very sick hog

cheers.
well shes out to confuse me. she refused feeds this afternoon,so i added baby food to the mix and she was still refusing to take much at all.after dinner i decided to put some little pieces of chicken inside her bedding and when i came to check on her shes out eating it (struggling a bit) and having a drink, shes also started pooping and now i just dont know what to expect
i dont want to get my hopes up but its hard not to when shes pulling tricks like that
so another sleepless night

sadly bad news, little katie passed away a little while ago as i held her.
she battled to the end and will hold a special place in my heart.
thank you all for your kind kind support

Oh no. I'm am so very sorry to hear that, Jo. I too, thought she was going to make it. You have tried your best.
May she rest in piece.

Bethany.

Sorry to hear that she died Jo. It has happened to me before and is very upsetting.
Good luck with future Hogs.

She was a little fighter. She is a very special little Hedgehog.
Sorry to hear that she has passed away.

Hi,

I would like to say i'm so sorry you lost your little hedgehog, you did your best and at least she wasn't out in the wet and cold which so many are.
I have a hedgehog in ( Norma) which stopped eating for 6 days, I tried everything also syringe feeding her Hills ad, diluted with either lectade or water, which I always use on sick hogs, they seem to get there appetite back. Sometimes they need to be taken to the vets for a Vitamin B12 injection this will stimulate their appetite but it can be every stingy and really upset them aswell.
My hog which wouldn't eat dropped 60 grams and I tried my last resort which is feeding a dead fluff mouse, when given she nearly bit my hand off. I also gave her a dead day old chick, you can buy them frozen from a pet shop or on line, you have to defrost and get to room temp, then the yukky bit, tear the skin on the stomach very carefully, there is a bit yellow sac inside and full of goodness, my hog eats the lot, she is now eating other foods awswell, I no it's not nice but they do eat dead things out in the wild, not all of my hogs eat them but anything is worth a try, as she is now gaining weight, I also give all my hogs SA 37 vitamins which really helps.
Maybe if you have another in and the same thing happens you can try this, as you say she did eat a bit of chicken.
Back in Setember I lost 7 hogs all weighing between 250 and 400 grams no matter what I did I couldn't save them, after talking to Kay Bullen she said this was normal for that time of year and we can only do our best.,
I hope you don't think I'm being to in your face but anything is worth a try, and if we all talk to each other then maybe we can save lots more.
Helen
Wyre Forest Hedgehog Rescue

there was nothing in your face about your post infact it is very true what you're saying, if we all talk we can pick up things to try that maybe we hadn't thought of,thats the good thing with being on somewhere like here.
i will def give the chicks a try if the need arises,as for vets mine are useless to a point,they would rather put a hog down than give it a chance
but at least i got to hold katie while she passed over,it sounds funny but even though she was on a heat pad,she kept coming to me and snuggling down in the towel,as if she wanted to be held in the last moments

I also have a sick hog who was very fussy when it came to feed time, it was when we were having spaghetti bolognese useing minced beef things changed, we put some mince in front of him he could'nt eat it fast anough. he will eat it raw and cooked.

raw mince yukko,but if he likes it then thats great that you can get something down him. will keep for him.

Jo I am so sorry little Katie died.

You did your best, and take comfort knowing her last moments were being deeply cared for, she was safe and warm.

I am so sorry ! You have certainly given your all in helping . If there were more people like you the world would be a better place !


Kev

thank you for all your kind replies.
i think if their were more people like all of us not only would the world be a better place but the hogs would have a greater chance of survival.

Very true, Jo.
I think this has turned out to be a fantastic post, because we may all have learned something new here.
Great tips Helen! Thanks for your informative post.
I'm so sad she dies, Jo.
Hopefuly thanks to all the advice and support we will be able to save more this way.

I think the key thing here is to try lots of different foods, because Hedgehogs can be very fussy!

Bethany.

Thanks for your comments Bethany I to have enjoyed this post sad that it is.
It's the first time i've ever been on a forum so it's new to me.
As you say all hedgehogs like different foods, some of my hogs have eaten digestive biscuits, also they like Madera cake sometimes I give a few sultanas, apples and even a little banana which is good for digestion, all of these in moderation, but anything to put thier weight on. When I feed at night either cat or dog food I always mix in weetabix, chopped peanuts and sunflower hearts this gives them some bulk. I even buy lites from the butchers and cook it for them, the smell is awful, but they do like it. My hogs don't like the cheaper cat biscuits such as go cat etc, I find they leave it, so they mainly eat Royal Canin or Hills Science, I know these are expensive to buy, that's why I do alot of car boot sales and tombolas to fund my passion for hogs. When I release them god knows what they eat as I really spoil them.
Has anyone tried anything else which may be of interest to us all?
Hope you all have a good day
Helen

I have found out that you should not feed Hedgehogs IAMS cat meat as this is bad for them, but it is still ok for cats.
I found that mine did not like scrambled eggs or beans or weetabix, this shows how much their diet can vary!

Bethany.

Thanks for all of the great information- I'm sure that if a Hog does not eat next time then we will have some great information as to what we could do.

My Hedgehogs don't like the cheap stuff either. They like the Kitty Cat brand from Tesco. Its around 32p I think.

Have got some good information from this post, can all learn and share some great information about them. I've had a Hedgehog that would not eat, is very hard thing.

Helen wrote:Thanks for your comments Bethany I to have enjoyed this post sad that it is.
It's the first time i've ever been on a forum so it's new to me.
As you say all hedgehogs like different foods, some of my hogs have eaten digestive biscuits, also they like Madera cake sometimes I give a few sultanas, apples and even a little banana which is good for digestion, all of these in moderation, but anything to put thier weight on. When I feed at night either cat or dog food I always mix in weetabix, chopped peanuts and sunflower hearts this gives them some bulk. I even buy lites from the butchers and cook it for them, the smell is awful, but they do like it. My hogs don't like the cheaper cat biscuits such as go cat etc, I find they leave it, so they mainly eat Royal Canin or Hills Science, I know these are expensive to buy, that's why I do alot of car boot sales and tombolas to fund my passion for hogs. When I release them god knows what they eat as I really spoil them.
Has anyone tried anything else which may be of interest to us all?
Hope you all have a good day
Helen

Great info Helen.
Mine have been fussy too. Cheap cat food is often not wanted either, but they still take a bit. Thanks for telling me the food that is good for digestion.
Do you think we should make a fresh post for this, Bethany & Trish.