Right sided heart failure

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Hedgie Girls

Hedgie Girls

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Feb 9, 2009
Messages
65
Has anyone dealt with right sided heart failure in hedgehogs?

One of our hedgies was diagnosed with this in December 2008. She is on Lasix and the dose keeps changing according to her weight. Her abdominal area filled up with fluid again about 1 week ago and the vets did an abdominocentesis and removed 83 ml of fluid. She was dehydrated real bad and needed Sub-Q fluids a couple days after the procedure. She is eating, drinking alert and her normal curious self.

I was wondering if I should be feeding her something different? She is on Hill's ID which is a bland food.

Thanks

Cyndy
 
I have never dealed with this, but I'm sorry to hear about your hedgie going through this. I'm not sure if I would feed hill's ID if I were in her situation. I think I'd feed plain boiled chicken or turkey and then offer various blander fruits and veggies in addition to that. I just don't think the rice that's usually in ID food would be best for a hedgehog.
 
Debbie who was Razzle's Mom dealt with this a while ago. He was hospitalized several times. She could give you a great deal of information from her experience with her little Razzle.
 
Cyndy...oh I am so sorry you are going through this! Thank you Shetland and Hedgiemate for alerting me to this thread!! Yes, my little Razzle had congestive heart failure (enlarged heart) and was also on LASIX, as well as a host of other heart meds.

Did your vet suggest Hills? I've never used Hills, so I can't really say much about that. Razzle was on his usual mix of dry cat foods, along with his meat/fruit/veggie treats. As long as he was EATING, we were good. The only time we were instructed to change his diet is when, after not eating for a couple days due to complications, he had lost a lot of weight. He was then put on a high calorie diet in order to gain back some weight. His eating/drinking had to be monitored very carefully because just one day of not eating could be very serious. It also meant that *something* was wrong and it always required a trip to the vet's.

The Lasix is a diuretic, so you might notice she is drinking a lot more water. The right dosage is crucial as too little will not adequately remove the fluid around the heart (which will cause fluid to seep into the lungs); and too much will strain the kidneys and could eventually lead to kidney failure. It's a definite balancing act. Make sure the vet checks kidney levels at each follow up appointment.

I'm glad your little one is still her curious little self and I hope she continues to do well! I would be more than happy to try and help with any questions you have (feel free to PM me too).
 
Thanks for the reply. We are still adjusting Cuddles' dose of Lasix we had to take her off it for a few days because she got so dehydrated and needed Sub-Q fluids. Our vets are thinking of switching her to a different diuretic that works better on removing the fluid from the abdominal area. I do not know the name of the medication.

Our vets tried to get a blood sample on the visit in December, but stopped because she started having respiratory issues. They brought her out from being under the gas and she recovered real quickly.

Cuddles has been on Hill's ID for a few years due to her Irritable Bowel Disease.
 
If i remember correctly, Cuddles Lebana is the sweet albino girl in the pink skirt who loves to dress up :(. I think she is 5 or 4 years old.
Sending prayers and healing thoughts for Cuddles.
 
Cuddles Lebana turned 5 years old on 1/5/09. She is our albino in disguise. LOL She is a pale apricot white. She actually has about 5 real light banded quills.
 
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