Hedgehog found inflated like a balloon could have popped

DUBAI: No, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is a hedgehog inflated like a balloon.
The prickly creature was recently spotted in Doncaster, in the UK walking in circles.
The animal was taken to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), where its condition was diagnosed as “balloon syndrome.”
RSPCA inspector, Sandra Dransfield, said the illness is caused by gas collecting under the skin.
She told the BBC: “It’s the worst case of balloon syndrome I’ve seen… This poor chap was almost twice its natural size, literally blown up like a beach ball with incredibly taut skin.”
She said she took the animal to a vet that released some of the air from under the skin. It was then given antibiotics.
If the animal had not been found when it was, the swelling could have continued and there would have been a real risk of it splitting open.
The gas can also cause pressure on internal organs, which can lead to starvation or suffocation.
The condition can be caused by many factors, including an injury or infection, which releases gas underneath the skin.