Tripods Check-up

On the 22nd March I picked up from one of our carers a hedgehog who'd had a back leg amputated. As with all major operations we always play it safe and get our vet to do a check-up for us. Today Tripod (don't blame me for the name that was our vet Helen's suggestion) had his.

I just wanted to share with you how it went.

Now if you know anything about hedgehogs you'll know if they don't want to co-operate they just curl into a ball and refuse to uncurl. Therefore they often need a little persuasion. So Tripod was popped into a box and given a little whiff of gas:

After a while Tripod became sleepy and Helen was able to have a good look at his wound:

She found the wound was healing well however it needed a clean up. So poor Sophie (she needs hands-on experience with wildlife as part of her nurse training) was given the task of carefully cleaning with wash and cotton wool buds:

Once the wound was cleaned and checked again it was time for a little oxygen to help Tripod wake up and a little warm on a heat pad:

You may notice a few flakes of 'stuff' on the blanket. I had noticed Tripod was losing a few spines and hoped it was mange and treated. However the spine loss has continued and the skin is now a little flaky, so these were collected up and have been sent off to the lab. They're going to see if they can grow us anything nasty. If they do at least we know what to treat Tripod for.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the following:

John, one of our supporters/hog carers who did a little fund raising for us and the money he raised covered the cost of the lab test. 

The A120 Medivets for providing their expertise free of charge.

Attimore Vets in Welwyn Garden City for providing the primary care and the removal of Tripods leg.

Without the support of such fantastic vets we would never be able to do our job - so THANK YOU guys!       

An Update on Helen

Just three weeks ago when you last saw Helen the hedgehog she looked like this:

Recovering after the removal of ticks, a grass seed from her eye and a full exam

Today she was picked up by one of our fosterers and looked like this:

Weighing a massive 775 grams

What a difference three weeks can make.

This evening she will discover she has regained her freedom and her release site is this purpose built enclosure. The door will be left open, so she can wander in and out. Also a bowl of food and water will also be left out and the bonus is if she decides she's not quite ready she can stay at long as she likes.

And yes it is a huge as it looks!

We're keeping fingers crossed Helen the hedgehog bumps into Harry, who spent a pampered winter in the same enclosure and a little magic happens. 

We'll keep you updated.    

With A Lot Of Help From My Friends

When Herts Hogline first started caring for hedgehogs there was just me. However that was around 20 years ago. Now I have a lot, and I mean a lot of help from my hedgehog loving friends. As of January 2012 Herts Hogline is made up of:

• 2 full-time fosterers caring for disabled hedgehogs
• 3 supporters who donate food and collect used printer cartridges and old/foreign coins
• 1 supporter who makes and donates for resale fab key-rings and fridge magnets (click here to see the key-rings) 
• 14 carers who look after hogs in their back gardens 

Plus the support of Helen and her team of nurses at the A120 vets just outside Little Hadham, Bishop's Stortford.

Without the help and support of this dedicated 'team' Herts Hogline would not be in the business of rescuing hedgehogs. To prove this point I wanted to share the story of a visit to the A120 vets on 9th March 2012.

Our first hedgehog of 2012 came in covered in ticks, very skinny, unwilling to eat and she had something wrong with her eye. So off she went for a full examination. This entailed a whiff of gas followed by:

The deft removal of a grass seed that had become lodged in the eye, with the help of a damp cotton wool bud.  

This is the offending grass seed

The expert removal of the many, many ticks that had not been killed by the tick treatment the previous day. You can just spot a huge tick under her chin!

A good feel of all limbs to ensure there were no cuts or breaks. As it is common for hedgehogs to come in with horrendous leg injuries. And yes those grey ovals are ticks making a run for it! 

And once given the all clear this is 'Helen the Hog' (as she has been named) wrapped in a towel next to a hottie to recover from all the TLC she had just received.

'Helen' is doing well and is beginning to find her appetite. Although I doubt she'll be released back into the wild in time to have a spring litter of hoglets. I'm hopeful with a little help from a carer she'll be back in the wild in time to make some autumn babies.

A Day at Pets Corner, Harlow

Always eager to raise our profile and spread the word about supporting our dwindling hedgehog population I readily accepted the kind invitation to attend Pets Corner (Harlow) Hedgehog Weekend. Although we were booked to attend Saturday and Sunday unfortunately the deep snow that fell Saturday night meant we were unable to attend Sunday. However we had such a great time on Saturday, that I wanted to tell you about our day.

When I arrived Saturday morning my first job was to set up our table. By the time I'd finished it was covered with items for sale (all made by our supporters) plus literature outlining the work we do and how people can help hedgehogs.

Our table

Between talking to visitors I watched the volunteers chip away at the ice that covered the duck pond. After a couple of hours of hard work the pond was almost clear of ice and the ducks were lining up for a drink and a paddle.

Enjoying a drink

As well as enjoying meeting the visitors we also hopefully gained a new volunteer carer and were offered the chance to have a table at a local schools pamper evening. 

During the day I was joined by one of our most active supporters (Pippa), who bought with her some of her lovely key-rings, fridge magnets and necklaces to sell. Although we were there to raise awareness and funds for the hedgehogs Pippa went home with a little more than she bargained for. Deciding she'd wander around and make friends with the animals she soon returned telling me she'd adopted a rabbit. It had been dumped outside Pets Corner and was sadly found to be in very poor condition. The staff and volunteers had spent just over a month caring for it and bringing it back to health. They were delighted (if not a little sad to see him go) to know this lucky rabbit was off to live a life of bunny luxury.
 

One lucky bunny!

At the end of the day I packed up and thanked the staff and volunteers (especially Debbie and Alex) for their help and for being so welcoming. As I climbed into my car I watched with a smile as some of the animals took themselves off to bed, in a very orderly fashion.

Off to bed

To round off a great day when I returned home I found we had five new people had liked our Facebook page and I'm sure some of the faces I recognised from Pets Corner. So I'd say a very successful day for everyone!

P.S. If anyone within our catchment area helps to organise school events and would like to support our work then please visit our website or Facebook page and contact me to discuss.  

Alan the Hoglet (part two)

On the 10th January I uploaded a video of Alan the Hoglet (one of my favourite hoglets of 2011 - yes I know I shouldn't have favourites but when you see the video you'll see why). Anyway a couple of days ago I was sorting my video files and came across this second short clip of him being busy making a nest. So many of you enjoyed the previous one I wanted to share this with you as well.

I hope you enjoy.

Foot note:

Alan spent most of the autumn of 2011 with us and when he reached a massive 900 grams and had been seen searching for natural food he was released into a large badger free private wood.