Jill Sparrow 10,306 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 I've just been to the bottom of the garden with my trusty LED torch and guess what I saw? No, not fairies. Hedgehogs! Two large hedgehogs and a large plate of food. They're not eating it. They're fighting in it. Looks pretty aggressive, too. Headbutting, shoving, pushing, shunting, grunting. Covered in cat food, both of them. This is hedgehog Courtship. It can go on for hours and get pretty violent. Had to smile. Hedgehogs behaving like humans. Well, after all, they're animals...just like us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stavertongirl 1,719 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 I have had to take Jj to the vets. We noticed he was licking his paw and we discovered a lump on the underside of his paw at the side of the large pad on his hind leg. A really awkward place to see not helped by the fact that he doesn’t like his paws touched, never has since he was a puppy. Vet had a look and decided to have him in to have a proper look and take a biopsy to send to the lab. This was done, vet said it appeared to be a lump of hard skin, didn’t bleed when it was cut into and there wasn’t anything stuck in his foot and biopsy was sent off. Went back to get results and was told the sample wasnt big enough for the lab to do anything (didn’t quite understand this as it was the main reason he had gone in) so we still didn’t really know what it was. We had been given some cream previously to see if it would make the lump shrink, it hadn’t got any bigger but was only slightly smaller and wasn’t bothering him at this point unless we had a look at it/put the cream on. So we have decided to keep an eye on it for a while, obviously if it grows or changes in any way we will be going back. Because of where it is it will make healing a bit more prolonged than normal so at the moment this seems the best option. I was going to do my insurance claim (the bill was an eye watering £722 by this time) and suddenly wondered what had happened to the £200 I paid to the lab for work that wasn’t done. I didn’t want to put in an insurance claim for this if I was going to get it back. Rang the vet and explained the situation and was told you will get it back from the insurance. Explained again that the work at the lab wasn’t done and would this money be credited back to the vet (why should they have it when it is my money plus it was their mistake not taking a proper biopsy) and was told same again rather abruptly, but an email would be sent to senior management about it. I must say I have found this very unsatisfactory, the senior vet we saw wasn’t much help really, we needed her advice on what she thought was the best thing to do, after all she is the vet not us, but just kept giving us loads of options to choose from and was going round in circles. Anyway I have put in an insurance claim which the vet held up for a couple of days as when the insurance claim reached them from Petplan they have to send it off to a centralised department for all 12 branches. This resulted in Petplan having to chase them for the details for a second time, email me and I had to ring them about it. Finally got the confirmation from Petplan they have paid the claim, can’t fault them paid out straight away after finally getting the information from the vet. Jj is fine, went on a 12 mile hike in the Peaks on saturday with no ill effects, fingers crossed it will star this way. 3 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nonnaB 4,895 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Wishing Jj all the best. We have 3 dogs of our own plus my daughters dog when she’s at work so know the worry and concern they sometimes cause. Our dogs bark a lot when anyone comes in but they soon settle down but one of my sister in laws doesn’t like animals that make a noise ( stay away if you don’t like them) but we had a get together meal and she came in with her ears covered and grumbled about them all through the meal saying if they were mine I’d have them put down. Well I exploded and asked her if her daughter was noisy everytime someone came in would she do the same thing. I regretted it afterwards but who does she think she is The dogs are small and very affectionate but this sil is not welcome anymore although she’s very attached and affectionate with us . Also she’s very argumentative so limit your visits to us. In laws 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brew 5,417 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Maybe it's misophonia and she absolutely can't stand dogs yapping. It's much like fingernails on a blackboard, a sound that can drive some people crackers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,306 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 2 hours ago, nonnaB said: grumbled about them all through the meal saying if they were mine I’d have them put down. Well I exploded and asked her if her daughter was noisy everytime someone came in would she do the same thing. I regretted it afterwards I wouldn't have regretted it. I have no time for people who don't like animals and all the time in the world for animals who don't like people. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,160 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Same here Jill........Love Dogs and Cats in fact all animals.....and when it comes Birds the same applies.......i put food out for them on the roof of my large Garden shed.......then wait for them to descend on it.......Pigeons...Magpies...Seagulls...and others......love watching them on the feed...and their inter-actions with the other species....how anyone can hurt them i'll never know............ 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,306 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 That's because you're a lovely bloke, Ben 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,160 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Thank-you......kind Lady............ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stavertongirl 1,719 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 I think I would have been the same about that to be honest nonnaB. I would never dream of doing something like that, pets are family you are a visitor. I must admit I always take notice when any of my dogs have not taken to someone, makes me wonder what is wrong with them (the person not the dog) and it tends to make me wary of them. Had a quick look at the offending lump today, just feels the same, it is hard to see because of where it is and he does have very hairy feet (he has hairy ear canals as well apparently so the vets say which can make him prone to ear infections). When he goes to the Peak District he also goes to Matlock. He has a route round the shops. First of all the cafe for toast, sometimes jam, always butter and gravy bones, then the arcade with loads of stalls, gets gravy bones and fuss off 3 stallholders, then the “hat” shop where, you guessed it, fuss and gravy bones. It really doesn’t help the diet he is supposed to be on as he is slightly overweight. There is also one of the cars for kids that you put money in to make it go which he likes to sit in for a bit, we have no idea why but he makes a beeline to it. He then snoozes on the ride back, gets home and waits to see if he is going to get fed which he doesn’t (he misses a meal due to all the treats) and then settles down for an afternoon nap either under the heated throw or under his blanket. Think I will come back as a dog in our family! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,306 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 A friend of mine has a plaque on her front door. It reads: If our cat doesn't like you, we probably won't either! She has several mogs, including a Bengal. You don't mess with a Bengal. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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