A YOUNG hedgehog christened Munch by vets is enjoying a new lease of life after surviving an attack from a dog.
The hedgehog was attacked by a terrier in a garden in Kenilworth, causing injuries which would usually have led to him being put to sleep.
The dog’s owner took the hedgehog to Avonvale Veterinary Centre’s Kenilworth practice where, happily, vet Vicki Kelley was able to save his life.
Vicki promptly named him Munch and has taken him home to look after him and aid his recuperation.
Vicki said: “This poor little hedgehog was in a very bad way, with a five-inch wound and a large piece of skin hanging off him.
“The dog’s owner brought the hedgehog to us very quickly and we were delighted to be able to help him.
“It just goes to show how much people love wild animals and want to see them cared for, too.”
Hedgehogs are something of a running theme at Avonvale, as Russell Hall, clinical director at the Wellesbourne surgery, offers up his garden as a hedgehog haven every fireworks night to protect the spiky specimens from bonfires.
The hedgehog population in the country is known to be diminishing, with a survey carried out by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine last year revealing a drop from an estimated 30,000,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 1,000,000 today.
