Where the Wild Things Are
by Dr. Janice Mitchell
Wild thing. You may make my heart sing but you don’t make everything groovy. In fact, some encounters of our pets with wild things can be painful, smelly or even frightening. In this ‘walk on the wild side’ article, here are some tips and helpful suggestions to keep in mind.
Okay, repeat after me: ”I will not cut porcupine quills!” Should your dog encounter a porcupine and decide to taste test, cutting the quills does not cause them to deflate as they are not filled with air. In fact, cutting makes things worse as all quills need to be plucked and by shortening this barbed hair, you have nothing to grab. Quills have very tiny one way barbs along the shaft and this makes it easy for them to keep moving…inward! Pulling out quills hurts! It is not easy or kind to do this on a conscious pet. This is a situation when you need to get your dog to the veterinarian so that an anesthetic can be administered and then all quills can promptly and thoroughly be plucked out. The longer you wait, the more of a chance the quills will continue to migrate deeper into tissues and evade extraction. By the way, cats rarely have this problem. From an evolutionary point of view, they are one up over dogs.
Pee-yew! What’s that horrid smell? Oh yes, the “Pepe Le Pew” encounter. Skunks can shoot their sulphur defence mechanism up to 10 feet out of their anal glands. If caught directly in the eyes, it can cause an irritant conjunctivitis, and your dog’s eyes should be rinsed immediately with an eye saline wash. If on the fur, do not use tomato juice. It just masks the smell and turns it into a delightful tomato rotten egg smell. Instead, change the chemical makeup of the anal gland compound by washing your dog in a cheap easy rinse of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish detergent (recipe to follow at the end of this article) For the delicate areas on the face, I have found that wiping with a mouthwash (like Listerine) will cut the smell. Oh, did I already mention cats rarely have this problem?
Now how about Rocky the raccoon? Raccoons can transmit a roundworm (Baylisascaris) in their faeces to both humans and dogs. It is treatable in dogs but can be more serious in humans. But their most concerning danger is their bite, and a possible virus that they can transmit. Yes, for anyone who has watched “Old Yeller,” we are all familiar with raccoons and rabies. Currently in southern Ontario, particularly the Hamilton and Niagara region, there have been 83 cases of raccoon rabies confirmed in raccoons, skunks, one cat and one cow for the 2017 year. The Ontario Health Network (oahn.ca) has now reported 348 cases of raccoon strain and 10 cases of fox strain rabies in Ontario since December 2015. For this reason, it is still very important to ensure that your pet is kept current with its rabies vaccination. In this situation, neither dog or cat are immune to this problem.
Last but not least, insect encounters. Stinging insects (wasps, hornets, and my favourite, bees) can cause an anaphylactic reaction in some pets. Most often, it just causes facial swelling and hives which can be uncomfortable…however, there are some pets that may need to be rushed to the vet for a more serious reaction. This would include vomiting, difficulties breathing, and general collapse. For mild reactions, one can administer over the counter human antihistamines (ie. Benadryl) at home, apply vinegar to the sting site or a mixture of a baking soda/water paste (trust me…it works!). Again, I am sounding like a broken record, but we tend to see more dogs with this problem than cats.
Many of these wildlife encounters can be avoided if pets are kept from free roaming during the early dawn and evening hours. Here’s to enjoying Mother Nature from a safe distance.
Skunk Shampoo Recipe:
4 cups 3% hydrogen peroxide; 1/4 cup baking soda; 1 tsp dish detergent. Soak pet with this mixture and allow to dry. After dried, bathe with a pet friendly shampoo and rinse.
