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Hard week for Hoku


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Late Saturday night upon returning from Hoku's before bed walk, he dashed off just before getting to the front door. He dashed back in seconds foaming at the mouth and vomiting. YIKES!!!! :eek: A horrid smell was coming form his mouth, and he just drooled continuously. A call to the emergency Vet confirmed what you all have probably guessed, he took it right in the kisser from a skunk. This was our first skunk encounter...hopefully he learned a lesson (we sure did, all walkies after dark are on leash now!), but most folks say they don't learn... Weird that it doesn't smell like skunk till they get in the house and rub it all over everything.... :rolleyes:

So then this morning he goes out first thing, and comes in sneezing a fit for 30 minutes or more. So we are off to the vet to check up his nose for the dreaded Fox-tail. It is hard to be a nine month old pup....

 

Kristin and Hoku the Humbled

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ah yes...skunks. My old girl, Brandy, was sprayed 5 times before she died. We had 20 hectares for her to roam in...and seems the skunks liked the area too! as did the porcupines!

 

Since we've moved back to the country, I now keep a large supply of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and soap on hand....just in case!

 

BTW, last year, my little foundling, Dusty, came in foaming at the mouth...not a skunk, but a TOAD, he tried to munch! Needless to say, he was not a happy camper

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Well, poor Hoku, the Vet needs to put him under to get the fox tail out of his nose. I just felt sick leaving him, but the fox tail can travel and lodge in the lung and cause major problems. It is just so hard to see him bounce away, like OH BOY!! Another new adventure! The good thing is that he has long loose rear dew (?) claws, and they will take them off at the same time. The Vet sure was right about waiting on removing them, that he would probably have to go under at some point for something else....

 

Keep Hoku in your thoughts, he'll be having the procedures in the next couple of hours... (sigh)

I sure do love that Guy...

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Sure *is* a rough week! When it rains, it pours. Those foxtails are really nasty and it's good that he was able to "tell" you he had one. I found one on Boy a while back that had just started to work it's way into his skin. I'd never heard of them or seen them until we moved here.

 

I'm afraid people are right about skunks. Many dogs don't seem to learn and the smell just lingers forever.

 

Let us know how it goes and I sure hope you and Hoku have a better week!

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Just talked to the Vet and yes, there was a fox tail and they got it... phewww!!!! He's groggy, but doing fine, and we can get him in a couple of hours. Thanks for the good thoughts, and laughs (pink poodles!)

 

We used Skunk-out, one of those enzyme products for the skunk incident (skunkident??? :rolleyes: ) and it was pretty good. If we had had tomato juice, we would have used it, but then he would have had pink feet and blaze!! That would have been a photo-op!

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YAY!!! for Hoku. I dearly love that name. I'm completely ignorant about 'fox tail'. Are you speaking of the archaic weed that presents in wet undisturbed areas and spreads through underground runners as if it were wildfire?

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Heidi - Fox tails are the dried seed of a number of grasses. They are very sharp, and minutely barbed, so they can pierce the skin (often in the soft skin of the toes between pads, or go down ears and up noses) and can only travel one way, further in. They are wicked and EVERYWHERE in CA as the grasses dry. I'm very relieved we got it, as it can really be bad.

 

So yeah, YAY!!!! I'm off to go get my boy....

 

Kristin

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