breaks my heart to see my baby like this. The vet sees nothing obviously wrong with her, and I'm not sure what else to try to get her back to normal.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

I am so sorry to her she is not doing well. How much does she weigh? I am wondering if she is a "fluffy" girl. She could have an enlarged heart, she sounds exhausted after you feed her. How are her teeth? Maybe soften her regular food also.

My advice would be to get her appetite stimulated. My vet would prescribe predisone for that. See if your vet will prescribe some. You can also try flat Pepsi, the sweetness helps. Give her about .5 ml every couple of hours.

The A/D is great food. High nutrient value and high fat. Easy to digest. Good luck


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## tinaraia (Dec 19, 2009)

Hedgiepets said:


> I am so sorry to her she is not doing well. How much does she weigh? I am wondering if she is a "fluffy" girl. She could have an enlarged heart, she sounds exhausted after you feed her. How are her teeth? Maybe soften her regular food also.
> 
> My advice would be to get her appetite stimulated. My vet would prescribe predisone for that. See if your vet will prescribe some. You can also try flat Pepsi, the sweetness helps. Give her about .5 ml every couple of hours.
> 
> The A/D is great food. High nutrient value and high fat. Easy to digest. Good luck


Thanks for your quick reply. PuffPuff has always been on the bigger side. She weighs 700grams right now and has been around this weight since she was 1. I realize this is quite large for a hedgehog but she was already on a light, high quality cat food and she has never had any health or eating problems before. The x-ray that her vet took showed that her organs were pretty normal. She has been missing one front tooth for a few months but did not have any problems with her kibble before.

I will ask my vet about predisone on Monday. I was also thinking of feeding her some probiotic yogurt. Would that be safe to give to a hedgie with tummy problems?

Tina


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Yes, getting good bacteria in her system is good.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I don't know much about this topic to add anything but would like to send you well wishes and hope that your hedgie gets to feeling better.


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## tinaraia (Dec 19, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your support.
PuffPuff finished her round of antibiotics on Thursday. I had been hoping that her green poop and lack of appetite would go away once she was off the meds, but she's still acting the same (it's now Sunday). 

I started giving her a little bit of Activia yogurt everyday but her poop is still green. 
Sometimes, after being syringe fed, she walks away wobbling and then lies down on one side like her tummy is bothering her. She'll stay on her side for a few minutes and then spread out really flat and stay in that position.

Yesterday, I picked up a few meal worms for her. At first, she chewed them all up and spat out the "skin". The second time I offered them to her, she managed to chew and swallow every one.
My question now is, how many meal worms can I give her in a day? I know they are normally supposed to be given as treats, but meal worms are now the ONLY food PuffPuff will eat on her own. She actually gets quite excited and chases after the fork. It's so good to see that she's still interested in eating. It really seems like she's just avoiding meat based foods for some reason.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

If she were smaller, I'd say feed her as many as she wants, if that is all she'll eat. But considering that she's pretty fluffy, that may not be the best idea. IMO though it's much better to make sure she eats to avoid FLD setting in, than to worry about her gaining weight.


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## tinaraia (Dec 19, 2009)

I thought I'd give everyone an update on PuffPuff. I'm sorry to say that the news is not good... 

It's been over a month since she stopped eating on her own. We have been syringe feeding her this whole time, but she never got her appetite back. At one point she ate some scrambled eggs, but that only lasted 2 days. She is only sometimes interested in mealworms now, and will chew one up and spit out the skin, or take a bite and then stop trying to eat it. Another visit to the vet confirmed that her digestive system was working normally. We came home with some experimental liver medication but it didn't do anything. 

A few days ago, she started dragging her bum on the floor. Now, she can no longer support her body. I have to carry her from her sleeping area to the litter box. The cutest thing is she will still hold it until she gets to her litterl box. I called the vet yesterday with this update and she says it's most likely WHS, which she suspected the entire time. She thinks PuffPuff had an underlying neurological problem before she stopped eating and may have also developed FLD on top of that. 

I know that my baby is about to leave me. There's nothing else I can do for her. I can only watch her lose control of her little body. I don't know whether she is in pain and whether it is cruel to keep force feeding her. She's getting worse by the day, but I'm really not ready to lose her. This is the most terrible feeling in the world.


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

I am so sorry to hear this news.  Knowing that your pet is sick and in pain is one of the hardest things to do. But when it is time for her to go, she will go knowing that you love her very much and that she had a wonderful life. 
We are all here for you. *Hugs*


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear your little girl is getting worse. I know how heart wrenching it is to see their health deteriorate like that... Whether you will make the final decision or she will make it on her own, is up to you. If she appears to be suffering at all I would kindly let her go.


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