Hogs Love Dogs!

If you read our last post you'll know we met the lovely people from Mutts In Distress (a local dog rescue centre - situated in Little Hallingbury near Bishop's Stortford) at the A120 vets open day.

Whist talking they kindly offered to donate a few bags of cat biscuits to the hedgehogs. This evening I'm please to say I've collected enough to allow me to sprinkle the tinned cat food the hogs enjoy with tasty, crunchy cat biscuits for months.

So I would just like to say a huge THANK YOU to Mutts in Distress for supporting our work in this way. Without the help and generosity of people such as this we would never be able to care for the hedgehogs we rescue.

I'd also like to add that if you are ever looking for a new K9 friend please visit the gallery of Mutts looking for new homes by clicking on this link.

P.S. To show you just how much hogs love their cat biscuits here is Millie (kindly sponsored by Elizabeth Happer) enjoying her tea a week of so ago.

June 2012 up-date

It's been a busy month so I wanted to up-date you on a few things that have happened.

Cyclops was given the all clear last week by our vets (A120 Medivet) and last night (14th June) he went to stay with one of our carers for assessment. As long as he shows signs of being a hedgehog again he will be going to a new enclosed garden. We don't encourage people to keep hedgehogs in enclosed gardens (as it can cause stress). However because Cyclops only has vision on one side he is very open to predators and unseen dangers, so he has to go into a closed environment. I'll let you know how he gets on.

Cyclops receiving his check up

On the 10th of this month we attended the A120 Medivet open day. The event was to raise money for Mutts In Distress. This is a charity that is dear to my heart because it is where our dog Tasha came from. They rescue dogs and care for them until they find a new home. They have also started to support our work by donating cat food.

Just a few of the bikes that filled the A120 car park

Now you may be wondering why I've included a shot of a row of shiny bikes. Well Mutts In Distress recently gained some new supporters in the form of a bikers group. This group have not only donated food but also money to help cover vet bills. And on the day around a dozen bikers turned up to show their support. 

Millie enjoying her tea

Last but not least I'd like to introduce you to Millie, out latest hog. An adult female she was taken into the A120 Medivets and was found to be very under weight and suffering from a very upset stomach. Although this didn't stop her escaping from her box and making a run for it. Once caught she didn't appear to be too upset because she soon tucked into some tasty biscuits. We'd like to thank Elizabeth Happer for adopting Millie and donating towards the cost of her care. 

Donate Without Giving Cash

Do you buy office supplies for your business or home?

Would you like to: 

- Save money? 

- Receive a £10 voucher with your first order? 

- Support our work at no extra cost?   

If yes then please read on...

Recently we signed up as an affiliate seller for The Toner Warehouse. Basically anyone can sign up for FREE using the link below and each time they make a purchase we earn commission on that purchase. The great thing is it doesn't cost the buyer any extra. So a win, win! 

So if you'd like to save money and help us simply: 

• Follow this link
• Click on the 'join now' button
• Complete the form (ensuring 111107 in the last box called 'reference')

Then each time a purchase is made we earn a commission.

I must admit when I signed up I was dubious and believed items would be more expensive than my usual supplier. However I placed an order for a set of printer cartridges and a ream of paper and the cartridges were £7.50 cheaper. So I not only saved myself money but also earned a commission for the hogs. Also because my order was over the minimum I received FREE p and p.  

The Toner Warehouse cover most of the country, so even if someone live hundreds of mile away from us they can still support our work.

The Story of Cyclops

Yesterday morning (Wednesday 30th May) I received a call from Marta (the head clinician) at a Medivet surgery based in the lovely village of Stansted Abbots, Herts. Marta had operated on a male hedgehog the day before and wanted to know if we could take him. It is very rare we are unable to take a hedgehog so on my way home I took a small detour to pick him up.

Cyclops enjoying his tea

Poor Cyclops had been found lying in the full sun in the middle of some grass. Because he had been spotted by Magpies they had attacked him, leaving nasty peck marks on his face and a badly damaged right eye. Marta was unable to save the eye so removed it. The operation went well and there is no infection however Cyclops is now circling. We are keeping fingers crossed this is his way of coming to terms with losing the sight of his right eye rather than another problem (neurological). Should he make it I doubt we will be able to release him, but he is young enough to adapt to a life in an enclosed garden.

If there is a lesson to be learned here it is if you see birds (namely rooks, ravens and magpies) circling and landing on a small brown lump in the middle of the grass it could be a hedgehog in dire need of assistance. The lady who picked Cyclops up most definitely saved his life and thankfully she found a sympathetic vet in Marta, who was willing to help any way she could. 

It is early days but we will keep you updated on his progress!

P.S. If you are wondering about Harry-ette she is doing extremely well. The infection appears to have completely cleared and she is putting on weight. If you missed Harry-ettes story simply scroll down.  

Harry-ette 

30th May 2012

You can still see the bite mark but she much improved 

An Update On Harry-ette

Harry-ette has been with us for just over a week (see previous post) and unfortunately in that time the wound on her face has shown no signs of healing. So our fab vet Helen and her team at the A120 surgery spent time today trying to solve the mystery.

She discovered that unfortunately when Harry-ette was bitten she also fractured a bone in her face. This can clearly be seen on the x-ray Helen took on her dental x-ray machine.

You can clearly see the break

Once the x-ray was taken Helen removed any dead skin tissue and thoroughly washed out the wound with a saline solution. The wound was then closed and Harry-ette was left to recover.

Harry-ette understandably looking very sorry for herself

We are hoping this procedure has worked and with a change of drugs the infection will be beaten. However our worry is the infection has gone into the bone. If this is the case then sadly there is nothing else we can do. So over the weekend it's a case of waiting with fingers tightly crossed to see what happens. 

We'll keep you up-dated.