dishrag hog - Tex is sick... again

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smhufflepuff

smhufflepuff

super-duper hedgiepig
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
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1,893
Location
Michigan
I'm holding my little dishrag at the moment. Little boy just seems so tired and floppy. He has some spunk, but definitely under the weather.

Midday, I spotted him lying about in the open... NOT his style. Tex is a hedgiebag boy through and through. Turns out he pooped up his igloo and associated fleeces. Ever a discerning hog, a pooped-up home was viewed as clearly substandard. So hedgiedaddy held him as hedgiemommy cleaned. He went back into his igloo with clean fleeces.

Little man had e coli and staph (not MRSA) found in the culture from his widdle nose. He's on meds. He's all tuckered out. I put a liberal amount of acidophilus on his kibbles in hopes it may settle things tonight.

Send good thoughts for Texie!!
 
Now Tex. I told you no more getting sick. I know you like mommie's extra attention, but it worries her so when you don't feel well.
 
Four nights; no wheeling.

Nails look good; energy looks good during foot- and belly-bath time; tried different wheels - no use; he continues to pleasure himself daily; he's eating, drinking, and pooping nightly... but no wheeling.

He's also been weird about his hedgiebags. I started putting multiple hedgiebags in since finding him out in the open on multiple occasions. He's been finding one (not the one in the usual place) and going in at night.

I need a hedgie-whisperer.
 
Kalandra's idea:
Check to see how Tex is walking -- idea is check for minor loss of balance/unsteadiness that may be contributing to his non-wheeling and other behaviors.

Tex's ideas:
1. stand in one place
2. lick blanket
3. lie down
4. use blanket in NC-17 way
5. quill up
6. sit
7. stand and stare at me with: "what the fuff, Mom?" look

*sigh*

Why does hedgehog foil human plans all the time?!


..really little guy, I'm worried about you. Your doc's going to get a call soon.
 
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Oh Tex. I should have known that my idea wasn't going to get by you. You are too wise and are onto our plans. You need to be a bit more of a cooperative patient honey, else mommie will take you back to the doctor to have him look at you. I'm starting to think you like all the ooohing and aaahing and telling you how handsome you are that the staff there do.
 
Poop!!!! Poop on the wheel!!!! A whole log just sitting there this morning :) :)

Super poopy feet! Front and back... like saucers :)
 
Oh Tex was that your mom yelling for joy that I heard this morning? Now keep it up!

I guess it just took a little longer for the medicine to make him feel well enough to run again... or maybe he was just trying to worry you and realized that the vet threat was serious business?
 
Yes, that was Mommy yelling like that. She didn't yell at me though. She just gave me snuggles and told me what a good boy I was and how she was happy. You mommies are weird that way.

Two nights ago, instead of putting me back in my house between my food and hedgiebag like usual, she put me on my wheel and turned the light off. I walked for a few minutes, then went to my regular hedgiebag.

Last night, mommy forgot to put my PVC tube in... that's where I've been playing a lot lately. But I remembered about my wheel. So I made a log in there. I'm not going to say if I actually walked or ran or anything, but I did decide to go in there and make a poop.

Mommy seemed so happy. I'll think about spending more time in my wheel in the future.

I've also decided I don't want any more medicine. Mommy seems conflicted about my decision. She tells me she's happy I started to put up a little fight this morning, but she still wants me to take my medicine. Do you know how hard it is to cope with those mixed messages?!?! Eat - fight - eat - fight... Does she not realize those two ideas, in pure form, are mutually exclusive? Put Tylda on the computer. I think she will understand how to deal with Mommy.

-Tex
 
Tex,

I just tell mine "No no no no no no!" and flail about when she tries to do things I don't want her to do to me. I haven't had to have any of this medicine stuff yet. But I flail a lot when she tries to steal my toenails. She usually steals them anyway, but I at least make her work for it. When she is done, I then stomp my feet at her, and run into my snuggle bag and snuffle at her lots if she moves.

Maybe flailing will keep your mommie working hard to get the medicines in you?

- Tylda.

Or he can take them and get better faster and not need to flail

- Mom

No, mom. There must be a fight. It is un-hedgehog-like to not fight. You know this.

- Tylda

*sigh* No use arguing with a hedgehog.

- Mom
 
Texie took a bit of a turn for the worse... back to listlessness.

We just came back from seeing his doctor. Possible scenarios range from low blood sugar d/t pancreatic tumor to infection spread to middle ear or brain. Either way his stupor did not go unnoticed during the appt... pretty much pointed to something neurological.

It really could be a host of things for which we'd need things like bloodwork or an MRI. But sedating Tex to do either seemed like not such a good idea at this time - potentially too risky.

Game plan: we changed up his meds to something that more easily crosses into other tissues where the infection may lie (ie, working on the hypothesis that this is being driven by the infection). If we're right, he should start looking better in 3-5d. Not fully better or anything, but we should see some changes for the better.

If not... well... we might not need to sedate him to get the bloodwork.
 
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