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JenniferF
01-25-2005, 10:53 AM
Hi everyone. I'm new here, and currently do not have a hedgie, but I wanted to know if anyone could enlighten me as to how my poor Miss Piggy died.
She was about 18 months old, very energetic and playful. Then one day, she threw up after her dinner and there was blood in it, fresh blood. I took her to the vet (this was back in 1998, and I found it diffucult to locate a hedgie knowledgable vet, but found one who was just starting to specialize in hedgehogs.) She did a stool sample and other tests, all of which were inconclusive. She gave me some medicine (not sure what) and also told me to give Miss Piggy pepto-bismol. Well, she hung on for about a week, taking her meds like a trooper, but I could tell she was getting weaker. She continued to vomit, sometimes blood, sometimes clots, sometimes just food. She became very weak and thin, and finally one evening I felt I could do no more :( and she really was suffering, so I took her to a 24 hour emergency vet clinic (where I was ENRAGED :angry: by the callous treatment we recieved, but that's a whole other story) where Miss Piggy was put to sleep. It was an aweful experience. My poor little girl. I buried her in the back yard, in her little hedgie bag. :nolove: I still miss her so much, even though it's been almost 7 years. I never recieved any answers as to what was wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience, or knows what this could have possibly be caused by? Thanks for listening to my long rambling story.
Jenn

Ododad
01-25-2005, 11:09 AM
I don't have an answer to your question, but I want to say that I am very sorry about Miss Piggy. I haven't lost a hedgie yet, but I know it is bound to happen and when it does, I don't know how I will be able to handle it. I can only imangine the hurt and the empty spot in your heart.
There are many knowledge people here who may have an answer for you.

SherAlana
01-25-2005, 11:51 AM
I'm not an expert by any means but vomiting blood could mean a good number of things. I would guess either a mass on the liver, or kidney's, or even the intestinal tract. It could also be liver or kidney failure. Heart failure. . . . You wouldn't still happen to have the blood test results with you. That would help a bit.

Nancy
01-25-2005, 11:53 AM
Hi Jenn
We're practically neighbours. I'm in Kingston. :)

Poor Miss Piggy. I would think she must have had an esophageal tumour or stomach tumour. Possibly even bleeding ulcers although I think all of those should have shown up something in her stools. It sounds like something that progressed very rapidly. Poor girl and how hard it must have been for you. :)

JenniferF
01-25-2005, 12:01 PM
Thank you for your answers thus far!
SherAlana, I don't have the tet results anymore. They didn;t show anything amiss. I know they tested liver and kidney function though, and there was nothing there.
Nancy, great website!! I posted on the rescue board an hour ago, and I'll let you know here too, that if you have any hedgies that need placement, I am willing to drive to Kingston (weather permitting :rolleyes: ).
Thanks again!

Nancy
01-25-2005, 12:09 PM
Nancy, great website!! I posted on the rescue board an hour ago, and I'll let you know here too, that if you have any hedgies that need placement, I am willing to drive to Kingston (weather permitting :rolleyes: ).
Thanks again!
I must be following you. :laugh: I just posted to your rescue post. :laugh:

Kalandra
01-25-2005, 12:33 PM
I think there are probably too many possibilities that would have these symptoms. The only way to have known for certain was to have a necropsy done at the time of death. While it seems hard to do (believe me I hated the idea), it was a huge relief to me to have had a necropsy done on a hedgehog who we had no idea what was wrong.

aprild0727
01-25-2005, 01:54 PM
I do not have an answer, but it seems like the other members have given some logical ones. I just wanted to say I'm sorry about Miss Piggy.