European Hedgehogs - Page 9
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  At this page, I'm going to tell you one more story about a hedgehog's terrible fate. Fortunately, this story will have a happy end, too. It was summer 2001 in the middle of the day when Elfi met a hedgehog going against her along the driveway at the entry of our real estate. She took him off and was horrified when she realized that he was seriously wounded. A detailed examination made us believing that he was bitten in his head by a dog. The canine tooth had pierced the lower jaw and penetrated the nasal cavity. The sore was encrusted and he was breathing very hard. That's the reason why we named him "Snoopy".

Snoopy has to be fed with liquid food (WALTHAM Concentration InstantTM) for several days and this against his will, because he couldn't - and didn't want to - take up anything by himself. He was fed with the  concentration by an injection (without needle!) when he was lying on his back. Because his condition didn't become better he was examinated at the Veterinarian University of Vienna/Austria (see x-ray images below) and his lower jaw got surgical treatment there. The two jaw halves where seperated from eachother by the dog's bite, and he lost two molar teeth. The inflamation of his nasal cavity was treated by an antibiotic (Augmentin) against the pathogenic organism (Proteus Mirabilis). The wounder happened three weeks after the surgical operation, Snoopy started to lick carefully at pulpy food. This you can see at the picture to the left. Before that we had totally forgotten to shoot photographs.

Big dogs are a seriously threat to the hedgehogs. They will bite driven by their instinct not-withstanding the pain caused by the hedgehog's spines.
 

These are two x-ray images of Snoopy's head. In the image to the right one can see the gap between the lower jaw halves. The jaw halves were tied together by a synthetical thread during the surgical operation (Cerlage).
 

Snoopy was fed with pulpy food by a tiny spoon for three weeks.
The food was a mixture of cat-food and WALTHAM Concentration InstantTM.

Only when his jaw began to heal he was able to feed by himself. A further requirement was the complete healing of its nasal cavity's inflamation. He wasn't able do taste anything due to his blocked nose. But tasting is essential for recognizing food.
After that he found his natural appetite.

  
  

That's really a snapshot. Snoopy was so voracios that he didn't take extra time for passing water.  These could be done simultanously.

It's typical for hedgehogs to hold the hind legs wide apart while urinating or going to stool. They avoid to get dirty although they aren't exactly clean-cut animals.
 
 

These pictures show Snoopy aproximately six weeks after his injury.

Now he looks healthy and round again.
Lower image: He get his Augmentin-injection while he's feeding without feeling it.
 
 


  		 
 

The first excursions in our garden - this is a preparation for his release coming soon. In the picture at the top one can see a naked area in his spine-coat, maybee caused by the high dosis of antbiotic. But hairs and spines developed very fast again. In the picture at bottom Elfi makes use of her injection-trick. Our neighbour's cat Paul seems interested - I think rather in food than Snoopy's fate.

 
 
 

 

I built a shelter of Snoopy's own to make his start into his second life in free more comfortabely. The entry was protected by sticks of firewood. But he lived in it only for a few days, then he left behind our garden. The hollow branch of a cork-oak wasn't exepted as a place to build his nest. I think the reason for this is the heating-up by the sun during daytime. Maybee, Snoopy was going back into his former territory.