The Hedgehog Welfare Society - European Hedgehog Month

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HWS European Hedgehog Month - June 2003

Jeannie Lockwood's European Adoption Story:

Jeannie Lockwood’s European Hedgehog, Lefty, at Hedgehog Friends of Denmark.

June 6th, 2003

Here is my first adopted hedgehog! He is one of Kis' rescues. I will summarize the info she gave me and also enclose the pictures she sent me of him.

He is such a lovely boy. He was brought to Kis the morning of June 4, and the real hero in this story is the 8 year old boy named Anders, who could not let this hedgie go without care. Anders was on his way to school with his mom on bike and saw a hedgehog laying in the middle of the road. He wanted to put the hedgehog on the side of the road and then he saw that the hedgie was breathing !!! His mom wanted to leave the hedghog there (and she is a nurse...hrmffffff), but Anders insisted that she take the hedgehog with her and bring him to a vet. WHAT a clever boy :-)

Anders' mom took the hedgie to a vet who knew Kis, so he asked her to bring the hedgie to Kis. And fast!

The poor boy had been hit hard by a car. He could not use his left front or hind paws, blood was coming out his ear...and his mouth was hurt as well. But the paws were not broken :-) He might have had an inner bleeding in the head (hence the blood from his ear). Kis said that in that case, he would not make it. BUT we were positive.

When he came in he was 827 grams. Kis gave him a lot to drink and a nice bath, and by then he was up to 863 grams. BUT not feeling well at all.

Kis knew that the next 6 hours would tell if he lived or died, so she stayed up with him all night. Wonder of wonders, he made it through the night!!

Attached are two pictures of him, just after he arrived.

On June 6, Kis gave me an update. She determined that he is paralysed on his left side, mouth, eye, and his front and hind paws. So all he can do is lay :-(

He has a LOVELY and gentle personallety. Kis has been syringe-feeding him, and she says he is very loving and kind. This evening he even reacted when she checked on him by lifting his head and looking at her with his right eye (left isn't working at the moment).

He made me some very good looking poop and that was a positive sign as well ;-) We have both been concerned though, as his weight is dropping down fast :-( Kis has been giving him a lot to drink, and staying up with him at night to make sure he is OK.

On June 8, Kis said he had regained some of the use of his front left paw, but not yet any use of the back leg. We keep on hoping the paralysis will diminish over time and with the gentle loving care Kis is giving him.

When I get the next update I will let you know,
Jeannie

June 14th, 2003

He now gained use of his left eye and partly his left front paw. The left hind leg is still paralyzed...but he is such a patient boy. He is amazing...not once did he raise his quills ( and he can :-). I am now taking him for a "walk" in my garden every evening (attached are some pictures from yesterday's walk) and after that he is getting a bath where I move his hind leg. I hope we can get that leg to work again. He really is doing the best he can ;-).

June 17th, 2003

He is still walking very unstable...he has days where his front paw is quite good, but the last two days it has gotten worse.

So I think I will put him in a smaller box again and stop our garden-walks for a few days. I think he need to rest both legs. He is still a sweet as can be. So easy to handle and so gentle. But it will take time before he can be released. Nothing wrong with his appetite AT all...LOL. He loves avocado. In the evening when he hears me in the hedgehogroom...he is just laying with his little lovely nose out of his nestbox WAITING for me to put down some goodies for him.

June 26th, 2003

Good and bad news.

His left eye is working perfect again...he also can stand and walk, but is limping A LOT on his front paw. And he is - sort of - dragging his hind leg. Kis thinks she must find him an enclosed garden...he will not be able to run as fast as he would need in nature. BUT in his own sweet mind: He can walk...so the last few days he has been very stressed. He wants to get out badly ;-) (ladies :-) )

Little can he know he would not survive long on his own...such a macho guy...he-he. The stress made him lose weight...he is now 722 grams but Kis was not worried about that. What is more serious...the frustration also made him chew on his own left hind leg...and since he doesn't have much feeling in that he has hurt himself with the chewing :-(

July 3rd, 2003

Lefty has finally stopped eating his left hind foot (which he was doing out of frustration). We are so glad he is getting much better now! Tomorrow, Kis will bring him to some of her nurses. They have a big yard with a fence where he can walk outside and train his legs.

Then we hope he can be set free in fall...but that depends on how well the legs will be working :-) Please everyone pray and send all your most positive thoughts over to Lefty so he can be strong enough again to be set free this fall and live a long and happy hedgie life!

July 10th, 2003

He is at his new home and enjoying the fresh air...not chewing his leg anymore. But it will be some time before he can get released in nature. He is walking very slowly...but in his mind he really thinks he is fast...LOL. His ego is big ;-) But that is fine.