News - what's happening at April Lodge
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News - what's happening at April Lodge |
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URGENT - Now in long term foster care
Can anyone help
with Georgie and Cocoa? They are both elderly. Georgie has congestive
heart failure and is on treatment twice daily. Cocoa is fine. They live in
the lodge with the others and have a heatpad at night. However, because of
circulation problems Georgie really should be indoors. At present my house
is full up with pregnant ladies from the "Faversham 43" as we do not have
any vacant "female" hutches in the lodge. If so, the "ladies in
waiting" could go in the lodge, Georgie and Cocoa could then come indoors.
Can anyone help?
The boys have gone off to live at Sturry indoors with lots of
one-to-one care and plenty of meds!! Thanks to Joanne Griffin for
taking on the two boys on long-term foster care.
TIKKA
March 6th Quiz Night at Sandwich Scout Hall
The
quiz night which raised £122.00
THE FAVERSHAM 43
10.02.10
I had a phone call asking if we could take 23 guinea pigs who were living
in two greenhouses in Faversham. We were informed that the owner had a
nervous breakdown and the caller was his carer. It took us two weeks to
organise empty hutches as we had to foster out ten of our guinea pigs to
free up spaces for the new arrivals, whose future was looking pretty bleak.
The carer brought them to us in a variety of boxes and cages leaving these
with us she then left. While sorting them out, firstly it transpired
that the sexes were mixed up. We were then horrified to count not 23 but 43
guinea pigs and it appears that most of the females are pregnant! We are
now under huge pressure as our stock has jumped from 60 to 103. Our
expenses have soared with extra veg (this has rocketed from £30 per week to
£50 per week!) hay, bedding and medication as well as extra
accommodation. It has been calculated that we probably have the same
amount again if we include the unborn piglets.....86! I can't even think
about it! There is also tremendous pressure on my very special volunteers
as their workload has increased by around 73%. They are JO, JILL, CAROLE,
SUE, PAULINE, EMILY, CHRIS, JASON, SUSAN, AND RACHEL. They all do voluntary
animal care once a week including operating our on-site guinea pig shop and
assisting in the clinic which is open daily.
If you think you can help in any way by volunteering, fostering or funding
please do not hesitate to contact us on
aprillodgeguinea@aol.com
Thank you. Val.
03/03/2010 - Babies From The Faversham 43 an update to the above are these pictures of a proud mum and the first babies born who are now 2 days old.
WAITROSE'S COMMUNITY MATTERS SCHEME - We would like to thank all those who supported us in this scheme at Waitrose Hythe Kent where over £200.00 was raised. JUST ANOTHER DAY
Both these boys "could be better".....(sound familiar?!). Regular 3 monthly good health maintenance checks may have prevented these problems. We will let you know how they get on but if you are interested in having these two boars on long term foster-care please contact us on aprillodgeguinea@aol.com A NEW ROOF
Special thanks goes to Pets at Home who have kindly responded to our grant
application for the new roof to our lodge and are providing the full amount
requested.
STOP PRESS - E.COLI
Cases of E.Coli have been detected where fruit and veg has not been washed
properly or it has been defecated on by sheep then later eaten. To avoid
E.Coli wash fruit and veg prior to eating, remove old fruit and veg from
the hutch on a daily basis and use a disinfectant spray when cleaning the
hutch. Do not use disinfectant whilst the guinea pig is still in the
hutch.
Always wash your hands before and after handling animals or use a
sanitizing gel.
PLEASE COULD YOU HELP WITH MY GUINEA PIG PROBLEM ? - This is an email we received on 23rd September 2009
BEAUTIFUL NOW
OPEN DAY 2009- Kindly Sponsored by Mr Peter Wash of Smart Stationery, Castle Street, Dover and Eagle Vets at Minster Summer weather means a record turn out for Guinea pigs On Sunday 2nd August, April Lodge held their annual open day. People from as far away as The Medway Towns brought their Guinea pigs to the rescue centre at John's Green in Sandwich, for a fun day out. The event was blessed with sunny weather, which increased the number of guests at the day. Around 200 people and their pets attended, and were entertained with a number of activities, stalls and events. The day started with a talk about the health and welfare of Guinea pigs, given by Val Savage, who runs the centre. The main event was a Guinea pig show, where people entered their pets into categories such as Prettiest female; Most handsome male; Best veteran; Best rescue and Fastest Carrot eater. In some categories there were over 20 entrants, all hoping for a rosette to pin to their hutch. The category of 'Specialist Piggy' was won by Ivory now called Pip with his owner Tracey Iverson his specialist subject being a "pat" guinea pig ( you can read about this on the Adoption Profiles page). Also running all day was the 'Agility' event. Each Guinea pig entered received a medal for their efforts, scrambling through tubes, ringing bells and nosing balls along the ground. The winner of the Challenge cup and title of 'Best in show', went to Lucy Wade's Guinea pig 'Truffles'. Other entertainments throughout the day were traditional summer fete stalls such as Hook-a-duck, a tombola, guess the weight of the jar of sweets (turning out to weigh 3.8kg), a children's colouring competition, BBQ, home baked cakes and refreshments. The total amount taken on the day was £1340.82, a fantastic amount. Val Savage said 'The total is more amazing this year, because even though there's a credit crunch, people are still willing to help'. The amount raised will help fund the repair of the lodge roof, which is badly leaking, but the same needs to be raise again, to cover the cost, before the winter weather arrives. Another success of the day was a new home found for 'Squiggle' and long term resident 'Elliott'. They were adopted by Miss Berry, of Dover, who said: 'Yesterday was really good- you guys deserve a medal for organising it all! Elliot and Squiggle are settling in well. I think we'll need a bigger house next year!'
