Nurses rescue poorly hedgehog who wandered into emergency department
Posted 25 August 2023 - 09:17
A hedgehog called John is on the road to recovery after being pampered by nurses
Emergency nurses at a hospital in the north east of England had a prickly situation to deal with when they discovered an unlikely patient wandering in the emergency department.
A poorly hedgehog – later named John – was found in the resus unit of South Tyneside District Hospital in South Shields, where nurses quickly realised he was poorly.
Sister Kate Gordon, who has experience of looking after hedgehogs, cared for the little visitor alongside registered nurses Nicola Kirtley and Laura Short, staff nurse Megan Bell and healthcare assistant Rachel Oren.
When fully recovered, John will be released in a park near the hospital
Realising John was hypothermic, their nursing skills kicked in and they wrapped the tiny hedgehog in a warm blanket to raise his body temperature. He was then given food and left to rest and recover in a box.
John has since been taken to local charity Pawz for Thought, where he is expected to make a full recovery.
Ms Gordon said: ‘Our resus area was empty and we found him pottering around. He was quite floppy when we picked him up and he was cold, so we wrapped him up in a warm blanket.
‘The charity said he was hypothermic, so he was really cold, which is probably why he came inside, to get warm. It has already started his treatment, so I’ll be picking him up and releasing him nearby.
‘I just love hedgehogs. I’ve got two quite tame ones living in my garden. I had some cat food in the boot of my car, so we were able to give him some of that.’
Ms Gordon plans to pick John up from the charity to release him at Temple Memorial Park, close to the hospital, once he is back to full health.
Following news of their tiny visitor, the emergency department team led efforts between colleagues to raise money for Pawz for Thought.
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