Skunk castration - help much needed!!

RE: Skunk castration - help much needed!!

Marie Kubiak — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 09:56:06 GMT

Sorry, I was wiped out with a virus the last few days. Hope it all went well. Intubation is much the same as a small dog, I tend to use lidocaine spray prior to intubation though have no scientific reason to do so! Fluid requirements equivalent to a cat - in fact much of skunk medicine is based on cat and dog medicine so the approach is generally similar.

Marie

RE: Skunk castration - help much needed!!

Sheryl Calway — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:56:15 GMT

Thanks so much Marie... do you intubate (how if so..??..!!).... fluid requirements under ga? Thanks again! X

RE: Skunk castration - help much needed!!

Marie Kubiak — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 08:48:53 GMT

Hi,

the surgery is basically the same as a dog castrate, I do them as open castrates then close the tunic.

My preferred combination is medetomidine (0.05mg/kg), ketamine (5mg/kg), midazolam (0.25 mg/kg) IM followed by isoflurane for maintenance and 0.25mg/kg atipamezole to reverse, plus flumazenil if you have it. I know lots of other vets use a variety of cat or dog GA protocols successfully without any species-related quirks. The main differences are that cephalic veins are harder to access due to anatomy and the tendency for skunks to be obese, and that these animals can be more difficult to restrain as they have a limited scruff and are surprisingly strong for their size.

The baseline smell isn't too bad but a spraying skunk will empty a clinic. Just keep handling firm but calm and back off if stamping, tail lifting or other threat displays start. During place a swab under the anus to catch any leakage that occasionally occurs under anaesthesia.

Marie

RE: Skunk castration - help much needed!!

Dinu Catilina — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 08:11:05 GMT

We had one in recently for ovariohisterectomy. Make sure he is very tamed. The smell is like a weapon, takes months to get read of it. We admitted it just before surgery as not to stress it out in the clinic. No dogs or cats moving around him, inject preferably with the owner, be gentle and don't allow him to put his tail up.