Post by animalexpert on Sept 12, 2005 16:22:59 GMT
A step forward - caring for hedgehogs in veterinary practice, an article by Tamsin Joiner Morgan, BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), VN.
INTRODUCTION
Over the years of working in veterinary practice, I have been surprised by how many people (both the public and general veterinary staff), lack the basic knowledge required to deal with various species of wildlife.
Perhaps more worrying is that having spent the last few years in veterinary practice, it is quite apparent that many veterinary staff in general practice are naïve when it comes to knowing about the habitats of common British wildlife species.
HABITAT
One of the most common examples which I (and I am sure others!) have seen on many occasions is the lack of understanding with regard to the needs of the (western) European species hedgehog (Erinaceus ueropaeus). Their ease of capture and choice of habitat makes them one of the most common hospitalised wildlife patients (Bexton and Robinson 2003, Stocker 1999). However more often than I care to remember, I have seen a hedgehog being sporadically placed (with bare hands) in a well lit hospital ward cage, with straw as bedding and a saucer of milk and cat food which would be sufficient to feed a cat!
Such care quite evidently ignores the basic habitat and nutritional needs of this species, these being:
TRANSPORTATION AND RELEASE
Bearing in mind the above, any hedgehog admitted to a veterinary practice should be housed in a way which reflects their needs or does so as closely as resources will allow in practice (which I know is not always an easy task!). To begin with, hedgehogs should always be transported in a strong box with a secure lid (a pet carrier is ideal) with newspaper and a towel for insulation. More importantly, hedgehogs should always be handled using sturdy gloves such as gardening gloves, since although they rarely bite, the gloves will protect against the hedgehog's spines and therefore hand injuries, which can lead to disease transmission. The concern here being that spine injuries are at risk of becoming septic and hedgehogs can carry a number of zoonosis including samonella and ringworm.
HOUSING
On admission to a practice therefore, hedgehogs should be safely housed in a cage with newspaper on the floor and a mound of substrate consisting of earth and dry leaf/twig vegetation (since hedgehogs like to sleep in compost heaps and as we all know are similarly attracted to bonfires!). It this is not possible, a clean towel can be provided as an alternative since this also enables them to burrow and hide during daylight hours. Hay, straw or shredded paper should never be used since hedgehogs circle and therefore can end up with ligatures around their legs. This housing should also be in a dark, quiet room requiring minimal access by staff, so that the hedgehog can rest during the day.
NUTRITION
As night time falls, the hedgehog should be offered food, which ideally should be something tangible such as an earthworm. Since a worm, once taken from its earthy environment and put in a cage is likely to remain fairly motionless, the hedgehog's interest can be gained using a pair of forceps to mimic the worm's movement. If obtaining such food proves impossible, hedgehogs can be offered dog or non-fishy cat food since both of these are efficient in building up body fat reserves. Bread however should never be offered as this is not only too fattening for hedgehogs but it is too soft (especially if offered with milk), for proper dental care. It is important to note however that if the animal is to be hospitalised for a long period of time, soft foods can lead to a build up of calculus on their teeth and therefore it is recommended that a palatable dog or cat pellet such as Hills Canine/Feline Growth be offered as well (Stocker, 2000).
In addition to food, water only should be offered which kills the old cliché of offering hedgehogs milk, since many animals are in fact intolerant of the lactose in milk and therefore it can cause intestinal problems such as diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and death. In addition to this, milk is iron deficient and therefore can cause a dietary imbalance if offered in excess and if the milk offered is skimmed or semi-skimmed, it will also have had the important fat soluble vitamins removed. As equally important as the type of food, is the quantity whilst in captivity (a saucer of cat food offered ad hoc is not an example of this!), since the ability to roll up fully on release is essential in avoiding predator attacks from badgers (and dogs!). Consequently their weight should be restricted to about 1200g in captivity (Stocker, 2000) and therefore the hedgehogs daily weight and any food given should be recorded and monitored throughout the hospitalisation period.