BASSHUNTER I know that many of you have followed with great interest the progress of Basshunter who came to us on 20th January 2008 after being dumped and attacked by a rat at a nature reserve in Deal. Following his amazing progress, It is with great sadness that I have to tell you on Thursday 4th September 2008 he was rushed to our vets following a blockage and a bout of bloat. This type of bloat was caused by a build up of gas. Despite every possible attempt by the Vet to save his life, Basshunter sadly died at home two hours later. His treatment included an x-ray, aspiration of some gas, a vitamin B injection, rehydration fluids, antibiotics and an electric massage pad in an attempt to shift this gas. You may not know that guinea pigs cannot be sick, so everything has to come out the back door as such. Therefore when there is a gut problem it can have very serious consequences. I am floored by this event. He was doing so well. His recovery was an inspiration and an education, he will be remembered for that alone as well as the evenings he would snuggle up to me as we crashed out in an armchair following another full-on day in The Lodge. Now he can rest in peace, at last. BOO
Thomas & Tank - The Railway Children 
It was
an ordinary day for Amanda's husband who worked on railway sidings.
Today he was in Maidstone. As he worked along the siding he noticed a
plastic bag against the fence that ran parallel with the railway line.
As he got closer he began to realise that this was no ordinary bag. Not
only was it sealed, there were four guinea pigs inside. Sadly two of
them were already dead but the other two were alive...just. It seems
that they were either thrown from a train or launched over the fence.
Amanda's husband buried the dead guinea pigs and took the other two
home. Amanda immediately got them to the vet. Miraculously there was
no obvious damage apart from trauma related problems. Amanda brought
Thomas and Tank to us that very same evening. They stayed with us for a
while until their confidence had been restored and then at a "talk" one
night at our local scout group, a family there fell in love with "The
Railway Children" as they were by now affectionately called by our
carers. Following a home visit, Thomas and Tank were rehomed and are
now living the life they deserve, being very much a part of the family.
Thunder - Runt To Triumph
1st September 2008, Thunder was one of a litter of four. She was the "runt" in the litter (I hate that word). She was being pushed around by her litter mates and having difficulty getting to the milk bar. She came to us at 2 weeks, underweight, with abnormal, brown, transparent top teeth, wasted and underdeveloped around the rear end, paralysed hind legs that she dragged around behind her and 3 bite marks from other family members. Here she is today, up to weight, with super top teeth following an intensive course of calcium, beautiful skin and coat, a well rounded bottom and two hind legs in perfect working order. Booty - These Boots Were Made For Walking
Swanscombe Rescue
Blondie In February we followed up a call from Swanscombe. Eleven guinea pigs were being kept in two small indoor cages. 2 Males in one and the rest in the other. The rest included babies, nursing Mums, various health problems and two males. They were all unfamiliar with veg and some are now heavily pregnant. 2 of the 9 girls turned out to be boys and so far, three of the remaining 7 girls are definitely pregnant, if not all of them. All guineas are inbred, were mal-nourished, living on wood shavings that were rotten, dehydrated with mange, underweight and overcrowded. These are photo's of some of those rescued.
.
An important part of the treatment for all the above guinea pigs and
others in similar situations, is to make them feel important,
you can see by the picture of Blondie how low morale was.
DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ? With regard to the guinea pigs found near a railway siding, there have been more guinea pigs found in sealed plastic bags throughout various railway locations in Kent. We would be very interested to hear from anyone who may be able to throw some light on this subject so we can bring an end to the suffering caused to these animals.
HELP!!
"With the current economic climate, guinea pig rescue is the last thing to worry about" someone said.
