RIP Pinball

I hope that there is a hedgie heaven with wheels to run on and juicy mealworms to eat. For if there is, then I'm sure Pinball is having a ball. I had to say good-bye to the little guy this afternoon (12/6/2006) after he had his staples taken out at the animal hospital. When I came home from work today to find him laying on his side unable to get up and feeling like he was burning up, that was kind of the wake up call for me. I kept thinking it's hard to tell how long he has been in misery like this today.

For the last couple of days he was refusing to eat anything that wasn't forced down his throat. The vet said he was dehydrated from lack of fluids when he saw him today. He lost half his body weight over the past couple of months and none of the medicine seemed to be helping much. I could see him slowly getting worse. He could no longer stand, walk, or sit without support. I think the vet knew it was time to let Pinball go because he brought it up first. He also said to me that he thought I was making the right decision when I signed the paper to euthanize. This had to be the toughest decision I've ever had to make. Even now I keep debating with myself as to whether or not I made the right choice.

Pinball's Maze & Hedgie Update

Casper - Although still losing quills they have been few in number. I've continued to use an oral antibiotic mixed with some baby food rather than follow through with injections.

Sprinkles - I thought her UTI was pretty well cleared up since there had been no sign of blood for several days. However when I woke up this Sunday morning once again there was blood in her urine. I'm continuing to give injections twice a day

Pinball - Honestly I thought that Pinball was dying last night since he was so nonresponsive. Since Thursday morning, he hasn't even tried walking around much on his own. He can't even stand without falling over. His appetite has not been good. Today I've pretty much had to syringe food into his mouth which he hates. I still haven't gotten his lab results back. He is scheduled to have his staples removed this week at the hospital. To try to encourage him to walk, I used rolled blankets and towels to create a maze that will support him on both sides. So far he really hasn't seemed to have a desire to walk through it.