# Club foot and knee



## ericmackcarter (Sep 14, 2011)

My name is Eric and my 10 month old male hedgehog's name is Edge. Edge is a good little hog but unfortunately has some health issues. He has had them for about 5 months now. He has a swollen knee and as you can see in the pictures a club foot. The vet gave him an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer which did nothing. 

Edge, while I'm sure he notices, does not seem to let it bother him. He eats two full meals per day, runs in his hedgy-safe wheel and is very friendly and active. He lives in a glass cage so there are no wires. There really isn't anywhere in his cage for him to fall and besides he has never been one to climb.

I have checked him for hairs around his legs, the vet checked him out and found him to otherwise be in good health. 

At night he is like a marathon runner in his wheel. Although he does hobble, he still goes at it. It makes me sad because he is only a shadow of his former glory. But yet he still goes. I wonder if maybe he was running too much and so I stopped putting in the wheel for a week to see if his wounds healed. All this did was make him grumpy and he knocked his food and water dish over. Like many hogs, he poops in his wheel and I thought maybe it was an infection but I don't know.

Can anyone tell me what this might look like, what could cause something like this? Is there more information that would be helpful?

Thank you.


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2011)

ericmackcarter said:


> My name is Eric and my 10 month old male hedgehog's name is Edge. Edge is a good little hog but unfortunately has some health issues. He has had them for about 5 months now. He has a swollen knee and as you can see in the pictures a club foot. The vet gave him an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer which did nothing.
> 
> Edge, while I'm sure he notices, does not seem to let it bother him. He eats two full meals per day, runs in his hedgy-safe wheel and is very friendly and active. He lives in a glass cage so there are no wires. There really isn't anywhere in his cage for him to fall and besides he has never been one to climb.
> 
> ...


What is the exact wheel you are using?

I can't tell much from the pictures but his foot doesn't look right.

Out of curiosity where did you get your hedgie? Does he have papers on Lineage I wonder if its a defect from genetics perhaps even if it developed later after birth inbreeding can cause deformities.

I know you mentioned glass cage and I want to tell you that is a bad environment for a hedgie it traps the smell of their pee and poo in there and can become very bad for their breathing there are plenty of cages much more suited for a hedgie that can help them be happier and healthier.

Sounds about right taking away a wheel is like taking away the hedgehogs life in most cases. I can't shed much light on the foot however I would seek a second vets opinion who has hedgehog experience.


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## ericmackcarter (Sep 14, 2011)

TWCOGAR said:


> What is the exact wheel you are using?
> 
> I can't tell much from the pictures but his foot doesn't look right.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the cage advice, I thought glass was the way to go! I'll look into a new one right away, but it is open at the top. I bought him at a regular pet store and I was told he came from a Chicago breeder. I don't have any lineage papers.


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2011)

ericmackcarter said:


> TWCOGAR said:
> 
> 
> > What is the exact wheel you are using?
> ...


Usually petshop ones come from breeding mills in bad conditions and they don't really pay attention nor care if mother and son or sister and brother mate so long as they get more animals from it. I have a pet shop rescue and she is very timid and scared of people a hissing clicking ball of fear no matter what I seem to do.

Any who later on checkout our cage section for ideas 

I am no expert but I would get a second opinion

Also please read this and supply us some information which the true experts here will see and maybe have a better answer:

http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13086


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Welcome to HHC! I'm sorry Edge is having some problems. How long has he been like this? I mean, I know you mentioned 5 months, but was he like this when you first got him or did it develop over time? 

Poor little guy. How long has it been since he went to that vet appt? I don't know what it could be, but if the meds the vet gave hasn't helped, perhaps you could go back for more ideas. 

Hopefully someone with more experience will come along soon.


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

From the original post it sounds like a new condition... looks like a lot of inflammation there! If the foot was normal before and now appears like a club foot due to the the inflammation it's not a club foot as that is normally a birth defect. Personally I would remove the wheel immediately and wait for some advice. Perhaps think of something else like hiding crickets for him for a while to keep him entertained.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Has the vet taken an x-ray yet? Anytime there is an abnormal swelling, lump, bump or growth I get suspicious that cancer is at play. I'd ask to have it x-rayed. It could have been broken at some point and it healed improperly, it could be a cancerous growth, who knows. Since the anti-inflammatory didn't reduce the swelling, I'm going to doubt that it is a sprain.


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