WHS Problem...advice needed

This is not an emergency per se, he is not in immediate danger of death, but something definitely needs to be done soon. If this is the wrong section I apologize.

I have a 2 year old hedgie with WHS. His left hind leg has stopped working. His other legs still seem to work fine, but he keeps falling over because he can't support himself on the one leg. If I can stabilize his one leg so it will hold him, he should be able to get around ok. Have any of you guys encountered this? I tried to make a splint, but I can't get the leg situated properly underneath him. Any suggestions?

I haven't had any experience with WHS so I can't offer any advice. I hope someone on here can. I just wanted to say good luck with your little guy, WHS is so devestating

WHS can only be verified through necropsy after death.

Has your little guy been to the vet? There are many curable illnesses that can mimic WHS. Is it possible he has injured his leg?

Yes, we've been to the vet. He started having episodes of wobbling when he was six months old and they've gotten progressively worse, and now he wobbles constantly. I'm not 100% positive his leg isn't hurt, we're going back to the vet on Monday and I'm going to ask her to x-ray it. But I'm pretty positive it's a progression of the illness. He's following the pattern that is typically seen, with the hind end being affected first and working its way up.

He's on a good diet (Royal Canin ground up with freeze dried crickets and mealies, add to that vionate powder, and mixed up with A/D and Ensure Plus, then syringe fed to him twice a day). His cage is always 80+ degrees.

We did a fecal float and everything came out normal there. So, unless there's something we haven't thought of, which is certainly possible, it seems like WHS. Is there something else we should test for?

I'm hoping the vet can think of a solution to the leg, but in the meantime, he's pretty much unable to walk because he falls over on his side and can't get himself back up. If we can't figure something out to help him use that leg, at least for supporting his weight, then I feel like euthanizing would be the only other option. Do you have any suggestions?

Sometimes having the cage too warm will cause estivation(Hibernation from heat). When I have had hibernation attempts in the house it caused wobbling after we finally warmed them up.

I, too, wonder, like Nancy said, if its some other illness. Maybe a looked over ear infection or tumor or something else that caused the wobbling.. Then the wobbling caused a leg injury. Or even if he injured it some other way.

If it started when he was 6 months old and he is now 2, it would be a very very slow progressing WHS. Was he being treated in any way? Perhaps you should join the Hedgehog Welfare Society WHS study. Is he from a breeder?

Is he still able to eat and drink on his own and maneuver around his cage? Even though they can no longer walk, they are often very good and wiggling their way around.

The vet looked in his ears, eyes and mouth when we were there last and didn't see anything unusual. So that probably rules out an ear infection, right?

He was from a lady who had a breeding pair, so technically a breeder. But after the fact, I am not so sure how good of a breeder she was. After I got him I found out he had mites, and the food she had them on wasn't very good.

I actually used to keep his cage at 72-75 degrees but he attempted to hibernate once, so I upped it to 80.

He won't eat or drink on his own, which is why I started syringe feeding him. He started losing weight pretty rapidly. That was when we went to the vet the first time, because I thought maybe he was wobbling as a result of some illness (other than WHS), but we couldn't find anything wrong. When he walks he ends up falling over on his left side, he uses his front legs to pull himself up but he can't get his hind end back up so he just sort of pulls himself around with his front legs. I guess he can still get around, but it doesn't seem like much of a quality life.

So, other than the X-ray, is there something else I should have the vet check on Monday? Is there anything you can think of I can do to help him be more easily mobile?

Thanks guys for all your help! I'm so thankful I have this forum so I can talk to other owners who are both knowledgeable and caring.

It could be WHS or a stroke, tumour or illness of some type. It's really difficult to know and unless he is from a breeder and came with lineage, there is no point in having a necropsy done to find out.

It is really difficult to know when to help them cross. I have said with each one that I will not let the next go as long but each time I do. If he has no quality of life and you feel he is no longer happy, then it is time.

Hugs

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a way to help him stay mobile. My husband and I have even gone as far as to start designing some kind of contraption with wheels that could be strapped to him to hold his back end up and allow him to get around. It's hard because I have had animals put down before, but I've always felt sure of my decision. This one is just a really tough call because I'm not sure what his experience is. He doesn't seem like he's in pain, but it can't be fun having the problems he's having. Maybe the vet will come up with something genius, but most likely he'll be euthanized on Monday. Thanks for your support, Nancy. You've been great. Keep my Popple in your prayers, please, guys.

Have you seen this site? It gives ideas of caring for them once they become immobile.

http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/comemeetmyfamily/wobblyhs1.html

Some people have tried a type of small skateboard like the kind that McDonalds used to give out with their Happy Meals. Think of childrens toys that have wheels. There might be something that would work.

Are you a member of the Hedgehog Welfare Society Yahoo list? There are many people on there who have dealt with WHS and tried making little carts for them. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hedgehogwelfare/

I had not seen these. Thank you! The first site has a really good idea of how to allow him to stay upright by making a maze around his cage that has pathways wide enough for his body to go through upright, but narrow enough he won't fall over. It looks like an effective and fairly easy solution. I am going to try it this weekend and see how it goes.

I have registered with the Hedgehog Welfare Society, also. Thanks!

Just an update: I just finished building a maze for him to get around in his cage. I made it from foamboard and duct tape. I made the "hallways" just wide enough for him to walk through with a small amoutn of space on either side, so he can't tip over on his side. I put him in and he went nuts! He was really bumping along really well! He seemed to really enjoy it. The coolest thing was how he figured out to reverse his direction. Since he can't turn around in the pathways, he's learned to flip himself over onto his back, then rights himself and takes off. It's really neat to see how he's adapting to it! I going to add a few small toys he can carry around, since I had to take his bigger toys and his wheel out. I'm hoping he'll be able to strengthen his leg muscles a bit with this.

Thanks again guys! I feel a lot more hope than I did yesterday. I know his condition (if it's WHS) will eventually lead to his death, but it's great that I can still provide him with some quality of life, at least for now. We're still going to the vet tomorrow. I'll let you guys know the results.

That's awesome!! I'm glad you found a way for him to get some exercise

So Popple and I went to the vet tonight. We took x-rays of his leg, and nothing was broken. The vet did a deep tissue pain test on the leg and he didn't respond. So the conclusion is paralysis. He still has the use of his other legs and they all responded fine. She also re-checked his ears, eyes, and mouth. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He seems to be adapting to his new "maze" habitat well, so I guess we'll just keep doing what we're doing and keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible.

Thanks again for all your help.

Did the vet think the paralysis is possibly WHS or something else? I guess time will tell if the rest of his legs become paralyzed. Hopefully not.

I'm glad he'es enjoying the maze.

She thinks, based on his symptoms, that it is likely WHS, but like you said, it can only be confirmed through necropsy. There is a project out of Yale that is studying WHS hedgehogs, so when it's time to have him put down, I will be donating his body to them for research, so I will be able to get the results of the necropsy then.

i took two of those finger skateboards and my remington zips around on it !