Last day of work placement. On arrival I was assigned to recovery room one again with the help of another volunteer. Firstly, we set everything up together making sure we had all the correct equipment before starting including all the medical sprays, sample packs, gloves, fresh water, water bowls, paperwork, a cloth and scales. Taking it in turns we alternated between handling and health checking the hedgehogs and filling out the paper work. Near finishing cleaning the hedgehogs, the other volunteer was called onto another sector of HART. I finished up by cleaning the room and double checking all the hogs were settled after cleaning. Before finishing, I shredded some newspaper using the shredder as the bags were running low. The shredded paper is used for bedding and is used everyday.

Today, I was able to go onto a different section alongside another volunteer for me to shadow. I was on utility which involves all the cleaning aspects of HART. As other volunteers clear out the animals enclosures, the dirty ones come to utility where they get cleaned, disinfected, dryed and stored away ready for next use. Utility has two large sinks. One sink is filled with hot soapy water and a sponge. The other is where the cleaning takes place with the assistance of a large hose tap. There is then 3 buckets containing different substances for smaller items such as bowls. Bucket 1 is filled with hot soapy water. Bucket 2 is filled with hot water and trigene. The third and final bucket is just filled with warm plain water. When cleaning dirty enclosures, they are wiped over with the soapy water and sponge. They are then rinsed off using the hose tap. Next there disinfected with a spray and hung to dry. Later on these will be set up and put away for tomorrow.

On arrival at my placement, due to lack of volunteers, I was assigned by Lauren to a section on my own. I was put on recovery room 1 which is all hedgehogs. Instead of last week working with another volunteer and alternating the jobs roles, I had to do everything independently. This involved me checking each hedgehogs number, looking up their paper work, carrying out the health checks needed, changing over their enclosure and lastly filling out their paperwork. Orgnising my time was essential as I had to make sure I was providing enough time for each hog but also keeping within the time straint of HART's working rountine day. After health checking and cleaning all 24 hedgehogs I then cleaned the room by putting everything away, wiping down surfaces and sweeping the floor. Lastly, I then re-made new hedgehog enclosures using the clean boxes ready for the next working day using newpaper and shredded paper.

Due to not being able to travel to Top Dog, I am now completeing my last few days at HART wildlife rescue where I volunteer weekly. On arrival, I was assigned on recovery room one which at the moment is filled with rescued hedgehogs. Me and another volunteer cleaned and health checked all the hedgehogs. One person would handle the hedgehogs and one would record all the health details. Firstly we have to weigh the hedgehog followed by checking their skin, spines, breathing, under belly and faeces. If the faeces looks abnormal a sample needs to be taken using a wooden lolly stick and a plastic case. The hedgehogs number then needs to be written on the plastic case and the date the sample was taken. After all the hedgehogs were clean and health checked, I then re-made new beds for tomorrows cleaning session. This is done by getting a clean, dryed container, placing several sheets of newspaper at the bottom of the container and then placing a bundle of shredded paper at one end of the container. Lastly, I helped dry clean food bowls and other equipment ready to be put away in the correct rooms.

Ending the week on another very busy day because altogether; eleven clients were expected today. The majority of clients were clients I had already met and had gone through a session with. For various dogs, I did the usual showering and drying before and after sessions. Briefly cleaning the floor and grease mark around the treadmill between the clients sessions to maintain the high hygiene standards of Top Dog. On other clients I helped support them in the treadmill if needed and supported the dogs in their rest periods in the pool. For example, today we had a ten year old Labrador called Alfie who does fifteen minutes of length swimming with the encouragement of a toy. Alfie has a spinal condition and suffers from stiff joints. The pool session is used to allow him to turn with ease in the water and to work his joints. At the end of the day, Maggie demonstrated how they test the treadmills and pools water. They test for three components; alkaline, pH and chloride. This is done by taking a sample of the water and using a small device with the assistance of tablets for each component. This is to make sure the water is suitable for use with the clients and for the staff who come into contact with the water.

Today included eleven clients; two for the pool and nine for the underwater treadmill. We started the afternoon with Pip who actually had both a pool session and some time on the treadmill. The second pool session today was with a Springer spaniel called Jasper who is probably my favourite client that I have met while at Top Dog. He used to only have a session on the treadmill but he now has a session in the pool too. He starts his session in the treadmill and then does a five minute warm down in the pool with this favourite toy, the tennis ball. Jasper suffered damage on his left and right cruciate and is a regular at Top Dog. As Top Dog were one member of staff short for the first half of the day, I got a lot of practice time on the treadmill controls, getting more used to the controls and getting used to working out the times for each interval of the session. At the end of the day, I took part in the usual end of day cleaning duties such as filling the treadmill and sieving the hair, wiping down the glass inside and out to remove the grease and water marks and finally hosing down the floor to remove any mud or excess hair.

Waking up today, still felt very poorly, so arranged a doctor’s appointment for this afternoon. My work experience placement was notified.

Had another funny turn over Monday and Tuesday morning and did not feel able enough to attend work experience. My work experience placement was notified.

On arrival, there were no clients due so Maggie demonstrated what the employees do when there are no sessions. Due to the nice weather, I cleaned the inflatable jackets and harness’s as over time they begin to smell. For this I needed two buckets; one filled with trigene and hot water and another with just warm water. Firstly, I had to dip either the jacket or the harness into the trigene bucket to disinfect and clean the equipment. Next, I then dipped it in the clean water to wash away any soap or other dirt. These are then hung and left to dry ready for the clients later on in the day. At lunch time, Maggie took me to the Newbury top dog branch to show me the differences and similarities between the two branches. This was a benefit to me as it showed me how a different environment can be made more comfortable for the clients. For example, the Newbury branch is much smaller and gets very hot or cold due to the green house style building compared to the Andover branch which is a purpose build building that is a good size, has window ventilation and heaters. Later on in the afternoon we had four clients; Three for the treadmill and one for the pool.

A busy afternoon filled with ten clients including nine for the underwater treadmill and one for the pool. I completed two case studies today. One on a dog called Kayce who has potential hip dysplasia and another dog called Peggie-Sue who has damaged her left cruciate. This again helped me build my confidence by talking to the owners about our client’s conditions and learning more about this specific conditions that are treated with hydrotherapy. As well as the usual jobs that I fulfil each session, today I combined two jobs. As well as supporting a client by their harness in the treadmill, I also had to control the treadmill and watch the time to stop the intervals at the correct times. This was difficult but helped me gain confidence in handling more than one job role at once. After the last client, I was responsible for cleaning the treadmill. I had to fill it up and sieve the hair out of the water before draining the water back out again. This is to prevent clogging up the treadmill and to help filter it. I then cleaned the glass with a cloth and glass cleaner to remove the grease marks caused by the client’s hair.

Woke today, still feeling very un-well. Gave myself some time to wake up and have some breakfast but still much the same. Contacted my work experience placement and contacted my tutor to let them know I would not be attending today.

On arrival, before the first client arrived, Ellie demonstrated how to remove splash marks around the edge of the hydrotherapy pool. This is to keep the pool looking professionally clean to the clients and any visitors. This is done by using a thick cleaning gel designed specifically to remove water marks and a dry cloth. The marks are removed by scrubbing the gel around the marked areas until marks are clean. Altogether there was nine clients due today; all to use the underwater treadmill. I observed the first four clients for their gait and posture in the water with the help of Zara for conditions including a fractured elbow, left cruciate damage and spinal injury. During the fourth client, I developed a headache and became very un-well, forcing me to end my day early and go home.