infected vulva???

[Ster]

I have a question for anyone who would like to help out with an answer....

My hedgie, Molly, is a year and a half and up until christmas has been as healthy as can be. I noticed one day that she had a purple bulge, kinda under her tail, but it's her under side...(hard place to describe). I immediatley brought her to the vet, who informed me her Vulva was infected and just swollen, the colour was a normal colour for the vulva and other wise, she was perfectly healthy...good weight, she's eating properly, and still active when she's awake. She then prescribed anti-biotics that i was to give to her orally twice a day for two weeks (injecting liquid meds into a hedgie's mouth = not so much fun). The infection seemed to go away over the christmas holoidays, but has now returned and seems worse than before. I've started back on the anit-biotics but she's getting moody, she doesn't like me sticking the seringe in her mouth. Especially because i usually have to wake her to do so.

Has anyone seen this type of protrusion before? What else could it be?

[Ododad]

I have a question for anyone who would like to help out with an answer....

My hedgie, Molly, is a year and a half and up until christmas has been as healthy as can be. I noticed one day that she had a purple bulge, kinda under her tail, but it's her under side...(hard place to describe). I immediatley brought her to the vet, who informed me her Vulva was infected and just swollen, the colour was a normal colour for the vulva and other wise, she was perfectly healthy...good weight, she's eating properly, and still active when she's awake. She then prescribed anti-biotics that i was to give to her orally twice a day for two weeks (injecting liquid meds into a hedgie's mouth = not so much fun). The infection seemed to go away over the christmas holoidays, but has now returned and seems worse than before. I've started back on the anit-biotics but she's getting moody, she doesn't like me sticking the seringe in her mouth. Especially because i usually have to wake her to do so.

Has anyone seen this type of protrusion before? What else could it be?
I myself have never experienced this from a hedgie so I am no help there. Call the vet and see what they say about it coming back after going away. That's what I would do.

[paris26]

What kind of antibiotic was described? Is she passing anything from her vulva?
It may be a pyometra which is a uterine infection. I treated Annabelle for this as a hoglet. She didn't come from a good situation previously and was also pregnant on top of this. Pyometras can be re-occuring and are often the precursor to uterine cancer. I opted to have Annabelle spayed after the course of antibiotics didn't seem to be working. I would bring her back to the vet and have them do an impression smear so they can look under the microscope for the presence of bacteria.
Good luck and keep us posted on how she's doing!

[PrettyHate]

I cant give any advice about the infection, but perhaps I can help with how you are giving her the meds.

I too had to give my hedgie meds orally twice a day (easier said than done!). I think that hedgies might be one of the most difficult animals to give meds to in the world! I cant think of many other animals that can curl into a complete ball and hide their faces when they dont want their meds.

It would take too of us to try and gentry pry Murdoc open, and then attempt to get the syringe in his mouth. Most of the time he would get most of the meds on his belly (resulting in a sticky, yellow, bananna smelling hedgie) and very little in his actual mouth. That was when I started to mix the meds in with chicken baby food, and just serve it to him on a silver spoon (LOL). It worked wonderfully. He ate the meds up no problem, and now medicine time was a pleasure, for both myself, and him.

Try it out :) If she doesnt like the chicken baby food, try another soft food that she does like! If it works, it will be well worth it!

[Ster]

Thank you for the advice on how to administer the meds. Molly's pretty good at not curling up. I think i've only seen her do it twice in since i've owened her (the on time i caught her off gaurd when picking her up and she curled around my hand!! OUCH). The meds are actually chicken flavoured, and she loves chicken, so i dont understand that. But the baby food idea is great! I will try that for sure!

I also read somewhere else that if you put them on their backs, their jaw kinda opens making it easier to insert seringe....but the tongue still seems to get in the way, and like you said, ends up all over their bellys!

[Ster]

Hi everyone,

thank you all for you comments and advice....but this morning when Molly wouldn't come out of her ball, and wouldn't stop clicking at me, i decided it was time to take her to the vet. turns out the infection is a growth now surrounding her vulva, so they cant remove it. my vet said that the cells are dividing quite rapidly and there's not much we can do. she didn't give a life expectancy because molly is still eating and very active. she said once she stops eating she may be in pain, and she won thave much longer. i guess there's nothing i can do now but hope for the best.

once again thank you for your concerns

[Ododad]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Poor Molly.

[jules_77]

so sorry! *** hedgie hugs****

[hedgehogmomof2]

I'm very sorry to hear about Molly. She'll be our thoughts and prayers.

*hedgie hugs*
Jenn, Sleepy & Sophie

[Jessicy]

best of wishes to you and molly.... hope she will recover very soon