"A ghost is all that's left, Of everything we swore we never would forget. We tried to bleed the sickness, but we drained our hearts instead." -- Thrice, "All that's left"
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Sick hedgie: When is it time to see the vet?
Hedgehogs are very skilled at hiding illness. This means you have to know your hedgie very very well so you can tell when they're doing something that's out of their usual. And you have to remember that they're small animals--a few days of any illness, untreated, could kill them.
Monitor temperament, activity levels, and behavior. If ANYTHING seems out of the ordinary, go see a vet. Don't waste precious time posting on a discussion forum asking for help. The advice you're probably going to get anyway is "go see a vet" so instead of waiting a day or two for those replies, just go.
Have a first aid kit on hand for any minor injuries, but if your hedgehog has any of the following symptoms, you should get them to a vet immediately.
Symptoms requiring IMMEDIATE vet care: (aka DO NOT WAIT)
Collapsed and is limp
Unresponsive and cool to the touch: Try to warm up the hedgie by placing it under your shirt because the hedgehog may be trying to hibernate. If this doesn't help within an hour, get to the vet.
Wobbly or unsteady -- Wobbliness that comes on suddenly is NOT Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome
Convulsions
Gasping for breath
Blood from the nose, eyes or ears
Raspy breathing
Hasn't eaten for 48 hours
Is rapidly losing weight
Ingested household cleaner or other potentially toxic items
Having seizures: Have the vet check the blood glucose level to rule out diabetes.
Appears to have a broken limb
Has unusual bodily functions: blood in stool or urine; green vomit or blood in the vomit; unexplained vomiting that isn't from being carsick or choking on kibble; black tarry stool (black, sticky, sometimes a little loose, often smells terrible)
sudden paralysis of any limb
Has a runny nose and/or discharge from the eyes; could also be sneezing
Has an ingrown quill that looks infected
Has an unusual lump or bump
tilting of the head
"Acting funny": If an ordinarily friendly hedgehog suddenly becomes grumpy, or a hedgehog who is ordinarily quite huffy suddenly becomes passive, this is a sign that perhaps something major is going on.
If you are unsure whether your hedgie is sick or not and there are none of the above symptoms displayed (which are get to the vet immediately obvious symptoms), there are a few things you can do to find out if something's wrong.
Tips for spotting health problems:
A hedgie will naturally eat less when sick. Count the kibble before you put it in the bowl (usually 80-100 pieces is sufficient). Leave it overnight, and then count it again in the morning. If there are/are not kibbles missing, you will be able to tell. Keep a record of how much. If the hedgie is eating only a few kibbles at a time or is not eating at all, start syringe feeding immediately and call the vet.
Hedgies also lose weight when they're sick--it's often one of the first signs that there's a problem. Weigh the hedgie two times a day (on a scale that measures in grams), recording the weights. There is a natural fluctuation in weight depending upon what time of day it is, which is why twice a day is necessary to see if there really is weight loss or if it's just that there was a potty break before you weighed them. A hedgie can lose 25 - 30 grams in one poop.
Monitor the water level to be sure your hedgehog is drinking. If you use a dish, you should do this by volume (pouring into a measuring cup before and after a night in the cage). If your hedgehog stops drinking, there are a few things you can try to get the hedgie to drink again in an effort to prevent dehydration. You can put a little honey in the water for some flavor. You can give a pedialyte solution instead of water. Or you can put a second bowl into the cage (along with the usual water one) that contains a little chamomile and mint tea. It is very important that the hedgehog not get dehydrated. If this doesn't work, go to the vet. (To check whether your hedgehog is becoming dehydrated, lightly pinch some skin and hold it a few seconds. When you let go, it should immediately pop back to normal, just like your skin will. If it doesn't, the hedgehog is dehydrated and needs fluids immediately. Carefully syringe a little water or pedialyte. I would then recommend a vet visit.)
If you think your hedgie is sick, put a light colored liner in the cage so you can see all bodily fluid colors and be sure to keep the area warm--a key thing is making sure a sick hedgehog stays WARM (put a snuggle safe disk or a handwarmer--both wrapped in cloth--into the cage if you can't keep the whole environment warm enough). Then get to the vet as soon as possible.
