Naomi Wikane's European Adoption Story:

Naomi Wikane’s European Hedgehog, Ed, at The West Bretton Hedgehog Rescue.

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June 7th, 2003

Ed was brought to the rescue centre by a couple who had seen him walking up the road during the daytime, as hedgehogs are nocturnal we are always reinforcing the message if a hedgehog is seen during the day he is in trouble. Luckily for Ed the couple knew this & rescued him.

On examination I could see he had a lump on his left cheek which I thought could be or would develop into an abscess, he also had a smaller wound to the back of his right ear. His body temperature was okay so we could rule out hypothermia, his eyes were bright so we knew he wasn’t dehydrated & he weighed a respectable 910g. With this information he was given an antibiotic injection & the wounds bathed & then settled down for the night with fresh food & water.

After a few days of cleaning the wounds with saline solution & applying a medicated cream there was no improvement in the wounds, mainly because during the night he scratched them making them very sore, he was also very restless trying to escape from his hutch. He was wormed both for intestinal worms & lungworms, which they pick up from eating snails, if they have a heavy burden of worms they are often hyperactive & pass disgusting feces (did you want to know that?)

I am now bathing Ed’s wounds with saline & adding a drop of lavender oil & tea-tree oil to the water and applying a tea-tree cream, I have also changed his antibiotic to a stronger one & I can already see an improvement. He also must be feeling better as he has stopped trying to break down the door of his apartment & scratching his ear when I am not looking. He continues to eat well & putting on weight, which is always a good sign. He could be here for a few weeks yet until these wounds are fully healed & he can then be released back to the wild where he will be happiest.

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June 29th, 2003

Hello Naomi,

I hope you are well. Here is an update on Eds progress.

I took Kis's advice & have been treating Ed with Valerian & St. Johns Wart, he is much calmer & is not scratching his ear anymore. The wound is drier & is looking better already & will heal now he is leaving it alone.

I have attached a photo of him taking a stroll in the garden this morning.

Thanks & Best Wishes
Sonia

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