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Mr. Paco
3-5-01 to 9-19-03
Mr. Paco was our very first
hedgehog. It was because of his sweet personality and patience in
teaching us about hedgehogs that we began to increase
our hedgehog family. He was quite a gentleman with the ladies, and
enjoyed traveling and doing show and tell with the
public. He had a distinct personality and loved his baths and feasting
on Cajun crawfish with me on Sunday nights. He could smell
the crawfish being cooked and would come out from wherever he was to
pick pieces off my place and anoint, many times over.
On July 19, 2003 he woke us in the night with a loud yell. We took him to the emergency vet the next morning (Saturday). The only thing found was a small red spot in his throat. The vet thought it was from a piece of food scratching as it was swallowed. The following week, we took him to our regular vet as he was still making sounds to us; he was put on Clavamox (antibiotics). Three weeks later he was lacking energy and had green poo's so off to the vet we went again. This time he was sub-q'd, issued Benebac-----an x-ray showed nothing askew other than he had a lot of gas.
Our vet visits continued on a regular basis while Paco seemed to decline but still had a zest for life. Within a few weeks all possible test were taken with no diagnosis. Meanwhile, I began sub-q'ing him on a regular basis, administered herbs from Dr. Dressen, antibiotics and began to syringe feed him several times a day. He continued his noises of communication. I could tell from his different sounds whether he wanted to be fed, watered or held and loved. He continued to weaken and become less energetic. In spite of all we tried to do, nothing helped.
I finally insisted that the vet perform some type of surgery to help understand what was causing our dear man discomfort. Surgery was scheduled for September 16, however, upon arriving at the vet's she refused, saying he was too weak. She gave us two oral suspensions and more fluids to give to increase his strength. On the 19, the day of surgery, my husband took him in for surgery. Results showed that he was filled with cancers and infections. Apparently the main tumor had started in the liver and grew from there. He would not have survived the surgery, so Narciso opted to let him pass quietly.
During his two months of illness Paco and I became very close. It was as if I could understand what he wanted; I just could not grasp what was wrong with him. Looking back, I feel that the vet's we used could have been more aggressive in the beginning and saved him some of his suffering. They seemed to drag out the process to collect more money from us; there were times when I told them what I wanted done (x-rays, blood work, etc.) as they seemed so passive. Needless to say, we changed vets and have had better results.
Mr. Handsome, we love you and will never forget you. You taught us so much and your love for us was unconditional. You were our special man who taught us so much. You will forever stay in our hearts as the #1 who changed our lives. We miss you and will see you some day.
Hugs of Love, our dear man,
Mom and Dad
On July 19, 2003 he woke us in the night with a loud yell. We took him to the emergency vet the next morning (Saturday). The only thing found was a small red spot in his throat. The vet thought it was from a piece of food scratching as it was swallowed. The following week, we took him to our regular vet as he was still making sounds to us; he was put on Clavamox (antibiotics). Three weeks later he was lacking energy and had green poo's so off to the vet we went again. This time he was sub-q'd, issued Benebac-----an x-ray showed nothing askew other than he had a lot of gas.
Our vet visits continued on a regular basis while Paco seemed to decline but still had a zest for life. Within a few weeks all possible test were taken with no diagnosis. Meanwhile, I began sub-q'ing him on a regular basis, administered herbs from Dr. Dressen, antibiotics and began to syringe feed him several times a day. He continued his noises of communication. I could tell from his different sounds whether he wanted to be fed, watered or held and loved. He continued to weaken and become less energetic. In spite of all we tried to do, nothing helped.
I finally insisted that the vet perform some type of surgery to help understand what was causing our dear man discomfort. Surgery was scheduled for September 16, however, upon arriving at the vet's she refused, saying he was too weak. She gave us two oral suspensions and more fluids to give to increase his strength. On the 19, the day of surgery, my husband took him in for surgery. Results showed that he was filled with cancers and infections. Apparently the main tumor had started in the liver and grew from there. He would not have survived the surgery, so Narciso opted to let him pass quietly.
During his two months of illness Paco and I became very close. It was as if I could understand what he wanted; I just could not grasp what was wrong with him. Looking back, I feel that the vet's we used could have been more aggressive in the beginning and saved him some of his suffering. They seemed to drag out the process to collect more money from us; there were times when I told them what I wanted done (x-rays, blood work, etc.) as they seemed so passive. Needless to say, we changed vets and have had better results.
Mr. Handsome, we love you and will never forget you. You taught us so much and your love for us was unconditional. You were our special man who taught us so much. You will forever stay in our hearts as the #1 who changed our lives. We miss you and will see you some day.
Hugs of Love, our dear man,
Mom and Dad
