IN HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE OF OUR BELOVED HEDGIES WHO BRAVELY FOUGHT THE BATTLE AGAINST WHS....

Copyright © 1999 - Laura Mowrey - All Rights Reserved


If you have or have had a hedgehog with WHS and would like to add him or her
to this memorial, please e-mail me at:
sshalimar16@msn.com






The following pictures your about to see are of hedgehogs who had WHS and have since passed away. All were special, all were greatly loved, and all will be missed tremendously. Each one has their own story to tell, and each one took us a little bit closer to opening the mystery to this disease. It is with great pride, love and tears that I put these pages together. These little ones should not be forgotten, and we should all be a voice for them until a cure for this disease is found. WHS can strike without warning, please do not sit complacent because you have never experienced it with one of your own. It is my fervent hope, that you never do.....


TOMMY'S STORY:
By: Laura Ledet

Tommy was born in, to a rescue hedgie, (whom I named Savannah) that was in extremely poor health. Her tummy was one giant open sore from living in filth for who knows how long. Imagine my surprise when she gave birth to 4 very healthy babies...I hadn't even known she was pregnant. Tommy was among those babies and the one I just couldn't give up! A beautiful little chocolate chip boy, with very a very striking face and the sweetest disposition. Shortly after he turned 2, he began having the symptoms I latter learned to be WHS. Tommy "lived" with WHS for a year, even after completely losing all mobility months and months prior to his death. During this time we were inseperable, he went everywhere with me and charmed all who met him. He was my best friend, and my heart, all rolled into one.... Tommy shared my secrets and my dreams, and his eyes, with the wisdom of a truly old and ancient soul, spoke volumes back. I miss you terribly my sweet boy, but I know we will be together again. Thank you for being such a blessing to me....I must have done something truly wonderful in my life to have earned the right to share it with you, if only briefly.


A beautiful work of art, Tommy was painted from a photograph by Claudia Pendley.




To see more of Tommy, read about WHS, learn all aspects of Hedgehog Care, breeding, medical issues and much more go to the following webpage:
African Pygmy Hedgehogs


Laura Ledet Copyright 2001




MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO CHARLOTTE MAE:
By: Shonda Statini

Charlotte Mae was a Las Vegas pet store hedgie. We got her on July 18, 1998. We were told that she was 6 weeks old.
Charlotte Mae had a sweet nurturing soul. She was an excellent mother. The day she had her first litter, I was cleaning out her cage and saw her looking up at me from her nesting house. That is when I noticed two brand new little babies right by the doorway of her house. She looked up at me as if to say, “See what I did!”
Charlotte Mae had babies the same time that my other hedgehog, Butterbean, did. When I was weaning the babies, I would put both Charlotte Mae and Butterbean in the baby pool to nurse any babies that did not eat on their own the night before. Butterbean would run for cover and try to hide from all the babies. Charlotte Mae would go to the middle of the baby pool, lay down, as if to say “dinner time.” She would suckle 7 out of the 9 babies. She loved her babies and Butterbean’s too.
Charlotte Mae took two first place ribbons at the 1999 Colorado show for the best costume and handicap division. She also took a second place ribbon for the sweetest hedgie.
When she was struck down with what we call WHS, it broke my heart! I had already lost one of her babies to WHS and I was determined not to lose her too! I knew I had to do more for her if she were to beat this horrid illness. I took her to a holistic vet as well as a regular vet. With all the holistic remedies, vitamin supplementing, exercises, massage therapy, and western medicine, she did not make it.
Charlotte had such a sweet little face and tender little eyes. During her illness, she would take ALL of her medicine, food, and water without a fuss. Charlotte Mae was good at letting me know if she didn’t like to be held a certain way or if she wanted me to pick her up. She would let me know by letting out squeaks that sometimes turned into squeals. When she would squeak I would jump threw the roof and see to it that she was moved promptly from the current position to a new comfortable position immediately. She had me trained well. *L*
Little Charlotte Mae would give me daily kisses on the lips. *sigh*, how I miss those kisses.
God came and took Charlotte Mae out of my arms on January 31, 2000

Charlotte Mae all tucked in her snuggly Christmas bedding from her Auntie Laura and Randy.


"Aren't I just the cutest little angel!?

She is were she belongs,
with her creator.
A place without sickness,
a place where hedgies run free.
There she will wait for me.

In honor of her passing and that of her son, Trooper, I am truly dedicated to the research commitment to find a cure and cause of WHS. Charlotte Mae and Trooper’s death will not have been in vain.

Shonda Statini
August 2000
You may see Charlotte Mae at:
Meet My Hedgehogs/Hedgehog Care




MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO TROOPER:
By: Shonda Statini

Trooper was born on January 26, 1999. His mother was Charlotte Mae, a sweet loving hedgehog.

Trooper did not live to be very old; in fact, he died at 5 months of age, from WHS.

Trooper was given his name because was, “Such a little Trooper” to endured the onset of WHS at such a young age. Trooper’s onset of WHS was thought to be brought on by trauma. I was weaning 8 other baby hedgie at the same time when I notice that the other babies were singling him out and biting him. I put him back with his mother, Charlotte Mae, and took extra special care of him. After the incident and being put on antibiotics for the bites, Trooper seemed to improve, but had one wobbly leg. After awhile the wobble got worse and then the other hind leg started to wobble as well. This is when I feared that he might have the horrid WHS that I have heard so much about. It turned out, as young as he was, he had WHS.