It is a good idea to have a sick cage so you can easily monitor your hedgie through its illness and can easily keep the environment warm enough. See the First Aid Supplies area for more information.
If you notice a random symptom and aren't sure if you should see the vet or not, here is a list of symptoms and common problems that present those symptoms: Common Ailments. Note that it always a good policy to see the vet anyway when in doubt.
What can you do to preserve time (and life) in an emergency situation?
Sometimes immediate action has to be taken or the hedgie might not make it to the vet. Here are a few things you can do in a couple of situations:
If the hedgehog is wounded and bleeding apply pressure to the area with a clean towel or gauze to try to stop the blood flow. Hedgies have thin blood, and loss of too much can quickly kill them.
If there is vomiting and diarrhea, try removing all food and just offering water or an electrolyte solution (like pedialyte, which doesn't have to be diluted). If it continues more than a few hours, go see the vet.
If there is diarrhea without any vomiting, try giving a little bit of canned pumpkin (just plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling which has added spices). If it isn't any better in 24 hours, go to the vet.
If your hedgehog is choking:
"First try a simple mouth sweep. Using any blunt object such as a end of a eyedropper, handle of a spoon, wooden chopstick, etc, open the mouth and sweep around. If you can fit fingers in, open as above using the object to prevent being bitten and sweep with your finger. [If that doesn't work] Gravitational swing. Hold the animal (any small animal) in BOTH hands, head towards your fingers, butt towards the heel of your hand, belly down. Hands together like you're praying (trust me, you probably are at this point). Hold firmly. Raise both hands over your head, fully extended and quickly but gently swing towards the floor. Make sure the ENTIRE animal is supported during this swing, especially the head, neck and spine. During this time, someone should be getting the vet on the phone. If the gravity swing doesn't work, you may need professional intervention. It's nearly impossible to perform a Heimlich manuever on a small animal and not cause life-threatening injury. It's easy to rupture internal organs and the amount of thrust needed can snap spines, break ribs, burst spleens and livers. I wouldn't try it unless I had a vet on the phone and it was my ONLY recourse." (this was posted on the Chins-N-Quills forum by HedgeMom)
"First off, remain calm. Sometimes a piece of food will get caught in the roof of their mouth. This doesn't inhibit their breathing but they can become frantic trying to dislodge it. What I do is put my thumbs on either side of the mouth and gently work them between his teeth to open the mouth. I leave one thumb in between his teeth. The end of a spoon will work well also. If there is kibble in the roof of his mouth, I use a blunt object, usually the tip of a syringe, and put the tip behind the object and pop it forward." (Nancy added this to HedgeMom's reply)
Emergency trip to the vet
Try to keep a travel carrier prepared at all times in case you have to leave quickly.
Put your name, address, and phone number on a tag and attach it to the carrier.
Line the carrier with a white or light colored liner. You should try to keep a couple of these liners specifically for the carrier.
Keep a couple of hand warmers or a snuggle safe disk on hand and put one of these in the carrier before you leave to help provide warmth.
Take some of hedgie's normal food and water with you in case the hedgie has to stay with the vet.
Have a list ready of everything you give your hedgie. This includes any kind of supplements or herbs (like flax seed oil, etc).
Also have the date of birth written down (approximate if you aren't sure) along with the normal weight and any prior medical history.
Cover the carrier with a towel to keep cooler air out.
Follow the travel guidelines you would normally follow.
If the vet gives you oral medication to treat a condition your hedgehog has, there are a few ways to administer it.
Add it into a small amount of a soft food treat, such as canned cat food, to disguise the taste.
Inject it into a mealworm (or other suitable favorite insect) to mask the fact that there's medicine. (Be sure to follow up with a non-medicated one so the hedgehog doesn't get turned-off to those insects.)
If you're syringe feeding, mix it in with some of the food you're syringing.
A few articles that might help you more with keeping a healthy hedgie...
