When I put him back in his cage, he didn't scurry to hide. That's when I realized that Spike had lost the use of his hindquarters. I brought him some chicken and held his water bottle so he could drink, but there was little else I could do until the vet opened this morning. I brought him in to be checked, and they kept him to anesthetize for x-rays and bloodwork. He was too chubby to find a usable vein, but that didn't matter as the x-ray revealed a huge tumor in his belly (unfortunately cancers are fairly common in hedgehogs). It's pushed his intestines to one side and is pressing against his back legs. They could operate and try to remove it, but because of the size the vet isn't recommending it. Instead he suggested we bring Spike home, hand-feed him and give him lots of love until his quality of life is compromised enough that he should be euthanized - probably soon.
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