So many are affected by the "current economic climate" . Even our
rescue is suffering. Unfortunately for some people, the animals
are often the first thing to go....even before Sky TV !! So, as
you can imagine we have been inundated with requests to take on unwanted
guinea pigs. Because of the way things are, we are having great
difficulty in funding our charity. Also, we are not doing nearly
enough re-homing, which in turn is not freeing up the spaces we so
desperately need for all the unwanted guinea pigs.
We are also down on donations which is serious as we rely heavily on
this form of funding.
Despite a massive campaign to launch our new website, which includes
several ways of making a donation, we are very disappointed to have
received only one donation of £10 from a lady in Surrey ! Thank you Mrs
Howe!
We hope you can help us. Especially if you can donate by standing
order. It can be for a very small amount, perhaps once a month and it
can be cancelled at any time, so its not too scary !
Thanks.
SATURDAY 11TH APRIL 2009 - EASTER EGG HUNT & SPONSORED WALK The Easter Egg Hunt and Sponsored Walk was today at Fowlmead Park, Deal. There was only about 10 of us, half of which were little children. We raised about £200 in all most of it being sponsors for the walk. Great weather though!!
PIGGY PLOD 23rd to 25th May 2009
Dover 10 Rescue
TRUFFLES RESCUE Truffle arrived shortly after a phone call on 27th July that decided in no uncertain terms that Truffle was no longer wanted. Having been living with two boars and resembling a black and white, furry dinner plate, the indications were that her babies were due any minute! The previous owner thought she may be getting on a bit and also that she had not had a litter before. This can sometimes present problems as the pubic bones become, shall we say "not so flexible". Anyway, after a couple of days of sitting in the corner looking extremely uncomfortable, poor Truffle finally conceded to start munching again. She started to look "ok" as she shuffled her huge bulk around the cage. However, we phoned the vet to warn them of what the future may have in store...just in case. But, alas on August 4th, by 6am she had delivered two lovely little Abys. They weighed in at 104 and 107g so that was great and all were happy. I was relieved that she was going to be ok..... But by 9am Truffle became very unsettled and started grunting and having contractions again......but to no avail. I must admit I was surprised and relieved that she only had two pups. I thought she may have another pup inside that she couldn't deliver or a retained placenta. Anyway, all four of us went to see the Vet where she was given an inducing injection. Unfortunately that didn't work either which only left one option..........a caesarian section!! Now we were worried we might lose Truffle AS WELL AS the unborn baby. So what to do? Truffle would die if we did nothing. And then you think of the two little piglets who would be orphaned definitely if we didn't have it done and orphaned possibly if we did have it done. So we had the caesarian done at a cost of £120. The "long-dead" pup was removed, weighing an incredible 117g and Truffle was stitched from one end to the other. 5am Weds 5th August. Another restless night and I woke in between a dream state and reality. My first thoughts were Truffle lying dead in her cage with the two babies trying to feed from her! Down the staircase, two at a time, but no! She was ok, all snuggled up with her babies. They are all eating so now I just hope she will go the distance. We could have put her babies with a nursing sow but I can't help feeling that they are somehow a part of her recovery. Truffle is amazing. Stitched up like a rugby ball and nursing her two siblings. Find out about one of Truffle's babies on the Foster Care Page. Here are Truffle's pictures. FOR AN UPDATE ON TRUFFLE PLEASE GO TO ADOPTION PROFILES PAGE
Collection Pots - If anyone knows of a suitable outlet for one of our collection pots, we would be most grateful.
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Tikka
was dumped in Pets at Home in Broadstairs, the owner claiming she
couldn't pay the vet bill. He was treated there for two weeks but there
was little progress. We were contacted to see if we could do anything
with him. He had a very nasty wound to the side of his chest. He was
stressed and continued to self mutilate the wound. We finally had no
option but to use a daily bandage ETC. As you can see is ok now.
The
Winning Team "The Larkets"
The
Team that one the booby prize "The Happy Campers"
So many visitors have got to know Boo over the years. So it is with regret
that I have to tell you that he passed away in February of this
year...indoors where he was warm and comfortable. He was one of our first
rescue piggies back in 2004. He suffered terrible neglect before coming
here and had been a permanent resident ever since. He had 7 companions over
the years and out-lived them all. When he first came here his age was unspecified
so he could have been quite old when he died maybe 7 or 8 or even older. When April
Lodge started back in January 2004, Boo and I struggled along together as I
read countless books on the subject with him in my arms. It often looked
like he was reading them too! Well, he was probably wondering how we were
going to manage. So "thanks little one for teaching me so much"...V.S.
