Help Save Silvie, our Hedgehog needs urgent care

Let me introduce you to Silvie. She is our precious ,three-year-old African Albino Pygmy hedgehog, and we’ve had her since she was just a tiny three-month-old baby—no bigger than the size of a thumb. From the moment she came into our lives, she has been a precious little bundle of joy, full of energy and love. We live in Letterkenny, County Donegal, and until now, Silvie has lived a happy, carefree life.

But on March 14th, unfortunately everything changed

Seemingly out of nowhere, Silvie stopped using her back left leg. She can't put any weight on it at all. Just the day before, she had been happily running on her wheel and in her hutch, full of life. We knew right away that something was seriously wrong, and she needed immediate veterinary care.

Finding a vet who could properly assess Silvie was a challenge to say the least, as hedgehogs are considered to be exotic pets. Our local vet prescribed anti-inflammatory medication but, more importantly, referred us to a specialist in Derry. The next day, we traveled to see the specialist, who performed X-rays. The results showed hemorrhaging in her back left leg but no obvious fractures, only some swelling. We discussed the terrifying possibility of Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome, a fatal disease, but thankfully, we were able to rule it out because the symptoms would have affected both legs simultaneously.

The specialist consulted with another expert in Belfast, and together, we devised a plan: increase Silvie’s food intake and vitamins, perform physiotherapy on her leg every two hours, and monitor her progress. If nothing improved, we had to consider amputation as a last resort—a heartbreaking decision that would cost between £800 - £1000, on top of the expenses we had already paid for consultations, X-rays, and medication. If amputation wasn’t a viable option or didn't work to resolve the issue, we would have no choice but to consider putting her to sleep...a truly heartbreaking thought...

Today is March 28th, and Silvie’s condition has worsened.

She has lost a significant amount of weight and has stopped eating voluntarily over the past week. My partner and I have been feeding her by syringe to make sure she gets the nutrients she needs. This morning, we noticed blood in her mouth during feeding. Given her rapid decline and the fact that physiotherapy hasn’t been helping, we rushed her for an emergency vet consultation. The vet confirmed our worst fears, that Silvie is now in critical condition. We are doing everything we can to save her and improve her chances.

We’ve started her on a new round of antibiotics, changed her food to "Critical Care" to boost her strength, and will return to the vet tomorrow for further treatment. We are praying for a miracle, we don't want to lose our little bean, but we can’t do it alone anymore

I lost my job a week ago, and my partner was made redundant earlier this year. Despite this, we’ve covered all of Silvie’s medical expenses ourselves. But now, we are seriously running out of options. If Silvie pulls through, we still have to address the issue with her leg—and we simply can’t afford it.

We have never felt more helpless than now. That’s why we've created this gofundme. We are asking for help to cover Silvie’s ongoing treatment, specialist consultations, and medications and her future care. Anything you can give will go directly to her care. And if you can't, please share this post.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

With deepest gratitude,

Silvie, Darren and Jamie

******Update: 29th March******

With great regret and deep, heartfelt sadness I must report that unfortunately last night, our sweet Silvie passed away in her sleep. We are taking some time to process this and must thank everyone who was invested in Silvie's journey and for your contributions. The only positive thing to take away from this is that she is no longer suffering. We will bury her this evening. Thank you everyone. Sincerely from the bottom of our hearts, for helping her.