This example demonstrates how important it is to know about the species you are dealing with in practice. Unfortunately it seems that this lack of knowledge is reflective of the training that has traditionally been offered to both veterinary surgeons and veterinary nursing students. However the picture is not so bleak, for as a degree veterinary nurse myself, I took a specialist module in my final year in 'exotics and wildlife' and therefore this alone is a sign that the breadth of training is widening. However it does take time for the progression of training to move into practice, and therefore until such time, there is also the worry that this 'ignorance' will be passed on to the public (since veterinary staff play a crucial role in the passing of information). Nevertheless even if this were not the case, the lack of general wildlife knowledge amongst the general public is evident by the amount of injured hedgehogs seen following, for example, firework night. Perhaps if people did have more ready access to knowledge and therefore were more aware for example of the type of habitats that hedgehogs live in, such wildlife accidents could be avoided.
In just this one example therefore, it is possible to see the adverse effects that everybody's actions can have on the decline of any species of British wildlife. It is because I have become quite saddened by this fact over the years that I vowed to do something positive and that is how I got involved in 'Working for Wildlife' and now I think I have found the answer! This charity can help to make a difference because it is a charity dedicated to educating people about wildlife and does so in a way that makes it easy to understand and approachable for everyone. It not only offers free information to the general public on different species habitats, but arguably one of the most useful aspects is the educational wildlife garden which shows people how they can help wildlife in their very own back gardens.
Since I have already experienced through veterinary practice increasing losses to British wildlife and habitats, I can only embrace a charity which takes a positive approach to helping individuals nationwide to care, nurture and protect the wildlife of this country.
I have spent many invaluable hours on the website participating in 'virtual visits' and I am sure that many people like me, will benefit from the knowledge that this website offers (in addition to the useful fact sheets that supporters can obtain). It is without a doubt worth finding out more about what this charity can offer and how you or your clients can get involved (not to mention that any free CPD must be worth undertaking). So go out there and spread the good news, we can now all have the capacity to do something positive to help sustain British wildlife.
Source: Working for Wildlife - www.workingforwildlife.org.uk/education/hedgehog.htm
INTRODUCTION
Over the years of working in veterinary practice, I have been surprised by how many people (both the public and general veterinary staff), lack the basic knowledge required to deal with various species of wildlife.
Perhaps more worrying is that having spent the last few years in veterinary practice, it is quite apparent that many veterinary staff in general practice are naïve when it comes to knowing about the habitats of common British wildlife species.
HABITAT
One of the most common examples which I (and I am sure others!) have seen on many occasions is the lack of understanding with regard to the needs of the (western) European species hedgehog (Erinaceus ueropaeus). Their ease of capture and choice of habitat makes them one of the most common hospitalised wildlife patients (Bexton and Robinson 2003, Stocker 1999). However more often than I care to remember, I have seen a hedgehog being sporadically placed (with bare hands) in a well lit hospital ward cage, with straw as bedding and a saucer of milk and cat food which would be sufficient to feed a cat!
Such care quite evidently ignores the basic habitat and nutritional needs of this species, these being:
- hedgehogs nest in vegetation under hedges or shrubs
- hedgehogs are nocturnal (only those of poor health show activity during daylight hours)
- hedgehogs are primarily insectivorous and therefore eat invertebrates such as earthworms, beetles, slugs and caterpillars. They are however also opportunistic omnivores and will occasionally eat small vertebrates and carrion
- being nocturnal, hedgehogs forage for food at night.
TRANSPORTATION AND RELEASE
Bearing in mind the above, any hedgehog admitted to a veterinary practice should be housed in a way which reflects their needs or does so as closely as resources will allow in practice (which I know is not always an easy task!). To begin with, hedgehogs should always be transported in a strong box with a secure lid (a pet carrier is ideal) with newspaper and a towel for insulation. More importantly, hedgehogs should always be handled using sturdy gloves such as gardening gloves, since although they rarely bite, the gloves will protect against the hedgehog's spines and therefore hand injuries, which can lead to disease transmission. The concern here being that spine injuries are at risk of becoming septic and hedgehogs can carry a number of zoonosis including samonella and ringworm.
