If you have a hedgehog as a companion, you will know that like any other living being, it needs a series of care and that it can suffer from various he alth problems throughout its life.
Therefore, as companions of these little ones, our duty will be to provide them with the best possible quality of life and help them where necessary.
If you notice that your hedgehog walks in an uncoordinated way, pay attention to this article on our site, because we are going to explain everything you need to know about the syndrome of wobbly hedgehog, its symptoms and possible treatment.
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome, also known as Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS). But its more correct name is hedgehog demyelinating syndrome, since what happens is precisely that, that the nerve and muscle fibers progressively degenerate.
This is an idiopathic neurological disease, that is, its cause is unknown. This disease of unknown origin occurs in young hedgehogs, between 1 and 36 months of age. It is more frequent in hedgehogs from one and a half to two years of age, although it also occurs in smaller and older hedgehogs, but it is less common. In addition, it is a progressive, degenerative and incurable disease. To give us a better idea, WHS in hedgehogs is very similar to multiple sclerosis in humans. The life expectancy for a hedgehog that suffers from it is between a month and a half and nineteen months after the appearance of the first symptoms.
Normally you begin to notice that the hedgehog has impaired mobility of the hind legs and then the front legs and, little by little, it goes affecting the rest of the body until the small animal is unable to stand. It can also happen that the disease first affects one side of the body and progressively passes to the other side. In these cases we see that the hedgehogs fall towards the affected side.
Sometimes it may be another he alth problem that has caused a hedgehog to wobble, which has nothing to do with demyelination. For example, hypothermia, a herniated disc, tumors, abdominal cramps, etc. That is why it is very important that we take our hedgehog to the specialist veterinarian as soon as we detect the first symptoms, which are usually staggering and uncoordinated movements, and that various tests be performed to find the correct diagnosis.
WHS Symptoms
The symptoms are varied but easily recognizable. Here are some of the more recognizable WHSsymptoms:
- Uncoordinated movements
- Wobble and falls (loss of balance)
- Difficulty moving extremities
- Difficulty screwing on
- They lie on their side and cannot move
- Difficulty eating and drinking
- Difficulty passing urine and bowel movements
- Weightloss
- Muscle weakness and atrophy
- Muscle immobility
- Respiratory system affected
- Self-mutilation due to stress
- Exophthalmia (bulging eyes)
- Injuries on the back of the legs (bad support when trying to move)
- Decrease in your nocturnal activity
Of course, in the event of any of these symptoms or if we observe that more than one occurs at the same time, we should go quickly to our veterinarianof trust with our affected hedgehog so that he can be diagnosed with what the problem is.
Probable cause of hedgehog demyelinating syndrome
As we have already mentioned, no clear cause is known of this neurological disease. But, according to various investigations, we know that this disease is hereditary, that is to say genetic, and for this reason, it is believed that one of the main causes of this disease is the reiteration of crossbreeding between relativesof any grade.
The fact of always mixing the same genetic base, whether between siblings, with parents or children, causes certain diseases to occur easily. The indiscriminate breeding of hedgehogs today has caused diseases such as wobbly hedgehog syndrome to increase a lot.
How to diagnose this neurological disease of the hedgehog
The specialist veterinarian must perform many different tests, both to rule out some diseases and to be able to find the disease causing the symptoms that Present the hedgehog. These are some of the tests that can be done when the symptoms described above are observed:
- Temperature taking
- Observation of the ears and eyes
- Observe how the hedgehog tries to move and with what result
- Blood test
- Urine analysis
- Bone scan
- Ultrasound
- CAT
- Biopsy
If with all these tests it is not possible to suspect that there is some other disease such as a tumor, a spinal injury, hypothermia, etc., it is when the veterinarian can be more certain that it is it is a WHS.
Treatment for WHS
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, hedgehog demyelinating syndrome is incurable. Most of the time, at the beginning of the disease, the hedgehog shows a slight improvement, but it lasts a few days and quickly gets worse again. At the moment there is no known cure for this disease, but there are known palliative treatments and ways to help the affected hedgehog to be as well as possible during the time it takes. may remain.
Some of these things we can do to improve the quality of life of our sick little hedgehog are:
- Physical therapy and massages, so we'll help your muscles and joints hurt less and don't atrophy so quickly
- Vitamin E, which helps to slightly reduce the effects of symptoms
- Acupuncture performed by specialists
- Homeopathy, according to the doses recommended by a specialist
- Help you eat, drink, urinate and defecate
- Add medications and food supplements to the diet (omega acids, probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes) indicated by the veterinarian to help the hedgehog digest
- Offer a lot of love, comfort, basic care and a lot of dedication to the sick hedgehog
At the moment, we cannot do more for the hedgehogs that suffer from this syndrome. But, this neurological disease is still being studied, so some improvements or even solutions may be found in the future. Remember to go to the specialist as soon as possible and offer the best of yourself to your little companion to improve his quality of life.
