# Red spot on lower gum?



## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

With all the sad news on here about hedgies suffering from oral ailments, I've become rather worried and have tried multiple times to check Regina's mouth. Needless to say, she's been rather resistant. I can get momentary glimpses if I dangle a cricket in front of her and she tries to bite at it, but if I try to use my fingers to check, it's all "NOOOOOOO!!! PUT ME DOWN!!! YOU'RE TORTURING ME!!!" and the little legs go flailing... so it's kind of hard to get in there to check. But, the other day I was taking pictures while Regina was eating, and when I went back and looked at the pics, I saw this:








And a close up:








Naturally, I started worrying, and tried to get a better look. But in checking her mouth, I noticed that she has a similar thing on the other side of her lower gum as well, and it looks to be about the same size. So could it be just part of her gums if it seems symmetrical? Because I know in humans, they say that if you notice it on both sides of your body in the same place you probably needn't worry... But I worry anyway, of course. Should I take her to the vet? Or just keep an eye on it? Or am I overreacting? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm sorry I can't be of any help. I would wait to see what others say but I would probably take her to the vet just because I don't know what it is and it would help ease the worries. Like you said about the symmetry hopefully it's nothing. Keep us updated!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Does she chew on her bedding? If so, it could be an irritation from that. My Yuri used to chew his bedding and he frequently had sores that looked like that. 

Being the same on both sides does usually means it's okay but I have had a couple that had oral tumours on both sides, identical spots. 

I would take another really good look at the spots on Wednesday and if they have gotten bigger, then a vet visit is in order. Give her tomorrow without messing with her mouth so she doesn't get all upset about daily mouth checks. They can be tricked, sometimes. :lol:

Wonderful photo!


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Nancy said:


> Does she chew on her bedding? If so, it could be an irritation from that. My Yuri used to chew his bedding and he frequently had sores that looked like that.


I don't think she does, she's more of a digger. Could her crunchy food be causing it? Since I noticed it, I have started adding a little water to her food so it soaks it up and gets softer, and easier to chew.



Nancy said:


> I would take another really good look at the spots on Wednesday and if they have gotten bigger, then a vet visit is in order. Give her tomorrow without messing with her mouth so she doesn't get all upset about daily mouth checks. They can be tricked, sometimes. :lol:


Haha, okay, I won't stress her out with a mouth check today or tomorrow 



Nancy said:


> Wonderful photo!


Thanks 



Quinn said:


> Keep us updated!


I will


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

As always, wonderful advice from "The Boss." I think this forum would be lost without Nancy. I will say a prayer that your little angel is just fine.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes the food could do it too. You can also break up her food so it's smaller and doesn't hang out of her mouth as she crunches it. Hopefully that is all it is.  

Shetland


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

shetland said:


> As always, wonderful advice from "The Boss." I think this forum would be lost without Nancy.


I agree! Nancy's awesome!



shetland said:


> I will say a prayer that your little angel is just fine.


Thank you 



Nancy said:


> Yes the food could do it too. You can also break up her food so it's smaller and doesn't hang out of her mouth as she crunches it. Hopefully that is all it is.


Okay, I'll start breaking up the food too. I really appreciate the advice. It helps me to be slightly less of a nervous wreck :lol:


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Okay, so I waited until today to check Regina's mouth again. The red spot on the left side seems about the same, but the one on the right side (the first one I noticed) looks slightly bigger (I can't really tell though) and it protrudes from her lip, and isn't just on it. I guess, kind of like a skin tag on a person would be an analogy. And I managed to peek at her upper gums, and I saw a little red sore up there too, but it looked more like a sore and less like a mass. I'm going to bring Regina to the vet to have her mouth checked out. Do you think this is a good idea? Or should I wait some more and see if it gets bigger? I don't really want to wait, though, because if it is something to worry about, I want to get to it as soon as possible.

I wasn't able to get to the roof of her mouth to check that (she took a nibble at my finger), but I assume that the vet will have to use the anesthesia to get a good look, so she can check then.

I really hope it isn't something bad. I'd hate for Regina to develop something like cancer or tumors so early in her life


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## moothecow (Jun 4, 2011)

I hope it's just nothing, or, if anything, then just some kind of minor mouth injury... I'd go and get it checked and not wait, but then again I'm a paranoid android when it comes to mysterious possible ailments. And yes, I imagine the vet would have to give her mild sedation in order to look into her mouth? Do you have any earlier photos of her mouth? For comparison purposes?

Wishing good health for little Regina...


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I'd take her in and have it checked out. Perhaps its nothing more than a little irritation. Or maybe some oral antibiotics would help it heal faster. If anything it will give you a bit of peace of mind if you go ahead and take her in to have it examined.


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i love Regina. LOFF her. she is so adorable.

i am glad you are going to the vet. you will know what you are dealing with & how to proceed. if it is nothing...YAY!  if it is a little more than that, you will be able to treat it & hopefully prevent it in the future (such as an injury). if it is something more serious, you got it EARLY, which is great for everyone. so really, though there are a gamut of potential diagnoses (i vote NOTHING!  ), a vet visit seems -to my goofy mind- like a win-win. 

please let us know what happens. sending you both great vibes.

& i will be at the vet this afternoon as well with one of my critters - so i will make sure to send EXTRA good vibes when we are there.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

At this point, I would take her in to be checked. Chances are good that it's just some gum irritation but the fact that it hasn't shown improvement with food changes means it's time for a checkup. 

