~My Hedgie is sick...not doing good~

mom_2_3

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~I took her to the vet alittle while ago. She is not doing so good. She was walking funny today and the vet thinks its Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. He hasnt told me much he wants to see how she does throughout the night and will call me tomorrow. Im soooo upset and worried. Ive done everything by the book for my little girl. I am so upset!~
 

furryferals

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I'm not psychic,I just see through people
I'm sorry to hear about your Hedgy
Is it Zuri that's not well or do you have others?

Is there any chance she has been exposed to draughts or sudden drop in temperature,Hedgehogs suffering hypothermia can show whs symptoms.
If her symptoms have come on all of a sudden,like say afew hours and she has been previously healthy it could be vestibular syndrome,That affects the inner ear.
You can find more info here
http://www.hedgies.com/vestibularsyndrome.htm

If she is wobbly on her feet you will have to keep her warm,maybe on a heat pad,and
give her lectade rehydration fluid or some honey&water,you should be able to buy it over the counter at any drug store,because she won't be able to eat or drink from her dish properly.
I would mash some of her food into a paste too and feed her by hand to make sure
she eats.
When you go back to the vet ask him to check for vestibular syndrome.

I hope for her and your sake it isn't whs.


Keep us updated and good luck
 
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mom_2_3

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~I havent received an update and wont till early morning. No Zuri has never been above/below correct temps. I keep the room she stays in at a steady 75 degrees. I even keep the heat on even though its been in the 70's on most days here because my ceilings are tall and it can be drafty but I keep a heatng pad under half of her cage. Also the room she stays in stays warm and I have a gage on the side of the cage to tell me the current temp. Im reading as much as I can online but nothing can prepare me for what Im going through. She had some gren stools for a few days but I was told and read that it can be from stress from changing homes. Ive not had her long so I assumed it was that. Thanks for the concerns and I hope my little girl will pull through. She is a fighter! This is my ONLY Hedgehog.~
 

furryferals

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Oh I'm sorry I didn't realise she was already in the vet when I posted

I will be praying it may be that then,there is a good chance she might be dehydrated
if she has had an upset stomach.

I'll still be thinking about you and sending prayers for her recovery

 
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mom_2_3

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I just got an update from the vets office. I went down and seen her this morning and she wasnt even the same Hedgie. She cant walk or move or anything! She was laying on a pillow on her side like she was just froze that way. The vet said he didnt think she would make it through tonight. He asked me what I wanted to do. My husband is at work, my children at school...I couldnt make that kind of decision without at least discussing it with them...truth of the matter was I just didnt want to be the one to SAY it ya know?

Well I told him I wanted to talk with my family and would call him by 3 but I just got home and there was a message on my voicemail to call the vet. Little Zuri has passed away.


I am SOOOOOOO freakin out right now! How is my little raggamuffin gone? Ive only had her less than a month and my baby is GONE! How can this be? Can my day get any worse? I mean so much good happens to me and Im very thankful for it but little Zuri was the picture of health last week. She was little miss bossy! She never curled into a ball...I said it was because she is FEARLESS!

I called the breeder. She offered me another baby from a different litter. No....no I cant replace my little pumpkin...not now and not ever. I couldnt bare to look at another Hoglet that even resembles my Zuri...how could something so small like a Hedgehog cause so much big pain in my heart right now. Gosh Im sitting here like was is something I did wrong? I followed everything by the book! What in the world did I do to cause her to get sick???? The rest of my pets keep rubbing up against me trying to comfort me. I think they know she is gone. They keep scratching at her cage...like where is my little midnight snack friend.

Little Zuri RIP....what small time I knew you...you made a HUGE impact on my life!
 

renovia

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i'm so sorry, please post your reflections in the rainbow bridge so we can all pay our respects. this is so sad....
 

furryferals

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Aww I am so sorry
Please don't blame yourself
you did everything you
could for her and she could not have found a better home if she had chose you herself.
Hedgehogs are fragile little creatures and this is something that you could do
absolutely nothing about,it does sound like she had whs.

Some hedgys can suffer with it for a long time,Please take some consolation that
Zuri passed quickly and didn't suffer too much but most of all for the time she was
here she felt the most love she could possibly have wished for.

 
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mom_2_3

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~Thanks for all the kind words. Im doing alittle better. Ive missed my one on one time with her. I spent so much time with her just making sure she stayed tame etc that now Im up at 3 am when I normally am playing with her with NOTHING to do. My kids, 2 legged and 4 legged have kept me busy. We buried the lil gal in the back yard and the kids each wrote alittle poem about her and read it. It was sooo sad. The breeder offered another baby from a different litter but my 6 yr old, wise for her age said "Mom I dont think another Hedgie would be a good idea because we dont need 2 Hedgehogs" and I said well baby we dont have one anymore and she said "But mom Zuri will always be with us in our hearts....right?" I started sobbing she is sooo right. I dont ever want another Hedgehog because had the best there ever was.

Oreo, NoNo, Abby and the babies have been reminding me I still have a house full of critters that need my love and attention. So I am going to focus on loving them as much as I possibly can.

Thanks everyone!
 
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