This is a summary of the post mortemfindings I got from my vet:
The African pygmy hedgehog had a prostatic cyst lying adjacent to theprostate gland, urethra and urinary bladder. This cyst was benign but may have exerted pressure on the urethra and thus is likely to be responsiblefor the urinary obstruction identified clinically in this animal. The hedgehog also had a parathyroid adenocarcinoma that had metastasised tothe spleen. There was evidence of enlargement of the heart and markedpulmonary congestion and oedema. There was a moderate to marked degree ofbiliary hyperplasia in the liver.
Can a vet translate this to me in layman terms ?
Please help.
Sandra
Tags: African Pygmy Hedgehog, African Pygmy Hedgehog cyst, hedgehog, hedgehog cyst, VetLocator.com
I can translate the first part Sandra…
Your hedgehog had a liquid filled tumor, let’s call it, right next to the bladder and tube for urine to exit the body. The liquid-filled tumor was not cancerous, but pressed down on the urine tube mentioned earlier, making it hard for the hedgehog to urinate.
Now to Google for the rest!
Ok, Parathyroid Adenocarcinoma is basically a cancer in the thyroid glands in the neck. It started moving to the spleen. The heart got a bit bigger, and there was congestion of the arteries in the arteries that lead to the lungs. There is also a buildup of water/liquid in the cells, which probably caused the heart to enlarge. As for bilary hyperplasia, that is the cells in the bile duct in the liver splitting too quickly, aka, a sign of cancer beginning.
Now what’s strange about this is, almost all of the information I found on the internet was for this happening in humans. But I’m pretty sure that what I described can be applied to your pet. Good luck!