Hugs


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

moothecow said:


> I hope it's just nothing, or, if anything, then just some kind of minor mouth injury... I'd go and get it checked and not wait, but then again I'm a paranoid android when it comes to mysterious possible ailments. And yes, I imagine the vet would have to give her mild sedation in order to look into her mouth? Do you have any earlier photos of her mouth? For comparison purposes?
> 
> Wishing good health for little Regina...


Thank you  And no, I don't think I have any earlier photos of her mouth, but I'll go back through and check. I also think I'll start bringing a camera to the vet's so I can get good pics of the inside of her mouth to have for comparison.



Kalandra said:


> I'd take her in and have it checked out. Perhaps its nothing more than a little irritation. Or maybe some oral antibiotics would help it heal faster. If anything it will give you a bit of peace of mind if you go ahead and take her in to have it examined.


Yeah, I'd feel awful if I didn't bring her in and it turned out to be something bad. Better safe than sorry 



rivoli256 said:


> i love Regina. LOFF her. she is so adorable.


  Thank you!



rivoli256 said:


> please let us know what happens. sending you both great vibes.
> 
> & i will be at the vet this afternoon as well with one of my critters - so i will make sure to send EXTRA good vibes when we are there.


Thank you. I'll keep everyone updated. And I hope everything goes well for you this afternoon 



Nancy said:


> At this point, I would take her in to be checked. Chances are good that it's just some gum irritation but the fact that it hasn't shown improvement with food changes means it's time for a checkup.
> 
> Hugs


Thanks Nancy. I really appreciate your advice about this whole thing


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Update: Regina has an appointment with the vet on Saturday at 8:40am.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I'm glad it is a quick appointment. I will pray for Regina.


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Regina had her appointment with the vet today, and I have to say, I really love her vet. She's very sweet and kind and good with Regina, and she's very smart. She doesn't see many hedgehogs, but she is knowledgeable about the oral ailments that can affect them and she has operated on them before.

So, in order to get a good look at Regina's mouth, they had to put her under anesthesia, which I had expected (she's a little huffy at the vet's office). The vet examined her fully, and said physically she's healthy and normal. Regina had three sores/lumps, all on her lips. Luckily, nothing was on her hard palate or gums. The vet said that we could either watch the lumps, or we could do a biopsy to find out what it is. I had her do the biopsy, so I can get a definitive answer.

Regina also had a sort of bump on her head where a follicle had been, and it had a little pus in it, so the vet drained it. Regina is on antibiotics for a week just to help clear up the follicle on her head and to prevent the biopsied lump from becoming infected. Overall, she did a great job at the vet, she got crickets during her visit and when we got home.

I should find out the results of the biopsy in a week or two, fingers crossed it's benign!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm glad all went well at the vet and praying for a negative biopsy report. Negative, meaning nothing to worry about.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Negative is all we will think about! Such a good baby girl!


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## shortnerdy (Jul 3, 2011)

Much love for Regina


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

I hope results are negative for anything. I'll be checking back for any updates!


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Thank you all for your well-wishes! This is such an awesome, supportive community


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Glad to hear that Regina did such a good job at the vets and that you found one you really like, that's such a stress reliever right off when you find a vet that you are comfortable with. Praying for good news when the biopsy results come in


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

The vet just called back with the biopsy results.

She said that as of right now, it's not cancerous, but it could be what they consider "pre-cancer" cells, so we'll keep an eye on it. She said we don't need to remove the bumps or anything yet, but to watch them for changes.

She said they saw three different types of cells, including normal cells, and cells that look like they're changing--sort of over-active, I guess. I didn't get the official words she used to describe them, but she said the lab is going to investigate further just to make sure they didn't miss anything, and when they send the addendum, she'll call me back and update me. I'll make sure to copy down the official terms and post them.

I'm relieved it's not cancerous, but the fact that it could possibly turn into cancer some day makes me a little nervous. Regina will just have to put up with the dreaded mouth checks on a regular basis to keep Mommy's nerves in check...


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

If you have the ability to receive them, ask your vet if they can fax a copy of the reports to you. I love having the copies for future reference, plus I figure I paid for it, I should keep a copy in my hedgehog's records.


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

Yaaay for good news!!!!  

I too get copies of all vet work...it's come in handy for me to have a "to-go" history file for after hours emergencies if you have to see a vet you have never been to before.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I guess that's good and bad news. He said they don't "need" to remove them, but wouldn't removing them now ensure they can't turn to anything? Could they be lasered off? 

I'm sorry it wasn't just irritation from the food. 

Hugs


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Kalandra said:


> If you have the ability to receive them, ask your vet if they can fax a copy of the reports to you. I love having the copies for future reference, plus I figure I paid for it, I should keep a copy in my hedgehog's records.





Hissy-Fit-Hazel said:


> Yaaay for good news!!!!
> 
> I too get copies of all vet work...it's come in handy for me to have a "to-go" history file for after hours emergencies if you have to see a vet you have never been to before.


Okay, I'll definitely get a copy--that's a good idea.



Nancy said:


> I guess that's good and bad news. He said they don't "need" to remove them, but wouldn't removing them now ensure they can't turn to anything? Could they be lasered off?
> 
> I'm sorry it wasn't just irritation from the food.
> 
> Hugs


Thanks Nancy. I'll ask the vet about that. They're rather small, they look kind of like lesions, so I'm not sure if they could be lasered off. The biggest one, which is the one in the picture, she removed to use for the biopsy, and I think she got most of it if not all. But I will still ask about that possibility.


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

I stopped by the vet and got a copy of the report. Here it is:


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