[larissa]

I'm out of town so my husband is caring for Pearl. While cleaning her cage this evening he noticed 2 red splotches on her liner. She's my hedgie from before we were married and while he tends to her cage/wheel/food/water, he doesn't really handle her much. But I got him to scoop her up and check her undercarriage, and he said there were red stains along her belly and by one leg, and he thought it was coming from her genital area. He didn't take a photo so I haven't seen this myself. I'm assuming it's blood, and I don't know if he's correct, or if it's coming from her foot/leg and got on her belly when she curled up.

He said he almost didn't notice the splotches, and that Pearl is acting completely normal otherwise - eating, drinking, running in her wheel, making quick work of her crickets as usual.

Pearl's vet clinic is open tomorrow and they do accept walk-in emergencies so he will go there as soon as they open, in the morning and asked to be checked out. There are several vets in the clinic but I'm hoping our vet is there as she specializes in exotics including hedgehogs. In the meantime I asked him to peek in on her throughout the night, and to call me if anything is amiss.

Being away from her right now is so hard! I'm trying to stay calm and not get overly anxious, but I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight. I know it could be anything from a cut to a UTI to something with her bladder, kidneys, or uterus. I'm also concerned because she's 5 years old... But she's a sprightly little lady, as full of energy as when she was a baby. She's been healthy her whole life, so this is new territory for me. I just wish I could be there with her! 😟

 

[kimedwards]

Seriously? This woman needs emotional support and no one answered her?
Larissa, I hope your little lady is alright and the cure was easy.

 

[larissa]

I realized I never posted an update here earlier.

Pearl's bleeding ended up being a very large mass in her abdomen; our favourite vet was indeed there and tended to Pearl, and her initial fear was cancer. She asked permission to do a spay and I agreed. Along with her lady bits, a huge (relatively speaking) mass was removed. The vet didn't know what to make of it - it looked like a big blood clot, basically - so she sent it to be analyzed of course. It came back negative for cancer, and although the vet still wasn't sure what exactly it was, she was confident there was nothing further to worry about as it was benign and she was sure she got all of it out. She was amazed Pearl was carrying on as normal because the mass was taking up most of her abdomen, and had pushed her bladder to the side.

Pearl, being the tough cookie she is, refused Metacam after just 2 days, leaving my poor husband flummoxed! He did a great job changing out her bedding daily and ensuring her cage was always clean, to minimize the risk of infection. Pearl never messed with her stitches and at her post-op check-up one week later got a clean bill of health!

 

[Ria]

I'm really glad she is okay! And I'm glad you and your husband managed really well!

I am sorry that I didnt help at the time but
I missed this when you posted it because I was busy that weekend, and wasnt coming on here at all. And then threads get pushed down and missed.