Dog Meets Skunk—What To Do
However upsetting it is for your dog to be sprayed by a skunk, it’s not a medical emergency—even though it may be painful. The dog’s eyes may be irritated and even become temporarily blinded. You may be able to smell the dog a mile away, but think about the poor victim! He or she must deal with the odor at ground zero and has a sense of smell thousands of times more sensitive than yours.
Hunting dogs are the usual victims, as their foraging takes them deep into the woods. City dogs are not immune, however, as skunks invade urban areas in search of pet food and trash cans. Their spray can reach a target up to 10-15 feet away.
Dogs that get sprayed by skunks should be kept out of the house until they’re washed thoroughly. Otherwise, you’ll find that the whole house is permeated by the penetrating smell. When you go outside to clean the dog, wear gloves and old clothes that you can throw away when you’re done.
The first step is checking the dog’s eyes. If they’re watering or red, he or she probably took a direct hit. It’s best to use a sterile saline solution, such as that made for contact lenses, to wash them out. If you don’t have lens solution on hand, run water gently over the eyes for 5 to 10 minutes to decrease the sting.
Before you get the dog wet all over, comb out the fur. When water hits any snarls, the fur turns solid and you’ll have to cut out the mats. To keep the dog quiet during cleaning, you’ll need to leash him or her to a post or other stationary object. There are a number of skunk odor removers listed on Amazon, all rated by customer. Many professional groomers recommend Massengill brand douche (3 oz/gal water). To use, pour over your pet and allow to soak for 15 minutes before rinsing with plain water. This should be followed with a bath using regular dog shampoo.
It may be a few days before you’ll want to bury your nose in your dog’s lovely fur!
In 1855, shortly before the Civil War, the U.S. Army launched a great camel experiment. They allotted $30,000 for the purchase of camels from Middle Eastern countries for military purposes. Military officials believed that camels were key to the Army’s expansion in the Western U.S. The land and climate were ideal—much like the camels’ homes in the deserts of the Middle East. A transcontinental railroad hadn’t been built in the U.S. at the time, and camels seemed the ideal solution to hauling supplies between distant military posts. By 1857, the Army imported 75 animals.
Wild camels did survive in the desert, although not enough to support a thriving wild population. Sightings, while uncommon, were reported throughout the region up until the early 20th century. Because they were rare, they almost always made the news.
For more than twenty years I have been fighting squirrels in my backyard. It’s a battle of wits that I’m losing.
Time to be creative, I thought. Why not remove the metal cone and grease the pole with Vaseline? My effort was good for entertainment but not much else. On the first few attempts, the squirrels managed to make it halfway up the pole, then slid to the bottom like cartoon characters. Oh, joy! After that, they got a better running start and improved their strategy. Eventually, they rubbed off enough Vaseline to succeed.
ent in the back seat of my car. After the A.A. meeting, I headed for U.F.’s cattle field. Parking on the curb adjacent to the cattle enclosure, I unloaded my accordion, strapped it on, and began to play. I sang, “Git along, little doggie” at the top of my lungs.
I am Ixodes, the Mighty Tick. My full name is Ixodes Scapularis. I’m more commonly known as the deer tick. You may have met me during your outdoor adventures. I’m the little brown thing stuck on your leg that you can’t pull off. That bug you’ve heard so many bad stories about.
I started life as an egg. Inside my egg was enough food to last a couple of months. After that I had to push my way out and hustle for my own grub. Tiny? I was no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. I had six legs, not that you could see them without a magnifying glass.
I scrambled onto the mouse’s fur and looked for a place to eat. I knew then that I was an eating machine! For a mouth, I had a long, prickly sticker with a tube inside. I sank the tube into the mouse’s skin. When it was in, I spread my body out and got ready to stuff myself.
People who get Lyme disease are in for a bad trip. They run a fever, their body aches, and they’re tired all the time. A red rash starts around the tick bite. In a few days a red ring forms around a clear circle, like a bull’s eye. If the disease is diagnosed quickly and the doctor starts an antibiotic, the person will probably recover. If not, they’ll have all kinds of medical problems and may never get well.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is worse. It starts out with a rash. A week or two after the bite, people get so sick that they end up in the hospital. They can’t breathe right, hear, or talk clearly. Unless given antibiotics quickly, three of four infected humans die.
Dingoes are excellent hunters, working out their tactics ahead of time. At least two lead dogs are responsible for locating a target—a kangaroo, wallaby or smaller animal. They chase their prey to a place where other pack members are waiting in ambush. With their agility and skill, they know how to steer a prey animal just where they want it. Those lying in wait are good at cornering the animal by dodging this way and that.