Cancer in Hedgehogs

Cancer in hedgehogs: early detection is the key

Cancer is a serious health threat for hedgehogs, as it is with other animals. Early detection is the best policy, as many benign and malignant tumors can be surgically removed, avoiding more serious health problems in the future. Know your hedgehog's body, shape, and normal habits. Watch for signs of illness including lumps, lethargy, sudden decrease in appetite or elimination, and so forth.

Having a "healthy hedgehog" check-up yearly, after an initial assessment when you acquire your pet, is an excellent way to make sure that you and your pet are acquainted with your veterinarian (and vice versa!) and that a baseline measure of health and weight can be established. Since hedgehogs are particularly prone to oral tumors, a thorough oral examination is an excellent way to nip potential problems in the bud. Depending on the temperament of your hedgehog and the skill level of your veterinarian, anesthesia may or may not be required for an oral exam.

Post-diagnosis: determining what comes next

If cancer is suspected, your vet will likely perform a biopsy to confirm diagnosis. If the mass is benign, you and your vet can decide whether surgical intervention would be beneficial for the hedgehog's overall health.

If cancer is diagnosed, there are options available to you. Depending on the type and location of the cancer, various treatments might be appropriate including surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation treatment. Your vet will be able to assist you in making these important decisions.

Case study: Murray

My own four-year-old female hedgehog Murray was diagnosed in October, 2000 with a squamous cell carcinoma on her left jaw. This is a type of skin cancer that tends not to spread to other regions of the body but does usually progress rapidly.

I first noticed that the left side of Murray's mouth did not close all the way, and then found a small lump on the outside of her jaw. Our vet performed an oral examination under anesthesia and biopsied the lump. It was determined to be a squamous cell carcinoma and her prognosis was not good. Since the tumor was very close to her mouth, eyes, and brain, radiation or conventional chemotherapy had a high probability of causing complications. Surgery, in her case, would have meant removal of the left side of her jaw and possibly the entire lower jaw, depending on the exact involvement of the tumor with the bone.

We elected not to treat her with chemo, radiation, or surgery. Instead, we concentrated on keeping her comfortable. The tumor caused displacement of her jaw and some tooth loss, which led to an increased risk of oral infection. To combat that, we began her on a regiment of 0.5cc of oral Baytril. Baytril can also kill the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract, so at my vet's recommendation, I added a lactobacillus/acidophilus supplement to her diet. However, the Baytril proved effective against the oral infection for only a few weeks, so we switched her to 0.1cc of oral Antirobe (clindamycin) twice daily. This was quite effective.

A friend on the Hedgehog_Help mailing list directed me to several studies on a nutritional supplement called IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate, or phytate), which had been shown to have some promising anticancer effects in some clinical studies. After discussing IP6 with my vet, I began mixing one capsule worth of CellForte brand IP6 with a week's supply of food.

With her tooth loss and jaw displacement, Murray began to have difficulty chewing. She was phased onto a diet consisting of Murray's Mash, chicken baby food, cottage cheese, and small amounts of vanilla Boost. I also continued to supplement her food with lactobacillus cultures to aid her digestion. She ate out of some shallow, wide dishes, originally designed to serve soy sauce, so that she could easily incline her head to one side and lick up her food.

Until the third week of April, Murray continued to be active and feisty. Her continued clindamycin therapy prevented oral infections. We had been advised that we should watch for further weight loss, tongue paralysis caused by pressure on her nerve, and throat closure. During the third week of April, she had trouble moving her tongue and had sudden, serious weight loss that caused her to be very weak and lethargic. She slipped quietly away at home on the morning of April 19, 2001 after a long and joyful life.

As with any advice you find on the Internet, please check with your vet before changing any part of your hedgehog's overall health care plan. However, I hope that this case study will make for an interesting discussion with your vet.

If your hedgehog has cancer, please know you are not alone. I've saved the various e-mail messages I've sent to the hedgehog mailing lists I subscribe to in a journal-style format here for you to read. I hope that reading about the ups and downs of Murray's cancer treatment will help you feel that you are not alone. This is not a sad story although the end is known; Murray had a terrific life and we were so lucky to be able to share it with her. E-mail me if you have any further questions, concerns, or just need a sympathetic listener. If you want to learn more about Murray's more recreational activities, please visit Meet Murray the Hedgehog!

Further Reading