Is it possible to avoid / reduce the smell when emptying skunk anal sacs?

RE: Is it possible to avoid / reduce the smell when emptying skunk anal sacs?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 00:44:16 GMT

I'm just musing here, and this may be a very silly suggestion, but why not plunge the animal's posterior half in a large bucket or small bath, and do the job under water?

RE: Is it possible to avoid / reduce the smell when emptying skunk anal sacs?

Mark Rowland — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:43:29 GMT

We had one release his vapours. It was an agonal thing as he presented in extremis.

Onions, lots of them helped the most (like they do in a fridge)

RE: Is it possible to avoid / reduce the smell when emptying skunk anal sacs?

cairncross — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 06:04:46 GMT

They were very painful we had to anaesthetise, I have no idea how the owner coped with the journey home she would have had at least 30 min trapped in the car with the concentrated smell

RE: Is it possible to avoid / reduce the smell when emptying skunk anal sacs?

Jill Butterworth — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 20:14:48 GMT

I would be giving the owner a very detailed description of how they can easily do this at home themselves, should the condition recur, to save money and distress to their animal...

RE: Skunk Warning

cairncross — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 06:43:14 GMT

Bulging very sore animal seemed to be in distress crouching around back end o showed video of this first experience of a skunk. what research I could seemed to suggest glands on expression initially impacted material and then large volume luminous yellow vague estimate 20ml syringe worth from each gland . I had a series of towell spread around to capture this all had to be burnt.

Very rare doubt many here have experience of them Google seems to suggest may be more common in England? As does your post if you see a few . This was a rescue o inherited a premises that had suitable facilities and was asked to take it on so her experience is limited to having this one a few years and wasn't able to find another more experienced practise willing.

I think we will be talking about it for some time may log this as cpd with reflections.

Was I wrong to empty them ? Is this not generally a need ? very happy to be told this was a mistake and I shouldn't do it again.

RE: Skunk Warning

Dinu Catilina — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 05:26:41 GMT

We had one accidentally emptying himself in a consult room about 8 years ago and we still talk about it. The ones we have now as patients are well behaved. Why did you have to empty the glands?