...I thought to myself, "Wow, I don't have any plans for today.". Man, did that change in a heartbeat. It was about 5:40 AM and I thought I had time for a coffee and then yoga at six with Priscilla from WLIW Ch 21. So I used the Loo and Mr. Zaz was at the door and he asked to go, too, with cute puppy dog eyes. I walked halfway through the garden to chase critters, birds and beasts but none to be had. So I returned to the front doors and let him out. Instead of running out like Algebra at Aqueduct's last race, he slithered out like a panther who stalked a much-needed meal. He has done this a few times so I thought nothing of this behavior. Over the din of the Telly and air-con, I heard something. I was answering mail and I thought it was baby ilili. It wasn't, as she quietly played at my feet.
I stood up and looked out to see Zazoo as he shook something frantically in his mouth. It was black. It was black and white. Oh no! Bloody skunk. I ran out and yelled to no avail. I backed off so as not to be sprayed. I'm not even sure if I knew if he squirted at this point. Eventually, Zazoo dropped it and it crawled away. I went for Zaz's collar and he screamed and dropped to the grass to wipe his face. Shit, shit, shit! He was hit. He screamed like nothing I've ever heard before. Poor, poor child.My heart ached.
I had baby ilili under my arm and a screaming boy in my other hand. How I managed to get thru two doors is still one of those mysteries that happens in overdrive. He got away from me when we got inside. Poor Zaz smooshed his face into the leather couch and howled. I managed to grab him and got him upstairs but first brushed his hair out of his face to see if there was any physical damage from the skunk. I felt something prickly. What? It was part of the plastic netting of the fence. I hoped it didn't poke or scratch his eyes. I removed it and saw foamy pink that oozed out his mouth as he wretched. Oh God, blood? I rinsed his mouth and eyes with nasal saline and he didn't have any more pink foam. So I guess it was skunk blood. The skunk spray temporarily blinds the animal, so I led him upstairs to the bathroom and quickly made a paste of baking soda and peroxide to smear into affected areas. Poor Zoo. He stopped howling but tried to clean his eyes on anything vertical, including me. So, as this poor child stood there with white paste all over his face, ears, next, chest and paws, I continued to rinse his eyes. We got into the shower and washed it off; carefully and slowly. Then I re-applied the paste and did a proper wash and conditioner. He started to smell better; pretty nice, in fact. My senses had been assaulted.
Poor, poor doggie was so upset AND he didn't use the loo, I realized he peed on the floor and when his rear legs went weak in the shower, I thought he was going to expire; he pooped instead. I was so happy. They say when you're about to die your muscles slacken and everything comes out. Oy vey. But my best friend was ok.
What an ordeal I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I'm happy to report Mr. Zazoo is fine. And he still wants to kill the skunk. I didn't let him out in the garden alone for a few days because he went right to the spot and pounced and paced. I saw the skunk a few hours later as he went into his hole just beyond the garden fence. So did Zaz. So the story's not over quite yet.
I found Greg Jahner, of Wildlife Services, Inc, 914-420-6385, who serves the entire Tri-state area, who appeared promptly at 5 PM the same day. He saw the den and in lieu of 650 usd for traps, he found a big rock and placed it on top of their home to suffocate the injured skunk. He said it would probably die from his injuries anyway and for the rest of the family...oh well. It's better than 650 usd a few times. He charged 150 usd for the rock positioning maneuver.
He suggested I call Zaz's vet to see if shots were up-to-date. A rabies booster was required, so we schlepped to the vet the next morning. The lovely Dr. Vierra administered the injection painlessly and that's it. End of story. I hope, inshallah!
http://www.rhvh.com/
