{"topic_id":"exotic_tox_hedgehog_bedding","category":"exotic-pet-toxicology","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_tox_hedgehog_bedding\ncategory: exotic-pet-toxicology\ntitle: \"Respiratory hazard from aromatic / dusty / unsanitary bedding in hedgehogs\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual — hedgehog (exotic and laboratory animals)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/hedgehog.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-29\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Respiratory hazard from aromatic / dusty / unsanitary bedding in hedgehogs\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/hedgehogs\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-29\"\n  ref: \"MerckVetManual-hedgehog\"\n  doc_type: \"peer-reviewed veterinary reference (Merck & Co.)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Respiratory hazard from aromatic / dusty / unsanitary bedding in hedgehogs\nVerbatim first-hand facts from The Merck Veterinary Manual (hedgehog). All bullets are exact substrings of the cited source file and C1-substring verified. Focus: toxicosis and environmental hazards of the pet species.\n## Toxicology facts\n- Predisposing factors for upper and lower respiratory tract infection in hedgehogs are suboptimal environmental temperature; aromatic, dusty, or unsanitary bedding; concurrent disease causing immunocompromise; and aspiration of material from an oral infection. Clinical signs include nasal discharge, increased respiratory noise, dyspnea, lethargy, inappetence, and sudden death. CT scan, radiographs, hematologic testing, and culture of respiratory secretions are useful for diagnosis. Treatment includes antimicrobials, nebulization, supportive care, and correction of underlying problems. Differential diagnoses for dyspnea are pulmonary neoplasia and cardiac disease.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-toxicology — Respiratory hazard from aromatic / dusty / unsanitary bedding in hedgehogs (retrieved 2026-07-29)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-toxicology","title":"Respiratory hazard from aromatic / dusty / unsanitary bedding in hedgehogs","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/hedgehogs","retrieved":"2026-07-29","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"The Merck Veterinary Manual","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/hedgehog.txt"},"source_document":"The Merck Veterinary Manual","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/hedgehog.txt","tokens_estimated":269,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}