Photo: Kennedy News and Media
A hedgehog who ballooned up like a football due to trapped gas is on the road to recovery after being “popped.”
A concerned member of the public recently found Bubbles the hedgehog, named because of his condition, wandering around a busy road and realized something was amiss. The Good Samaritan brought the prickly patient to Henlow Veterinary Centre in Bedfordshire, England, where vets “popped” the animal three times with a needle and syringe as he kept re-inflating to the size of a melon.
Bubbles' skin was so tight from constantly blowing up that he was also given pain relief and antibiotics to treat the underlying infection. Now eight-week-old Bubbles is under the watchful eye of veterinary nurse Laura Bernal who runs The Little Hog Hospital from her home in Arlesey, Bedfordshire.
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“He is responding well to all his medication and is eating like a little pig, so is doing very well. He is one lucky hog,” she added.
“Hedgehogs have always had a special place in my heart as they are full of character, extremely cute, harmless but also so vulnerable. They are iconic in British wildlife, and it’s easy to see how they are a favorite in people’s gardens,” the wildlife lover said.
“It’s so rewarding nursing them back to health so they can be released back into the wild. The Little Hog Hospital officially started just over a year ago. However, I was taking home the occasional hedgehog to nurse a long time before that,” Bernal added.
Bernal’s efforts to help hedgehogs in need started with a few cages inside her home. Now, she has a “posh shed” in her backyard equipped to help up 20 hedgehogs at once.
“Unfortunately, hedgehog numbers are dropping due to gardens becoming poorer homes for wildlife with increased paving, decking, and reduced plant life. With more roads and housing developments being built, we’re seeing a huge loss of connectivity between green spaces, leaving hedgehogs isolated,” Bernal said.
You can learn more about The Little Hog Hospital anddonate to their efforts here.
source: people.com
