Trapping A Problem Skunk On The Farm

We have had skunks here before.  I remember one year seeing a mother skunk and her two little ones.  We had one skunk that would come onto our deck and help itself to the food we left out for the cats when they were outside.  None of these skunks were ever really a problem, and for the past couple of years we have not had any skunks around that I was aware of.

This year we were awoken at night by the nauseating smell of a skunk on more than one occasion.  I am not even sure what the skunk was spraying, they are usually very accurate but none of our cats was sprayed, nor where the sheep.  It seemed like this skunk was just "spraying" so I suspected perhaps it was a male marking territory.  I saw it a few times in the compost, and tried to scare it off, but the skunk just kept hanging around.

Finally I went and rented a skunk trap from the county office.  The charge was $5.00 a week.  I baited the trap with cat food (sardines also work well) and put it in the barn, shutting all the doors to the barn so the cats could not get in.  I knew the skunk was in the barn, it had a hole that it used to go under the tack room floor.

Skunk trap, with skunk in it.

After a couple of nights I did catch the skunk, so now all I had to do was to release it.

I should back up my story here a bit.  When I went to rent the skunk trap I asked the man what should I do with the skunk after catching it, he said to either hook it to my exhaust pipe and gas it to death, or to release it in the yard of somebody I dislike.

As I was not going to gas it, I drove it far away to a park.  I pulled over, set the skunk trap near the side of the road (I had tossed some cat food into the bushes for the skunk to hopefully find later) and waited for it to come out.  It took a few minutes before it moved and left the trap, scurrying into the bushes.

It is fall, and we are expecting good weather for a couple of weeks more so I do hope the skunk will use that time wisely to set up new accommodations before winter.

The skunk as it left the trap and made its way into the forest

According to the guy at the county office this year has been really bad one for skunks, he was glad I returned the trap as quickly as I had, some other people had skunk traps out for several weeks.

Skunks are cute and I have heard of people making them into pets, but this is illegal in my area.  In areas where it is legal to own skunks, people have to buy them from breeders and cannot catch wild skunks and turn them into pets.  Other than the obvious problem of their smell, skunks are also known to carry rabies so caution should be taken around them at all times.

What is Heartworm in Dogs?

Heartworm disease is a problem for dog owners worldwide but more so in warmer areas.  Many dogs are infected with heartworm and the owners are totally unaware until the disease is fairly progressed.   Do note that many herding dog breeds are extra sensitive to some medications used for heartworm.

Cause of Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite known as Dirofilaria immitis. This is a worm that is spread by mosquitoes and it is most prevalent in areas with large mosquito populations.

Dirofilaria immitis pass through several life stages, starting when they are sucked up as tiny larvae in the blood by a mosquito. The next time a mosquito bites an animal the larval worms, known as microfilariae enter a new animal and start to grow to a length of 12 inches. When these worms become adults they move to the dogs heart and that is when problems begin.

As the worms grow and build up the dogs heart becomes full of worms causing it to lose energy and will eventually kill the dog.  This is not an overnight problem, it takes months to progress to a life threatening stage.

Drawing by author ©

Symptoms of Heartworm Disease in Dogs

-Coughing, particularly after, or during, exercise
-Lack of energy
-Vomiting blood
-Heavy Breathing
*It must be noted that less active dogs may not have any symptoms.

How is Heartworm Diagnosed?

A diagnosis can be made one of two ways. The most common method of testing for heartworm is by a blood test. The blood test can determine if a dog has microfilariae in the blood and adult worms in the heart. The test is often found to be most effective if done in the early spring.

X-Rays will also show if worms are present in the dog's heart or lungs.

Treatment of Heartworm in Dogs

Once diagnosed there is no guarantee that the treatment will cure the dog, but without it the dog will certainly die.

The veterinarian will want to determine how infected the dog is and if there are other problems that may become issues when treatment is started, such as a risk of heart failure, and liver or kidney failure.

The veterinarian will try to kill the adult worms using twice daily injections, for two days, of an arsenic compound.

The dog must be kept resting, and inactive during treatment. The concern is that the dead worms will circulate and cause other problems. If the dog is allowed to rest its body will absorb the dead worms.
The veterinarian will ask to recheck the dog, usually three weeks after treatment and again the following year.
Treatment for heartworm is both expensive and risky, as such prevention is very important.

Prevention of Heartworms in Dogs

The only way to really prevent heartworm in dogs is to prevent the dog from being bit by mosquitoes, otherwise medications which are said to prevent heartworms are not really doing that; but they are killing the larval heatworms that may be in the bloodstream, and as such are preventing the adult heartworms being a concern. 

There are several products, both oral and topical, for prevention of heartworm. Every dog owner should discuss the level of risk in their area and what are the best prevention methods. Again, the risk of heartowrms is lower in colder areas.   Also remember that some herding breeds, including Border Collies, are sensitive to some medications.

It should be noted that all canines are at risk of  heartworms (in case a person owns an exotic canine such as a Fennec Fox) and cats can get them too.