non-working leg..

[LindsayC]

I've had my hedgie for about 2 years now, with absolutely no health problems. Saturday morning I pulled him out of his house, because he was acting a little funny. He "opens up" almost immediately when i hold him, but it took him a while this time, and i noticed that while he was curled up, his right front leg was sticking out. I grabbed it and he didn't pull it away from me as he would normally do. I set him down, and he wouldn't walk on it, just let it drag under him as he tried to get around on 3 legs.
I have $50 saved up for emergiencies, but that's it, and an office visit will set me back $39, leaving $11 for treatment, which is definately not enough. My parents have always said they would help pay for treatment if anything went wrong, so we set up an appointment for today, and they backed out last minute, saying they don't have the money to spend on him. They also said that a friend of theirs had a bird with similar leg problems, that ended up being cancer.
He's acting fine-ish now, still can't use the leg, but is walking around to the best of his ability, although he's falling over a lot and struggling to get back up. It's heartbreaking and I feel horrible for not being able to take him to the vet and fix him up, but $50 is all i can afford.
Is it worth it to make an appointment? Should I wait and see what happens? Even if i do take him in, i dont' have enough to really help him too much, i'm at a total loss right now as to what to do. :cry3: anyone have something like this happen before? I originally thought the leg might be broken, but he still has no feeling in it, and there's nothing in his cage that he could've broken it on. fyi: his room is kept at 75 degrees, so he's nice and toasty, i've been reading a lot about issues with hedgies because of cold temperatures, but i don't think that's what's wrong with him...

 

[leaveittoweaver]

What kind of cage set up do you use? He could have fallen if you have ledges. But regardless he really should see the vet :/ Is there perhaps anyone you could borrow money from or maybe you could set up a payment plan with a vet office?

 

[smhufflepuff]

I would bring him to the vet. It could be sprained, broken, something pressing on a nerve.

Satin's sprained her ankle/leg before... you'd think it was impossible given her cage set-up (low wheel, nice soft blankets to walk on), but she did it. A funny mis-step while running, getting a nail snagged in something and pulling it free... things happen. I'd really advise you to bring your little guy in and get it checked out.

Sounds like you have enough for, at least, the visit. Bring him in, learn what's going on, talk about your financial concerns with the vet once you're there, and make decisions once you know what all your options are. They may be able to work out a payment plan with you or your parents.


ETA: It might be that your parents backed out thinking of the very expensive cancer treatment for a bird and they're not ready to spend the hundreds/thousands that the bird's owner spent. It's possible they may have panicked when it could turn out to be a sprain with a $10 bottle of anti-inflamatory meds and recommendations to keep off the wheel for a week or two. Or a one-time $50 x-ray that they would help out with... not the thousands they might be picturing.

 

[thistlesmom]

Hi,

I'm sure you will get a lot of good responses from the hedgie experts here but my hedgehog Thistle has done all sorts of bizarre things with her leg in the past that just went away on their own.

I am attaching a picture of the weirdest one. Ignore the massively swollen leg, it's been amputated, but a few times she insisted on walking about with her back leg upside down. It was concerning but the vet took a look and she could still move it and she stopped. I have no clue what would have caused it.

I hope you find the money and that your little hedgehog is ok.

 

[LovinHedgies]

I would suggest looking into Care Credit if your hedgie ends up needing treatment you can't afford.
It definately sounds like he needs a vet visit. When we have animals we are responsible to pay for their medical needs - whenever they arise.

 

[smhufflepuff]

How's your little one?