Skippy has since returned home for continued treatment.

Skippy, a curious Jack Russell Terrier, found himself in a life-threatening situation after pursuing a skunk into a stack of hay bales. What began as a typical day of play ended with Skippy trapped, sprayed in the face by the skunk, and suffering from severe blood issues that nearly cost him his life.

Gigi Van Ostrand, DVM, Skippy’s owner and a veterinarian, shared the harrowing experience.

“I have a farm, and I converted my old riding arena into a storage area for my hay,” she explained. “That day Skippy was running around chasing a skunk. He’s been in many skunk encounters, so I wasn’t too worried about it. This time, he apparently chased the skunk deep into the stack of hay bales and disappeared. We were busy with our horses, so we didn’t look for him for several hours.”

Once Ostrand and her team realized Skippy was trapped, they used a tractor to carefully remove the heavy 1400-pound hay bales, fearing Skippy might have been crushed. “When we finally got him out, he was cold and purple. I’m a veterinarian, but I knew he needed more help than I could provide him,” Ostrand said.

Skippy was rushed to the local Southern Alberta Veterinary Emergency (SAVE), where emergency veterinarians consulted toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline.

“Being sprayed by a skunk is a relatively common occurrence for pets, especially those who live in a rural area,” says Renee Schmid, DVM, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. “Most exposures result in a pet that is covered in a strong smell, as well as skin and eye irritation. In rare cases, however, the intense compounds in skunk spray can result in oxidative damage to red blood cells, leading to changes in their ability to transport oxygen appropriately as well as death of the cell. This leads to anemia and a condition called methemoglobinemia, which doesn’t allow oxygen to be delivered throughout the body as normal. In Skippy’s case, he had a very severe reaction that quickly became life-threatening.”

Skippy was at risk of hemolysis, which could lead to life-threatening anemia. He was placed on intravenous fluids, given medication for vomiting, and was administered n-acetylcysteine (NAC). Despite these efforts, after three days, Skippy’s condition had not improved. He was transferred to the VCA Canada Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency (CARE) Centre. By this time, Skippy had developed several complications, including hyperthermia, hypoglycemia, neutropenia, and anemia. He required two blood transfusions and was placed on dextrose supplementation, continued on NAC.

After intensive treatment, Skippy was released for continued treatment at home.

“Skippy was all but dead,” says Ostrand, “but now he’s bouncing around like normal. I don’t think an animal can go through much more and survive. He’s an exquisite dog.”