Hedgehog Hospice

Three years ago, my husband and I bought two hedgies from a pet store. Unintentionally we ended up with a girl and a boy. We named them Puck and Pinch. Puck was fixed after we got him, but not soon enough. Not long after, Pinch gave birth to five babies. We discussed finding homes for the babies but in the end were too much in love with them. So somehow we ended up with seven hedgehogs.

It was only after we got the two hedgies that I began to really research them and discovered that pet store hedgies come from hedgie farms and are born in appalling conditions and subject to tons of health issues. One of our babies, Patch, has been sick on and off since he was a year old but the rest were healthy and sweet. I hoped we'd be lucky.

A month ago we lost our first of the seven. My darling Puddlefoot. He was two-and-a-half years old. Somehow, despite the fact that we use vellux blankets as bedding and only recycled paper pellets as litter, Puddlefoot got a blockage in his penis and it ruptured. By the time the damage was visible, it was too late. He died of sepsis the next day. The vet said he only held on as long as he did to say goodbye to us. He died in her hands before she could euthanize him. My sweet little boy held out as long as he could so I could have extra cuddle time. I was devastated.

Now, a month later, my little Puck is sick. He stopped eating and drinking and had to be given IV fluids. His poops are forrest green and mushy and mucousy. He's so thin the vet was able to check him thoroughly for any suspicious masses or tumors - nothing. Blood-work shows his white blood cell count is completely normal, so he's not running an infection. Just in case he is taking .2 cc of Baytril twice a day. I am feeding him Science Diet AD by syringe and giving him water the same way several times a day. I clean the constant green poop slime off his tush every time I pick him up. His poor tail and tush are bloody and raw from the persistent green slime. Today I started putting plain Neosporin on his tush to try to get the hedgie diaper rash under control. And today I am also starting to give him a bit of plain yogurt to try to help his poops and switching from water to clear pedialyte.

Our vet says we're basically in hedgehog hospice mode at this point. She suspects his kidneys have failed and that's what is causing all his issues. She can't tell me how long he'll live. So I am going on faith, trying to keep him alive as long as I can, as long as he still has the will to fight. He's normally a cantankerous little fellow, loving and sweet but grumpy. Now he is calm in my hands, still lively and using his wheel a bit, but more loving than he used to be. I think he knows the end is near as well. His symptoms are the dark green poops, lack of appetite or thirst, weight loss, no parasites in his poop and normal blood cell count.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has gone through something similar with their hedgies and also if there's anything else I can do for Puck besides loving on him and what we're already doing. I am praying for a miracle but preparing myself for losing him. Losing two so close together just seems so cruel and capricious. I was hoping they'd make it to 5 or even 7 - certainly never thought we'd start losing our herd at only 3. Thanks for any good thoughts, prayers, and advice.

Jenn
Hedgie mum to Puck, Pinch, Pint, Patch, Pipsqueak, Peaseblossom and Puddlefoot