A veterinary clinic in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk has treated a pet hedgehog by removing 20 of its teeth in one go, the Interfax news agency said.
The spiny animal's owner had turned to the clinic complaining of the hedgehog's loss of appetite and an unpleasant odor, vet Karen Dallakyan told Interfax on Monday.
Upon inspection, the hedgehog was found to be suffering from severe tooth decay caused by improper feeding, Dallakyan said.
In the wild, hedgehogs maintain their teeth by gnawing on insects and small animals such as mice, whereas the hedgehog in dental distress had been fed soft food it could swallow without chewing — such as cat food, milk and raw eggs, Dallakyan said.
Following a one-hour operation using microscopic tools, the hedgehog was left with three canines and one incisor, the vet said.
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