There were days when Trooper started to realize that he was not like the others and he was losing the battle to walk. At night I would hear him crying, not from pain, but from frustration. I would wake up like a bolt of lightening, reach into his bed, and hold him. I felt so very bad for him. I think it was at this point that he realized his illness was only getting worse. I think it was also at this time he decided to give up on life. It was impossible to get Trooper to drink one drop of water, so subcutaneous injections were done twice daily. It was just as hard to keep weight on him as well. Poor Trooper decided to give up on life before it even started.

Trooper would smile when I would talk to him. Oh, how I miss those silly little smiles he would make *sigh*

Trooper passed away on June 23, 1999 in my husband’s hands.


**
We will always remember Trooper's sweet little smile....


He is were he belongs,
With his creator.
A place without sickness,
A place where hedgies run free.
There he will wait for me.

In honor of his passing and that of his mother, Charlotte Mae, I am truly dedicated to the research commitment to find a cure and cause of WHS. Trooper and Charlotte Mae’s death will not have been in vain.

Shonda Statini
August 2000 Meet My Hedgehogs/Hedgehog Care





MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO STEVE:
By: Donnasue Graesser


MY STEVE

This was my first WHS Hedgehog, whom I named Steve. He was such a beautiful little boy. Steve was born in June of 1997 and passed away in August of 1998. I will always miss my boy......






MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO MELANIE:
By: Standing Bear


STANDING BEAR AND MELANIE

Melanie Akwekon, IHR Registered Hedgehog number 1249, was one of seven hedgehogs registered at one time in August, 1998. They comprised the first group of hedgehogs entering the newly established Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue, founded on July 12th, 1998 upon the death of Thelma (IHR No. 929), at that time a subsidiary of W.O.L.F. (Wolves Offered Life and Friendship). Our seven "1200 series" hedgehogs made up the bulk of the rescue for the remainder of 1998, joining Louise (IHR No. 930), Rosie (IHR No. 931) and Little Flash (IHR No. 932). The seven , arriving in July and august, 1998 were Miwacle (No. 1246), Pokie (No. 1247), Major General Spikers (No. 1248), Melanie (No. 1249), Angel (No. 1250), Grumpy (No. 1251), and Bozeman (No. 1252). The numbers were not assigned by the Registry based upon their arrival here (since they were registered all at once). Grumpy and Angel were first, arriving one day before Thelma passed over the Bridge, then came Bozeman, our first male hedgehog, followed three days later by Miwacle and Pokie, then MG Spikers, and finally little Melanie, a tiny underweight little soul weighing only 94 grams at supposedly 8 weeks of age. Of the original seven, four now survive, with Grumpy and Pokie recently passing over the Bridge, and Miss Melanie traveling over about 2AM this morning at age 27 months. She died very quietly, succumbing to the illness known to us colloquially as WHS. Lydia Hiby, the animal communicator I spoke to earlier this month, told me that Melanie would decide when she was ready to cross, and would let me know, probably by refusing to take nourishment. So, yesterday, when she would only eat about 1/10th of her usual food intake and as her breathing became more shallow, I was being prepared for her journey. Her eyes, bright and deep up until nearly the end and become blinded with what appeared to be cataracts, which appeared very rapidly. Melanie, along with Miwacle and Pokie, came from the Denver pet wholesaler within one month, with Miwacle and Pokie arriving on the same day from the same "quarantine" area (translation: morgue) as they were lying on their sides and immobile. Melanie, very underweight, arrived about a month later. Melanie gained weight rapidly and, tipping the scales at 440 grams for the Colorado Springs hedgehog show in July, 1999, won no ribbons on account of being too chubby. From day one, however, her disposition was consistent and was one of the most gentle and sweet-tempered hedgehogs that ever walked the earth. She was also a little comedian and her antics among both hedgehog and human alike will be long remembered. By October, 1999, she had slimmed down to 360 grams and won best of show at Hedgehogs Northwest (HHNW), and later Reserve Best of Show at HHNW in March, 2000, now weighing 340 grams. At the March show, Judge Jennifer Young remarked to me that she thought she saw something wrong with Melanie, something rather subtle. Possibly, Jennifer’s observation was the first sign that something was gravely wrong. On April 1, 2000, while at an educational program in the Denver area, Melanie and Little Flash, in the daytime and around a lot of noise and people, wheeled almost frantically (very uncharacteristic behavior - usually they lay low at such events). Was this the start of something they knew about that Nissa and I did not? After that date, Melanie’s weight started to steadily drop until May 9, when a wobbly gait was observed and her weight had fallen to 282 grams. From May 16th to May 23d, she was under observation at Dr. Dressen’s, and our worries were confirmed that she had all of the classic symptoms of WHS. Once home on May 24th, she valiantly struggled out of her room in her condo to the next room where the wheel was located and valiantly, almost symbolically, wheeled about two revolutions before collapsing and struggling back to her log. By May 27th, she had to be hand fed and was hardly able to move. She eventually became completely immobile and her weight continued to gradually fall to her final weight at death of 170 grams. Now she joins her friends where hopefully, now freed from this debilitation, she may once again run free of cares and pain.





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