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Looking worse than before :(

2K views 16 replies 5 participants last post by  NewHedgieOwner100 
#1 ·
Hi folks, PitterPatter here,

Miles has lost 50 quills in the span of an hour. Her skin looks way worse than before and while putting her in her bag she bit me :( She broke skin and I am bleeding a little. I'm not upset about the bite personally but I am upset that she is uncomfortable enough to bite..

When she curls up into a ball her quills are sparse and her skin is very dry, large flakes come off, and she still has a smell to her.

The last update I received from the vet is that her skin has not grown any bacteria, yet.

I am so worried and I'm very upset that she is so uncomfortable. She has a Vet appointment today. I have saved her quills.

Attached is a photo of her skin and the bulbs of her quills (with the pile of quills in the background.

Any suggestions/ thoughts/ insights are greatly appreciated!

PitterPatter
 

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#3 ·
Yes. She is coming up on her final dose for mites. No improvement what so ever. She just seems worse. :( Very worried momma over here. What did you think of the photos? Usually with mites the bulbs of the quills would be missing, is that right? She has her bulbs but additionally has chunky skin attached to them.
 
#5 ·
The bulbs really mean nothing. They can have the bulb and still have mites. Does she scratch or act like she has something crawling on her? Do you ever notice any brown crust or sand like substance at the base of the quills? Do you find that shortly after the Revolution she seems more comfortable?

Was the skin scrapping sent out to a lab to be checked? What do you use on her skin and to bath her with? Is she on liners or shavings, carefresh or something like that? Any food changes shortly before this started?

My last thought, did the vet do a thorough exam of her as in poking and prodding for lumps etc? Our Emma had massive quill loss and it ended up being hormonal caused by endometriosis.
 
#6 ·
She doesn't scratch at all. No brown crust or sand. I am unable to tell if she is more comfortable after revolution. She just foams up her mouth because of the taste. She had a skin scraping sent out to the lab. I am still waiting on results. No food changes before this started. She has had a food change after though (back to her breeder's mix).

And He did do a thorough exam when she was under anesthesia. He said her ears, eyes, belly, paws, legs all look normal and healthy. I will request that he considers Hormonal endometriosis. Or ring worm?
 
#8 ·
How is the Revolution being given? It should be drops between her shoulder blades on bare skin. She shouldn't be foaming because of the taste unless she can reach it to lick it off.

Is the skin scrapping including ringworm to check for?
 
#11 ·
I just spoke with her vet on the phone. He is going to do more tests and we are going to put her on antibiotics. She has about 60-70 quills in a baggie right now.. I just want her to get better and have a healthy life!

She is with me today at work, here is a quick snapshot of her snuggling in her favorite spot. Also another picture of her skin. It's hard getting a clear shot of it with a wiggly hedgehog!
 

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#12 ·
#13 ·
OMG! She has already had two doses! She will NOT be taking this anymore, ever. This is my first hedgehog and I love her to bits. I brought it up to my Vet over the phone about my concerns and he told me that was what he was trained to give (In a gentle voice not a defensive tone). I told him revolution is the only thing I am accepting from here on out. He seemed to respect that.
 
#14 ·
I am glad to hear that. I don't know what is usually given to treat ringworm in hedgies, if that's what it is.

I hope you can get to the cause of this issue soon.
Someone with more ideas hopefully will come along soon.

ML
 
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#15 ·
Glad your vet was understanding about the Revolution. Sadly not all vets are familiar with hedgehogs so they don't always know what the best medications, etc are.
I hope they figure things out quickly.

Edit: She is so cute by the way. Are they going to test for ringworm? I'm not sure if you are aware, but ringworm spreads easily and can be transferred to humans.
 
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#16 ·
Aww thank you! She is my little sweet hedgehog. Love her so much. As for the ringworm she tested negative and negative for fungal infection as well. She has no VISABLE mites (doesn't mean she doesn't have them though) I have seen her scratch her side twice. She will lift her little leg up, give a 2 second scritch and that's that. No excessive scratching or anything.

I change her bedding every other day (for now is just newspaper)I used the white Kaytee brands of bedding (just like carefresh). She lives in a very large plastic storage bin. I chose this because I can easily clean and sanitize the bin in the bathtub and just let it dry. You can also drill holes to customize where you want to put her water bottle.
 
#17 ·
I have only had my baby Hazel for about 2 weeks now so I cannot give you any insight of what to do. But I can give you some hope. Just stay strong and hope for the best, remember there is always rain before a rainbow and I am sure over time she will get better.

I wish the best of luck to you and your little hedgie and you both will be in my prayers. :)
 
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