HOUSING
On admission to a practice therefore, hedgehogs should be safely housed in a cage with newspaper on the floor and a mound of substrate consisting of earth and dry leaf/twig vegetation (since hedgehogs like to sleep in compost heaps and as we all know are similarly attracted to bonfires!). It this is not possible, a clean towel can be provided as an alternative since this also enables them to burrow and hide during daylight hours. Hay, straw or shredded paper should never be used since hedgehogs circle and therefore can end up with ligatures around their legs. This housing should also be in a dark, quiet room requiring minimal access by staff, so that the hedgehog can rest during the day.
NUTRITION
As night time falls, the hedgehog should be offered food, which ideally should be something tangible such as an earthworm. Since a worm, once taken from its earthy environment and put in a cage is likely to remain fairly motionless, the hedgehog's interest can be gained using a pair of forceps to mimic the worm's movement. If obtaining such food proves impossible, hedgehogs can be offered dog or non-fishy cat food since both of these are efficient in building up body fat reserves. Bread however should never be offered as this is not only too fattening for hedgehogs but it is too soft (especially if offered with milk), for proper dental care. It is important to note however that if the animal is to be hospitalised for a long period of time, soft foods can lead to a build up of calculus on their teeth and therefore it is recommended that a palatable dog or cat pellet such as Hills Canine/Feline Growth be offered as well (Stocker, 2000).
In addition to food, water only should be offered which kills the old cliché of offering hedgehogs milk, since many animals are in fact intolerant of the lactose in milk and therefore it can cause intestinal problems such as diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and death. In addition to this, milk is iron deficient and therefore can cause a dietary imbalance if offered in excess and if the milk offered is skimmed or semi-skimmed, it will also have had the important fat soluble vitamins removed. As equally important as the type of food, is the quantity whilst in captivity (a saucer of cat food offered ad hoc is not an example of this!), since the ability to roll up fully on release is essential in avoiding predator attacks from badgers (and dogs!). Consequently their weight should be restricted to about 1200g in captivity (Stocker, 2000) and therefore the hedgehogs daily weight and any food given should be recorded and monitored throughout the hospitalisation period.
This example demonstrates how important it is to know about the species you are dealing with in practice. Unfortunately it seems that this lack of knowledge is reflective of the training that has traditionally been offered to both veterinary surgeons and veterinary nursing students. However the picture is not so bleak, for as a degree veterinary nurse myself, I took a specialist module in my final year in 'exotics and wildlife' and therefore this alone is a sign that the breadth of training is widening. However it does take time for the progression of training to move into practice, and therefore until such time, there is also the worry that this 'ignorance' will be passed on to the public (since veterinary staff play a crucial role in the passing of information). Nevertheless even if this were not the case, the lack of general wildlife knowledge amongst the general public is evident by the amount of injured hedgehogs seen following, for example, firework night. Perhaps if people did have more ready access to knowledge and therefore were more aware for example of the type of habitats that hedgehogs live in, such wildlife accidents could be avoided.
In just this one example therefore, it is possible to see the adverse effects that everybody's actions can have on the decline of any species of British wildlife. It is because I have become quite saddened by this fact over the years that I vowed to do something positive and that is how I got involved in 'Working for Wildlife' and now I think I have found the answer! This charity can help to make a difference because it is a charity dedicated to educating people about wildlife and does so in a way that makes it easy to understand and approachable for everyone. It not only offers free information to the general public on different species habitats, but arguably one of the most useful aspects is the educational wildlife garden which shows people how they can help wildlife in their very own back gardens.
Since I have already experienced through veterinary practice increasing losses to British wildlife and habitats, I can only embrace a charity which takes a positive approach to helping individuals nationwide to care, nurture and protect the wildlife of this country.
I have spent many invaluable hours on the website participating in 'virtual visits' and I am sure that many people like me, will benefit from the knowledge that this website offers (in addition to the useful fact sheets that supporters can obtain). It is without a doubt worth finding out more about what this charity can offer and how you or your clients can get involved (not to mention that any free CPD must be worth undertaking). So go out there and spread the good news, we can now all have the capacity to do something positive to help sustain British wildlife.
Source: Working for Wildlife - www.workingforwildlife.org.uk/education/hedgehog.htm