# Puffy, watery eyes :(



## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Hi everyone, Rocko has been quilling lately (I have another post about it) and the night before last I gave him a bath with a few drops of olive oil. Ever since then, his eyes have been kind of watery and he holds them half open at times, almost like there's something in them. His fur was kind of oily, so I figure I probably used too much oil. Since he's rolled into a ball and stuff, is it possible that the oil from his belly got into his eyes and irritated them or something?

EDIT: I also thought I would mention that, at the same time I gave Rocko the olive oil bath, I switched him from pine shavings to a fleece liner. I was so excited to finally make the switch because I knew it would be better for him - but is it possible that he's allergic to the fleece?! I've only ever heard of hedgies getting switched TO fleece because they're allergic to something else.. Never heard of them being allergic to the fleece.

Other than that, he is acting fine. He's eating, running on his wheel, pooping, etc. No sneezing, wheezing, etc. But his eyes just look puffy, not wide open and bright like usual. It's really worrying me.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Poor little guy!

With all the issues you've been noticing, I'm guessing he has some sort of parasites, likely mites. I can't remember- has he seen a vet? Been tested for mites? If not, I think a vet check would be a good idea. The quill loss, red/itchy/dry spots, puffy eyes, etc. are concerning to have all at once.

For the time being I'd try gently wiping his eyes with a warm damp washcloth and keep a close eye on him.


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

No, he hasn't been to the vet yet, but I'm planning on taking him tomorrow. Are the puffy eyes really a symptom of mites?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes, puffy eyes can be mites and I agree with Lizard that with all his issues, it is very probable he has mites.


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Thank you ladies. I know of several vets in my area that take hedgehogs and I'm getting him an appointment with whoever can see him soonest.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Remember to get Revolution, NOT ivermectin and especially do NOT let them inject him with ivermectin.


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Definitely! His appointment is in a few hours so I will let everyone know the verdict when we get back. Don't worry, I read the post about the Ivermectin.. No one is getting that stuff within a mile of Rocko. :lol:


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Just returned from the vet. She was pretty much positive it's mites, although the skin scrape didn't reveal any. She says that was probably due to the olive oil bath I gave him. But I took a few quills that he'd dropped with me and she said the brown gunky stuff on them was mite poop! :lol: 

She was very nice and seemed knowledgeable about hedgehogs. My only problem was that she really wanted me to do the Ivermectin injection. Of course, I stood my ground and got the Revolution instead. Hopefully now everything will be just fine!


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

Glad to hear you stood your ground.  

Thanks for the update. I am wishing your Rocko a speedy recovery.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hope Rocko gets better soon! I'm glad it was just mites, no infections or anything. He should be back to normal soon. 

That's great your vet knew what she was doing. The Ivermectin, yes, most vets push that. Just have to provide them with the right information and tell them no. :roll:


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

I'm so glad Rocko has his medicine now and is on his way recovery!  

I just have a question. Why is Ivermectin a bad medicine compared to Revolution?


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

A lot of hedgehogs have died from it, unfortunately.  I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it's because it's easy to give a hedgehog too high of a dose or something. If you go into the Health board, there's a thread titled "Ivermectin injection gone wrong" or something like that which has some details about it.

Also, Revolution is applied topically as opposed to being injected, so it's a lot less stressful for the hedgie. And it's never been known to harm hedgehogs as far as I know.

EDIT: Got the link to the Ivermectin thread, here you go.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Thank you for the link. I was shocked at how the Ivermectin shots were so lethal!How sad, poor lttle guys.


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Yes, it's extremely sad.  And the worst part is that there are many hedgehog owners who aren't aware of this at all, so when they take their hedgie to the vet for mites, they don't know to caution the vet against the use of this injection. That means that hedgehogs are still being treated with it even though it has caused many deaths. Even today my vet was trying to talk me into it. She was understanding that I was uncomfortable with it and was willing to try the Revolution, but she wouldn't stop talking about how the Ivermectin would be better. Sometimes vets don't know as much as they should, but luckily I can trust the advice of the experienced members here.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

My vet, when I took Lily in last year for mites, and I was telling him no to Ivermectin, explained that Ivermectin works by paralyzing the mites. So when it's injected and if it's overdosed (which could be fairly easy to do for such a small animal), it can end up paralyzing the hedgehog itself. He seemed pretty knowledgeable and from what I can remember reading about the experience of owners who lost their hedgehogs to Ivermectin overdoses, it seems to fit.  Very sad that hedgehogs end up dying when Revolution is such a safe, easy alternative.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Why would they even keep Ivermectin as a medicine, as Lilysmommy said, when Revolution is such a easy and safe alternative???


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## lucky18ea (Nov 24, 2008)

Ivermectin and revolution are even in the same class of drugs. I was told by my vet also that if the ivermectin were to get into the muscles, especially if a vet accidentally put the needle too far under the skin, that it would cause ill effects. I admit to trying ivermectin on Miss Prickly for mites and then switched to revolution the more I read about it. My vet's great about letting us decide on the health of our animals. Surprisingly enough, the ivermectin didn't work and left us with vet visits for follow up doses; but the revolution worked great and once given the dosage, could treat at home or discuss it over the phone instead of a vet visit


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